1 year, 4 month ago by Timothy Cox
Imagine that you are the CEO of a facility management company. Your company wants to shun the paper forms and you are looking forward to introducing automation in the business so that the productivity improves within teams
1. You can choose software from the shelf, that is, choose software that already exists in the market. This will help you automate the processes
This is a cheaper option available for you. But wait, the catch here is that it won’t be the perfect fit for you since there will be features that you need, there will be some that you don’t need at all
It will never be the right match for you because it was manufactured for 1000s of other businesses out there, and you alone
2. The second option is that you can choose to get a mobile application developed through a mobile application development company
Well, the minuses here are that it can take really long to get a perfect app, and if you don’t have a good IT budget- it can certainly break your bank
So are you willing to spend that kind of money?
Is it expensive? Not at all. Will it match your needs, yes – it can be built that way. Does it take too much time – again, no!
The ready-made software (first option) will obviously give you no scope for customization. You will have to buy a new one in case you want it changed
The second option will allow customization, no doubt – but since it has to be built from scratch, it will take longer to be developed
But six months down the line if your business dynamics change, the software will need a rebuild because it is not agile enough to accommodate changes
Without being Sherlock Holmes, you can conclude that rebuilding software means more cost and time – you need to be sure if you are game for it
Okay, it doesn’t take rocket science to figure out that you would embrace the third option with open arms!
Well, this example isn’t a work of fiction – this scenario holds quite true for enterprises seeking the automation route
Back in the day, businesses bought software from the market and molded their processes to suit the software, rather than going the other way round
Then something even worse happened: when the business environment changed, these apps became more and more irrelevant, to the day – that these apps stopped making any sense, they had suffered a slow death since the teams no longer used them
After spending hundreds of thousands of greenbacks on an application that is no longer relevant is a nightmare that businesses would want to avoid at all costs
There are good chances that you have already come across these platforms that allow you to build custom apps that we read about earlier
But what you haven’t probably got is an opportunity to understand how these platforms work and why your business should be considering having a custom-built app
And also, how these mobile apps can be the magic bullet that your business needs right now
These custom mobile applications are built according to your business needs, so you don’t have to worry about altering your processes
Were you aware of the fact that there are platforms out there which can help anyone build an app without any coding?
What is interesting is that these simple mobile apps can be customized to automate different processes, collect rich data, deploy advanced intelligence, and report generation, etc
The point is that custom apps will accommodate the features that you want – and in the end, you don’t have to compromise on the functionality
Since you have built the app specifically for your needs, you will require very little or no training running it. Your teams can be easily trained to use these custom mobile applications
No business would make a decision without considering the cost factors. After all, every investment should make a business sense, should
Getting a mobile application built from software development company can cost you a bomb. It might cross $100,000 easily and need 6-8 months to be completed
If you choose to buy a ready-made cheap off-shelf software from the market, there’s a high possibility that it won’t be a great fit for your processes
Only if you are sure that the fortune smiles upon you every time – go ahead and try deploying software available in the market
The rule of thumb is that you should always watch the long-term benefits, rather than just considering costs
Will the data be safe with such software or would it be safer with an application that you custom-built just for your business?
Even further, since the mobile application is exclusive to you, you don’t really have to worry about your know-how and privileged data getting shared with other people
This exclusivity can even give you an edge over other enterprises if you know how to leverage a mobile application well
A majority of platforms like Axonator – who can help you build enterprise-level mobile applications come with extraordinary support
So these platforms offer support right from helping you build an app to making it functional. Since most of these platforms have ongoing support model, you don’t really have to worry about challenges that may surface in the future
If you get software built by a development company, the chances are that you will have to shell out more dollars the next time you need their help in modifying the software
With custom-built apps, the scenario is really different. It takes a lot of load off your mind, phew!
As already stated earlier, if you have got the software custom-built, it’s going to be easy for the teams to use. There are a number of reasons for the same
The most important being, it will be easy. There will be no unnecessary complex functions in software that don’t really make sense to your processes
Your teams can always use a custom mobile app and provide feedback for further changes, this results in the development of an application, which turns to be a perfect match for your business processes
Remember, you wanted an app in the first place to boost productivity and efficiency by introducing automation – not just have an app that consumed even more time of your teams
User Experience (UX) is one area that you cannot afford to mess up. Generic apps will never be able to offer a great user experience for your audience, specifically
Let the audience be internal or external – user experience can spoil the game for you if not focused upon well
Custom-built mobile apps can help you deliver a UX that is tailored to match the expectation of your audience
The audience could be your teams collecting data out there on the field – or it could be customers sending feedback
Remember, a good user experience always reinforces the person to use the app back, and a bad one results in an uninstall
We have already established the fact that if business scenario changes, you will have to throw off-shelf software in the dustbin – since it no longer will be relevant
Well, if the app has been build by third-party, then you will have to reinvent the wheel again – and that’s going to be not just mentally taxing, but also will demand an investment of time, money, and efforts, all over again
Custom-built apps can be made scalable. Platforms like Axonator allow you to build a robust mobile app which can be put to use easily
Here’s the truth: No matter how bigger the team size grows or features you add in your app, the mobile app can be tweaked to make it functional
If your mobile application cannot change with the business demand and behavior, it’s of no use, to be honest
The clear advantage: you will save money, time, and efforts. You will see a boost in productivity and efficiency
The larger picture: You don’t have to align your processes and people for a mobile application, it will be the other way round
You can also read about our mobile form app checklist here.
Axonator is one of the most trusted platforms by enterprises to build a mobile app for business processes
Anyone can build an app using Axonator with drag and drop, no coding required absolutely. Axonator is fully supported by cloud technology
Even further, Axonator is multi-device and multi-platform compatible – meaning it can be accessed through tablets and a variety of mobile devices (both Android & iOS)
Interested to know more about how a platform like Axonator can help your business with a mobile application?
Get in touch with us now at [email protected]
1. What is Axonator’s MicroApp Strategy?
Get a free consultation from the best!
