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At the outset, let's be very clear: No-Code is not a development solution for ALL problems your business may face post-Brexit. However, No-Code can be very useful at addressing business problems caused by Brexit, Covid, furlough, lockdowns, and other major changes across various industries. No-Code as a development path is a great option for business problems that need to be fixed quickly but can also provide a longer term, robust digital solution.
The past few months have meant chaos for many businesses; managing changes to processes and ensuring both customers and suppliers were kept safe was a task, let alone doing it while transitioning away from direct European Economic Area access.
On the plus side, for many businesses the switch to UK GDPR and other technical headaches have meant the No-Code approach has gained traction.
As Forbes recently stated, “These no-code / low-code capabilities are the pre curser to the fact that in 3-5 years as much as 65% of development will be done in-house using no-code, low-code which are complimented by AI software bots (robots), per Gartner."
Responding to a changing business situation quickly and intelligently with customer- and team-focused digital products is always difficult. But managing it alongside changes in both your business and the regulatory landscape to comply with new laws, takes a lot of additional time! No-Code is perfect for this type of challenge as it allows you to deploy solutions quickly and allow your team time to develop these digital assets further at a lower cost, with less risk and it gives your business the ability to iterate rapidly.
So, what is No-Code?
Any development platform that offers tools for creating software applications without any coding is considered No-Code. This approach is now a viable alternative to traditional software development, especially for business users who need to build their own, robust business applications, without any coding or technical knowledge.
In this month's Cariboo blog, we will be looking at the main advantages of using a No-Code approach and how it can help your business save money, save time, and quickly take advantage of new opportunities.
The Benefits to Business of Using a No-Code Approach
Time saving: No-Code digital solutions can be the answer to quickly overcome the issues your business faces. Deployment of well-thought-through and useful tools can be created in just a few weeks, depending on brief and specifications. Your business can address your immediate needs, add customer requirements, and communicate and share data directly with suppliers. What is more, you can start simply and build on your software or app as your needs evolve.
Quick to market: Brexit/Covid/IR35 are all throwing new challenges at businesses which require speedy answers to the problems they create. Simply put, you cannot compete with other businesses who can adapt to change quicker, particularly when your business is slower on the uptake of new technology. No-Code has a much shorter development path, and it allows your business to jump on opportunities as they arise, deploy solutions quicker and beat the competition.
Low cost: It does not take a genius to realise that the faster you can build a piece of software the lower the cost to deliver it. Fewer development hours give any business a direct cost-saving, but No-Code allows a lower, ongoing development and maintenance cost, giving you the benefit of lower total cost of ownership.
End-user-focused: If you can get a piece of software into the hands of the end-user, they will give you a very clear response as to what needs updating and improving - more importantly, they will offer ideas about how you need to update and improve it. With our expert research and design approach, you can quickly address the needs of end-users intelligently, to give you the flexibility to update your software over time and create the best tool for your users.
Democratization of digital: Creating even simple pieces of software and apps can be a very time-consuming process -software development may require several team members to design, code, test, review, polish and deploy your idea. This is costly and thus restricts smaller businesses competing with companies who have bigger development budgets or staff on payroll to build and manage digital assets. No-Code allows you and your team to get what you want without lengthy, time-consuming, and costly training, or having to recruit skills into the business. All of this is a direct cost-saving, but also allows you to jump on opportunities which you had previously passed by.
Experimental process: Why build out the finished product, with all the time and cost attached, when you can create an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to test, measure and build out a more user-centric product? We mentioned speed of deployment, that is great, but this allows you to get end-user feedback quicker, giving you more data and ideas on how to best develop your product for those who will be using it day-to-day.
This direct feedback is going to be much clearer than lots of "blue sky" meetings with people who may not be on the "front line" of the business. Actual user feedback is invaluable and will give you a MUCH clearer development pathway for your project as those needs emerge and evolve. Plus, word often quickly spreads with positive user experiences and swift responses. That is what takes your software from used-by-a-few-people to the "industry standard" - all of which is achievable using No-Code development.
Efficiency: Another user benefit of No-Code is that you can give team members or customers quick access to useful data or information that can get your project started quicker. Sometimes, poor user experience gets in the way of delivering the data or information to the end-user when they want it. With No-Code, you can easily receive, share, or submit data whenever it’s needed to whoever needs it, which is vitally important to a modern business and can give you that extra advantage in the marketplace. It also improves the overall efficiency of the business when data is shared quickly, and accurately to staff, suppliers, and customers.
In conclusion
Improved speed of response and all the above benefits make No-Code a credible way to create a product that builds your business and improves user experience quickly.
However, there are still problems that can arise - it is a bit like building a house from a kit. Sure, all the pieces may be available, but you still need someone who knows how to put the kit together in a secure and safe way. That is where Cariboo comes in!
With years of app development under our belt, Cariboo can ensure your No-Code project stays on track and is an intelligent, robust solution for your business. We can also give you experienced insights that prevent you from hitting dead-ends and causing problems further down the line.
Simply put, No-Code allows you to do more, with less - here's a quick breakdown of the benefits we think are most important for businesses:
- Overcome limited resources, saving time and money.
- Quick start when it is business critical.
- Easier communication even with staff on furlough.
- Incorporate various data streams together quickly.
- Collate customer responses and feedback.
- Accurately and quickly share data with suppliers.
- Continue to develop without time or financial delays.
Some considerations post-Brexit
As the data laws have changed and we are now using UK GDPR, we would suggest you look at the following areas within your business when thinking of developing an app:
- Have you adapted to UK GDPR from EU GDPR?
- Have you updated your privacy notice/policy?
- Where is the data hosted?
- Do EU citizens use your app, product, software, or website?
- Have your team got access to all the data you need?
- Are you using an EU Agent to represent you within the EEA?
All these issues require a specific response, so if you are unsure then please get in touch - we can help you develop No-Code software and apps that help your business answer these post-Brexit issues, and remain the right side of the law.
No-Code cannot provide a magic solution for all issues, but it is a useful resource to help deploy tools for businesses, especially when speed and cost-efficiency is paramount. We know that No-Code is a good fit for many business applications, but if you need another approach our experience will help give you a pathway forward.
So, whatever your software requirements, we would love to hear more about it! Get in touch for your free 20-minute discovery session.
