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Each business is unique; therefore, each business faces its own challenges and problems.
However, in our experience, there are 5 common problems faced by businesses and organisations which lead them to app development... Let’s explore some of these and see which scenario your business falls into.
Bespoke Solutions
The first common problem we’ll explore is the need for tailored circumstances. A great example of this in practice is a need to create a booking app, perhaps to meet client expectations these days or to keep up with competitors.
Online booking systems are becoming increasingly crucial for the hospitality and service sector, research tells us that 40% of online bookings are done outside of business hours. Allowing these people to book means you never miss out on a customer. Webflow have identified an average revenue increase of 37% owing to online booking systems - it’s crucial business that can’t be left on the table.
Whilst some industries will have “off the shelf” solutions, these don’t always work for every business. You may have bespoke requirements or a variable offering, in which case, finding a template solution that fits your business is highly unlikely, or at least highly frustrating.
In this instance, you’ll need a bespoke solution that takes into account your business, your customers and all the variables, from opening times, appointment times, costs, packages and much more.
Customers expect online bookings to work as needed, if you invest in an app that doesn’t fit your offering, you’re providing a poor customer experience which ultimately reflects on your business.
Field data processing
If you have colleagues or staff who work in the field, do they need to take notes? Workforces are becoming increasingly remote, with mobile reliance much more prevalent in day-to-day operations.
If you require your field staff to take notes or photos and have them sent back to a supervisor for processing, the need for this data to be received in an hourly or daily cycle would enable responsiveness, efficiency and prompt customer service.
Ultimately, your business needs to be able to respond to your clients' needs in a timely, cost-efficient way. The ability to deliver real time or regularly synced data via an app would be a significant advantage.
Improve business processes
If you have existing technology and software, and you have data that you want to keep, the idea of changing systems can seem overwhelming.
But, if your software was built 5 years ago, the chances are that your business has changed and matured; you’ve got bigger, hired more staff, changed processes, you’ve got better at what you do. If that sounds familiar, your current system and technology could be constraining the business rather than helping it. If you’re having to work around your old system, this is adding time and complication to your processes. You may have new products that your old software can no longer support, or perhaps your workflow has changed.
If your old system is slowing down, you’ll need to consider an approach that allows you to retain data and take you through the next 5 years, or even better, allows for continual growth and adjustment.
You may also need to migrate to the cloud because your current solution doesn’t support your remote work force, or you might have started something in the cloud 5 years ago which was great but has become unfit for purpose because you’ve continued to grow.
Making it mobile
Using your existing solutions, you could look to build a mobile capability on top of that to extend your reach and workforce – providing better access based on current systems working with APIs to adapt for mobile functionality.
If you have a mobile workforce or a mobile client, this is going to be key for futureproofing your current technology.
If you have a good fit-for-purpose software like Salesforce, that delivers what you need daily, but you need much more flexibility on devices that your workforce is using to allow you to be more efficient, a mobile or tablet app can definitely help.
Touchless data gathering
With exhibitions and events starting back up again, a new challenge is presented to businesses looking to gather data. How to adjust existing processes to remove any physical touchpoints?
Whilst digital data gathering options have been available for some time, there’s always been the reliance on pen and paper, and even if there were digital options, some still included the sharing between colleagues of a barcode scanner, the collection of physical brochures and printed collateral, but there are ways around this.
The resurgence of the QR code as a direct result of the pandemic has opened a wealth of opportunities to remove any physical interaction whilst also optimising the data gathered and the building of a new customer relationship.
Using web-based apps, you can replace every form, brochure and flyer with a QR code, whilst knowing what your customers are looking at and for, who they are and how you can help them.
Not only will this help people to feel safe and engaged, but you’re also more secure from a GDPR perspective; there is easier control and management of data.
Arguably, one of the key benefits is the instant opportunities for lead conversion. Data from an app can be instantly synced or accessed from a sales location, as long as appropriate consent has been received. Whatever your KPI from an event; be it engagement, conversion, lead generation or reach, all of these can be enhanced by digital, touchless data capture and, what’s more, it’s even more cost-effective.
So, which circumstance sounds like a challenge your business is facing?
If you’d like to discuss your current business hurdles and how these can be resolved, get in touch today: get in touch . If an app isn’t the answer, don’t worry – we'll tell you!
