We’re living in an age where there’s an app for just about everything. Whether it’s ordering food, getting you from a to b, or keeping you amused in those quiet moments, your phone is becoming closer and closer to a literal appendage. Therefore, it can be easy for business owners to assume that their business needs an app, no matter what their business might be. Whilst for some businesses that certainly will be the case, for others it won’t be so clear cut. These are some of the reasons why you might want to consider investing that app budget somewhere else instead.
Will it Make Life Easier?
The first and most important thing to consider when deciding whether to invest in an app for your business is if it will make the lives of your customers, or your employees easier. If the answer is yes, then the chances are that pursuing an app is a good idea. For example, the Starbucks app allows customers to order ahead of time in order to skip the queue, collect coffee tokens and clearly see a menu without needing to be in the shop. In this way the app is successful in making the experience of ordering a coffee not only quicker and easier, but also more rewarding. It also enables some of the ordering process to be automated, which can make the jobs of employees simpler. It is important to remember that in this example it is extremely obvious how the app makes life easier and in your business it might be a little more difficult to work it out. If you’re struggling with the finer details it could be a good idea to create a case study group and ask them their opinions. The thoughts of your customers can be very helpful and their views should never be underestimated.
Saving Money
Carrying on with the Starbucks example from above, another way that this app proves its worth is by saving Starbucks money. By automating part of the ordering process, Starbucks’ baristas have some of their time freed up from taking orders, which can be instead spent making drinks. Taking orders is a less complex task than making drinks, so it makes sense to automate this part of the process if possible. In this way staff costs are cut and barista-trained staff have the best use made of them. If you think an app could save your business money than cutting staffing costs is likely the largest way. It could be something as simple as an automated customer service app, that deals with the frequently asked questions and redirects anybody who needs more specialist help to the customer service team. Think about your man power and see if an app could help to streamline the service you offer.
Reaching a New Customer Base
There are some businesses for which it makes total sense to have a mobile app. For example, the online casino sector used to be largely browser based, but since the advent of mobile gaming more and more casinos are switching to an app format for mobile, sites like casinos.co.za has them catalogued. So much so that there are whole websites that are dedicated to reviewing casino websites so that customers can choose the right one for them. Reviews include the ease of use, the choice of games, the availability by country and any bonuses that new customers can benefit from. It is these businesses who stand to make the biggest gains from investing in an app as they’re the kind of businesses that can attract new customers. Some might come just from stumbling across them on the app store, others might see them on a review site as mentioned above. Think about how people are likely to come across your app and make sure you’re building it so that it meets those specifications.
Can You Handle the Data?
Data handling is a bit of a buzzword at the moment, with news items about background checks and data privacy popping up every single day. Depending on the type of business you run, you’ll need to collect different bits of data about the people using your app. Some businesses will need sensitive data like medical records, or bank statements, whilst others might just need a name or email dress. One thing is for sure though, almost all apps will need some sort of data, which means that you’ll need to find a way to protect it. If you’re at all concerned about leaking sensitive data, then think very carefully before committing to creating an app.
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