Is Your Business Ready for a Mobile App?

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Did you know that the Google Play Store currently has 2.1 million apps available for download? For iPhone users, the Apple App Store has 1.8 million.

It seems everyone these days is tapping into the potential of mobile apps as a way to engage customers and boost their business. Especially when recent reports say that in the US alone, consumers spend five hours daily on their mobile devices; and 92 percent of that time is spent using apps.

Given the numbers, it’s tempting to make sure that your own business gets in on the action. But a bigger question looms over the horizon—is your business ready for it? Simply wanting an app for your product or service is not enough. At the end of the day, your business has to be ready to handle everything that comes with it—benefits and challenges alike. Here are a few questions to determine whether your business is ready to leverage the real potential of mobile apps:

1. Is your website mobile-friendly?

If you intend to extend your presence to accommodate mobile devices, first make sure that your existing online platforms are mobile-friendly. For example, your website is a key point of contact for your customers. If it’s not even optimized for mobile, how will you be able to effectively build your mobile app’s credibility among your intended users?

2. Do your competitors have mobile apps?

Where do you stand in comparison to your competitors? If most of the other players in your industry are already offering an app, then it makes sense to understand what it can do for your own brand. Start by doing some research. Look into the volume of downloads that their apps receive; what kind of reviews are users giving it. This information can give you valuable insight as to how their apps are being utilized. If their mobile apps are getting a lot of attention, you don’t want to get left behind simply because you don’t have one.

3. Will a mobile app help address an operational challenge?

According to a study, 23 percent of apps are used only once and then abandoned. That’s a lot of company time and resources wasted, which you can prevent by making sure your app will serve an actual purpose and be relevant to its users.

That said, ask yourself if a mobile app can be a way to address a critical operational challenge. Perhaps you want to provide added convenience to users who are constantly complaining that they need to reach you through more accessible channels. Maybe a mobile app is a good way to engage your audience and build loyalty. Can you use a mobile app to deliver better customer service? What can a mobile app deliver that your current customer touch points can’t?

4. Do you have a budget to develop a mobile app now?

Remember, developing a mobile app requires you to create the application for the two major operating systems. Right now, Android and iOS are the main players in the ecosystem.


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This means depending on your audience, you may need to choose one or the other, if budget doesn’t allow you to develop an app for both.

Be sure to get to know your audience so you can launch on the right system and maximize your initial investment.

5. Do you have the resources to dedicate for management and maintenance?

This is another point of consideration that most companies tend to overlook in their excitement to create a mobile app.

The success of a mobile app doesn’t end with the launch. Once it’s on your user’s devices, you have to constantly maintain and manage the app to make sure it runs properly. Often, this requires a budget that your business may or may not have. For most businesses, it means hiring a dedicated person to gather and manage data, troubleshoot glitches, and oversee the constant flow of traffic.

If you don’t have the capacity to accommodate these, then it would be best to park your mobile app development plans until you do. Launching a mobile app only to have it fail because you and your team weren’t prepared for the additional work that comes with it could hurt your reputation. And further down the line, when you do launch with everything already in place, users will no longer trust your brand to deliver.

Bottom line…

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then it’s definitely time for you to reach out to a reliable mobile app developer and start building one for your business.

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Anand Mahajan
Anand is the founder of Sphinx Solutions, a mobile app development company. He is a Passionate entrepreneur by choice blessed with an innovative approach and innate ability to focus on value systems. With a background in emerging technologies and digital transformations, he holds excellent management with a futuristic view for developing apps.

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