Calculating ROI for Mobile Application Development

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Calculating ROI for Mobile Application Development

Enterprises can at times use scores of different applications within the context of their business. You can have salespeople, agents, customer service representatives, sales managers, etc…

Identifying what applications or sections should be mobilized can be quite a chore. You have to consider not only your internal clients but your external as well. Though, it doesn’t have to be so difficult. Once you’ve identified which section(s) of your applications are prime for mobilization via a simple analysis, it can provide your organization with maximized ROI.

Double Work Eliminated

For example, a government agency tasked to monitor certain requirements for grocery goods utilize pen and paper for personnel to note certain specifications at a physical location. They then go back to their office desks and input all this information manually, an unnecessary chore and a waste of valuable time, especially with the state of technology available.

This time can be extensively reduced by capturing the data and transferring it to the server instantly.  Mobile Spectrum provides terrific examples of our applications that capture data on forms and submit it to the server on demand.

Capturing and Consumption of Data

We have two different issues regarding the handling of data. One is that of capturing data, the other is to prepare data so that it is fit to be consumed. Let’s take a sales rep visiting with a client. If the rep needs to show something to their client and are not fitted with mobile technology, they will need to pull out binders with product descriptions and sometimes another with photos of the product(s). If they are more advanced they might have a laptop with an excel spreadsheet with many sheets and columns and rows with a plethora of data.

All this is a waste of time, both to the customer and consumer. What’s more, in today’s world where every second counts, this may hurt the ability for the salesperson to make the sale and will give more time for the customer to start thinking that they need more time to think about completing the purchase.

Mobilizing → Increased productivity

The time that it would take for both parties to share and consume information can be greatly curtailed by mobilizing these tasks. The rep may be able to visit more clients per day and customers will become enraptured with the way the product information is communicated and will be more likely to purchase.

Based on this specific scenario, organizations need to assess the Time X Cost that it takes them to perform certain business-related functions without the use of mobile. Then they can make decisions with regard to what sections of their sales application they see fit for mobilizing and will gain them the highest ROI.

Say for example, a salesperson on average visits 7-10 customers per day, and spends an average of one hour with them. Without mobile, just the setup time takes them 20 minutes and an additional 40 or so minutes to find what they need to present to the customer. This hour can be cut to half an hour or even less by mobilizing a rep’s sales activities and even going further, you can mobilize elements of your application that a customer can use to browse product pages and choose the items and quantities they want, hence minimizing the rep’s time at the customer. Thus, making it a win-win for all parties.

For more information, download our whitepaper: DEVELOPING MOBILE APPLICATIONS

The Need to Go Mobile

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The Need to Go Mobile

The Mobile boom is well upon us and is part of the reason companies, both large and small are accelerating their mobile application strategies. That being said, enterprises are deeply involved in mobilizing applications that are already existing and in many cases are going with the mobile-first concept in developing new applications for licensing or internal use. This mobile-first strategy is quickly establishing mobile as the platform of choice for enterprise applications.

Now is the time that both companies large and small must understand the importance and necessity for going mobile. Beyond just going mobile, organizations must understand the ROI they stand to gain by mobilizing their enterprise applications, whether they be cloud or software-based.

Check out this whitepaper: Developing Mobile Applications

Your Users

The most important step when developing apps out of enterprise applications is knowing your audience and identifying who are your users. Are they internal, external or both? The bottom line is that mobile devices are not just about convenience. They are also about productivity. You want to be able to get the most out of your workforce. There are a plethora of business models that are based around the knowledge of users. These users are much of the time, if not all the time mobile.

When you make them more productive, they can bring more value to the organization internally, as well as externally to partners and customers.

Externally, you want to create mobile engagement that is slick and turn-key. You partners and customers must be able to access the most current data, get information about such things as shipments, delivery dates and contact information. You want to be able to empower your external user base. This will increase engagement and make them more loyal.

Choosing What to Mobilize

Next, you need to decide which applications or parts of should be mobilized to best benefit your users.

There is no shortage of corporations that are developing such a diverse mix of applications, and in some cases, thousands of them. To mobilize them in a timely manner is simply impossible. That is why it is paramount that you choose the business processes you see as the most ripe for mobilization.

Much of the time users just need access to data, so you would want to conduct an analysis of what data they need to access and to provide a mobile experience that gives them what they want when they need it most.

Many times, users just need access to sections of the most robust applications that they will utilize on the go. Whether they need access to just data, parts or all of enterprise applications, what needs to be provided to the users is data and/or access to applications on demand, whether they are offline or online.

Organizations also must decide which devices they will develop applications for, that will most increase the productivity of the users and give them unfettered access on the device they want, when they want, be it an iPad, iPhone or Android.

 

 

5 Tips for Developing a Mobile Enterprise Solution

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5 Tips for Developing a Mobile Enterprise Solution

In business, ideas are the impetus for great things, things that are so great and all encompassing that they change the world. Over the past few years, this idea has been mobile, which is indeed changing the world. It is changing the way people communicate, the way they consume media, the way they shop, work and live.

It is also changing the way enterprises do business. Developing a cohesive 360 degree mobile solution is something that much of the time eludes enterprises both large and small. In the age of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) it is paramount that you hop on the mobile train or get left behind.

Estimates by analysts predict that mobile devices will be utilizing business applications at a rate of over 50%. Many enterprises are seizing the opportunity to implement business-based programs that maximize use of mobile. A large part of the reason is that enterprises today identify mobile as a technology that gives them an opportunity to mold their business in new ways and create practices that will ultimately maximize their offering to their customer base.

Below are 5 actionable tips to guide you in your quest for developing a mobile enterprise solution:

• Identify the mobile habits of key industry leaders and see how they are utilizing mobile to solidify relationships among partners, customers and suppliers.

• Make sure you implement the appropriate safeguards for security as well as support to enable you to manage mobile more effectively and in a way that is scalable as your enterprise grows.

• Constantly request feedback from end users. What are they happy with? What not so? What challenges are they facing? This will allow you to extend the mobile footprint within your enterprise.

• Give both light and heavy users of any ERP systems you might be using the ability to access information, wherever they are, whenever. This will give them the power to act upon any information in real time from any location. Get their feedback and refine as needed.

• Gain in depth understanding of your business’s essential needs. Learn what your staff needs to access remotely. Give users the ability to extend all communication beyond the desktop to increase their effectiveness in getting tasks done. This should be implemented no matter where they are or what device they are using.

By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to implementing a solid enterprise mobile solution.