Mobile App Development: How It’s Easier Than You Think

The world’s going mobile, and the shift to a mobile-first world is happening not just in everyday activities, but in the way we do business. Everything from the way we consume web content to the way we interact with others is going mobile, and we want technology that enables that. In fact, 70% of employees now expect the same level of technology at work as on personal time. In short, employees expect to be able to solve problems and engage with each other and with customers while on the go. They’re increasingly shifting toward mobile apps and solutions to do so.

With this shift, it’s critical that companies invest in mobile app development to better serve not only their customers, but their employees as well. As the way information is consumed and the way processes are performed is going mobile, companies must adapt accordingly. But what exactly are the many benefits of mobile app development, and how do you go about improving your company’s ability to develop these mobile apps? That’s what we’ll cover in this article.

There are a number of benefits to focusing time on mobile app development. While it may seem like a considerable investment of time and monetary resources, you’ll find that bringing app development in-house is a lot easier than you might think and offers a slew of advantages:

• In-house mobile app development increases productivity

• In-house app development improves customer satisfaction, acquisition, and retention

• In-house app development means customizability and improved processes

By design, mobile apps are simple to use and intuitive. Because mobile devices are smaller, they demand simpler, more user-friendly interfaces and applications. Developing mobile apps within these parameters means whittling your processes down to the bare essentials. The sheer act of developing a mobile app will help you refine your workflows and cut the unnecessary steps out of your processes. Not only that, once you’ve finished an app, productivity naturally flows as many processes are automated and confusion is eliminated.

Your customers are on the go. They want information and connection and they want it to be fast and constant. There are few better ways to reach your customer than by getting into the palm of their hand through an easy-to-use mobile application. When you come to their mind, your customers want to be able to act on their thoughts quickly and intuitively, without having to go to their computer and find your site. If you’re in their pocket in the form of a mobile app, you’ll be able to capitalize. If not, you’ll be little more than an afterthought. If you wish to retain your current customers, you need to keep them satisfied. Acquiring new customers also becomes easier when you have a superior mobile app in place.

There are a number of use cases for mobile apps. Many different types of businesses benefit from custom mobile app development, but in different ways. Some companies, for example, develop mobile apps to improve internal workflows and better connect customers or clients to the specific teams handling their concerns. Others use client-facing mobile apps designed specifically for their customers or clients.

One company does consulting and they built an app that seamlessly transfers specific client information right into the correct team’s workflow. This greatly lessened the burden of communication upon a project manager who acts as the go-between from the client to the various teams. The result of a mobile app? One fluid and intuitive process for handling client concerns.

An insurance agency developed a mobile app to easily connect insurance agents with the client information they need. Now, instead of agents or reps having to hunt and find information, they use a mobile app that highlights the information from contact records and also pulls in other relevant information regarding cases and opportunities. Hours of headache and searching have been eliminated due to some simple mobile app development.

An innovative cancer detection health company developed a mobile app that allows people to be recommended to clinical trials based on the specific type of cancer diagnosis they have. The app is backed by clinical data from pharmaceutical companies and clinical trial companies. The idea is to give a patient a recommended clinical trial within 10 days of a blood sample being returned. The app is very simple. Reports and dashboards are easily accessible, and it also allows patients to enroll in clinical trials quickly through an approval process.

• Empower anyone to easily build, design, and publish mobile apps for everyone

• No-code mobile tools: Design a custom mobile app or community with pre-built components, and templates

• Low-code mobile services: Use nothing but clicks to add mobile services for business logic, integration, and intelligence

• Mobile publisher: Push your app all the way to your employees and customers in the app stores — no hassle

• Easily integrate customer data from Salesforce CRM into your mobile app for a 360-degree view of your customers

• Get hands-on, targeted learning through Trailhead

• Benefit from automatic platform updates and easy scalability

• Develop mobile applications more quickly with pre-built apps and solutions

• Use the platform to easily collaborate with others to build apps

The benefits of using the Salesforce Platform Mobile for mobile app development go well beyond the list above, specifically when it comes to return on investment. By the numbers, below are some specifics.

• 545% five year ROI

• 29% higher app developer productivity

• 62% more efficient IT infrastructure management

• $3.74 million higher revenue per year per organization

• 6-month payback period

• 83% less unplanned downtime

• 57% faster IT development lifecycle

• 72% fewer releases with errors