A tailor-made business app is an app that is specially designed to respond to the problems that arise in a given organization (Company, association, etc.). These organizations then draw up specifications covering all of the users’ problems and needs.
In general, companies have their custom app developed by app developers when the app packages (commercially purchased app) no longer meet specific needs.
The advantages of developing a custom app
- Evolutionary maintenance: Support throughout the company’s growth
- Economic: Time savings and productivity over the long term. Expenses are reduced because you have no license to renew for all of your users.
- Cost reduction: The business app allows you to optimize and automate the processes in order to gain productivity and therefore reduce costs. Recurring tasks can be simplified using a custom app. This allows you to focus on your core activity. Data entry, for example, is a repetitive task in a business. Human errors are quite common and can slow business productivity. The custom app can allow you to considerably reduce the number of errors because the input process will have been simplified or even automated.
- Increase revenues: The development of a business app can help you manage your website and your physical stores. Thanks to this, you can manage different data of your company and thus optimize your management in order to increase your income (inventory management, supply, production, etc.).
- Tailored to the needs of your business: Unlike mass app (Microsoft office, etc.), the custom app includes the functionality you really need. In addition, your constraints and the specifics of your profession are integrated.
The production process
- Analysis of your needs and internal issues in your company.
- Writing the technical specifications of your tailor-made app, estimated lead times, and development costs. You will need to validate the specifications so that your service provider can start the development phase.
- Development of your app based on the specificities defined previously.
- Customer feedback and testing to validate compliance between the proposed solution and the specifications.
- Training your users in the app and monitoring their needs.
- The tailor-made app can be adapted according to the evolution of your needs, thanks to progressive maintenance.
The possibilities available to you
- The takeover of your existing app and adapting it to your business: Some companies already have an app, but wish to change their external service provider for different reasons. You can then use a web agency, for example. However, the latter must do an audit of the app in order to understand the feasibility of the project.
- Development of tailor-made business app: The development of tailor-made app allows a company to differentiate itself from its competitors. In addition, some companies find it difficult to find an app suited to their industry. The functionalities present in these “generic” apps do not necessarily correspond to the needs of the company. This is why they are turning more and more towards the realization of their business app.
Define your needs
In order to define your needs, we advise you to draw up specifications specifying all of the company’s issues and the objectives which the development of your business app must meet. Of course, app developers can assist you in writing your specifications; for this, brainstorming meetings will be organized so that you define your issues. Following this, the agency can take charge of drafting your specifications according to your needs and technical specifications.
The advantage of a tailor-made app is that it is scalable, even if your long-term needs are not completely defined. You will be able to develop your tool by adding new functionalities, which you may not have thought of from the start.
The cost and lead times
The cost for the development of a business app is very variable. It will depend on your needs and is specific to each project. Once your needs are clearly expressed, and your specifications have been drawn up, you will be able to have a precise estimate of the cost and lead times of your custom app.
The cost of making a custom app will be higher at start-up than if you opt for an app already offered on the market. However, be aware that in the long run, having your own business app developed will make you more efficient and productive. In addition, you will have no license to pay, unlike public app.
In addition, it is important to know that these two elements can be impacted according to your needs and the specifics of your app. For example, these different factors influence the cost and lead times: the features offered by your app, the level of maintenance required, its adaptability (compatible with smartphones, tablets), etc.
The completion times are very variable. When you use a service provider for the realization of your project, it is important to take into account its workload because it will define the deadlines for the realization of your app.
As we have seen previously, having your custom app made has many advantages for your business. In fact, your company’s tasks are simplified, thanks to automation and process optimization. Users of your app will no longer be cluttered with features they don’t need and will be able to focus on the essentials. This will allow you to increase productivity, reduce your expenses, and focus on your core business.
Author Bio:
Melissa Crooks is Content Writer who writes for Hyperlink InfoSystem, a mobile app development company in New York, USA and India that holds the best team of skilled and expert app developers. She is a versatile tech writer and loves exploring latest technology trends, entrepreneur and startup column. She also writes for top app development companies.
