At present, the usage of smartphones has turned out to be a necessity rather than a luxury. We are using smartphones for performing lots of our daily chores, including booking flight tickets to ordering food in restaurants, to other work-related tasks. With the increase in smartphone usage, there is also an increase in the demand for enterprise mobile app solutions. It is possible for a mobile application to enhance productivity, how a company is going to function, increase mobility, save time, and so forth.
In this article, we will talk about the essentials of mobile enterprise app development such that you can become familiar with the basics before developing one on your own.
What exactly is an enterprise app?
An enterprise app can be defined as a software system operating as per specific business logic while using certain tools for helping the company enhance its operations and streamline procedures for the employees. This type of app has been designed to function within a business environment in one or more departments plus solve problems in a small or medium business, government establishment, or enterprise.
An enterprise app happens to be an essential part of an IT system and typically consists of an assortment of interconnected programs intended for solving similar objectives. These mission-critical and mission-specific solutions provide an extensive range of services for the employees of a company, including security tools, content management, app integration, human resource management, sales tool automation, payment processing, interactive product catalogs, IT service management, business process management, manufacturing, as well as resource planning.
What exactly is mobile enterprise app development?
Put simply, one can define an enterprise app development as creating a mobile-based application that aids a business in performing and managing its internal operations such as inventory, scheduling, and communication. The primary objective of an enterprise app development company will be to enhance processes at a business in one way or the other.
Enterprise apps can be classified into three types:
- Employee Apps
As suggested by its name, this particular enterprise app has been built for the employees of a company. These types of apps emphasize improving the productivity of the staff as well as management effectiveness. This employee app will allow an employee to allocate tasks, direct other employees, manage schedules, etc.
For example, an application for warehouse workers that aid in including parcels to the database, directing staff to the parcels, and verifying info on the closest deliveries.
- Department-Specific Apps
Apart from managing the day-to-day chores of a particular team, this type of app aid in creating as well as handling workflows. They likewise help to connect the consumers with workers of any particular department. For example, this app will help the customer of the delivery service see delivery information, edit any personal info, offer feedback, and view delivery status.
- Company Network Apps
Company Network Apps help connect all the workers, managers, and departments of a business. This platform allows them to communicate properly, access databases, training materials, knowledge bases, worker qualification schedules, and so on.
Enterprise app benefits
- High productivity
It is a fact that enterprise applications will enable you to communicate instantaneously, exchange files, documents, and other info seamlessly without any need to wait for updates. A mobile application will identify bottlenecks in work procedures and assign tasks to the available workers.
- Transparent accounting and transactions
It will be possible for a mobile app to help you transfer cash instantly and document the movement of cash between different accounts. An enterprise application can likewise dispatch notifications to your accounting team on payment deadlines.
- Effective management of staff
A mobile app will help you manage your employees by allocating tasks and viewing their schedules, and present loads in real-time. These tools will also aid you in developing workflows and roadmaps for every single process and see whether there is any possibility of delay.
- Supply chain management
An enterprise app can help you with planning, transportation, as well as distribution. Supply chain management applications for logistic enterprises will cover all the stages of the product's journey, right from the seller to the consumer.
- Less paperwork
You may transform to digital documentation from paperwork, which will help make the workflow of your document faster. Your staff can access this documentation via an app on their tablets and smartphones. You will come across quite a few businesses that use document scanner applications to make digital copies of the physical documents and even sign them online without going through heaps of paper.
Enterprise application examples
You will come across an extensive range of apps that are quite well-known amongst employees in various companies at present. Here, we have provided some examples of enterprise apps without which the companies can't operate.
- Google Hangouts – This happens to be a video communication app that Google has created.
- JIRA – Issue monitoring system intended for agile project management and bug monitoring by Atlassian.
- Evernote – Organizer employed for task management, note-taking, and archiving created by Evernote Corporation.
- Trello – Employed for prioritizing and organizing tasks and projects using boards and cards, developed by Atlassian.
- Skype – App utilized for video and voice communication, created by Skype Communications.
Choosing enterprise mobile app development strategy
Below, we have mentioned eight strategies you ought to follow to make your enterprise application development efforts successful.
- All-inclusive training program
The employees of every organization happen to be individuals with different expertise levels, ages, and so forth. Every business must create a training program or manual for an enterprise app to be successful.
- App size optimization
It is essential for an enterprise application not to be excessively large irrespective of whether your business provides a smartphone to every employee or comes with a Bring Your Own Device program. Moreover, an enterprise mobile app should not have any rarely used or redundant feature, making its size bigger.
- Branding
An enterprise app needs to reflect the image of the company in its design. This implies recurrent usage of the company's logo on various screens, making use of corporate shades in the design, and using the visual corporate style elements throughout the application.
- User experience
User experience is one significant thing that an enterprise application development team ought to address. The designers and the developers must listen to the audience's demands closely, and they must likewise make sure that the final product covers all the requirements. Like any other application, the ultimate objective of an enterprise app will be to make users' lives easier out there.
Must Read: Why is UI/UX important for Mobile App Development?
- Application security
It is a fact that an enterprise application will be storing sensitive corporate information. Therefore, the application development team must create your app to make sure that the information happens to be secure by using several methods simultaneously.
- Powerful and focused content
It is essential for the application to only emphasize and satisfy those requirements which prompted its development. Moreover, enterprise mobile apps should be simple, and they should aim to solve some particular issues and provide the required tools to the team, which will help accelerate their workflow.
- Iterative design
At present, the agile process of development is preferred by the developers, which allows them to update their application constantly depending on their clients' feedback rather than showcasing the outcome and accumulating feedback. Given that components of the design of an enterprise app might not turn out to be as expected by the clients, the developers can use this application development process for fine-tuning the application without sacrificing performance, quality, and the final result.
- Smart sensors
It is a fact that technology is advancing quite rapidly at present. Therefore, companies must stand above the rest and also incorporate several effective technologies into their enterprise app’s concept. Things that the enterprises can leverage consist of voice control options that happen to be AI-driven, remote control, leveraging the camera's functionality in AR features, and so on.
Most effective tools for enterprise app software development
On most occasions, enterprise applications are created for various company roles plus huge workforces. This implies that the users in the enterprise app’s audience are going to have different demands. Consequently, the development teams are in the requirement of appropriate tools for properly addressing those demands. Here, we are going to mention six different tools which are beneficial for enterprise mobile app development.
Nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind that these are platforms. Although they might suffice in many cases, it is only possible for custom enterprise application development to guarantee an app that will be able to fulfill your business requirements fully.
- SAP
This one is a platform that helps to simplify the development process of the app and allows the developers to create highly scalable and secure business apps from just one HTML5 codebase. Apart from this, this particular application has a powerful focus on multi-platform capability and open-source standards.
- Kony
This app development tool is usually employed in creating JavaScript applications for various platforms. It comes with pre-made widgets and elements which can be managed within a drag-and-drop interface. This particular tool supports pre-built apps, AR, API management, customer reporting, and so on.
- Alpha
It comes with a comprehensive business app deployment and development environment. It makes it very simple for the developers to create apps quicker, unlike custom software development.
- Sencha
This one is an application development platform that provides an extensive range of useful features such as IDE plug-ins. Being quite well known for its top-notch HTML 5 framework, Sencha enables developers to create applications with powerful UI components. It helps to reduce the complexity and cost of the deployment and development of enterprise applications across various devices mainly because of its commitment to web technologies.
- Appcelerator
Appcelerator is an open-source application development tool that allows developers to create software quite fast by using only one JavaScript programming codebase. Besides this, Appcelerator provides a private cloud option as well.
- Xamarin
Xamarin is a well-known application development tool that allows developers to create different mobile apps by using sophisticated tools, C# codebase, and IDE support. Xamarin provides interface development tools, code shareability, native API access, and back-end integration with Azure, Parse, and SAP.
Must Read: Why is Xamarin the Great Pick for Your Cross-Platform App Development in 2021?
Enterprise mobile application development procedure
If you happen to be an entrepreneur and would like to create an effective enterprise mobile app for business, you should consider the subsequent steps.
- Define your business objectives
Firstly, make sure to comprehend the objectives that you would like to accomplish with the enterprise mobile application. Make certain that the app is superior to the tools used by your employees right now, irrespective of whether it is employed for accounting or staff management. Enlist the features accordingly after forming your expectations which you would like to implement in the application.
- Figure out your budget
The enterprise application development companies have to be shortlisted depending on their experience, and you should also request an estimate. This will allow you to comprehend the features that would be required by you, plus how much they are going to cost for development. Once you have selected the proper enterprise app development company, you can further plan your development process.
- Create a technical specification
It is a fact that technical specifications like platforms, technologies, wireframes, and requirements, along with a comprehensive development roadmap, will allow you to get a rough estimate of your project. You can choose a brand-new app development company or even stay with the one who created the specification on your behalf.
- Design UI/UX
A designer can create a simple as well as functional design based on wireframes. This is vital for the enterprise application, given that some of the workers might not accept new work tools.
- Develop and test
In general, the development and testing procedures take place at the same time. Since the application is tested bit by bit, it leads to high-quality code while minimizing bugs. It will be imperative to request your workers to test the initial version and obtain feedback for making the desired modifications.
- Deploy and maintain
After the app's initial version becomes final, it has to be installed on your employee’s device. If your enterprise application is intended for the clients, it should be published on app markets such as Google Play Store. However, your work will not be over once the app becomes released. It will be imperative for you to get feedback, change the software accordingly, and maintain it (such as fixing bugs, updating frameworks and libraries, and so on).
Conclusion
At present, it has become essential for any enterprise to have apps that help to facilitate its management process. These apps have become an essential part of contemporary enterprise infrastructures given that they help to automate processes, streamline workflows, enable smooth communication across various departments, and so forth. In this way, while digital tools continue to play an essential role in the development of the enterprise, enterprise mobile application development happens to be the key driver in the prosperity of any company.
The world has gone Mobile. The number of smartphone users globally has grown exponentially over the past 5 years. The number of Android & iOS devices sold globally has crossed a billion mark each. Hence, it is no longer sufficient to have only a website for your business. Any business, small or large must have a mobile app. Let us look at some of the most important reasons why you should opt for a mobile app for your enterprise:
- Branding - A mobile application is the best way to create brand awareness for your enterprise. You can use your logo, your enterprises tagline or a message that you would like your customers to connect with your enterprise to create a brand recall. Every time a customer who has downloaded your mobile apps sees your logo in the form of the mobile app icon on their screen, they will recall you.
- Increased Reach - Because of the sheer penetration of mobile phones and other mobile devices like tablets and the improved Internet connectivity in most parts of the world, the number of people you can reach through a app has increased tremendously. It is easier for your existing as well as potential customers to find out the right information about your products or services through your mobile app.
- Create Customer Database & Profile - It is easier to collect customer data in terms of phone number and email id through a mobile apps. You can also allow your app users to login via their social media accounts like Facebook or Google. This will give you access to other valuable data like their areas of interest, their lifestyle choice, their shopping preferences, etc. This data can then be used by your marketing team to send out the right communication.
- Increased Engagement - By building the right features in your app you can utilize it as a powerful way to increase engagement with your existing and potential customers. You can include features like social sharing and a help desk (for sales and service queries) in the app to improve direct communication with your customers. This will in turn help your enterprise to connect closely with your customers.
- Push Notifications - This is one of the biggest advantages of having a mobile apps. You can ask your Mobile App Development Solution provider to integrate a push notification feature in your app which will help you with your on-the-go marketing. Through this feature, you can send bulk messages to all the app users or specific messages to a subset of your app users based on the message. You can also communicate about the latest offers or discounts you are offering to your customers regularly through push notifications. Best of all, it doesn't cost you a penny to send out these messages, unlike SMS or Email marketing.
With the above advantages of having a for your business in mind, it is imperative to identify the right Mobile App Development Solutions provider for your enterprise app. Solution Analysts has been helping small enterprises globally with their Mobile App Development Services to create great which will add value to their enterprises. To get a free quote for your Mobile Application or to know more about us, please visit our website today.
For more information on enterprise mobile app development, write to us at [email protected] or call us on +65 8813 8839.
Many mobile applications have been developed through best mobile app development companies that help maintain mobile security, such as physical training aides, hiring taxi services, online shopping and more.
Customers often demand innovative mobile services in addition to the applications.
As demands increase, there is a need for periodic updates and releases to keep up with the increasing demands of the industry.
These custom applications are developed exactly by incorporating various elements that satisfy the reason of the end users of the same one.
For entertainment purposes for revenue generation, mobile applications are used for different purposes, such as personal messages and networks, marketing, chat, text messages, records, votes and statistics.
In addition, these applications are modified according to their work style that improves the productivity of the worker and produces a maximum ROI.
The app can thereby promote the growth of the company by increasing the sales figure.
As Techopedia mentions, An Enterprise Application or EA is a specially designed software system that operates in a corporate environment.
The corporate can be anything like a local or state Government body, a business of any size, non-profit groups, etc.
Focus on users – Just like traditional apps, the enterprise app also focuses on the end users.
As the incidences of security breaches are increasing worldwide, it is necessary to have An app with the highest level of security.
Also, it should be an integral part of the existing business system while connecting with the existing resources.
