Four ways custom mobile apps can advance your business

June 6th, 2011

By Allen Gavilan

Allen Gavilan

Remember when it was considered cutting edge just to have a web site? Back then, if your business had a compelling web site, you had a leg up on your competitors.

I often reflect on that history lesson when I see what’s happening today with mobile apps. Businesses are only now beginning to scratch the surface of what mobile apps can do for their business. Let’s take a look at just a few of the benefits custom mobile apps can offer.

Premium Customer Service

People love their mobility. No question. The anytime-anywhere nature of mobile devices—combined with the ability to create an engaging user experience—makes for a natural customer service tool. As just one example, a recent survey by Travelport found that more than half of business customers now use mobile technology to either search or book hotels.

And that’s just self-service potential. Apps can also help your staff accomplish data-related tasks out in the field—whether it relates to information that is being collected or provided (or both). In turn, high-touch, quick and easy customer service increases customer loyalty.

So what other valuable services can you offer customers? One of our clients, Farm Family Casualty Insurance Company, a New York-based insurance agency, came up with a brilliant idea. The resulting iPhone app, Harvest to Hand, will create a community of local agricultural enthusiasts to help bridge the gap between consumers and the growers and marketers of local agriculture (their base of clients and prospective clients. Talk about giving your customers a value add. The app will be available after June 17.

The possibilities for improving service are endless. As yet another example, apps can break down language barriers. For example, we’ve developed an iPhone app for a client geared at emergency service providers. (Imagine an EMT who cannot communicate “do not move your head.”) Not only does this app provide translations from menus specific to the kinds of questions an EMT would be most likely to ask in a given situation, it collects data that can then be relayed to other responders and to the hospital.

Broaden Your Marketing Reach

How great would it be to have your branded icon sitting on your prospective or current customers’ smartphone or tablet? The key is to offer your audience something of real value (not just an app that may seem cool for about five minutes and then never be used again). For inspiration on how to drive long-term use, look at how Starbucks lets its customers interact with Starbucks loyalty cards.

The opportunities are endless. Think about a branded game that would target a specific market niche. Or perhaps an educational experience or a free taste of your services? Break Down Way, for example, a Pomeroy, Ohio-based online service has developed an app that offers a limited number of free guitar and bass lessons.

Increase Revenues

Even more than drawing attention to your company, apps can directly increase revenues.

We recently attended a conference to demo an iPad app that we developed for insurance agents. I was completely blown away by the agents’ responses when it dawned on them that this app would radically improve the way they interact with prospects in the field.

Currently, during initial meetings with prospects, agents are forced to focus on filling out a large pile of paper forms. However, our app self-populates data (from GIS) and then offers easy-to-navigate menus—based on standard industry worksheets—to help agents collect additional details. Because the data collection burden is significantly eased, agents can actually focus on using the meeting to build a relationship. They can also use the app to give accurate quotes on the fly.

Many companies are also drawing revenues straight from the app store. Nike, as just one example, has developed a wildly popular app that lets users map runs and track progress.

Increase Operational Efficiency

How can you help your employees stay connected to your company’s data and be productive while they are away from the office? Consider the value of leveraging mobile applications to enhance operations management, be it supply, production, distribution, or risk management.

Then look at your existing enterprise systems. What kind of value could you extract by extending these to a mobile platform? Could you improve your field force? Enhance your organizational capital by increasing teamwork?

Envision a corporate culture where your staff, who are very likely already mobile device users, can interact with each other across the enterprise on these devices. What is the value of increased knowledge sharing? How could mobile apps help you attract top talent?

Whether you are looking at the added value to your business from an internal or an external perspective, the benefits of custom mobile apps (done right) ultimately translate into long-term financial value.

Allen Gavilan is a VP at FARRAGUT Mobile (www.farragutmobile.com). FARRAGUT Mobile is an app developer rooted in three core beliefs: 1) Organizations have only begun to tap mobile apps’ potential to deliver business results. 2) The drivers of superb enterprise app development—clear objectives, systematic processes, a focus on integration and analytics—should guide mobile app development. 3) Big ideas can indeed be delivered on small devices.

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Four ways custom mobile apps can advance your business

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