As a startup or business, automating your daily processes may be the last thing on your mind. Besides, you have people to do that. But as your business expands over the years, you will want more organization and people working in sync. That’s where enterprise mobile applications come into play.
Think of an enterprise digital solution, like an enterprise mobile app, as a way of bringing your organization’s processes together in a way that makes work easier, faster, and more intuitive.
But it might seem intimidating at first. The technology can be complex, and the terminology is intimidating. That’s why we’ve created this comprehensive guide on everything you need to know about developing one for your business needs!
5 Advantages of Enterprise Mobile Application Development
Developing scalable enterprise mobile apps can help you stay ahead of the competition and give your business a huge boost.
Here are some of the benefits that come with having one:
1. Maximize Efficiency
Late payments, deliveries, and customer support can be taken care of quickly and accurately with enterprise apps. This ensures that your organization remains on top of all its tasks and processes without any hiccups.
2. Cost Savings
Reduce costs associated with manual labor and other traditional methods of doing with enterprise apps. With organized internal operations in place, you can save a lot of time, money, and effort.
3. Automate Business Operations
Say goodbye to tedious, manual tasks! This software can automate your marketing campaigns, data processing, and transaction control. In other words, it requires little to no input from you once integrated.
4. Easy and Secure Payment Transactions
With the help of a trusted enterprise app development company, get control over data and information shared with clients. Secure real-time payments, track transactions, and get notifications when payments are received.
5. Better Customer Engagement
An enterprise mobile app can help you connect with your customers on a more personal level, providing them with easier access to your services and keeping them updated on new offers or products.
What to Consider Before Enterprise App Development?
The increasing need for digital transformation among businesses has created a demand for these types of mobile apps. However, there are certain technicalities in the Saas application development stage that you should think about before you plunge headfirst into the development process of having your own enterprise app.
To help you get started, consider these factors :
1. Type of Enterprise App
Depending on your organization’s specific needs and requirements, you can choose among four types of enterprise software apps.
Management Apps
Do you want to handle several business processes with one app? A management app is the best approach. It can help to automate processes specific to your needs. Handle specific processes with other types of management apps, such as:
- Enterprise resource planning (ERP): manage and integrate the planning, cost control, and marketing in one ERP app.
- HR management: helps streamline the multi-layered HR departments’ work.
- Business management: made to increase the productivity of your business by integrating workflows.
Team Collaboration Software Apps
Asana, Trello, and Slack are popular team collaboration apps. Essentially, these allow teams to work together on projects with the help of a centralized system.
If you want effective collaboration between teams, this is the type of app that you want. There are two types of enterprise application development for this, namely:
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM): CRM app lets you stay in touch with existing and prospective customers.
- Content Management Systems (CMS): use this app to store, share and organize digital content.
Analytics Apps
Enterprise companies are always looking for ways to get ahead of the competition. If you want to know the performance of your business better, an analytics app is the way to go.
These apps come with features that allow tracking and exploring corporate data, visualizing data, and managing performance. With detailed reports, you are able to make smarter decisions based on the insights gathered with analytics apps.
Some of the popular apps in this category are Tableau, Looker, and Google Data Studio.
Storage Apps
Is it getting harder for you to systemize and store company data? An enterprise storage app can help store and organize data, documents, and applications with ease.
Storing content according to business standards helps to keep information secure and makes it easier to search for. It also helps save storage space, minimize errors, and ensure the safety of your data.
2. Core Features You Want to Include
No app fits all, and enterprise apps differ among organizations. You want to get the most out of your enterprise app, and you can do that with the right features.
Think about what features will help make processes easier for your employees. To guide you in this decision, here are common enterprise mobile apps features:
Extensive Databases
Databases are essential for managing and storing company data. Whether it’s customer information or employee records, databases provide a comprehensive approach to organizing and storing data.
Multiple User Roles
A good enterprise mobile app allows multiple user roles, such as administrators, managers, and employees. This authorization feature prevents unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Third-Party App Integrations
Integrating your app with other third-party applications will add more value to your enterprise app. This can include connecting the app to an analytics platform or payment gateway, depending on the app type.
Analytics and Reporting
Having analytics and reporting capabilities helps you have better insights into performance. This helps you track and measure success and optimize operations.
Instant Messaging
Communication is an important aspect of any business. An instant messaging feature helps with team collaboration and increases efficiency in terms of communication.
3. Top Technologies
The future of enterprise mobile apps is promising. As its demand increases, new technologies are being developed to make apps better and faster.
If you want to stay ahead of the digital world, integrate these top technologies into your app:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
Having an AI development team and ML staff can help your business automate tasks, increase efficiency, and tap into customer insights.
Augmented Reality (AR)
AR app development can be used to create an interactive experience for customers, allowing them to experiment with products without having to interact with them physically.
Blockchain
Businesses worldwide are investing in blockchain technology to create secure and transparent data storage solutions. This can help track transactions, contracts, and other important documents securely.
Cloud-based Solutions
Cloud solutions are reliable, secure, and cost-effective. Cloud technology helps with scalability by allowing businesses to access more data from anywhere in the world.
Big Data
Big data helps businesses make better decisions by analyzing large data sets and uncovering valuable insights. This helps identify patterns, trends, and opportunities to improve operations.
Enterprise Mobile App Development Stages
Enterprise application development companies have a process for designing and developing quality apps. But if you’re hiring freelancers or forming a new team, you should introduce the stages that you want them to follow for your project.
We created a typical enterprise mobile application development process that you can use as a reference. Here are the six stages of the development process:
Step 1: Choose a Platform
Before you begin searching for a software development company, decide which platform you want to develop the app for.
Platform selection is a crucial decision, as the platform you choose determines the type of mobile app development service you should get. You can choose cross-platform mobile applications. Consider iOS and Android in your pick if you want to implement a BYOB (bring your own mobile) policy because these are the most popular mobile platforms today.
Step 2: Write Your Business Objectives
Now that you’ve got your platform covered, it’s time to create an enterprise software development plan. Answering these questions may help in doing so:
Who will be using the app?
What problems does the app need to solve?
What features should the app have?
How will users interact with the app?
Remember to consider the things we mentioned earlier. These should be included in the plan, too.
Step 3: Conduct App Design & Wireframing
A mobile app design is a major part of creating an engaging enterprise app. It’s a blueprint that determines how users interact with the app and its features, so you want to work with a knowledgeable design team.
Designers generate visuals and user interfaces that are tailored to the brand. It’s also important to create prototypes and wireframes for a more organized development process.
Step 4: The Development & Testing
Once the design phase is complete, it’s time to start coding! Developers can start working on the back-end and front-end coding of the app. This involves creating databases, developing features, and creating the app’s user interface.
Depending on your app requirements, software developers may use different programming languages, such as JavaScript or Java. The code should be tested and optimized over time to ensure the best possible performance.
Once they finish coding, it’s time to test the app. Testing involves running the app on an emulator or a real device and finding bugs. QA teams can also conduct usability tests with your employees to ensure they have a great experience.
Step 5: Launch Your Enterprise Mobile Application
This is it! Your enterprise mobile application is now ready to be launched. Before launching the app, you should put together a launch plan that includes steps to distribute the app and train your employees to use it.
Step 6: On-Going Support and Maintenance
Creating an enterprise mobile app does not stop after its release. After the launch, you’ll need to provide on-going support and maintenance to keep it up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends.
A trusted mobile app development company typically provides a warranty for their services, so be sure to ask about this before you start the project!
3 Tips to Find the Best Enterprise Mobile App Developers
Even with no-code and low-code development on the rise, nothing compares to working with a team of experienced professionals. Here are some tips for finding the right mobile app development team for your project:
1. Check Freelancers
If you’re on a budget, consider hiring freelance developers. They charge by the hour and offer flexibility when it comes to customizing solutions. However, keep in mind that they might not be as experienced as software development companies.
2. Search Within Your Network
It’s always a good idea to check with your network first if you’re looking for mobile app developers. This can help you find quality developers quickly. Plus, their first-hand experience can help you make the right decision for your project.
3. Never Go for Cheap
Don’t just go for the cheapest option when it comes to mobile app developers. Quality is more important than price when it comes to developing enterprise apps. It’s important to hire a team that can provide you with the best services and support.
Launch Your Enterprise App with Our Help!
Enterprise app development is increasingly becoming a necessity for businesses today. But it’s not something you can do on your own.
At StarTechUP, we’ve partnered with multiple businesses for enterprise mobile app development. With our years of experience and expertise, we can develop a tailored software solutions for your business and help you launch an app that will engage your workforce.
Get in touch with us today to learn how we can help you launch your mobile apps!
