According to global research conducted by Accenture Mobility in 2015, the majority of senior executives across all key industries considered apps critical to their business, especially in light of the digital ecosphere many corporations are building around the experience. and customer commitment.

Of course, today, app technology is commonly integrated into the entire customer experience, from major product innovators like Tesla to everyday service providers like utilities. For many of us, application technology has been a part of our daily lives for more than ten years. More importantly, apps are often the way many customers prefer to engage today.

The cost of application development

Because it’s so widespread, it’s common to make the mistake of thinking app technology is easy, which is pure fantasy, at least for enterprise apps that make a difference in customer experience and engagement.

For example, the real cost of an app lies in the custom engineering required to make it do all those wonderful things that appear in real time on our screens. Many potential app buyers are surprised to learn that the median cost of a mobile app is $270,000, according to a recent survey, and that development can take anywhere from seven months to over a year.

But I have good news for SMEs. If you’re determined to provide a better customer experience, don’t be intimidated by the high cost of typical app development! If you are a small business company, many useful applications can be developed for less than $50K.

5 App Development Apps for SMBs

Here are some important points your business should consider before you write off mobile app technology as a loss of capital. According to Mehul Rajput, CEO of Mindinventory, these are the top 5 mobile apps that SMBs can use internally and externally to improve customer and employee experience, convenience, loyalty, profitability, and productivity. See if you identify with any of them.

1. Customer Engagement (it’s all about instant access to what’s important)

Mobile apps allow customers (and employees) to gain access to necessary and often secure information at their fingertips whenever and wherever they want it. As a result of reaching your customer anytime, anywhere, and on their terms, you build goodwill right into the experience. This type of positive experience with your brand often leads to peer recommendations and possibly a positive review. With peer review and recommendation being the number one source of loyal customer loyalty across all demographics, this could be a more significant benefit than you ever imagined. Above all, participation in the application does not have to be flashy to be valued. Even the most mundane tasks like account management or remote management of multiple assets can score big with clients.

2. Promotion of products, services and discounts

Using a mobile app specific to your business, you can provide customers with accurate information about products or services, discount offers, etc., or engage them with personalized promotions that increase relevance. If you are a retailer, an app installed on a smartphone also opens the door to another possibility. It makes it possible to take advantage of in-store beacons that can trigger special offers on the fly, announce events or contests, or perhaps just as important, provide more personalization to the shopping or visitor experience.

3. Facilitate sales

You can also promote business sales by integrating a mobile shopping cart. If you already sell your products and services online, a mobile app is likely your next best step in increasing sales, especially since it gives your customers the flexibility and convenience to do things they would otherwise have done sitting at their desks. . This certainly benefits retail, but B2B buyers also have similar needs when out of the office at a remote workplace or wherever.

4. Customer Service

Mobile apps give customers a simple yet efficient way to get in touch with your business, as you can include detailed information about your business, products and services, hours, and direct contact via text, phone, or email. Even more solicit feedback and suggestions from your customers simply by inserting surveys and polls.

5. Improved customer experience

Businesses can make the best use of apps like never before by customizing features like messaging, photo sharing, loyalty programs, and push notifications that connect us to the things we want or need to know.

Of course, there are many factors that can disrupt a thriving business, even a well-established one with famous business models. However, most are not as relevant to small business concerns. However, small businesses are not immune to disruption.

We consider a top disruptive technology that is most important for SMBs to consider now and in the near future. Mobile apps can be an important business tool for all sorts of reasons, and now you may have an idea that can set your business apart. If so, share it with a trusted app developer who can give you a “rough” estimate to turn your idea into reality. You can then weigh your benefits against the projected cost to see if it’s worth going ahead.

The big guys like Amazon can’t easily disrupt your business if your business is local and offers more than a shippable product. And when you combine your local business with the ubiquity of an app and all the convenience it brings to customers, your business can deliver the best customer service like the big boys.

Maybe it’s time to brainstorm with a developer? A unique app for your brand could be just the edge you need to match the competition and boost your business.

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