How does a business app benefit businesses

Nowadays, people use their mobile apps for almost everything – from purchasing a product, booking a service, entertainment, reading news, sports, and even apps that offer business solutions to organizations. The last type of app is often referred to as an enterprise app.

Business or enterprise apps for businesses are often meant to increase employees’ productivity, leverage big data, and help optimize the efficiency of business processes.

Mobile app downloads have more than doubled in a half-decade and reports show no signs of this slowing down. The business app market continues to lag behind. Is it the right time for your business to go fully mobile?

We all know that after the pandemic lock downs, the work culture shifted to remote and hybrid working, so the communication between employees has never been more important. Most businesses increasingly rely on apps like Slack and Zoom to stay connected to colleagues and clients. Building your own custom software or application is an alternative worth considering. Below, we’ve put together some of the great advantages of having your own custom app:

1. Enhanced communication and engagement with staff

A surprising fact is that 78% of organizations still depend on email to communicate with their employees. When you consider that up to three-quarters of staff in any given organization are non-desk-based, it’s not surprising that employee engagement figures remain stubbornly low and reports of isolation, loneliness, or disconnect are increasing.

85% of non-desk staff say the communication they receive on the job is insufficient. While some of those employees will have access to devices – for example, remote workers, telecommuters, or sales staff on the road– many won’t have easy access to a computer at all. Some may not even have an official email account.

This is why one of the clear benefits of building a business app for your business is to enhance employee engagement. An organization’s business communications app can help build those all-important bridges and connections to your business, building a virtual culture even for those staff members who usually face isolation and disconnect. This will help to increase employee satisfaction. Developing an enterprise app that meets employees’ needs and automates repetitive and monotonous tasks, and keeps staff connected throughout the day leads to higher productivity rates. A good business app for enterprises will allow their staff to communicate with managers, colleagues, the human resources department, and the marketing team, enhancing their engagement and making them part of the team, wherever they are.

2. Optimize and Standardise business

Another benefit of creating a business app for enterprises is to optimize business processes. For instance, you can decide to measure the time it takes to execute a task or a business process from the beginning until the end. Access to this information will help solve recurring problems and make key decisions.

The thing is to start tracking these time slots as soon as possible to identify variations. With this valuable data, an average time cycle can be determined, and deviations can be detected in time.

Another important reason why an increasing number of organizations are investing in custom business apps for their business is that it sets the tone and a standard for their organization. Not only does it advance your business and help you demonstrate to employees that you’re innovative and care about the future, but it breaks down obstacles, helping you shape your company culture. Whether you host corporate live streams on your enterprise app, offer a reward or incentive program to staff, or approve staff work hours and overtime from their smartphone, there are endless benefits.

3. Highly productive, efficient, and accessible virtual office

The primary benefit of mobile enterprise apps is just that: mobility.

As business processes continue to evolve and adapt in line with technological advancements and a demand for greater flexibility, companies are being forced to find different ways of empowering employees to do their jobs – from anywhere, anytime, using any device. VPN access and the lock-down company laptops are drying out: the enterprise app is the solution.

When staff can access important information in an efficient, intuitive, and self-serviced way, it becomes a powerful differentiator. Access to essential information and peers creates higher levels of customer service and resulting satisfaction levels. It ensures staff have the vital policies and best practice information at hand, reducing dangerous or costly incidents. An enterprise app can enable better decision-making, higher levels of productivity, and empower staff. All of these gains make your company more competitive and help you stay ahead of the competition.

Imagine if your employees could submit their expenses on the morning commute, double-check an answer for an aspect when out for a casual coffee, read an update from the Director during their lunch break or watch training videos while waiting for their cab home. Flexible connectivity to the office on the staff members’ terms can be powerful.

4. Reduce inflation on devices

Although advanced smartphones and tablets can store thousands of apps and run many numbers at once, it’s not user-friendly for staff to juggle various software and responsibilities every day. A business app can combine human resources, new employee onboarding, employee benefits, ongoing training and development, workplace safety training, news, and announcements, schedules, and lists, live chat functionality, an employee directory, a company/product/service directory, location information of various offices and suppliers, and sales, marketing, and manufacturing literature needed for everyday tasks.

The list is endless – and merging them all into one resource will keep employees focused, and cut costs associated with third-party tools. Everything can be accessed from a centralized place, and it’s always more secure and up to date.

5. Draw new workforce

Businesses are increasingly struggling to appeal to and retain millennial and Gen Z workers, and it’s no longer possible to scale your organization without integrating the largest subsections of the workforce into your business. It’s important that your organization not only draw new customers but new talent, too. New and young workforces were brought up in the digital age and expect companies to utilize new technologies. By giving Gen Z workers modern tools and interfaces they’re familiar with, they’re likely to perform at their best and stay loyal to your company and brand.

Always remember that attracting talent can be expensive, and for every employee who leaves, you have to start the process again. An application will create a culture that breeds collaboration, communication, and cuddling for the future. Custom enterprise business apps can also be used to streamline employee on-boarding processes.

6. Efficient monitoring and tracking

Custom applications installed on company mobile devices can be used for monitoring and tracking purposes. For instance, an application can help you determine how long an employee has been using their company device, who they’ve been speaking to, and which apps and services they’ve been using. This remote monitoring and tracking system is a great time-saver and can help your managers identify problems, challenges, and opportunities in your business.

For example, if your employees are constantly struggling to sell a new product, you might review your sales pitches in your application and decide they need refining. You can then quickly deploy a new sales pitch, script, or process and have the sales people test it out in real-time.

7. Give more ROI

There are many benefits to creating a custom business app for your business, including enhanced engagement, high productivity, and more profits, lower turnover rates, better relationships with management, and lower training and retention costs. By working with a leading app development company such as ISH Technologies, you can develop a state-of-the-art app that meets all your business needs and will evolve as your company grows. Rather than depending on systems like Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Slack, and HubSpot, your custom software can be tailored to your specific business standards, and you don’t need to worry about software providers increasing fees, downtime, or cutting essential features that your business relies on. A bespoke method is usually the best.

Conclusion

The global digital workplace is continually changing, and we’re now faced with more options and platforms than we know what to do with. The average enterprise has 500 different apps; as service providers continue to invest in future-proofing their products, each will come with an app offering. Choosing what makes up the change part of your corporate technology stack can be challenging.

Each app we develop is unique, and has a defined purpose. They’re best-of-breed products, designed to solve a specific problem; and they each have a crucial role in your corporate digital landscape.

Understanding what your employees need is a critical first step. Will they be updating spreadsheets or producing word documents on their smartphones? If you have employees who operate in dispersed locations, disconnected from central offices, what information would support them or enhance engagement? What type of apps will be useful enough to keep employees coming back – given that 1 in 4 apps are only used once, and then deleted?

Business communication or a business app that integrates critical business processes will serve as a mobile homepage to your digital workplace. From a single app and location, employees can:

• Access tailored and important information.
• Connect with colleagues quickly and easily.
• Easily view fresh content and messages, both formal and informal, and help to integrate them into your company’s virtual culture.
• Enjoy a highly streamlined and UX-focused experience of their digital workplace with quick and easy access to vital apps or platforms, such as your HR system, payroll, or CRM.
• Receive important and timely communication, important in an emergency or crisis.
• Self-serve critical business tasks, whether this be a submission of expenses, checking a list, or ordering a new uniform and much more.

So, why have several applications when one can work intuitively and seamlessly with your existing business technology stack?

If you’re looking for support in developing a business app for your business, reach out to the experienced app development team at ISH Technologies today on 1300 474 832.