Businesses, regardless of their size or function, should consider utilizing applications for agility and efficiency. Applications, commonly referred to as “apps” by consumers, can serve varied purposes in commercial environments. If utilized correctly, business owners can benefit from the low cost and maintenance that comes with mobile or computer-related apps which have a tangible impact on both the consumer experience and commercial management activities.
Advancements in technology have enabled businesses to utilize different mobile, tablet and webbased apps. These range from business, social media, productivity, health and fitness, and gaming through to banking apps. Although these types of apps are all available, it is important that business still determine which apps are relevant to their operations and tailor their efforts accordingly.
PowerCom Pty Ltd.’s Chief Executive Officer, Alisa Amupolo made these statements during her presentation on “ Utilizing Apps to manage and grow your business ”, at the Economist Women’s Business Breakfast held in Ongwediva recently: “Apps can be used for advertising, promoting businesses, managing businesses more productivity as well as gathering business intelligence from the market in order to remain competitive.”
Amupolo went on to highlight the research and development required for businesses to bring new products to market, and the opportunities that apps offer to access that market and leverage those networks to optimize delivery: “Apps such as social media have location based and targeted advertising features. If the app is easy to use, at low or no cost and has the capability to reach out to customers in different towns, without physically going on foot to sell, that app is right. These days you can promote the product in the language of your customers, for example.”
Businesses experience the positive impact of apps in several ways. For instance, they can be used to lower the costs of operational expenditure within a business by reducing the IT spend which thereby increases profits. Amupolo explained: “Using dedicated content that is easy to navigate, apps require low IT skills if at all, enabling entrepreneurs to have more control over their value chain, from supply to service delivery and access to markets.”
There are also opportunities for business owners to leverage these mobile and straightforward technologies to find leads, advertise services and sell products, as well as booking clients or appointments without significant labor input. Revenue collection and bill payment can be streamlined, ensuring that business owners have more time to strategically drive the business.
Examples of efficiency-improving apps were highlighted by Amupolo. These included local banking apps, Google’s own integrated business apps, plus social media apps such as Linked in, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. All these apps are gaining traction in terms of advertising and access to market. The apps most frequently used by entrepreneurs are booking and scheduling, customer relationship management, accounting, banking, productivity monitoring, surveying, and meeting planning.
The modern business owner no longer encounters any opportunity costs that come with waiting in banking queues when mobile banking is implemented within a business. Equally, app-based personal assistants are available across the globe at a low cost via the means of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Voice command options on our smartphones, for instance, allow you to search for information without actively inputting the query into your phone.
Amupolo was careful to caution business owners that, despite the numerous benefits associated with apps, many of them demand internet usage and cannot operate effectively offline. In remote areas with unreliable internet access, entrepreneurs may experience challenges utilizing apps. Therefore, emphasis should also be placed on acquiring internet connectivity and smart feature phones that has low internet consumptions. There are also financial considerations for businesses, including initial outlay and maintenance costs for apps, along with maintaining secure domain, email, website and social media accounts.