How To Start Your Own SaaS Business

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If you’ve been planning on starting a SaaS business, then there’s never been a better time in embarking on such an endeavor. Many SaaS (Software as a Service) enterprises have emerged in the past decade and have successfully left their mark in the industry. 

Established tech giants such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have made available their own SaaS offerings. And users have been reaping the benefits of accessing these cloud-based applications cheaply and easily. Now, we’ll look further into what it takes to start your own Saas enterprise.

1. The Rise Of The SaaS Enterprise

The internet has radically transformed the way we do business and consume. Enterprises can release powerful apps far quicker than before, while users can access these applications almost effortlessly. And digital distribution has played a vital role in making this possible over the past two decades. 

But even digital distribution has its fair share of bottlenecks that impedes the accessibility and evolution of software. In many cases, users have to pay a steep upfront cost and download and install files on their computers. And in the case of freemium or mobile apps, users may not have to pay a cent, but they’ll likely have to watch ads or whip out a credit card to access certain functionality. 

Nowadays, users don’t have to relegate themselves to any digital distribution platform to access powerful and useful apps. With the rise of the SaaS enterprise, users can try out web-based solutions directly from their browsers.

So, what exactly is a SaaS enterprise? Well, it’s a company that develops an application or a series of applications meant to solve specific problems. These applications are hosted on a cloud service either by a third-party or on the company’s own servers. In the latter case, the company needs to update and maintain its SaaS applications and hardware. But that’s a boon for end-users since they don’t have to worry about updating their apps. And they no longer have to trawl forums or contact support when an update or installation goes wrong.

We’ve seen that this SaaS business model has been gaining traction in recent years. If you’ve used MailChimp, Slack, or Zoom, then you’ve used a SaaS product. But it won’t end there, as we’re bound to see many trailblazing SaaS enterprises emerge in the coming years.

2. Why You Should Consider Starting A SaaS Business

Whether you’re an appreneur or leading an enterprise, you’re likely coming up with cool and unique ideas. A few of these ideas could be solutions to problems that most people encounter in their day-to-day lives or enhance existing business processes. Either way, for these ideas to come to fruition, they’ll need the right vehicle to drive them forward. 

One of the best ways to do this is by starting your own SaaS enterprise. And the good news is that it’s entirely possible with a small investment and a bit of sweat equity. Online marketing expert, Neil Patel, managed to launch his SaaS business based on a call-tracking idea for under $ 40,000. With his organized approach to building web-based businesses, Neil found a designer and a developer, built his product, and then focused on marketing and sales.

While we’re not insinuating that building a SaaS is easy, it’s doable with the right approach. Furthermore, you’ll benefit by establishing an enterprise that’s entirely your own without requiring a substantial investment. And, if your SaaS proves popular, it won’t be difficult sourcing venture capital (VC) to grow your enterprise further.

3. Choose The Right Funding Model

If you want to have maximum control of your SaaS enterprise, you should consider personally funding the entire endeavor. But if bootstrapping isn’t possible, then you could borrow money from friends and family. A word of warning, if you haven’t planned and validated your SaaS idea, you’ll be risking these funds on a project that could potentially fail.

However, if you’ve done your homework by conducting a competitive analysis, creating detailed financial forecasts, writing a lean plan, and validating your idea, then your funding options widen. Now, you’ll be in a position to seek funding from financial institutions, angel investors, and venture capitalists. But you’ll be giving up some control, and your business decisions will have to line up with requirements set by these entities. 

4. A SaaS Business Starts With Proper Planning

Every serious entrepreneur draws up a business plan from day one. After all, no financial institution or angel investor will lend money to an enterprise without a business plan. And when building a SaaS, it’s essential to get your ideas on paper as quickly as possible. 

However, it’s not necessary to draft a long and complex document initially. Start with a one-page pitch that briefly describes your business, unique value proposition, competitors, target market, sales forecast, expenses, milestones, and schedule. You can go into more detail once you’ve solidified your business model and SaaS proposition.

5. Creating A Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Determine whether or not users have an interest in your SaaS. Moreover, validate if these users are willing to pay to use your app. Without releasing a full-fledged product, you’ll never know for sure. But by creating an MVP, you’ll be able to quickly gauge if users are genuinely interested in your offering before building a SaaS.

6. Building A SaaS

Ideally, you’ll have talented developers on your team that will help bring your SaaS ideas to life. While you’ll probably do most of your development in-house, you may need to outsource some work. For a smooth collaborative process, it’s always better to work with experienced developers such as NS804. 

Be sure to start small and choose the right software development methodology for your project. Then, get a beta version of your SaaS out the door as quickly as possible, and don’t add any unnecessary features before launch.

7. Employing Good UX Design 

It’s just as important to have one or more competent designers on your team. After all, your SaaS shouldn’t only run well, but it must also look great! Users expect good UX design from their apps, and you must meet their expectations if your SaaS is to succeed. Your designers will need to have a solid grasp of the five key elements of UX designs, namely: information architecture, interaction design, usability, prototyping, and visual design.

8. Don’t Ignore Custom Development

While your SaaS enterprise may function amazingly on the cloud, this doesn’t mean that you should ignore custom development. Many users will appreciate accessing an offline version of your SaaS that runs natively on their computers or mobile devices. Furthermore, you can provide users with additional features, extended business functions, and improved security with a custom-developed app.

9. Should A SaaS Business Incorporate Custom Development? 

Yes, every SaaS enterprise benefits from incorporating custom development. Many business processes require the speed, stability, and security that only a custom-developed native app can provide. And certain visually intensive apps only run well if they have direct access to a device’s CPU and GPU, which may require a custom solution.

In Conclusion

Every appreneur and enterprise should consider building a SaaS if they want to reach new users. While there’ll always be a market for native applications, many users enjoy the accessibility and convenience of today’s SaaS offerings. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you get your SaaS business off the ground.

Garnering and Implementing Feedback From Remote Teams

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Developing Stronger Remote Teams Through Feedback

Feedback is an important element in any cycle. Especially in the context of business. Whether that feedback be between an employee and manager, between two colleagues, or from a company to a consultant; feedback is both necessary and valuable. In the last year, remote teams and remote staff quickly became the norm. This was, partially, due to the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and an economy already moving toward a digital age. Regardless of how we got here, though, here we are. By embracing newly established normals and the transition to a more remote workforce; it remains important to foster a comfortable, welcoming, and productive company culture.

One tactic managers and business leaders can use to nurture a functional culture, even remotely, is employee feedback. Employee feedback from remote teams is will highlight issues and problem areas in operations that could be easily overlooked by other staff with less intimate knowledge of that specific task or business activity. By encouraging employee feedback from your remote staff, however, your team opens the channel of communication allowing management and remote teams to address persistent issues together.

Build Feedback Forms Into Your Custom Enterprise App for Remote Teams

With the entire economy embracing the digital era; many companies have invested in custom enterprise applications. These applications serve a variety of functions depending on the company and their specific needs, but many of them contain a strong focus on internal and external communication. However, these custom enterprise applications also offer a rich opportunity to further cement the lines of feedback between the company and its personnel. For instance, companies can build feedback forms directly into their enterprise applications. The forms can provide anonymity to users who submit, and can be a platform for feedback of any kind.

By presenting your staff and remote teams with conveniently provided feedback forms, there’s a much higher chance that those forms be utilized. This is also the case with anonymity. Often-times, employees and staff (humans in general really), are nervous or timid about bringing forward issues in the workplace. Whether those issues are strictly operational, or deal with colleagues and co-workers; regardless, remote teams need a clear and concise way to deliver feedback to their employers, managers, and organizational leaders.

Listen, Implement, Benefit

By taking the time to listen to your remote teams and remote staff; problems within operations, innovations, and other workplace conflicts will be more evident. While airing dirty laundry, so to speak, is never exactly fun; letting it fester is much worse. By hearing your remote staff and actually implementing solutions to the feedback provided, your organization will develop longer-lasting relationships with more loyal employees.

Right now, building a reliable and dedicated staff of remote employees and remote teams will bring long-term sustainability and long-term value to your organization. The era of remote work is far from over, by creating a superb remote company culture now; your team will attract higher-tier-talent down the line.

Wrapping Up

Feedback from managers to employees is vital. Feedback, also, from employees to managers and organizational leaders is vital. Show your remote teams and remote workers that you truly are dedicated to creating a culture around them by cultivating, hearing, and implementing solutions to feedback provided.

For more information on custom enterprise application development, or anything else related to app development, keep browsing NS804’s content library.

Mastering and Understanding the MVP

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Mastering the MVP: Elevating Development Strategy

In every industry and marketplace, there are historically proven and tested tactics and tools. Looking to these proven tactics and tools, then, is helpful in painting a pathway to success in the future for new players in the industry. In the context of app development, one such proven tool, is the MVP. MVP, in app development, stands for minimum viable product. In other words, this is the smallest version of the product your team can produce while accurately representing the functionality of the concept. This sounds relatively simple, but understanding the full breadth of the MVPs role in app-development is vital to creating a strong reputation.

While it may not seem incredibly intuitive at first, the MVP is often what makes or breaks an application. This is because MVPs often act as an introduction to the application concept for any interested parties external to the development team. Therefore, the MVP is extremely weighty in forming opinions about your application prior to its launch. Furthermore, though, MVPs also leave a mark on your reputation as a developer; doubling down on the important role that they serve.

Defining The MVP

As was mentioned above, MVP stands for minimum viable product. This serves an important purpose as providing a universally accepted term for essentially small-scale versions of applications. Having said that, though, there is value to further defining what constitutes an MVP for your specific firm or development team. By further expanding what an MVP looks like for your specific team, everyone should be on the same page.

This type of team and vision alignment builds value into your firm, and will help you in producing more consistently high-quality MVPs that attract, and retain, attention. Further still, with your team aligned to the vision of the project; and everyone on board with what a finished MVP looks like, there will be a reduction in miscommunications.

Develop A Process

Like with any business practice in your organization; once done a few times successfully – it’s time to replicate the process, and the resulting success. This is the same principle behind developing a process for your MVP development. Once your firm or team defines their standards for a finished MVP, then you and your team can reverse engineer the process from there. Standardizing the MVP development process weaves consistency and quality assurance into your application development lifecycle.

A standard MVP development lifecycle is multi-faceted and contains more than a few steps. Commonly, the process begins with the birth of the concept. From there, the driving concept for the application gets nurturing and brainstorming between colleagues until a value-proposition is born. Now, with a driving concept and a value proposition, the real design work begins. This is where designers, developers and programmers start working on the general framework of the application.

These first lines of code, that will eventually compose the MVP, act as the foundation for the application and its entire future. Investing in a strong team of programmers, developers, and designers will ensure that your MVP comes out high-quality, with the important features on display and some level of user-experience design included as well.

The Importance

As should be obvious, the role of the MVP in app development is a robust one. Since the minimum viable product often acts as the introduction to the application-to-be, prioritizing its development leads to higher-quality results. Well, you may be thinking, if the end-user doesn’t ever interact with the MVP; does it really matter how strong it is? The answer is a resounding yes.

While users and players may never interact or even see the MVP, potential investors, advertisers, and partners will all want to see your MVP; before making any sort of decision toward partnering with you or your application. Therefore, its vital to present a strong minimum viable product that accurately showcases the value proposition and core functionalities of your application.

Not only this, but MVPs should also contain a thought-out design and user-experience element. These don’t need to be nearly as thought out as the value proposition or the core-concepts need to be; but their presence will elevate your MVP greatly, and indicate that you’ve thought about these various important features and factors.

Who To Go To For MVP Development

Some appreneurs, however, come to the game without the technical savvy or coding know-how. This though; should never act as a deterrent from entering the application-development industry. Especially with the explosion of the mobile and web application markets over the past year. the opportunity is as bountiful as ever. For the appreneurs who fall into this category; there are plenty of options for you to pursue and launch your application.

There are, of course, freelance options who will come with relatively cheap development rates, and promises of quick turn-arounds. However, working with freelancers, especially on application development projects, always comes with a relatively high-risk. From missed deadlines, to projects that completely fall-through, or finished products that are low-quality or bug-ridden. Before signing on a freelancer, be sure you know the risks involved.

On the other side of the development wall are agencies. Agency developers usually come with a slightly higher price-tag, but their quality and deliverable guarantees are much stronger. Plus, with an agencies support, you will usually have additional support-options that assist you in taking your application all the way from MVP through app-store launch, and even updates and reiterations.

The Benefits of Strong MVPs and Presentations

MVPs are clearly a huge part of the application development world. Their role is expansive and they serve a myriad of purposes. So let’s explore a few more of the benefits that yield from prioritizing a strong MVP presentation. Having a well-developed and well-designed minimum viable product is half the battle; presentation is the other half.

Making sure that your MVP presentation does the value-proposition justice, emphasizes the core-concepts of the application, and brings its main features into the limelight is just as important as having an MVP in the first place. By prioritizing the MVP development, your application will start its journey with a leg-up on competitors. This advantage stems from the interest that strong MVPs garner from external parties, prior to app-launch.

Financing, Investors, and Interest

Financial support, investors, ad partners, and a generally bolstered level of consumer interest in your application all start with a well-developed and thoroughly thought-through MVP. The MVP is arguably one of the most important aspects in application development because of it’s direct correlation with building, generating, and maintaining financial interest from partners, sponsors, and investors.

Therefore, by prioritizing the MVP development in your firm by defining the standards of an MVP for your team, building an MVP development process, and properly packaging your MVP proposals, your firm will be well on its way to long term success with a strong reputation and a formulaic process.

Wrapping Up

There are many tactics and strategies that app developers use to garner support for their projects. The minimum viable product is by far one of the most powerful and impactful tools that developers and designers can produce. This is especially the case as a proper MVP showcases the value proposition and the main features of the application.

For more information on how to begin your app-development journey, or the importance of a strong MVP, keep browsing NS804’s content library. NS804 is the proud mobile app developer of the everyday person, more than happy to help.

How To Create A Better iOS Ecommerce App

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Developing an iOS eCommerce app that keeps users engaged takes time and work. But to achieve desirable results, it’s best to work with an experienced iOS development agency. And if you follow these handy pointers, you’ll increase your chances of releasing an app that truly shines. 

1. Why You Should Study The Competition

For many enthusiasts and tech industry insiders, the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is a yearly highlight. Developers, in particular, follow this conference to keep updated about the latest developments concerning the iOS app platform. And the media wait with bated breath to hear announcements from keynote speakers, such as Tim Cook and Craig Federighi. These announcements clarify the direction of Apple and how that affects developers in the foreseeable future.

While developers can learn much about the Apple ecosystem by following WWDC, it’s not enough. They must continue researching and studying the market segment they are targeting. If an iOS development agency plans on entering the eCommerce space, then it should study its competitors. After all, this market segment is highly competitive, and developers must do their homework to find success. And with eCommerce app use growing by 36% between April and July 2020, competition will only get tighter.

2. How To Optimize For The iOS App Platform

Apple wants developers to release polished applications that showcase the iOS app platform to existing and potential users. That’s why it’s crucial to optimize your app by closely following Apple’s guidelines.

Your app needs to be lightweight and responsive for the best user experience. Therefore, you should implement the most efficient file and video formats and reduce the size of updates. Then, take things further by leveraging app thinning and utilizing on-demand resources by shipping these as separate asset packs.

However, your work doesn’t end there, as you’ll also need to do App Store Optimization (ASO). Ensure that your store page has the following: app name, subtitle, the app’s URL, all relevant keywords, ratings, reviews, listing CTR, and the category of your app. Furthermore, you should insert high-quality images and videos, an apt description, and design an eye-catching icon. 

3. What Ecommerce App Features Are Most Important

Keep users engaged by providing them with the features they want and a seamless experience. So, ensure that your eCommerce app has the following features: 

  • Hassle-free customization
  • Simple onboarding process
  • Intuitive and responsive design
  • A frictionless process from registration through to checkout 
  • Analytics measuring all applicable user behavior 
  • Push notifications for promotions and call to action (CTA) 
  • Engaging and relevant content

4. Why You Should Hire An iOS Development Agency

It may seem tempting to hire a freelancer to develop your upcoming eCommerce app to save on development costs. However, that may not be the wisest choice, especially with what an iOS development agency brings to the table. An agency is more accountable, likely to stick to deadlines, work within the budget, provide maintenance and support, and stay on top of trends.

5. How To Keep Users Coming Back

You’ve invested heavily into your new eCommerce app and hope that users will keep coming back. But to ensure this happens, your user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) should be excellent. Moreover, prepare a minimum viable product (MVP) and conduct regular testing to determine whether or not your app’s engaging users. And update your app regularly with features that delight your users and help keep it in the spotlight. 

In Conclusion

When targeting the iOS app platform, it’s best to go in prepared with a clear strategy. Start by studying the competition, then optimize your app and add the most important features. And don’t forget to implement great UI/UX design and regularly roll out updates. But to create an outstanding app, work with an experienced iOS development agency, such as NS804 today.

What Are The Top Enterprise App Development Challenges In 2021?

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Developing an enterprise app in 2021 presents several challenges that you need to know. App security vulnerabilities have become a cause of concern, and delivering a great user experience (UX) has become paramount. We take a deep dive into what enterprise app development looks like in the foreseeable future.

1. How To Decide The Enterprise App Type

When embarking on enterprise app development, you should carefully consider what tasks your application should handle. Start by looking at what processes require improvements at your company. Then, determine if these processes affect the entire company or are limited to a specific department. Moreover, pinpoint any tasks that your upcoming app should address, such as facilitating communication or stocktaking, as examples.

And even having already implemented several solutions, continue taking a holistic view of your company. As we enter a period of rapid digitalization, companies will need to enhance their business processes or be left behind. Thus, it’s wise to take a hard look at whether you’ve already implemented the following systems successfully: 

  • Automated billing and payment process
  • Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
  • Business Intelligence (BI)
  • Call center and customer support
  • Content management 
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
  • Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) 
  • Enterprise Management Systems (EMS) 
  • HR management
  • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) 
  • Social media management

All these systems should work flawlessly with each other and improve staff productivity. Also, upgrade outdated systems as quickly as these often cause bottlenecks and security vulnerabilities.

2. How To Ensure A Worthwhile ROI

Ideally, your enterprise app should make completing specific tasks far easier and quicker than before. And do so consistently and effectively so that it pays for itself in the long run. But how do you go about developing an app that does indeed deliver ROI? Well, you should ensure that your enterprise app development efforts produce a solution that offers several benefits.

Firstly, your app should improve productivity and empower staff by ensuring they have access to the most up-to-date data. By implementing business intelligence (BI) together with a robust cloud solution, staff members can complete mission-critical tasks at all times, even when out of the office. Secondly, your app should reduce running costs and speed up all relevant business processes. Thirdly, it should give your company a competitive edge by improving the customer experience and help you stay ahead of market trends.

3. Why The Enterprise App UI Matters So Much

When people think of enterprise apps, they picture dull and ugly-looking WinForms applications. Fortunately, that period in business computing is steadily coming to a close. Businesses no longer rely on desktop-only solutions, especially with the growing popularity of cloud-based web apps. Moreover, Windows desktops are no longer the only game in town, with Apple Macs and Linux desktops gaining traction. Not to forget about Android and iOS devices, which have gradually become powerful productivity tools in many organizations.

With this gradual shift, there has been a steady revolution in User Interface (UI) design. And with the increased use of mobile devices in enterprises, it’s crucial to deliver an optimal User Experience (UX). After all, a well-implemented UI/UX goes a long way in improving conversion and retainment rates. Company staff can fulfill their duties effectively while customers can complete registrations, purchases, and bookings in a frictionless manner.

Thus, it’s paramount that you always consider the UI/UX when embarking on enterprise app development. In many cases, errors and flaws could be due to the interface instead of any underlying issues. Utilize user testing and web analytics, and give this data to your designers to initiate improvements where necessary. Furthermore, a great UI/UX will help boost search engine rank, enhance customer loyalty, and promote your self-service channels.

4. How Can You Keep Enterprise Apps Secure

Your enterprise app shouldn’t only look good, but it must also be secure. And the security of your app should be a top priority, especially if you’re developing for smartphones. According to a report by the Synopsys Cybersecurity Research Center (CyRC), approximately 63% of Android apps contain open source components that contain security vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities expose sensitive data and utilize an excessive amount of device permissions.

What’s even more concerning about these findings is that 94% of these vulnerabilities have security patches available. And most developers are ignoring or failing to secure the components they use to build their apps. Therefore, whether you’re developing a mobile, web, or hybrid app, you must regularly conduct vulnerability tests. For example, if you’re developing a mobile app, make sure to test for the following:

  • Client-side injection
  • Dangerous third-party code
  • Data storage issues
  • Detecting insecure communication
  • Exposed authentication
  • Failure to encrypt data over a web service
  • Server-side control failures
  • The exploitation of the device’s permissions and operating system (OS)

5. Why You Should Invest In Regular App Updates

It’s vital to look at your enterprise app as an ongoing project and not a one-off. Why this is so important is because your app will become outdated after some time. So you’ll need to roll out updates at regular intervals to introduce new features and patch up security vulnerabilities. And every update presents a golden opportunity to receive employee feedback to see how they’re finding the latest iteration of your app. 

6. How Should You Manage Your App’s Data

Users have become increasingly concerned about how their data is collected and used. And given the growing number of security breaches as of late, this is a valid concern. That’s why you should pay more attention to how you manage your app’s data. Ideally, you want to limit the amount of data usage and bandwidth of your app, as long as it doesn’t impact productivity negatively. But you should also encrypt this data, as you don’t want malicious parties to gain access to sensitive information.

Furthermore, analyze how your app stores data, especially in mobile devices with limited storage space. Ensure that the app isn’t storing unnecessary or unwanted data, which can rapidly eat up the available storage. And limit the number of app permissions, as it’s seldom necessary to share information with too many apps.

7. How Much Does Enterprise App Development Cost?

Applications vary in complexity, and that directly correlates with the cost of development. Succinctly, a simple app costs approximately $ 37,500, an app with medium complexity costs up to $ 150,000, and a highly complex app can reach $ 750,000. A low-cost app developer, such as a freelancer, may charge between $ 85 – $ 105 per hour. While this may seem reasonable, do check if this also includes back-end integrations, graphic design, cross-platform support, and additional features.

In most cases, a freelancer or cheaper developer won’t be able to deliver all of these. That means that you’ll have to hire an additional graphic designer, developer, and back-end expert to complete your project, which will drive up costs more than expected. However, if you work with an experienced agency, you can have your app developed on time and within budget.

The Bottom Line

Enterprise app development is a long and complex process that requires the expertise of seasoned professionals. Ideally, you’ll be working with an agency that understands the needs of your company. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you create an enterprise app that takes your business to the next level.

Is It Still Possible To Develop Innovative Enterprise Apps?

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Creating innovative enterprise apps seems like a monumental task. And you’re not wrong if that’s what you’re thinking? However, all the best apps have something in common, which involves solving a pain point exceptionally well. So yes, it’s still possible to develop innovative apps for enterprises, provided you spot a gap in the market.

1. Innovative Enterprise Apps Help Deliver Business Value

With behemoths such as Microsoft, Salesforce, and SAP, delivering high-quality enterprise apps, it’s easy to become intimidated by these strong competitors. But as an appreneur or lean startup, you can make a dent in the market by developing innovative enterprise apps. After all, there’s bound to be a gap in the market that the big players aren’t servicing yet. 

Some of the most indispensable apps that businesses use are those that facilitate communication internally and externally. And this has become even more important in the COVID-19 era, as more company staff work remotely. But even in a post-pandemic age, businesses will still seek out the most effective communication solutions. Thus, there will be many opportunities to innovate on the cloud but also with business mobile apps.

2. Four Things Your Enterprise App Should Have

With a plethora of excellent enterprise apps in the marketplace, user expectations have risen considerably. The days when business applications would only run on desktops and thin clients are long gone. Business mobile apps have grown in popularity as company staff make greater use of smartphones. And apps with complex, inconsistent, and unresponsive user interfaces (UI) are also being shunned in the enterprise space.

The most successful enterprise apps all have these four elements: good visual design, full integration with a company’s systems, compatibility across devices, and robust offline capabilities. Company staff and remote workers love using apps that encapsulate all these elements since they facilitate productivity.

3. Identify A Gap In The Market

Before commencing with development, you’ll need to discover what pain point your app is trying to solve. What problem are you regularly experiencing, which can be solved by a well-conceived application? And does this problem also affect people within an enterprise environment? If you can provide an answer to both questions, then you may have discovered a gap in the market.

However, don’t rush into development without conducting a market opportunity analysis beforehand. It will help you identify customer needs, competitors, and risks that you may face. Thus, you’ll be more informed and better positioned to deliver an innovative enterprise app to users.

3. Business Mobile Apps Are Driving Forth Innovation

While the desktop is the undisputed stalwart of enterprise environments, smartphones have also penetrated this space in recent years. Today, company staff use an average of four apps per day for their work. These business mobile apps keep staff engaged and enhance their well-being and productivity. 

From executives through to sales staff, they now have mission-critical information available to them at all times. Mobile apps diminish the need to be in the office or a specific location to access a PC, saving staff valuable time.

4. Work With An Experienced Developer 

Innovative enterprise apps, such as Flock, Trello, and SurveyMonkey have radically transformed the workflow of modern businesses. These apps came into existence because there was a real need for them. Moreover, the developers behind these apps identified the pain points users were experiencing and responded with powerful and intuitive solutions. 

If you have an app in mind that’s potentially world-changing, then talk to us. As an experienced developer of enterprise and mobile apps, NS804 can help you create the app you’ve always wanted to make.

Why Custom Enterprise Development is Soaring

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The Digitalization of The Economy & Enterprise Development

In the last year, our world saw a massive acceleration into a more digitalized state. This was largely due to the global pandemic that swept the world. However, the wave of digitalization was well on its way long before the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless, in today’s world, the economy has shifted to an almost entirely virtual experience. To meet this large appetite of the consumers for instant gratification and virtual service, companies have turned to custom enterprise development for a wide variety of solutions.

Developing a custom enterprise application for your organization leads to a wide variety of benefits.

How Businesses are Utilizing Custom Enterprise Apps

Companies are already making great use of custom enterprise apps and enterprise development. One of the main functions for which many organizations employ a custom enterprise application is communication. Communication is one of the most important aspects of any organization. Without strong communication channels, it’s fairly difficult to accomplish large-scale projects that require robust teamwork, cooperation, and strategy.

Furthermore, this is extrapolated when you consider the remote work atmosphere that many organizations have embraced following the COVID-19 pandemic. While working from home has proven beneficial for both organizations and staff members, it goes without saying that communication efforts saw strain as companies dealt with the transition from office work to remote staff.

The Benefits Of Enterprise Apps

There are many benefits to developing a custom enterprise application that streamlines business operations and creates internal efficiencies throughout the organization. From bolstering communication channels to fostering stronger collaboration sessions between remote employees, custom enterprise development offers firms a wide variety of solutions.

The Lifetime Value of a Custom Enterprise App

Investing in the enterprise development of a custom application is a big decision. However, when you consider the lifetime value that an application of this nature offers your firm, it really becomes a no-brainer.

For more information on custom enterprise applications, or anything else related to app development, keep browsing NS804.

Is It Time To Launch a Custom Enterprise App?

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The Rise of The Custom Enterprise App

Organizations all over the globe adjusted operations over the past year in order to meet the needs of the market. Specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic completely altered the economy as we knew it. As a result, many companies began developing custom enterprise applications. These applications have a wide range of features and capabilities and vary significantly from business to business. However, despite the large variance in design and function, there is no denying that a custom enterprise app is perfectly capable of elevating your organization to the next level.

Finding the right time to invest in custom enterprise app development is sometimes crucial to successful implementation. Therefore, it’s vital to do your due diligence before pulling the trigger on custom enterprise app development to make sure that you’re setting yourself up for success.

Conducting an Internal Analysis

One of the very first steps to take in considering the development of a custom enterprise application is; conducting a thorough internal analysis. Performing an internal analysis is a vital process because it yields a waterfall of helpful insights and data that inform decision-making in the context of custom enterprise app development. For instance, by conducting an internal analysis you’ll gain impactful insights into the types of functions and capabilities to be sure to include.

Be sure to take note of your staff’s input when conducting your internal analysis. Staff will often provide deep insights into the exact functionalities that would benefit them the most. Then, by including those features in specific, you’re well on your way to a successful custom enterprise app design.

Another major area to pay attention to throughout the course of your internal analysis is your financial standing. This is arguably the most significant indicator to determine whether or not your firm is in need of a custom enterprise application. Furthermore, this data will allow you to know what sort of budget you would be able to invest in enterprise application development.

Developing Custom Enterprise Applications

As mentioned above, finances are an extremely significant determinant of when to develop a custom enterprise app. However, there is still more than one avenue through which appreneur’s and app developers can pursue custom enterprise app development. There are really three options when it comes to recruiting the programming team. First, you can look in-house if you have a few talented programmers, developers, and designers on staff already. This is arguably the most cost-effective as all of the development processes remain in-house and self-contained. Not to mention, when working with staff and employees, there’s a stronger internal sense of communication that already innately exists.

For those that aren’t lucky enough to have their own suite of developers in-house, there are still two other options. Organizations and decision-makers can look to agency developers, or they can seek help from a freelance developer. As you can imagine, each of these options comes with its own series of pros and cons. For instance, with freelance programmers, there is generally a higher risk associated with the quality of the end result, as well as timing, and other factors that could throw off your project. While some freelancers are more than worth their weight in salt, so to speak, there’s a wide market percentage of freelance developers that are under-trained and under-experienced whose work ends up being subpar. This can range from issues like bug-ridden applications full of faults; all the way to incomplete code, or a final design that feels clunky and unprofessional.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, if fishing for a freelancer isn’t your game; you can trust the development of your custom enterprise application to an agency developer.

Choosing Your Developer

By far one of the most enticing benefits of choosing agency developers to take on your custom enterprise application project is the guarantees that come with. Agency developers and programmers are often part of entire project teams. In other words, they’re pieces of the whole or cogs in the machine, if you will. As such, your app has more people working on it from a variety of angles. With design specialists to UX experts, and everything in between, by choosing an agency developer, you can rest assured your application is in good hands.

There is, however, a common misconception with the agency development avenue. Since agencies come with quality guarantees on design, user experience, and delivery, they too bring with them a slightly heftier price-point. Consider this, though; when it comes to application development costs, the true lifetime value of the development process is presented in the final application. In other words, while agencies may require a bit more capital; there is a lot less risk when it comes to the end result.

The Benefits To Employees

Committing the time and capital necessary to develop a custom enterprise application, though, will go miles. In the new economy that is nearly fully virtual and with the world quickly accelerating toward an entirely digital social experience, consumers are hungry for instant gratification. As well as instant results. Beyond the growing expectation for instant results in the consumer base, however; is the fact that a large majority of the corporate workforce now operates remotely. To accommodate the remote workforce, more and more companies are buying into custom enterprise solutions for their organization.

One of the most common areas that these custom enterprise applications address is internal communication. While there are plenty of options in the enterprise app market that already target communication, employees show a significant uptick in productivity and efficiency with custom solutions.

Communication Solutions

In today’s day, communication is being recognized as one of the most valuable elements in any context. This extends from business settings to emotional life situations, and every and any type of relationship in between. As such, business leaders and decision-makers have put a much stronger emphasis and priority on developing strong avenues of communication, both internally and externally.

Developing a well-connected and interlaced internal network through strong communication channels elevates business operations, efficiency, and employee productivity. By creating strong channels through which team members can communicate swiftly and seamlessly, you’ll be providing them the suite of tools that they need to conduct and complete their daily activities from wherever they may be stationed.

Equip Your Staff For Success

Following suit, by investing in a custom enterprise application; your company can create a unique suite of enterprise solutions that is specific to your organization. This is a major benefit. It’s a major benefit because it offers you and your team the opportunity to elevate and optimize the processes that are specific to your firm.

Wrapping Up On The Custom Enterprise App

Many companies are trusting custom enterprise applications with the bulk of their internal communications. Not to mention, firms are finding more and more uses for their custom enterprise apps each and every year. This is another benefit of investing in a custom enterprise application. Once your enterprise app is launched, it always has the ability to grow, scale, and adjust itself to the needs that are most pressing in your organization.

For more information on custom enterprise app development, or anything else related to application development, keep browsing NS804. NS804 is the proud development agency for the everyday appreneur.

Top Reasons To Consider Enterprise App Development

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Reasons To Consider Developing a Custom Enterprise App

Organizations and businesses are constantly advancing and evolving. As are the industries in which they operate. That means in order to stay competitive and relevant, management and leadership also need to evolve. This often means embracing new technology. Although new technology is an important aspect of running an organization, it isn’t always easy or intuitive. However, the more practice we get, the easier it becomes. Therefore, having an in-house custom enterprise app that evolves and scales with your company will keep your firm modern and offer you an edge against the competition; no matter what that may look like.

There are many reasons to consider developing a custom enterprise app that will benefit your firm and help create a comprehensive strategy for your organization. Not to mention, each and every organization is slightly different. There’s truly no one-size-fits-all solution.

The Differences Between an Enterprise App and Other Apps

Before getting into the various functions and capabilities that a custom enterprise app brings to your firm, it’s integral to understand what exactly an enterprise application is. In the wide world of app development, there are three main categories of applications. Firstly, there are mobile apps. These are arguably the most well-known and popular, at least among users. Think of any game that you can play on your phone, and that’s a mobile application.

Next, however, are web apps. Web applications have technically been along quite a bit longer than mobile applications, as they were born along with the internet come the turn of the century. Yet, they’ve evolved right alongside the internet, and are still widely used today in a huge spectrum of ways. Finally, there are enterprise applications.

Mid to large-sized organizations commonly have a need for a custom enterprise application. This is because a custom enterprise application brings so much utility to an organization. Companies use enterprise applications to streamline operations, create efficiency within their organization, and better facilitate inter-company communications.

The Current Standard

While larger organizations were the main customers for enterprise applications, they’ve become more accessible as technology has advanced. This is creating a more diverse and colorful marketplace as smaller organizations are joining the game and finding ways to make use of custom enterprise applications themselves.

This rising trend doesn’t seem to be going away, especially as the world becomes more and more digital. In fact, it’s quite the opposite in that many companies have embraced enterprise applications as an industry standard. This results in more and more companies reaching out to developers and firms with custom enterprise application needs, ultimately elevating the floor of the entire marketplace.

A Brief Overview

A custom enterprise application can build an enormous amount of value into an organization. From creating robust communication channels that are reliable and efficient, to streamlining business operations entirely custom enterprise applications offer a wide variety of solutions.

For more information on the value of enterprise applications, or when is the right time to develop one for your organization, continue browsing NS804. NS804 is the proud application developer of the everyday appreneur.

Enterprise Mobile App Ideas That Will Boost Your Business In 2021

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As a forward-looking business leader, you likely have several app ideas that seem promising. And the right kind of ideas could boost your business in 2021. We delve deeper into this subject and reveal the mobile app development trends that will shape the year and beyond.

1. Why Mobile App Development Still Makes Sense In 2021

While the App Store and Google Play are inundated with apps, this doesn’t mean that mobile app development will go away. Quite the opposite, the app market is maturing and evolving and opening up new opportunities. There’s a growing demand for innovative apps that offer augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences. 

As a post-COVID world gradually emerges, enterprises and users will be looking for the most sustainable solutions. Enterprises will want to offer AR & VR-based training simulations since many of their employees now work remotely. And users will want more virtual concerts and tours, knowing that this is a far more convenient and safer way to enjoy their favorite pastimes.

2. App Ideas That Enhance Business Processes

With almost 80% of the global population owning a smartphone, enterprises need to take advantage of this phenomenon. As a business leader, it’s no use standing on the sidelines if you want to add value and grow your enterprise. 

Enhance and restructure your existing business processes by utilizing emerging digital ecosystems. Furthermore, create apps that enhance customer loyalty, improve external and internal processes, and streamline communication between employees and clients.

3. Break Down The Barriers Between Your Staff And Clients

Take the time to assess how your staff and clients interact with each other. Are you happy with the results, or is the room for improvement? In a competitive market, you’ll likely need to tweak and improve your communication channels. 

You may need to develop a business app that makes it easy for staff and clients to contact each other while keeping track of all communications. Furthermore, you’ll want to collect data and receive feedback from both staff and users to ascertain how well they’re engaging with each other and the app.

4. An Effective Business App Improves Productivity

Focus your mobile app development endeavors on creating apps that increase employee productivity and communications. And ensure that every business app you develop integrates with all your existing systems. Moreover, implement analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) in your apps so that you can assess all data points effectively. 

Similarly to many companies, you’re probably sitting on a ton of unstructured data that’s making your business processes inefficient. But if you organize and analyze this data, you’ll discover ways to improve productivity in your enterprise.

5. Work With A Partner That Will Bring Your App Ideas To Life

Mobile app development is a lot harder than it seems, especially if you’re new to this field. And there are many vital aspects that you could overlook, such as eschewing the latest design trends, ignoring compatibility across devices, not integrating with existing solutions, or offering an offline mode.

However, if you work with an experienced development partner, you’ll be able to bring your app ideas to fruition. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you create innovative enterprise mobile apps that will engage users in 2021 and beyond!