Tag Archive for: Enterprise App Development

6 Internal Company Solutions A Mobile App Can Provide

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Internal company solutions often include communication, team collaboration, and project management tools. In most cases, these will be desktop or web-based applications and paper-oriented in more extreme cases. But, increasingly, more companies are shifting to mobile apps due to their versatility and widespread use of mobile devices. Below, we’ll look at what company solutions mobile apps facilitate in greater detail.

Bring Your Line-Of-Business (LOB) Apps To Mobile

Regardless of your organization structure, you likely use a suite of desktop LOB apps for most internal tasks. Also, you’re probably heavily invested in the Windows ecosystem due to its business-centric approach. And while many company solutions may run on Windows, this is not always the case. 

 

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It’s not uncommon for businesses to use macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, FreeBSD, or some other esoteric operating system (OS). There are cases when companies inevitably cling to legacy operating systems such as Windows 95 or DOS since these will only run on their older equipment and computer systems.

But what does this all mean for you, and how can your business benefit by porting your existing LOB apps to mobile? While desktops are great and allow for high productivity, they’re not the only feasible solution for your business. After all, most, if not all, your employees carry smartphones on them during the workday and after hours. And given the considerable computing power of most current smartphones, they’re also excellent productivity devices. 

So, it’s a wasted opportunity not to port several mission-critical apps to mobile, as this will allow employees to complete essential tasks when out of the office or late in the evening when necessary. Furthermore, most employees don’t like using a PC after hours, especially after staring at a computer screen all day at the office. 

But they’ll feel more comfortable with a smartphone or tablet, as these devices feel more personal and intuitive for use inside or outside the office. Thus, your employees won’t mind catching up on work at home or on the go, provided your mobile LOB apps have an intuitive and snappy user interface (UI).

How To Bring Your Internal Company Solutions To Mobile

Unless you have an internal development team, you should partner with a reputable mobile studio, such as NS804, to port your existing LOB apps. Founded in 2012, we have worked on over 100 mobile apps for Android and iOS and received acclaim for our hard work and commitment to excellence. We work with organizations of different sizes and industries, such as CarLotz, Dominion Energy, and Wells Fargo Advisors, to name a few.

But even if you don’t have any desktop or web-based LOB apps but need us to create mobile-first or mobile-only company solutions, we’re happy to assist. We have developed several notable business and productivity apps that you might have used or heard about, like the following:

  • Béné
  • CFO Sidekick
  • EntreConnect
  • Paxis Pro
  • Referral Buddy
  • Substation App
  • Text Surge
  • Transsporter
  • True Home Review
  • Yards4Yeardley

As a native mobile app developer, we use the best-in-class programming languages, tooling, and methodologies for Android and iOS. Ultimately, this guarantees we create apps that offer optimal performance, look, and feel on both mobile platforms. 

But what if you only need to release on one platform due to budget constraints? Which platform should you choose and why? Preferably, opt for the platform that enjoys the most use in your organization. For example, if most of your employees use iPhones, go with iOS. However, if there isn’t a dominant platform, Android is preferable due to its more open nature and ability to sideload apps easily. Android smartphones and tablets are also cheaper to acquire if you plan to equip all your employees with a device.

1. Automating Employee Onboarding And Training

As your business grows, you have little choice but to hire additional staff. But you’ll need to offer a comprehensive onboarding and training program. The only problem with this is that it can become an expensive and time-consuming endeavor. 

That’s because you’ll need training staff to teach newcomers the skills and methods to function effectively in your organization. And every time you hire someone new, you’ll need to repeat this process, which will inevitably increase your costs. It makes little sense to keep training staff around if you only require their services occasionally and at irregular intervals.

One solution is to outsource to a third-party training provider. But that’s not always a good idea, as their pricing may be higher than expected, or you may not want to share methodologies that reveal trade secrets. Instead, you should build a custom training platform that automates these processes continuously.

You’ll only need to hire training staff once to write documentation, film videos, and record audio training courses. Once you’ve assembled all this training media, it’s time to put it to work for you within the framework of a training app. The app will commence with the onboarding process consisting of a welcome video, your company’s mission statement, achievements, goals, and what you expect from new hires. 

Once they complete onboarding, the app will launch a training module specific to each new staff member’s position in the company. They will gain access only to the documentation and media suitable for their roles, then tested via questionnaires and multiple-choice questions (MCQs). The app will also send you progress reports and test results for each candidate so that you can better assess their suitability for their assigned roles.

2. Improve Staff Efficiency With A Team Collaboration Mobile App 

Internal company solutions often revolve around powerful collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Trello. And while all these are great, you may want a more custom solution geared toward the workflows and methodologies of your company.

Furthermore, you may want that extra peace of mind of having complete control of the privacy and security of your collaboration app instead of relying on a third party. After all, it’s not uncommon for popular apps to suffer security breaches and for hackers to steal user credentials.

A side benefit of having your own team collaboration app is that you’re not subject to the end-user license agreement (EULA) set by a third-party software vendor. And that’s because you may not like some terms within the EULA, or updated terms and conditions may pose potential legal risks to your business. It’s also common for vendors to introduce app updates that disrupt staff workflow and business operations. 

With your custom team collaboration platform, you’ll have a level of control to keep undesirable elements blocked off. But you’ll also have complete control over how, when, and where staff may use your app.

Perhaps, you want staff to communicate via text to save on data costs, or you want them to use the app during office hours only. Ideally, you’ll want to make use of what the best team collaboration apps bring to the table, such as video conferencing and the ability to share all types of files. 

3. Accelerate Digitization In Your Organization

Whether you create a communication, project management, or team collaboration app, these will boost digitization within your organization. These apps require you to convert all your physical-based data and media into digital form. All paper documents within your file cabinets are ripe for digitization, and there are many tangible benefits in taking this path. 

Having documents in a digital format will make it easier to archive, share, and update your organization’s files. And you can follow through with other media, such as 3D models, draft plans, illustrations, photos, videos, and audio recordings.

It’s also more cost-effective to store all these on your servers or the cloud instead of allocating significant office space for this purpose. You can also easily backup digital files within and outside the physical confines of your organization, ensuring you never lose this valuable data due to a fire or any other mishap.  

However, one of the reasons why you want to implement digitization for company solutions is to give your business a competitive edge. And that’s only possible if your staff has access to the correct information all the time. You want staff to access the information they need rapidly. Moreover, you want this data to be accurate and up-to-date. 

4. Enhance Supply Management With A Mobile Solution

Even if you already have supply management software for your business, do you have a mobile version? This is a crucial question because a mobile app can radically improve all supply management tasks.

If you’re relying exclusively on a desktop app, your staff is probably wasting valuable time moving back and forth between the office and the storeroom. They’re probably back checking on the inventory in stock and what appears on the computer screen or print out. 

Also, there’s no guarantee that they processed inventory information correctly the first time, as they probably ticked off or filled out a paper document before entering this information into the computer. That’s an additional step that wastes time and increases the probability of error.

With a mobile app, an employee can log all incoming inventory directly on the storeroom floor without needing to be near a desktop. The app will store all recent entries on the mobile app’s backend, and your desktop supply management app can query this data in real-time if necessary.

You probably want internal company solutions to handle your distribution and logistics pipelines. The mobile app can play a vital role here, as you can connect and monitor your drivers and third-party freight carriers and shipping companies to successfully fulfill all delivery obligations. You’ll also reduce the duration of delivery trips, paperwork, and the probability of items going missing in transit.

 

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5. Engage Employees With Social And Gamification Features

The last thing you want is for your employees to lose interest in their work and your company’s goals. Ideally, you want to keep them engaged and excited about coming to work so that they perform at their best. While you can offer them incentives like bonuses and paid company trips, you can achieve much more with the right type of company solutions.    

One good solution is to build a dedicated employee engagement app that functions similarly to a social media platform. It can act as a central hub where staff can gather, complete their profiles, connect with others, hold discussions, make announcements, read company news, and receive acclaim for meeting milestones. 

Furthermore, the app can facilitate your company’s emergency preparedness and response plans by providing staff with all relevant emergency numbers and a floor plan showing fire escapes inside company premises. You can further boost app engagement by including gamification features that reward staff with points and unique icons or emojis once they complete specific tasks within the app, such as completing their entire profile. 

And if you decide not to build such an app, you can still implement social and gamification features in your training, communications, and team collaboration apps. You may also share company news via your other apps and urgent announcements via push notifications. 

6. Take Charge With A Project Management Mobile App

Your organization needs a good project management app to plan and monitor projects from A to Z. If you already have one, that’s great, but you can achieve more with a mobile app. And that’s because you want staff to collaborate in real-time regardless if they’re in the office or out in the field.

You may also integrate with your existing team collaboration and communication tools to facilitate team project management. And depending on how you plan and execute your projects, you can optimize the app for Agile or Waterfall methodologies. You can take things further by including a Kanban board that allows you to schedule projects visually, making it easier for staff to follow all steps of the process.

The Bottom Line

Businesses are increasingly using mobile apps to fulfill many crucial internal roles. These often work in tandem with existing desktop or web-based company solutions or replacing them entirely. If you’re currently sitting on the fence, there’s never been a better time to enhance or augment your internal company solutions with a mobile app. Contact https://www.ns804.com/ today to learn how we’ll help you develop a custom app to boost your business!

Mobile Enterprise App Development: 6 Myths Debunked

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Mobile enterprise app development may sound rather esoteric to most. After all, many appreneurs and developers spend time and effort creating apps for the mainstream consumer market. That means apps within the educational, entertainment, game, lifestyle, social media, and productivity categories.

However, one could argue that productivity apps closely resemble enterprise apps. And yes, many enterprises will use apps, such as Office365, Slack, and Trello, to boost productivity. And it’s even possible to customize many of these productivity apps to fit the needs of an enterprise.

While that sounds great, not all mainstream productivity apps and other turnkey solutions can solve specifically unique needs. For example, Trello is an effective and user-friendly project management tool, but best suited for simple projects. But for more complex use cases where it’s necessary to store, share, and retrieve plenty of notes, Trello may fall short. 

Think of an architecture and design firm dealing with bidding procedures, construction documents, construction administration, programming design, schematic designs, design development, and post-construction tasks. Furthermore, the firm’s staff will want to share and edit resource-heavy ArchViz animations and 3D CAD models in real-time with each other and all the relevant stakeholders. 

With so much documentation, designs, and 3D visuals, the design firm will require a more robust custom solution than Trello or other turnkey solutions. The firm may approach an acclaimed and reputable studio, such as NS804, to provide a custom solution. And since NS804 specializes in mobile enterprise app development, we can build an app that has all the features that the firm requires for all its project management needs. Below, we bust a few common myths about enterprise development that many have.

Myth 1: Mobile Enterprise App Development Is Too Difficult

The difficulty of a mobile enterprise app project largely depends on the scope of the app. A complex and large app with many features will challenge even seasoned developers. However, seasoned developers know how to properly plan out a project and break it down into manageable chunks to complete it on time. 

Ultimately, every developer that has completed several large projects successfully will have procured the know-how and skills to finish even the most demanding custom mobile apps for their enterprise clients. But be sure to check out a development studio’s portfolio of completed mobile apps before partnering with them. And gauge whether their apps are within the scope and quality level that you expect from your finished project. 

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Myth 2: Mobile Enterprise App Development Is Unnecessary

Many think that mobile enterprise app development isn’t necessary with so many turnkey solutions already available. But as we pointed out earlier with our project management example, this isn’t necessarily the case. Many existing solutions are jacks of all trades yet seldom solve specific problems appropriately or at all. 

And while many small businesses may function just fine with turnkey solutions initially, their needs will change and evolve as they grow. An increase in customers, staff, vendors, physical facilities, inventory, and service offerings will always require more robust solutions. And it’s almost impossible for niche businesses to function efficiently, due to their nature, without custom-developed enterprise apps.

Myth 3: Enterprise App Development Is Meant For The Desktop Or The Web Only 

Desktops have often taken center stage in enterprise environments. Therefore, it’s easy to assume that an enterprise app must run on a PC or off a company’s server as a web-based application. Moreover, most people envision enterprise apps having grey and dated-looking user interfaces (UIs) typically found in Windows WPF applications. 

And yes, many businesses, big and small, will have several Windows desktops and servers as the backbone of their IT infrastructure. But for several years now, mobile devices have also become an integral part of this infrastructure. 

Consider a restaurant that must process multiple customer orders simultaneously and in real time. The restaurant would usually equip its waiters with pens and order pads, but with the advent of mobile devices, it no longer makes sense to use waiter pads. 

These mobile devices can run a custom-developed food-ordering app that allows the restaurant’s waiters or customers to place orders directly. Then, the food-ordering app will update the kitchen order system immediately. The chef and kitchen staff will expedite the order far quicker and more accurately than before since it’s easy to lose, misplace, or tear paper order slips.

Myth 4: Legacy Systems Hinder Enterprise Development

Most enterprises that have been around for several years have legacy systems they must maintain. And it’s often time-consuming, difficult, and costly to update these systems. However, that doesn’t mean enterprises mustn’t forge ahead with their mobile enterprise app development plans.

And that’s because all competent development studios know how to integrate legacy systems with custom enterprise mobile apps. They will have the skills and know-how to work with various backend databases such as MySQL, NoSQL, and SQLite. And also have experience in Mobile Backend as a System (MBaaS), a unified solution for managing APIs, databases, push notifications, and security.

Myth 5: It’s Necessary To Invest In Additional IT Infrastructure

One of the key benefits of developing mobile enterprise apps is that they don’t require the extensive IT infrastructure of traditional PC and web-based enterprise applications. And that’s because enterprise mobile apps can run directly on employee smartphones and tablets.

Many startups and small businesses without legacy systems can run mission-critical apps entirely on mobile devices. And since there’s no need to invest in expensive servers with high power consumption, this results in substantial cost savings. 

And with a plethora of cloud services available, such as AWS, Azure, and Firebase, it’s unnecessary to invest in servers for the mobile app backend. The economical, flexible, scalable, secure, and user-friendly nature of cloud services makes them a viable option.

Myth 6: Mobile Enterprise Apps Suffer From Security Issues

This largely depends if the mobile app developer adheres to the necessary security protocols. And also if there’s a policy to roll out updates and security patches regularly. Furthermore, an organization must enforce specific security guidelines that employees must follow. These guidelines may cover password complexity requirements, user permissions and restrictions, and two-factor or multi-factor implementation. 

The organization must also decide whether to opt for a bring your own device (BYOD) or a corporate-owned and personally enabled (COPE) model. A hybrid model regarding device use in the workplace is yet another option. However, if tighter security is in the cards, then it’s best to adopt the COPE model since the organization can vet all the apps that will run on company devices. And employees will be unable to install their own apps since these could pose a security threat. 

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Another way to harden security is to encrypt all sensitive data. It’s common to encrypt data using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) or Triple Data Encryption Standard (DES) and to transmit the encrypted data via HTTPS or VPN. Furthermore, firewalls, endpoint protection tools, and network monitoring enhance security considerably. 

In Conclusion

Mobile enterprise app development is here to stay, given the growing use of mobile devices in the workplace. Unfortunately, many common misconceptions regarding the proliferation of mobile enterprise apps often hinder organizations. But once they see and experience the benefits of these apps, there’s no going back. Contact NS804 today to learn about custom-developing an enterprise app that will enhance the efficiency of your organization.

3 Ways Internal Mobile Apps Can Improve Company Culture

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Every business leader must improve company culture to retain valuable employees and increase efficiency. While this sounds challenging, it’s an achievable goal with the right internal mobile apps. Furthermore, there’s hardly an enterprise that wouldn’t benefit from deploying business apps that streamline several crucial business processes. 

But what business processes can internal mobile apps actually improve? Well, it’s not uncommon for companies to struggle with internal communication between employees, especially with the prevalence of remote work nowadays. How does any company get its onsite employees to collaborate efficiently with remote workers? While several solutions exist, mobile apps offer the most optimal pathway.

And that’s due to the wide adoption of mobile devices throughout all levels of the business hierarchy. It’s hard to imagine any company employee without a smartphone or tablet or not using these for completing vital tasks. Thus, the implementation of these devices no longer has to be ambiguous but work in tandem with company goals. Now, let’s take a more detailed look at several ways these apps can improve company culture.

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Improve Company Culture With Onboarding And Training Apps

It’s expensive and challenging to hire, onboard, and train employees. Moreover, it’s all too easy to get these procedures wrong — and ultimately — demoralize new hires or cause them to leave within days or weeks.

But internal mobile apps can handle these procedures efficiently, especially those aimed at onboarding and training. Onboarding apps can provide new hires with all the information they need, such as the code of conduct, company expectations, and a description of the company culture. 

To further engage the new hires, onboarding apps should provide demos of a company’s flagship products or services and mini-games or quizzes related to the company’s products, services, and mission statement.

Training apps should offer relevant training programs to new hires according to their job positions. These programs may include PDF files, multiple choice quizzes, videos, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) training. Moreover, new hires should be able to contact a mentor or trainer and be encouraged to embark on ongoing learning.

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Internal Mobile Apps Make Communications Truly Internal

Nowadays, employees use all kinds of communications and messaging apps from multiple vendors. Some employees may use Skype, others WhatsApp, and several others Zoom. But there are problems with this approach related to the security and long-term sustainability of using these platforms.

While all these platforms offer convenience, they’re easy to hack, may sometimes go down, and their pricing model may not suit your budget. Fortunately, you can avoid all this via a custom-developed internal communications app for all your employees. You can homogenize your communications channel and make it even more secure than commercial alternatives.

Implement The Ultimate Collaboration Tools

However, your communications app should also make it easy for all your employees to collaborate on projects. All your onsite and offsite staff, and even remote staff, should have tools that facilitate collaboration across various locations and time zones.

The most basic tools should allow for the easy sharing of files and media, while the more complex tools should allow for real-time editing of documents, spreadsheets, images, sketches, or even 3D models. Whether staff prepare a presentation or design a logo, your collaboration tools should make all this possible. As they complete projects successfully using these tools, it will increase employee morale and improve company culture.

The Bottom Line

Internal mobile apps not only improve company culture but help streamline many vital business processes. And several key areas that benefit from these apps are communication, collaboration, and employee training. Contact NS804 to learn how we’ll help you build custom mobile apps for all your internal business needs.

What Can Your App Metrics Tell You About Your Customers?

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App metrics will help you succeed as an appreneur or even as an enterprise releasing one or more apps. After all, it’s never a good idea to push out an app without monitoring its key performance indicators (KPIs). And that’s because you’ll be missing out on crucial information that impacts your app in its entirety.

Just think for a minute that you’ve spent a lot of time and money on a food ordering app. Many users download it, but you receive very few orders. Having failed to add mobile app metrics, you’re left bewildered as to why this occurs. To top it off, you’re left guessing about what needs to improve, apart from a few negative user reviews.

The hard truth is that you should never have to guess what’s wrong with your app. Instead, you should know how it performs during its entire lifecycle. And app metrics will also help you learn more about your customers, which we’ll discuss in more detail below.

Learn More About Customer Device Specs

You should add metrics that monitor your app’s performance and user experience (UX) from the get-go. But why is this so important when your app runs fine on your test devices? Your test devices only offer a limited view due to the massive variety of devices available, especially in the Android space. It’s a technical impossibility to test your app on the thousands of different Android smartphones, tablets, and TVs that your users may own.

However, your mobile app metrics will let you know how your application performs after the user installs it. You’ll gain access to valuable data, such as the user’s device operating system (OS), screen resolution, load times, and crash reports. Moreover, you’ll have a granular view of this data to allow you to pinpoint issues and fix them. Occasionally, you may detect these issues before most of your users do.

Mobile App Metrics Reveal Customer Engagement KPIs

Is your app engaging users, or are they uninstalling it in droves? Believe it or not, that’s one of the most important questions you should be asking. But it’s also one that you should be getting answers for immediately. And that’s because engagement rates directly impact your app’s revenue, so never leave this to chance.

Your customer engagement KPIs should reveal the following: average number of screens per visit, session length, stickiness ratio, retention rate, and churn rate. Furthermore, you should have detailed data on daily, weekly, and monthly engagement per active user. 

Monitor Customer Spending Habits

Your app’s supposed to make you money, so you need to know if your customers are actually making purchases. Also, integrate the necessary application programming interfaces (APIs) to facilitate and monitor all payment methods. Nowadays, users like to make payments using Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal — and several other payment services.

But what customer revenue metrics should you monitor? You’ll need to look at the following: average revenue per user (ARPU), number of purchases, time to first purchase, customer lifetime value (CLV), conversion rate, and cost per install (CPI).

In Conclusion

Mobile app metrics, when properly implemented, reveal much about your customers. And the data you collect and analyze will help you to pinpoint issues that impact your app negatively. Thus, allowing you to make fixes and roll out updates that actually make sense. Contact NS804 today to learn how we’ll help you integrate app metrics to unlock the true potential of your applications!

5 Reasons Your Sales Teams Wished You Had an App

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Sales teams need the right tools to bring about impressive results. And in today’s mobile-first approach to app development, there are no excuses why they shouldn’t have access to the most effective tools.

But as a long-term business leader, you may argue that sales teams were capable of delivering results long before the advent of smartphones and apps. And that’s true, as talented sales staff would always adopt the right strategies to accomplish their goals, regardless of the technology available to them at a particular point in time. 

However, rival teams will use the best and latest technologies to gain a competitive advantage. So, it makes little sense to sit on the sidelines while competitors eat your lunch! You not only need your sales teams to perform at their best but also have access to the type of app that will set them apart.

1. Help Your Sales Teams Collaborate

Perhaps you have multiple sales teams or only have one but still need all staff members to collaborate. Yet that’s incredibly difficult, especially if you have to manage these collaborations manually. You may need to appoint or hire someone to handle this task, but that’s an additional and ongoing expense. 

But if you utilize an app to automate the process, you allow your teams to collaborate seamlessly across multiple time zones. And the key benefit is that they can make crucial decisions quicker, without having to come into the office or hold meetings.

2. Monitor Each Staff Member’s Performance

Your best sales staff will appreciate knowing that you can accurately track their performance via an app. But why is this so important to them? Firstly, they’ll want you to weed out the underperformers holding the team back. And secondly, they’ll want you to reward the right people with performance bonuses and not those sitting on the sidelines that unfairly receive additional compensation when the team meets certain sales milestones.

3. Analyze Current And Future Market Conditions

Trends change all the time, so sales teams must stay on top of these. But that’s easier said than done, particularly if sales staff operate in different time zones or countries. But having an app where each staff member can report on new and upcoming trends helps the rest of the team gain better insight.

4. Access And Update Client Information In Real-Time

Companies that haven’t kept up with the times tend to rely heavily on their desktop infrastructure. That means that they record and retrieve all client data via desktop PCs. And that data may not have been updated in years, which diminished its accuracy and value. 

But if these companies adopt a mobile-first approach, they can allow their sales staff to work out in the field and collect the latest client data. And then share this information with all the relevant parties in real-time.

5. Enhanced Marketing Capabilities

There’s nothing more frustrating for sales staff than not having access to the latest marketing materials to present to clients. Perhaps the print shop hasn’t delivered your brochures on time, or the latest prices don’t appear on the product sheet. Thus, your sales teams would be at a disadvantage if they were to leave the office without marketing materials. 

To ensure that staff doesn’t go away empty-handed, an app showcasing the latest products and services of your company will suffice. Sales staff can whip out their smartphones or tablets to show clients promo videos and presentations. Furthermore, they can showcase your flagship products via impressive augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences.

In Conclusion

Sales teams will perform at their best when they use the most current mobile devices and apps. And that’s because these tools will radically empower sales staff to move quickly and secure those critical sales based on the latest up-to-date information. Contact NS804 today to learn how we’ll help you develop phenomenal custom apps for your enterprise! 

How Can Mobile Apps Help Improve Company Culture?

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Company culture can make or break a business. And that’s because company culture consists of the formal and informal behaviors, values, and systems that impact customers and employees. But it’s easy to ignore or misunderstand these facets of an organization since few people can tell apart these behaviors and values at face value.

Yet we can easily identify the organizations that have a good company culture, and here’s how? We look out for companies with good customer service, high employee retention rates, solid financial results, and boast a culture of innovation.

Another way to identify good company culture is by surveying the staff of an organization. And we’d ask them the following: How well do they communicate with each other? What is the decision-making process like within the organization? Does the organization acknowledge and fairly reward staff contributions? And how are employees hired, promoted, and laid off? 

Surveying an organization’s customers makes sense too. And we’d want to know the following: How well does the company respond to customer complaints and feedback? Do the products and services of the company meet or surpass expectations? And does the company delight and surprise customers with innovative products and services?

Think of how customers and employees perceive a company such as Apple. We’re willing to bet that it’s mostly positive, even though it isn’t perfect. But more likely than not, expect Apple to improve company culture constantly to stay ahead of the curve.

Now, you may be wondering what all this means for your organization. Actually, it means far more than you’d think, especially if you bring mobile apps into the equation. We look into how mobile apps can improve company culture in more detail below!

Improve Company Culture With Powerful Communication And Collaborative Tools

Your employees may have multiple email accounts and use several communications tools to get work done. But that’s an administrative and security nightmare, especially if you have staff coming into the office and working remotely. Furthermore, they may use desktop PCs and various mobile devices to complete daily tasks, increasing the complexity of your systems. 

Relying on third-party vendors to provide essential productivity software makes sense if you’re a startup. But you’ll eventually reach a roadblock since you’ll likely find this software doesn’t scale with your needs or lacks features essential to a growing company. Then, there’s the case that not all your productivity software integrates well with your existing or upcoming systems. 

That’s why you’re better off working with an experienced developer such as NS804 to create a custom solution for your needs. Together, you can build a mobile app that provides staff with a tightly integrated mobile app for communications and collaborative purposes. And you can allow them to log in with a secure two-factor authentication (2FA) or even passwordless authentication.

Your staff will become more productive, as they will no longer rely on disparate pieces of software to get work done. They can work within a singular all-in-one solution with a cohesive user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). Furthermore, they won’t have to wait for a third-party vendor to release features and updates when they’re most needed. And there’s a risk that new features may take months or years to arrive, and sometimes — never!

But with a custom mobile app, this isn’t a problem. You can add new features on short notice and have these implemented to your specifications. And staff will feel confident knowing they have access to the most productive tools tailor-made for them.

A Mobile-First Approach Enhances Company Culture

We mentioned earlier that you could be using desktop PCs and mobile devices. There’s also the possibility that you could be relying on web apps for some of your mission-critical business processes. If that’s the case, it’s a messy approach that will make your systems and staff workflows more inefficient than they should be.

But the good news is that you can streamline all this with a mobile-first approach. The latest smartphones and tablets are powerful enough for most business tasks. And if you opt for native app development, your mobile app will boast high performance and speed on these devices. Thus, it’s no longer necessary to have most, if not all, of your staff using desktop PCs or laptops. 

And if you have staff that works outside the office or remotely, they’ll appreciate using lightweight devices with small form factors. Also, consider those employees that don’t feel comfortable or like using desktop PCs or laptops at home. Either because they feel intimidated by these or need a break from the computer screen and desk when not in the office.

But a smartphone or tablet feels more accessible, especially to non-tech-savvy employees. And with an intuitive mobile app, they can get work done while sitting on their couch, back porch, or while waiting for an order at their favorite restaurant. Knowing that they can quickly complete tasks on the go and in any environment helps improve company culture and staff satisfaction.

Staying Connected With Customers

While it’s a wise choice to develop a custom app to improve staff efficiency, you should also consider your customers. And think of how you will build an effective and sustainable communications pipeline to connect with them. Now we know what you may be thinking, “Why not use Facebook or Twitter to stay in touch with customers?” 

While social media platforms do a reasonably good job at connecting businesses and customers, they have several shortcomings: 

  • Firstly, you don’t have ownership of these platforms and are subject to their terms and policies, which means you could lose access to your account for reasons within or beyond your control.
  • Secondly, you’re only a business in a sea of businesses on these platforms, so it’s challenging to stand out or prevent your customers from discovering competitors with a few clicks. 
  • Thirdly, you can’t create your own UI/UX and messaging functionality and are strictly reliant on what each social media platform provides, which may not meet your expectations and requirements. 
  • And finally, you can’t directly contact users that engage with your business unless they specifically provide you with their contact details and email addresses.

From a business standpoint, relying exclusively on social media to stay in touch with customers isn’t a good move. You’re better off building an email list via your website, especially if you want to build long-term relationships with customers. But a website isn’t the only avenue to help you accomplish this goal, as you can also utilize a mobile app. 

Furthermore, a custom-built mobile app allows you to present your products and services exactly how you want. And you can keep your UI/UX and identity on-brand and tailor your messaging features so that they’re satisfactory to you and your customers.

The Bottom Line

As a business leader, one of your key goals is to improve company culture. While this isn’t easy, you can accomplish much by utilizing the methodologies and tools that will impact customers and employees positively. And the good news is that one or more custom-built mobile apps can bring about changes that can radically transform your organization for the better. Contact NS804 today to learn how we’ll help you create mobile apps that mean business!

5 Features Every Employer App Needs to Have

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There are good reasons why you need an employer app to run your organization efficiently. You need to log and track the working hours of your staff, whether they’re in the office or work from home. And you must comply with the relevant labor laws and data privacy regulations. Furthermore, it makes sense to prioritize contactless approaches to reduce the risk of staff contacting Covid-19 and other transmissible diseases. 

You may use a paper-based staff register or a database running on a PC, but these are not the best solutions for achieving the above goals. And that’s because most, if not all of your employees, own at least one smartphone. Or you may have already provided smartphones to your employees, meant for all essential company communications. 

Thus, it makes good business sense to utilize these smartphones as a core part of your company’s infrastructure. But to take advantage of this infrastructure, you’ll need to create an employer app with the following features.

1. Every Employer App Should Have Chat And Messaging Features

Phone calls cost money, take time, and can be disruptive. So you want to keep calls at a minimum, especially in an enterprise setting. But you’ll still want to reach employees and for them to contact you or their colleagues without hindering their workflow.

One of the best ways to build a robust communication pipeline is by implementing chat and messaging functionality. And this will allow everyone on the team to communicate throughout the workday and respond at their earliest convenience. You can also limit who receives communications and what type of information they can access.

2. Add Push Notifications For Emergency Situations

Push notifications have become commonplace in most customer-facing applications nowadays. But did you know that they can be equally powerful in an employer app? 

Consider a potentially fatal situation where some of your offices have caught fire. Your company’s emergency alarm system should alert everyone. And employees may panic and have trouble finding the nearest emergency escapes. But if employees immediately receive a push notification with clear and concise instructions about how to exit the building, it may save their lives.

3. Implement FAQ And Search Functionality

Even employees that have worked at your company for a long time may have questions or have forgotten some rules. Thus, add an FAQ section in your employer app where they’ll find answers to their most crucial questions. And make it easy for them to find information and even mission-critical files via the search function.

4. Improve Security With Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

You can make it easy for your employees to sign in with their personal or work accounts. But given the high frequency of cybercrime lately, it’s best to harden security. Therefore, sacrifice some convenience for the improved security that two-factor authentication brings to the table. Apart from their username and password, employees will have to supply additional information, such as employee biometrics or a code sent to their smartphones.

5. Share Content And News Directly 

Your employer app is the perfect vehicle for sharing content and news that will get everyone on the same page. Furthermore, you can keep your employees updated on the latest developments within the company and any sudden change of direction. And you can do this by implementing a notification system that operates in a top-down manner. 

In Conclusion

Company communications should always facilitate the efficient transfer of information throughout an organization. But it must be easy-to-use, secure, and mobile-first to comply with the needs of modern organizations. Contact NS804 to learn how we’ll help you develop an employer app that enhances your organization’s communications.  

Best Language to Develop IOS Apps

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IOS apps are highly renowned, respected, and secure because of the long-standing brand equity of the Apple brand. However, developing a functional, comprehensive, and responsive IOS app is a big deal that needs careful analysis and planning.

App developers and consumers must consider essential elements before starting on their IOS app projects. Firstly, define the main purpose. Then, conduct detailed market research and finally, prepare a detailed plan for your IOS app development. In addition, it’s crucial to take into account the app’s compatibility with other IOS devices. Also, evaluate your internal business capabilities before developing the application.

After you’ve satisfied the above requirements, it’s now time to decide your IOS app development language. But why is language selection important? Well, if your app is successful at its nascent stages, you will want to expand with a new feature set and introduce other devices. Selecting the best language for your IOS app development is crucial for your success.

   1. Swift

Swift is a programming language for developing iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS solutions. Apple created Swift language in 2014 as the immediate successor of Objective-C. Swift integrates with platforms like Cocoa Touch, Cocoa, and the extensive code designed in Objective-C for all Apple products.

The advantage of Swift is that it’s available as an open-source project. It has good scalability, interoperability, is easy to use, and provides regular updates. In addition, Swift provides a faster development process, it’s stable, and provides safety and superior development performance.

   2. Objective-C

Objective-C is a project created as an extension of the C programming language with objective-oriented features and capabilities. In addition, Objective-C is a general-purpose language used for programming Apple operating systems like iOS, OS X, and application programming interfaces: Cocoa Touch and Cocoa. According to a trusted popularity report, Objective-C ranks 20th, falling only three positions below Swift, and it’s used by 4.1% of developers worldwide.

   3. C#

Another programming langugage is C# which is an object-oriented, high-level, general-purpose language created by Microsoft as an upgrade to Java language. The C# language integrates with the .net platform that is both a runtime environment and a framework. Since C# was developed, it has always been applied to write Windows applications. In addition, since the .net came to Mac and Linux systems, it’s possible to create native applications with this language for virtually every platform including IOS.

Swift – The Final Verdict

Swift’s all-in-one solution and its diverse reach on multiple iOS applications – macOS, tvOS, and watchOS – make it a perfect fit for developing iOS applications. Other than having great scalability, Swift is easy-to-use, interoperable, integrated, and provides regular updates. Swift automatic memory counting capability, faster development process, stability, and superior performance makes it a best-in-class programming software for IOS applications. For more inquiries about app development language selection, contact NS804 for time-to-value solutions in all your app development processes.

Why Scalability Matters: Scaling Your Backend

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Scalability plays a major role in whether or not an app will succeed in the long term. But it’s necessary to set up a backend that’s robust and capable of scaling with your needs. Below, we reveal why the backend is such an essential component.

1. Scalability Is Vital For Modern App Development

Your team has worked hard on an innovative enterprise app that shows promise. And, likely, everyone on your team is deeply invested in its success. But that will only happen if it reaches and satisfies your target audience. Moreover, it may need to go beyond your target audience to achieve desirable key performance indicators (KPIs) and return on investment (ROI). After all, the highest-ranked apps in the App Store and Google Play reach millions of happy users.

So, you’ll need to consider scalability and how to achieve this early on in the development process. You’ll need to take a hard look at what features you’ll likely roll out in the foreseeable future. And you’ll also need to consider your backend infrastructure needs for these features and any additional features that users may request. Then, you’ll need to ascertain what type of backend infrastructure best suits your app: enterprise server, cloud, or hybrid solution.

2. Your Enterprise App Requires A Robust Backend

While you may have developed a phenomenal app that engages users, that won’t be enough. And this is especially true if you’re targeting enterprise environments that require integration with existing business processes. Thus, a robust backend is usually the most effective solution for storing and retrieving the data required by your app.

And when scaling your app, your backend must be capable of handling such an endeavor. For example, you plan on rolling out updates that allow remote workers to access features that were initially only available to office staff. However, your current servers are not up to the task, so you’ll either need to upgrade these or use a cloud service. And given the increased usage of your app, your backend solution should handle concurrent access efficiently.

3. The Backend Is Essential When Implementing In-App Purchases And Subscriptions 

If you need to monetize your app, you could implement ads, in-app purchases, or subscriptions. Of course, you can charge users a once-off upfront fee to use your app, and it’s another option you should consider when targeting enterprises. But with in-app purchases and subscriptions, a rock-solid backend is essential since it will need to handle these transactions swiftly and without compromising payment credentials.

4. Understanding Mobile Backend As A Service (MBAAS)

Setting up and maintaining a robust backend may not always be feasible for a small startup. However, some great solutions can relieve these smaller players from the associated costs and pain points. A mobile backend as a service platform will handle app logic and data management as two separate tasks. Not only does this save time since the startup doesn’t have to deal with a complex backend, but it also makes scaling possible.

5. Why A Professional Studio Is Better Suited For Scaling Your Backend

A startup will likely be on a tight budget and may seek the services of a freelancer to set up its backend. But this is not always a good idea, as a freelancer may cost more in the long run. And given the wide range of backend solutions in the market, the freelancer will only have expertise in a few of these. 

However, a professional studio has more resources available and a better understanding of the various backend solutions. More importantly, a studio is a more suitable long-term partner, which will be around when it’s time to scale. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you with your backend and scalability needs.

How To Choose The Best Tech Stack For Your App

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One of the most important choices you can make as a developer is opting for the right tech stack. The right technologies allow you to complete your apps on time and within budget. However, the wrong choices will derail your projects and make you miss milestones. Below, we reveal several of the best tools for developing compelling enterprise apps and when to use them.

1. Understanding The Different Types Of Mobile App Development

Mobile app development is a complex beast that requires foresight. And the reason for this is that both Android and iOS are fundamentally different. Each platform has its own unique Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), development tools, and submission guidelines. Thus, targeting both platforms presents a plethora of challenges to even the most seasoned developers. 

So before embarking on a mobile app project, it’s essential to choose the right tech stack for the job. And what a tech stack brings to the table is a suite of tools, which usually consist of a database, back-end and front-end tools, frameworks, and programming languages. In the case of game studios, they’ll often use an off-the-shelf engine, such as Unity or Unreal, that handles cross-platform development.

However, when choosing a tech stack, it’s also critical to understand the different types of apps you can develop:

  • Native Apps – These applications offer the best app store distribution, performance, and user experience. Developers will use programming languages and tools that specifically target Android or iOS.
  • Cross-Platform Apps – Apps made for Android, iOS, and even the desktop offer reasonably good performance and a user experience. However, these will still lag in terms of speed and performance to their native counterparts.  
  • Hybrid Apps – These rely on web-based technologies and utilize a native app shell to run on mobile and desktop devices. They make it possible for web developers to target multiple platforms but at a significant integration, performance, and speed penalty.

2. Choosing The Right Tech Stack 

Before choosing a development solution, carefully consider whether you’ll be making a native, cross-platform, or hybrid app. Then, take a hard look at your team’s capabilities and available resources. 

For example, you may want to develop a native app to provide customers with the best possible user experience. But you don’t have enough team members, or they’re not skilled enough to handle native development for both Android and iOS. Your team may have proficiency in Apple’s Xcode and the Swift programming language but lack experience in Android Studio and Java or Kotlin.

Now, you could seek the services of native development specialists, such as NS804, to bring about the desired result. But if that’s not an option, you could use a cross-platform suite, such as Flutter, React Native, or Xamarin. However, your team’s success with these tools will largely depend on how proficient they are with their respective programming languages, namely: Dart, JavaScript/TypeScript, and C#.

If you’re still uncertain of which cross-platform tech stack to choose, then consider the following aspects. Flutter is a good option for fast development and comes with a wealth of widgets. But it’s still a relatively new tool with limited functionality and libraries. Alternatively, there’s React Native, which offers excellent mobile UI and modern features yet won’t deliver a native-like look or performance.

Then, there’s Xamarin that’s capable of accessing native APIs and providing near-native performance. On the downside, it’s not the most popular cross-platform solution, and since it’s part of Microsoft’s .NET stack, developers must understand its complex framework and runtime.

Finally, there are hybrid app technologies such as Apache Cordova and Ionic Framework. These are the perfect solutions for budget-conscious developers proficient in JavaScript, CSS, and HTML but willing to sacrifice performance and a native-like experience. 

3. Using The Right Tools For Making Enterprise Apps

If you’re developing enterprise apps, you’ll need to use tools that are best in class. Quite often, these are the very same tools provided or recommended by the platform holders. In Apple’s case, they want developers to use their Xcode Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for creating apps for all their devices. And in Google’s case, they prefer that developers use Android Studio and associated software development kit (SDK).

Furthermore, Apple’s Swift is a powerful statically typed programming language ideal for modern application development. And since it’s a type-safe language, the result is cleaner and safer code that’s less prone to runtime crashes. Also, Swift handles memory exceptionally well thanks to its Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) memory management. What this means is that it’s an excellent language for developing performant and secure enterprise apps.

And in the Android camp, Google has been encouraging developers to switch over to Kotlin from Java. While Java has been a stalwart programming language in the enterprise space since the mid-90s, it’s verbose with a steep learning curve. Kotlin, on the other hand, offers developers similar features to Java, but it’s easier to learn and allows for both object-oriented and functional programming. With such flexibility and power, developers can release polished enterprise apps far quicker than before.

You’ll likely need a database for your application, and there are several good options available. Both Android and iOS developers can implement the SQLite relational database to manage data. But if you’re seeking a more modern and scalable solution, then consider Realm. What makes Realm so compelling is that it integrates seamlessly with React Native and Xamarin. And if you prefer to work with Google’s tech stack, you may want to take advantage of Firebase.

4. When To Build An MVP

Building complex enterprise apps presents developers with plenty of risks and high development costs. There’s no knowing if it will achieve significant download numbers, engage users, and perform adequately. 

So, the only way we’ll know if a project holds promise is if we test the market without investing heavily in a finished product. Instead, we focus our efforts on a minimum viable product (MVP), which includes the bare minimum functionality of the app we envision. Once the MVP gains traction with users, then we can proceed to scale. 

5. Consider How Your Tech Stack Affects The Cost Of Development  

The type of tech stack you use will affect the cost of development considerably. If you’re embarking on native development, you’ll need to have developers on your team capable of programming for both Android and iOS. Furthermore, you’ll need to maintain two codebases, which will only increase your development costs.

Don’t forget to account for the cost of your development tools. After all, it’s easy to forget about this with so many open-source and free options available nowadays. Many IDEs are available for free and primarily aimed at indie developers, open-source projects, and students. 

But if you’re a professional developer or a company, you’ll need to purchase a license, either as a subscription or a one-off cost. Similarly, there are different pricing tiers for other tools, such as automated testing suites, back-end cloud services, and databases.

The Bottom Line

Choosing the right tech stack for your app will allow you to complete it on time and within budget. In an ideal world, you’d opt for tools that facilitate native app development. But if that’s not feasible, consider the alternatives or work with a professional developer. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you develop amazing apps with the best-in-class technologies.