The internet has changed the business horizon. More and more people are conducting business on the internet. They are doing so through their computers, tablets and their smartphones. Of these choices, the smartphones are the most convenient. Thus, Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) are taking advantage of this opportunity. They are producing applications through which their customers can interact with them. These applications are built like those of Facebook and allow customers to learn about the products that the SMBs are offering, buying these products and giving feedback on the products as well. You can have an application built for your business by professional, experienced mobile app developer companies for example MobileApplication.com.sg. This will give u a competitive edge over your competition and translate into great profits.
How SMBs are benefiting from smartphone popularity and innovative applications
By taking advantage of the capabilities of smartphones and tablets, SMBs are competing more with larger businesses and reaping great profits. A survey of these SMBs in Singapore indicates that 83% of them think that smartphone use has a beneficial impact on their productivity. Also, the survey indicates that 35% of the SMBs have websites that can comfortably be viewed on smartphones and tablets. In addition to that, 58% of the SMBs reported that their employees regularly make use of text messages and instant messages in conducting day to day business. Moreover, 36% of these SMBs have employees who use up to 3 different smart mobile devices to conduct daily business. This survey clearly shows that SMBs have adopted smart mobile devices to conduct more efficient business.
SMBs are going smart. They are using smartphones to conduct a number of business processes. They are using the smartphones and tablets to telecommute. This is where their employees can work from home through their smart devices. All they need is an internet connection and be connected to the head office through a Virtual Private Network (VPN). With these in place, the employee can work from home efficiently. The SMBs are also using smart devices to complete Point Of Sale (POS) transactions. Smartphones can be loaded with applications that enable them to read credit cards and thus complete P.O.S. transactions successfully.
SMBs are also using smartphones and other smart devices to conduct product cataloguing as well as inventory management. The employees of the SMBs install special inventory management applications on the smart devices. With these, they can manage their inventory from basically anywhere in the world. Moreover, the SMBs are making use of smart devices to send maps to help guide their customers to their locations. They are able to achieve this by making use of special applications that keep the SMB employees and their customers constantly in touch. This also improves customer service and relations. They are also making use of the smart devices to submit reports of things like sales, travel reports and business expenses. SMB employees are also benefitting from using these smart devices to search for restaurants, cafes and places of entertainment where they can rest and also conduct meetings with customers.
Types of applications available for businesses
The SMBs are using specially designed applications to help them with their business processes. These applications fall into two general categories. These are iPhone and Android applications. These are the two most popular operating system platforms that are installed in smart devices today. Therefore, you can choose between the two platforms when you are having a business application developed. The iPhone applications are only accessible through the Apple iPhone and other smart devices manufactured by Apple Computers. Android applications are available for smart devices running the Android platform. There are very many different smart device manufacturers who install Android in their devices. As such, the Android devices are more in number than the Apple devices.
Tips when choosing a company to develop an application for your business
One of the points to look for when choosing a developer for your business application is speed. It is important to have your application in the market as soon as possible. This will keep you ahead of your competitors. An applications company that has its developers working 24 hours a day all week will develop your application fast and deliver it to you. Thus, it is a great choice. Another point is that the application has to be very easy to use and user friendly. This will engage the customers and allow them to enjoy using your business application. The icons and colors in the application should be attractive and vibrant.
Also, the application for your business should be highly customizable. This means that its features can be expanded and changed quite easily. Thus the application should be flexible so as to keep up with the changes in your business as it grows. In addition to that, you should get a developer who will give you an application of superb quality. The developer should also be affordable to work with. Some of these developers offer discounts on their products for repeat customers. It is smart to take advantage of these offers. Moreover, there are also seasonal discounts for example Easter and Christmas specials. When choosing a developer, it is important to inform them that you want an application that can integrate with social media sites. Social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Path and Tumblr are ripe places to get customers. Thus, it is important that your application have the ability to log into these sites.
The developer should also have a portfolio of other businesses that they have made applications for. Before you contract them, have a look at their portfolio and see the applications that they have developed. This will help you to judge if their work is good enough for you. A good developer should have a lot of interest in your business as well. This enthusiasm will translate to the application that they develop and they will produce an application that works very well. In addition to these, a good application developer will create a relationship with their client. They will offer after sales service and always be ready to help in case of any inquiries.