The Power of a Custom App for Small Business Success
Small businesses in today’s competitive market are always looking for novel approaches to improve their client experience and optimize operations. Custom apps designed to meet specific company needs are one effective approach that is gaining popularity. Making a custom app is no longer a trend. Instead, it’s an absolute must for startups and small companies that want to streamline operations, increase productivity, and maintain a competitive edge. Empowering entrepreneurs to tap into the power of technology for expansion and success, this comprehensive guide covers all the bases when it comes to making a custom app for small business.
Apps and Businesses: How Did It Start?
From the very start, businesses have always been eager for any opportunity or tool that can make their operations easier and more convenient. This started with software solutions such as Microsoft Office, which was considered a breakthrough in the business tools category. It also encountered recent advances in automation, and most recently, hyper-automation and many more tools and solutions that helped businesses progress. Since then, businesses, especially small ones, have continued looking for the ultimate solutions that would give them a push toward success and prosperity by streamlining their operations.
At the same time that businesses were looking for a solution, apps were emerging as the newest and ever-evolving tool. Applications were first developed with the sole aim of being a means for entertainment and fun. This is logical, given that the first-ever application is a game. However, sometime later, applications had more potential than developers imagined. Apps then started to be the gateway for many industries and became invaluable tools for users in many scopes, like time management, transportation, wellness, and more.
The better apps got in terms of functionality and performance, the more businesses began to involve them in their daily operations. From mundane tasks like marketing and promotion to more complex tasks like project and inventory management.
A Custom App for Small Business or an Off-the-Shelf App?
When it comes to apps for small businesses or even businesses of all sizes, the option for creating applications always had two variables: custom apps and off-the-shelf apps. But what exactly are they and which ones suit the criteria and requirements of small businesses?
Let us start with the latter. Off-the-shelf apps are a popular type of app that businesses use all over the world. They are apps that already exist and businesses can use them for different types of business operations immediately without needing to make any modifications. So, for instance, if a small business is looking for an off-the-shelf application to use for employee communication, they could use Zoom or Microsoft Teams. On the other hand, if an e-commerce small business is looking to monitor their online stores, they could use Shopify. And the list goes on forever. What makes off-the-shelf apps special is that they are time- and effort-efficient since they are ready to be employed immediately. However, they can also be very generic and offer little to no customization options for small businesses that serve a niche.
On the other hand, custom apps are the complete opposite when it comes to everything. Custom apps are apps that are tailored from scratch for a specific business and serve its needs. For instance, if a small business is looking to have an app for employee communication. Instead of using a pre-existing application, they create a custom employee communication app only for their business. A custom app provides a small business with many benefits, starting with tailored functionality. This can align perfectly with the business objectives and operations. In addition, a custom app for a small business guarantees enhanced security as the business gets to choose the security protocols and measures that need to be incorporated, unlike off-the-shelf apps.
5 Reasons Why a Small Business Should Have a Custom App
Now that we have discussed the difference between off-the-shelf apps and custom apps, we have somewhat gotten a glimpse as to why a custom app for small businesses can be better. What about we continue with five reasons why a custom app can be the perfect option for a small business?
No Hindrance, Ultimate Scalability
The first and foremost reason for considering a custom app for a small business is scalability. A business can’t stay small forever; it always aims to be and operate on a larger scale. This is why any solution that serves small businesses and aims to streamline operations has to be scalable to the degree that it can adapt to fluctuating customer numbers and extensive workloads. An effective app can operate under any circumstance and grow as a business grows. This includes incorporating features, integrations with additional systems, and many more scenarios. Luckily, a custom app can be easily scaled according to different requirements and needs and ensures continuous operation following a business’s ongoing growth without any hindrance.
Customization Comes First
The second reason why a small business should have a custom app is the level of customization that it offers. Not all businesses are the same; even those in the same industry have different ways of operating. This is why customization is a very crucial characteristic that business apps should have. As we previously mentioned, a custom app is always developed from scratch. Developers usually consider every detail, requirement, and need when developing custom apps to cater to the specific needs of businesses. This involves customizing features, functions, interfaces, and so on. This helps a small business enjoy more seamless operations and a tailored experience.” – explains Paweł Dąbrowski, CTO of iRonin.IT
Great Customer Interactions = Great Business!
A custom app for a small business can be a window to better and improved communication and interactions with customers. A custom app for a small business is not limited to internal operations only. Some business apps are made solely for customers. Whether as a way to get the services and products that this business offers or for communication between businesses and customers. A custom app can make it easier to communicate with clients directly and individually. Businesses may get users more involved with their content through interactive aspects, messaging features, or push notifications. Customers’ relationships can be strengthened through the use of this straightforward means of communication for announcements, promotions, and feedback collection.
Hail to the Youth!
Well, all the recent technological advancements that businesses aim to take are owing to the younger generations. This shapes the majority of service and product users now. Well, this means that Gen Z is pretty significant—in your faces, millennials! I mean, they are also included in the younger generation that a custom app for a small business would target. For small businesses, reaching out to tech-savvy youth through a custom app is a crucial chance to connect with this generation.
As mobile technology becomes more embedded in the daily lives of Millennials and Gen Z, a custom app meets their needs for smooth, individualized digital interactions. Businesses may interact with younger users on a deeper level. Designing user-friendly interfaces, including intriguing features, and catering to their mobile-focused lifestyle accomplish this. By taking this tack, businesses may present themselves as industry leaders in innovation and customer focus. While simultaneously tapping into new markets, responding quickly to changing trends, and collecting valuable data insights.
Employee communication and productivity
As much as the main aim of a custom app for a small business would be operations. Employee communication and elevated productivity are also on the list of crucial aims. One of the main reasons why many businesses fail is poor communication among employees. This leads to more complicated problems like misaligned work objectives, a poor environment, and many more. Building a custom app for small businesses can be the best way to foster better communication across all teams and the whole business. This, in turn, would maximize productivity and improve the quality of the products and services provided.
Two Challenges That a Small Business Might Face While Creating a Custom App and How Can It Overcome Them?
Budget and Resource Allocation
Budget and resources are the main hurdles that all small businesses face while creating a custom app. For small businesses, resources and budgets can be very limited; they only cover major and essential operations. Therefore, allocating scarce resources and a small budget would be very difficult when it comes to creating a custom app. They are known to need a huge amount of money and endless resources.
Time and Effort Constraints
Everyone in a small business usually runs in endless circles to maintain an efficient and effective operation that results in good-quality products and services. Including a custom app for this small business would be a pain in the neck as it calls for exerting more effort and additional time. The custom app development process is very complex and can take many weeks or even months. That is why keeping up with all of this would be a great constraint on a small business.
The Solution?
Now that we have addressed both problems, how could a small business overcome them? Let me tell you that there is an ultimate solution that completely eradicates these issues and helps small businesses create as many custom apps as they want. This solution would be no-code app development and, more specifically, the nandbox app builder.
The nandbox app builder is the go-to for any small business to tailor the perfect custom app and enjoy endless capabilities. Not only does it contain a rich list of features that cater to all needs and requirements, but it also offers great customization options and can easily be scaled anytime. Which will work in alignment with any increasing demand. As for the budget, a small business can always rest easy when using the nandbox app builder. This is because it offers some of the best pricing schemes on the market. So not only will they get amazing functions, but they will get them at a great price.
