A company’s mobile application (app) strategy should link data sources inside and outside the company to enable the company to respond quickly to any opportunities and improve customer reach and service, says app platform development company Outsystems South Africa director Craig Terblanche.

Any app strategy must be based on the business’s strategy, but a key success factor is the responsiveness and agility of app development and improvement.

“Companies take a ‘big-bang approach’ by developing one app to cover all functions, but this often fails and wastes resources. Companies should rather open their legacy systems and functions, and expose these systems and the information within them to users, including staff and clients, through mobile apps.”

Only about 30% of apps are successful, but this should not deter companies – they should rather consider developing a portfolio of apps, Terblanche adds.

“Develop apps that target specific shortcomings in your company’s capabilities, such as immediate interaction with customers or interfacing with the suppliers in your supply chain.

“The focus of a mobile app strategy should be to leverage mobile capabilities to provide innovative solutions for business problems, such as customer reach, immediate interaction and responsiveness.”

The first step in developing an agile app portfolio is to use existing legacy systems through an open architecture approach. An open architecture allows for apps to be developed that link external and internal resources to provide new services, which is where the value of mobile apps lies, notes Terblanche.

“Start with small portions of work that present problems. The functionalities can then be broadened as the apps are used and additional portions of work or functions are identified. “This includes interfacing with partner companies’ and suppliers’ networks, as well as engaging with customers.”

These functionalities can then also be automated, where appropriate, which can also improve business processes, such as sending suppliers notifications of orders and customer interaction, where they are allowed to track their orders or use a company’s in-house system to verify orders or services rendered.

A mobile app platform is an effective tool to drive innovation because it enables continuous evolution of the app to meet business needs. However, iteration cycles must be short and companies must be able to make changes to apps within minutes if a defect or oversight is reported or additional functions requested, Terblanche says.

“We suggest using what you have, including your existing systems and people. Retraining employees working with your existing systems and apps to develop new apps can be successful, but they must understand the value of the underlying information to develop these new systems and new ways of interacting and transacting.”

He adds that mobile apps are tools that differentiate a company and disrupt the traditional patterns in its industry by sharing information between parties.

He also notes that collaboration and partnering are effective ways of improving business processes and customer satisfaction through exposing and sharing information. An app platform, often in the form of an application program interface, shared between partners is effective because it enables diverse input to shape its use and evolution.

“An effective mobile app strategy is used to determine what you want to achieve and why, and then enhancing or improving these functions using mobile apps,” he concludes.