This summer, we took a quick look at the results of Enterprise Mobility Exchange’s recent industry insight report. While many of the results of their survey were positive, some 57% of respondents had not yet implemented their digital transformation process. In other words, many companies still have a long way to go before their mobile app programs are fully mature.
What’s the story, though, with companies that are knee-deep in the mobile app experience? A recent survey by Kony and Wakefield Research finds that many companies aren’t quite satisfied with the current state of their mobility efforts.
First, the good news: nearly all (98%) respondents said their companies would benefit from mobile apps. Reading the rest of the results of the survey paints a bleaker picture.
65% of respondents who have invested internally in mobile app development aren’t completely satisfied with how their IT department manages the user experience of their apps. And, startlingly, only 19% of business leaders feel their in-house IT department is the best solution for app development. Even when outsourcing, 92% (!) of those who outsourced app development felt their apps didn’t meen expectations.
Costs to develop and maintain apps, as well as lack of customization, appear to be major pain points for companies attempting to develop enterprise applications.
If you were to stop reading now, you probably wouldn’t leave our site feeling too great about the prospect of investing more resources into an enterprise mobility program. But we’re here to tell you to think differently. If you ask us, the results of Kony’s survey reveal not a problem with mobile applications themselves, but rather with the ways that companies are developing their strategies and, more importantly, the transparency (or lack thereof) of who they work with to build them out.
It’s clear how a mobility initiative could get frustrating quickly when working with the wrong partner. An external app developer who is more expensive than expected and unwilling to customize applications is hard to argue for, just as it would be difficult to advocate for an EMM software company that provided little transparency into how employees are using apps, what features they like the most, or what problems they have.
In the mobile application world, agility, feedback, and user experience are the names of the game. Receiving real-world feedback on applications, adapting to it quickly, and all the while providing a consumer-like application experience are absolutely essential to a successful mobility program. If you’re unable to produce those elements, it’s likely that your mobility program will be a source of frustration rather than a beacon of optimism and productivity.
If you aren’t satisfied with your enterprise app experience, Kony’s survey is proof that you’re not alone. But the App47 team is here to tell you that this doesn’t have to be the case. Partnering with the right company (or companies) from the outset is the best way to find success in your mobility program.
Want to learn more about how App47 can help you build out a successful enterprise mobility initiative? Contact us today! We’d love to talk about how we can help.
