How Apps Are Changing Our Everyday Lives These days it seems there's an app for everything, but should your business have one?
By Jean Ginzburg Edited by Matt Scanlon
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Smartphone and tablet applications are so integrated into our daily existence that you probably begin and end your day with one. Daily planner, guided meditation, workout, food delivery, wallet and finance, recipes, to-do lists and sleep tracker… seemingly everything's now available in app form.
Businesses used to commission desktop applications; you'd go to your office and use a company's customized platforms. Today, with the prevalence of remote work, app development has seen a shift to web and mobile. It took a while for companies to figure out the benefits of having apps and ways they can leverage them for both internal and customer-facing use, but it has slowly become a win-win opportunity for both businesses and customers — things get done quicker and life is (ideally) simpler.
Hardware integration
Our day-to-day tasks have never been this easy. Hardware integration makes it possible to configure the whole home; we have smart lights, smart locks and even smart vacuums that can now run according to preset schedules and a constantly updated map of your home's layout. Integration works even for plants: You can set up the lighting schedule for indoor varieties and check water levels in your garden with just a few taps.
Such technology is exciting — every tiny processor and component inside our phones and other mobile devices continuously evolving not just to adapt to our new needs but create new standards. When you stop to think about it, that camera used to take a photo of your dog, or brunch (or your dog at brunch), or the security camera you've installed for your doorway is a product of mind-boggling innovation.
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In one of my podcasts, I spoke with Brad Weber from InspiringApps, which has built solutions for, he explained, "better visibility into operations out in stores, with the ability to gather photos and data about what's actually happening on shelves." That's amazing. Big or small, if you operate from a corporate office or are running a business remotely from your home, you'd typically not get to see that.
Augmented reality (AR) is already establishing itself as a standard in cameras, too. It can recognize objects in surroundings and help with a number of tasks, such as mapping your location or using geotags for targeted marketing.
Leveraging apps in communication and customer service
Not surprisingly then, app development is soaring, especially post-pandemic, when businesses are scrambling to match the demands of a new customer profile. And these days, the expectation of good customer service and communication is not limited to a specific demographic; everyone wants good service and prompt, clear information from companies they are dealing with. Apps make it easier and more efficient to deliver this level of service.
Mobile websites just don't cut it any longer. Apps are simply more reliable, personalized, and convenient: customers log in with their contact information so they don't need to worry about tracking support requests, orders and queries from their desktop (or notepad). On the business side, push notifications from apps help with marketing campaigns.
Related: A Step-by-Step Guide To Building Your First Mobile App
Business processes simplified
Weber also noted that in the past, if you were a big company, you had process-heavy operations "…to the point where you were focused more on process than you were on actually getting work done." This is changing rapidly for the better. These larger businesses can now innovate much more quickly in responding to customer demands, as they should, but smaller startups and disruptors can also lean into apps and tech.
We can feel the resulting improvements. For example, almost all banks today have apps. If you're buying a home, you can access a range of mobile options that can help facilitate that process — from exploring properties around a specific area to setting appointments with an agent to arranging a property inspection… all from one handy app.
Mobile apps also make it easier for enterprises to keep track of their processes remotely. Whether you have a customized build or use an existing app, you can simplify and track tasks and processes and empower your employees to work independently or in teams.
Apps are the future
Today, tech allows us to control almost everything remotely — unlock the car and start the engine, watch your flight in progress, view the contents of your fridge… you name it. These now common conveniences sounded impossible several years ago, but are now reality. And today's generation is simply switching from app to app, depending on what they need to do, while big platforms are working on "super apps." (Consider Facebook's plans for Meta as an example.)
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More and more companies are wising up to applications' usefulness for business development. What about you? What apps do you leverage for your business growth? What possibilities would a customized app give your enterprise?
