From WSJ: Smartphone Apps Fuel Business
Good article at WSJ.com about how a smartphone applications are changing the way businesses operate (like credit card processing and work flow management) and enhancing the way customers interact with its products and services. How do you build your smartphone app? A couple of ways:
Hire a developer: you can expect to pay a developer $6K to $8K to build a typiclal app, while modest apps can be done for roughly $2K.
Design your own: for the tech enabled and budget conscious companies, Apple’s iPhone Developer Program allows you to build, test and even sell your own applications ($99 for standard edition and $299 for enterprise version).
If you’re struggling to justify the investment required to build your own app, then consider this, I read elsewhere today that the App store is expected to generate 6.67 billion downloads over the next three years. That is a staggering number. Clearly, there are missed opportunities for those companies, including our own, to keep their name in front of existing customers and potential clients.
The article also points out three ways building an app can improve your business:
- Attract new customers
- Improve customer service
- Create a revenue opportunity
Assuming Echelon was to create its own app, what would do you think would be the most important features for clients? Let me know your thoughts by sending me an email josh@echelondesigninc.com.
