Category: Business

How Can You Successfully Build A Mobile App?

From the moment we wake up to the minute we fall asleep, mobile apps have become an indelible part of our lives. The number of mobile phone users is forecast to reach 4.68 billion this year! With a consumer-driven economy here to stay, businesses must adapt to what the consumer needs and where he needs it – at his fingertips and at his convenience. Understanding this need, businesses have got on to the bandwagon and are going full steam ahead on mobile app development. While this is the way to go, remember that not every mobile app is successful. There are a few vital points to keep in mind when developing a mobile app and this blog will discuss a few of them.

Related Reading: Find how mobile apps can unleash innovation and transform businesses. 

Top Points to Follow While Developing A Mobile App

Developing a mobile app isn’t a small investment. Research shows that it could take an investment of more than $270,000 to design, build and launch an app and could be much higher depending on the complexity of the app. Considering the investment involved, you would think that it would be an automatic success. Yet, experts say that two-thirds of apps will fail to reach 1,000 downloads in the first year. Even more alarming is the research which shows that 23% of those who download the application abandon the app after a single use!

Staggering numbers, aren’t they? Cost issues, bad tech, competition, failure to understand the actual need of the customer and other factors contribute to this failure. This is why it is vital to have all your ducks in a row before you get to mobile app development. Here are a few tips to ensure that your mobile app sees success and doesn’t join the numbers as a failure.

1. Understanding Need

Customers are not going to use your app if they do not see the value in it for themselves. That goes much beyond simply displaying your products or services and giving them a way to buy it through the app. The important question is: Why will the user download the app, make space for it on their phone and use it to engage with your business? This will only happen if they have a use for it and an emotional connection to it. That involves understanding customer behavior and how to cater to it.

The Fogg Behavior Model is often mentioned in this context. According to this model, “the behavior of a person is influenced by his motivation to perform a particular action, his ability to perform it and finally, the trigger.”

Understanding what the needs of your customers are, will help you determine the motivation factor. Recognizing the features that make your app more user-friendly,  will help you influence the ability of your app. Finally, using technology like machine learning to understand the right time and the right way to introduce the right product will lead to greater success. This will push them to engage with your app and consequently with your business.

Preparing a proof of concept is an important factor in understanding if there is a need for your app and the motivating factor for customers to use the app. What are the challenges faced by your customers? Are there solutions to these challenges and how will your application provide it? These are the first questions to be addressed before you start on development. The research will help you determine who your customer is, what they need and how you can provide it. This will help you plan the functionality and design of your app in a way that will encourage downloads and engagement.

2. Selecting the Right Platforms and Database

As important as it is to get the design and the code for the mobile app right, it is equally important to decide which mobile platform you will need to build your app on. This is the foundation on which your code will rest. Of the many mobile platforms that came and went, iOS and Android have made their mark among consumers and it looks like they are here to stay. Now taking these two as the base point, you will still need to determine which mobile platform your app will be used on.  You should also consider if your interests will be best served if you design for both or opt for a hybrid platform.

Since the language used by the developers will have to be natively supported by the platform you choose, this factor is vital. Your budget, the time and resources you employ, and the ultimate success or failure of the app will be influenced by this decision so tread carefully. Give careful consideration to your customer demographic. Are they predominantly Android users or iOS? What are the costs of designing the app on each platform? Will it be better to consider native app development or close-platform? Choosing the right database is also an important factor to consider as this will be crucial to the performance of your app.

3. Design Goals

This is where it all boils down to – Design and functionality. A mobile form design should be intuitive, clear and engaging.

Specification: The first consideration should be about what you want users to do once they have the app open. Decide what you want to include and what might be redundant to users. Listing functional and non-functional requirements clearly is the start line of the development.

Visual Design: Information presented in a clean and focused manner is vital to draw the attention of users in the direction you want to lead them. Using single fields of input and optimizing the information, appears like a conversation you are having with your client is important.

4. Security Considerations

With mobile applications, collecting sensitive information and gaining access to other information on their mobile device, consumers want to know that their information is safe. They want to know that adequate measures have been taken to comply with data protection laws. Integration of payment gateways in the application adds another level of concern when it comes to security.

Related Reading: You might also like to read about the top security issues in mobile app development.

This is why the onus lies on you to ensure security. For this, you will have to secure the app’s code from the ground up. Encryption of the code, files, and databases, securing network connections on the back-end, enabling authentication and identification technologies, and other robust security measures are vital in mobile app development.

The success of a mobile application highly depends on the strategies and approaches implemented. Check out our Whitepaper to know how to select the best approach for Mobile App Development.

https://www.fingent.com/insights/portfolio/choosing-the-right-mobile-app-development-approach-for-your-business/

Ensuring the Success of Your Mobile Application

If mobile application development is on your mind, we understand if you might feel bitten off more than you can chew. Mobile app development needs careful consideration, but with the right guidance, it can be the best thing that has happened to your company. Connect with our IT consultants today and let us simplify it for you.

Ways Small Businesses Can Benefit From Artificially Intelligent Systems

It is quite obvious how Artificial Intelligence has become a part of almost every industry verticals. In addition to enhancing intelligence and productivity to operations, AI is widely used by businesses to predict online customer behavior, manage supply chains, automate various difficult and redundant tasks.

According to a recent survey by Vistage, about three-quarters of businesses will invest in software applications. No wonder the AI revolution is also termed as the fourth revolution!

Starting from voice search mobile app development to self-driving cars being able to prompt the driver with possible destinations, most small businesses are jumping into the AI bandwagon. The early adopters of AI implementation have seen a considerable improvement in business turnover and in achieving an increased ROI.

Businesses have improved their turnover and overall performance by making use of data. Small businesses can make use of the AI Revolution to leverage the available data. This can bring a change in their overall business processes. Below are the major benefits that small businesses can reap out of AI:

1. Leveraging Artificially Intelligent Solutions

The fact that any business process can involve AI implementation proves the importance of large chunks of data being generated. To stay competitive, it is essential for businesses to follow the latest trends in the market. This is made possible by deriving insights from data available to predict business outcomes. The possible benefits of AI enabled systems are as follows:

a. Small businesses can use Artificial Intelligence to understand customer segmentation. AI is used by businesses to gather data and then perform market analytics. They can use AI to advertise as AI helps in providing insights to target the right customer base. This helps in determining market-fit customers rather than having to target clients blindly.

b. Small businesses can also make use of AI strategies. For instance, businesses can use third-party AI tools that involve easy interfaces and machine learning algorithms. This will help businesses to couple the critical data and workflows into business intelligence. This helps businesses to achieve practical insights. It also helps in saving time and costs that arise due to data review.

2. Creating Artificially Intelligent Customer Service Solutions

AI-powered chatbots steal the show when it comes to enabling Digital Customer Services. Estimates show that 67 percent of businesses use chatbots for rendering customer services. This number is forecasted to reach 85 percent by 2020.

Voice-search assistants are no exception to customer service solutions. The number of electronic assistants is expected to reach 7 billion by 2020. Chatbots and voice-search assistants can definitely help small businesses increase their productivity and efficiency.

Related Reading: Check out how capitalizing on chatbots will help in redefining your business.

3. Artificial Intelligence For Building A Positive Workplace Culture

Small businesses often find it difficult to hire talents. Artificial Intelligence has made it simpler for the HR Departments of small businesses to recruit talents by eliminating the need for HR managers to manually set and select through the large pile of candidate profiles. AI helps in building a positive workplace culture in the following ways:

a. Hiring is made easier by Machine learning algorithms. The process of hiring is streamlined by AI. The algorithms do so by the process of learning hiring practices of the past. AI applications help in finding good leads by learning an applicant’s history of work and studies and makes the hiring process easier.

b. Sales can be made simpler for small businesses with the help of AI applications. AI-enabled CRM platforms help businesses to derive insights. CRM systems compile data from different customers via phone, email, etc. This is done for automated lead generation. Sales folks of small businesses can make use of AI enabled CRM systems to adjust their leads by analyzing customer ideas through different channels like recording phone calls, emails, phone messages, online behavior, customer reviews, social media posts, etc. This helps the sales team of businesses to personalize their business, according to customer intentions.

c. Small businesses can use AI applications to manage back-end operations cost-effectively. Financial accounting and scheduling daily tasks to employees can be managed more effectively with the help of AI enabled tools. This helps small businesses save time from performing redundant and manual tasks.

Related Reading: Here’s an ultimate guide for you to enhance your existing business application with AI.

4. AI For Effective Data Collection And Competitive Analysis

Identification of competitors is crucial for any business. AI helps in building a competitive analysis that searches for competitors in particular fields. This helps small businesses to collect critical data regarding different competitor strategies.

Businesses learn about the latest trends from the collected data. This is performed via advanced AI methods such as statistical regression analysis. AI has made it cost-effective for small businesses to use sophisticated AI tools that help them in determining how to keep clients interested in their business.

Machine learning algorithms make use of customer sentiments to capture and track customer preferences. This data collection mechanism is made available affordable by AI for small business.

Competitive Intelligence implies being able to react to market trends rapidly and accurately. It is therefore essential for small businesses to be up-to-date about the current market trends. Tracking competitors, changing business processes to suit customer requirements, analyzing cost changes and business metrics is required for a business to succeed. This is made possible by AI-powered competitive intelligence tools.

Related Reading: Read on to know how artificial intelligence can enhance intelligent app ecosystem.

5. AI Enabled Tools To Enhance Marketing Strategies

Any business requires deep know-how in technology to enhance its marketing functions. Small businesses find it difficult and costly when it comes to hiring top-notch professionals to handle large marketing campaigns.

Small businesses can make use of AI enabled tools to manage marketing activities. AI helps in reaching out to a large audience online by making use of advertising platforms. For instance, Facebook and Google have implemented advertising platforms that are AI implemented. This targets specific customers making it easier to collect and analyze data that is critical for lead generation.

CPC (Cost Per Click) can be considerably reduced by implementing AI tools. In addition to being able to find the best marketing strategies, AI enabled tools also analyze consumer engagement via marketing campaigns.

Artificial Intelligence is an effective budget monitoring source for marketing management activities for a business.

The Artificial Intelligence Revolution can jumpstart your small business to its height. Get in touch with our tech-breathing IT consultants now to learn tips on how to start!

You may also be interested in reading Top AI Technology Trends To Watch Out For In 2019

Key Features And Benefits Of An Artificially Intelligent Ecosystem For App Development

Artificial Intelligence is omnipresent in this digital era. Artificial Intelligence and human intelligence work together to deliver numerous solutions at the technological forefront. The global artificial intelligence market size is expected to reach $169,411.8 million in 2025. The leading application development trendsetters such as IBM, Microsoft, and many more global leaders have adopted Artificial Intelligence as an inevitable part of their advancements in bringing up the intelligent app ecosystem.

Artificial Intelligence has its key segments in the market based on Technology and they are Machine Learning, Speech Recognition, Image Processing, and Natural Language Processing along with various other industry verticals.

What is an AI application?

Putting it in simple words, AI is the reason why your smartphone when connected to your car’s Bluetooth gives a beep with a message about the traffic conditions and in what time you are likely to reach your destination you often travel to. Artificial Intelligence makes this possible via its pattern recognition skills which it formulates over a period of time, known as machine learning!

For instance, Microsoft has developed a productivity AI application known as ‘Office Graph and Delve’ of Microsoft Office 365. It collects data and shows only relevant content to users according to their priority. Other examples include:

• Voice recognition apps with GPS.
• Search engine applications.
• Chatbots or AI-enabled assistants.
• Personalized shopping applications that make use of Google Analytics.
• Financial applications that are both accurate and efficient in calculations and providing results, such as automated advisors, powered by AI.
• Autonomous vehicles, drones.
• Transport apps powered by AI, Google Maps, etc.
• Social Media applications.
• Smart home devices that make use of data science like smart voice assistants.
• Creative arts such as Watson Beat, yet another powerful AI implemented the app.
• Security apps that implement Facial Recognition and image processing technologies.

Making Mobile Apps Intelligent With AI

The first quarter of 2019 witnessed over 2.1 million apps available in Google’s Play store for Android users. Apple’s Appstore was the second largest to have over 1.8 million apps ready for download.

Related Reading: Read on to learn how voice app can enhance your business. 

With such intense competition, app developers are looking for ways to create personalized applications. The solution to this is AI implementation. The role of AI in an intelligent app ecosystem is to make the applications learn the intention of users. Machine learning and Data analysis features form the Intelligent Ecosystem for these applications.

The AI ecosystem increases the efficiency of programs and machines and also allows users to predict user intentions online like their purchasing trends and other social behaviors when they are online. The following are some of the roles played by Artificial Intelligence in an intelligent app ecosystem:

• Multi-faceted technology that incorporates machine learning algorithms and deep learning.
• Implements Big Data, Neural Networks in its programming.
• Predicts user communication and intention online in real-time.
• Automates functions.
• Can make informed decisions for specific users.
• Can create analytics from a history of searches.
• Interprets tasks using preassigned commands.
• Provides personalization.
• Accurate Insights
• Perfection In App Development Features
• Efficient Ways to Complete Redundant Tasks
• Enhanced User Satisfaction
• Notifies Important Details making operations easier

AI integrated applications help in improving success rates and also increase app performance. Along with helping machines to mimic humans and its problem-solving capacity, AI has become an inevitable part of app development with its ability to learn, perceive and manipulate data.

AI protects an application user’s data. It performs an analysis of the data for identifying user patterns and behavior online in real-time. This data can be used to provide better customer experience and for user engagement.

Role of Artificial Intelligence is also in aiming at generating revenue through efficient user interfaces.

Related Reading: Are you planning on enhancing your business with AI? Here is a guide just right for you.

The Intelligent App Ecosystem: How It Functions

Applications are becoming more intelligent each day. Staying ahead of the game is crucial for app developers with users wanting a personalized experience and much-improved experiences. The following are the latest trends in AI intelligent app ecosystem:

• Wider use of machine learning techniques.
• Wider adoption of microservices for app development.
• A rapid increase of numerous platforms to develop applications.
• A rise in the adoption of various machine learning models.

Various layers of technology are involved in the development of artificially intelligent applications. Artificial Intelligence plays a major role in modeling the market dynamics of businesses to a large extent. In addition to creating new opportunities, be it for startups or even for large industrial giants, artificial intelligence provides numerous implications on the development side including the following key features:

1. Customer Experience with machine learning defines an intelligent app ecosystem

Every business needs high-quality data that will suit their specific application needs. So the machine learning models are required by user data specific companies. For instance, for Google, it was the ‘search’ function, ‘entertainment’ was defined by Netflix, Facebook for the ‘social’ amenities and many more such specific intelligent applications.

Many more categories include healthcare, personal assistants, retail, agriculture, sales, security, automation and many more industry verticals. Machine learning along with user critical data have formed the basis of these applications on the artificial intelligence vertical.

Related Reading: Here’s how you can redefine your business with AI chatbots.

2. Cross-platform services With The Intervention of New Platforms

There are many cross-platform mobile applications developed on cross-platforms such as hybrid and native platforms. Consider Facebook Messenger and Amazon’s Alexa. The added features make it more user-friendly and even beneficial on the sales front. This also becomes simpler for industries to perform when they can deliver their products/ services across such platforms as it is all about adding a new layer of API that connects with the entire existing microservices for authentication and other critical functions. These interfaces, thus revamp the existing applications into macro-services.

3. Machine Learning Models And Intermediate Services For Business-Specific Platforms

Pre-trained machine learning models can be used as plug-and-play for performing functions such as natural language processing, image processing, etc. These are the intermediate services. On the other hand, there are raw intelligence providers that form the building blocks. These two are the major 2 types of industries that provide value to the intelligent app ecosystem.

4. The Big Data Technology Analysis And The Intelligent App Ecosystem

Do you know what Hadoop has contributed to enabling an artificially intelligent ecosystem of app development? The hardware companies that store large chunks of IoT data and other transactional data perform? Well! Big Data Analysis is how businesses keep up with the intelligent app ecosystem.

According to the latest IDC forecast, 75% of the commercial enterprise applications will make use of AI by 2021. This shows that deploying AI for app development will lead your business to have an intense advantage over your competitors in the near future.  To learn more about how you can capitalize AI for your business benefits, get in touch with our custom software development experts today!

How Face Recognition Apps Are Defining The Future Of Competitive Industries?

There has been a lot of talk about Face Recognition Apps recently. It has received accolades for its use in enhancing security as well as flak over privacy concerns. Speculations aside, there is no denying that face recognition software has revolutionized the way we perceive technology. It is no longer a faraway concept as it finds a place in our pockets through mobile technology.

In this blog, we will look at the technology behind face recognition software, what makes it tick and how it has found application across industries.

What Is A Face Recognition App?

Face recognition is a biometric technology that creates a face print of an individual by mapping out his or her facial features mathematically. This face print is stored and used to compare a digital image of a person verifying their identity.

This mapping is done by identifying 80 nodal points on a human face. These nodal points are used to measure different variables of the face. The width of the forehead, the length of the nose, the shape of the eyes – these measurements are captured on a digital image of the person’s face and stored as a face print. Deep learning algorithms are then used to identify a person in comparison with the face print.

This technology has been used in various ways from automatic photo tagging by apps like Facebook for authentication and identification by Apple’s iPhone X. The way in which Apple has used this technology is interesting. Face ID technology, which allows users to unlock their phones using the stored face print, is designed with 3-D modeling. The software compares over 30,000 variables to fine-tune recognition capabilities. This face print or Face ID can be used as authentication for purchases done with Apple Pay and other Apple stores. Amazon Rekognition, Google Cloud Vision API and other image analysis APIs can be now used to add facial recognition capabilities to other applications.  

The inclusion of technologies like augmented reality, mixed reality and more have made face recognition software a powerful force. At Fingent, we developed a mixed reality application using Microsoft Hololens. This application helps in the identification of a person and also links the face print to the biodata of the person. It will also be able to capture images and compute similarities between the captured image and all the other images in a secure database.

Read More: The future of communication and security using augmented reality.

The Role of Face Recognition Apps in Safety and Protection

According to a Javelin Strategy and Research study, identity fraud hit a record high with 15.4 million U.S. Victims in 2016 and an increase of 16 percent from previous years. In a connected world where such vulnerabilities exist, face recognition software is proving to be an invaluable asset. The software is helping law enforcement and corporate to put a name to the faces of criminals who have been playing havoc with stolen identities. Some applications of face recognition software in ensuring safety are:

• Identity validation at ATMs and prevention of identity theft with photo IDs.
• Face recognition surveillance systems in schools to protect students from expelled students or parents who have been flagged as dangerous.
• Equipping law enforcement personnel with identification of criminals and contextual data to warn them of dangerous persons before they approach offenders.
• Automated facial recognition (known as AFR) helps in forensic investigations by identifying individuals on surveillance cameras and videos, as well as in recognition of dead/unconscious individuals at crime scenes.
• Protecting retailers from shoplifters by warning security personnel of known criminals with a record. It also helps them avoid potential violence in the store by warning them when dangerous criminals or disgruntled former employees enter.

How Various Industries Can Benefit from Face Recognition Apps

Apart from ensuring safety and prevention of identity theft, face recognition software has many commercial applications as well. Many organizations across industries are recognizing the vast potential of face recognition apps and exploring different ways to capitalize on its features. Let us look at the Healthcare and Retail industries as an example.

Healthcare

Healthcare is constantly making giant strides with technology and facial recognition is contributing in unexpected ways. Researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in the United States have come up with a face recognition system, which can diagnose a rare genetic disease called DiGeorge syndrome. People with this syndrome exhibit particular facial anomalies, which give them characteristic expressions that can be detected by facial recognition software. Despite the many challenges associated with effective detection, the team has developed software with an accuracy of 96.6%.  

Another example of face detection software being used in healthcare is the facial recognition app developed by Listerine. This app enables a blind person to detect when somebody is smiling at them, by setting off vibrations when the face recognition app detects a smile. This helps the blind respond better in social situations, thus contributing to their quality of life.

Speaking about the further possibilities that technology can bring to healthcare, Christoffer Nellaker, of the Medical Research Foundation’s Functional Genomics Unit at Oxford says: “A doctor should in the future, anywhere in the world, be able to take a smartphone picture of a patient and run the computer analysis to quickly find out which genetic disorder the person might have”. This is already coming true with the help of face recognition.

Related Reading: Check out how modern healthcare is revolutionizing with automation.

Retail

Retailers have been using augmented reality to improve the customer experience for a while now. The retail giant Sephora has gone one step further and added a live 3D facial recognition feature to its Virtual Artist application. This enables a more accurate facial tracking and rendering, allowing users to virtually try on Sephora’s various products while they are moving in real time. Parham Aarabi, CEO of ModiFace, which is the developer of this function for Sephora says: “We believe the ability to see yourself with products can impact sales online … and thus the integration on Sephora will, based on our expectation, result in increased conversions and user engagement.” The goal with this move is to enable customers to try on their products in a fun and more interactive way. The accuracy enabled by this technology will go a long way in enhancing the customer’s experience and boosting sales.

By using face recognition software in making educated guesses about a potential customer’s gender, age, etc., big retail giants are optimizing their ad campaigns to specific target audiences. Such advertisements are more effective as they help deliver a targeted message that has a powerful effect on consumers. An example is the “Because I’m a Girl” campaign rolled out by children’s charity Plan the UK. The charity created bus billboards, which would scan the viewer’s face and display an ad depending on the viewer’s gender. This was done to highlight the plight of women who are denied rights based on their sex. Brands like Virgin Mobile, Nike and others have also used face recognition software to create a more immersive ad experience for their customers.

Related Reading: Find top ways to leverage smart IT solutions for your retail business. 

Implementing Face Recognition Technology

Face recognition software is closer to home than we think, and it is apt to look at ways in which your company can capitalize on its capabilities. Talk to us and let’s discuss how.

A Comparison Between Tableau and Power BI: The Most Powerful Leaders In The BI Market.

Business Intelligence or BI tools are a precursor of the world-altering digital technology in this modern technology landscape. Analytics plays a key role in determining which Business Intelligence tool is a better choice. This is because the more flexible the analytics platform offered by a specific BI tool is, the more it provides businesses to customize applications that need updates. Let’s take a deeper look at how Power BI is different from Tableau and which technology promises a better future for your business. 

Related Reading: Read on to learn more about Business Intelligence. What it is and how your business can get the best from it. 

Tableau And Power BI

Tableau was the first and foremost to come into the market. Though both Tableau and Power BI are well-known to be able to execute fine enough, Power BI has an advantage of making itself accessible to even the no-techy users, making it possess a higher adoption rate than Tableau.

On the other hand, Power BI is ranked higher on one of the key characteristics in terms of its Data Visualization, according to Gartner’s Magic Quadrant.   

However, Microsoft’s Power BI has the most user-friendly features in terms of ‘completeness of vision’ or ‘Data Visualization’ capability and has been embedded within Office 365. But Tableau offers advanced functionality and it is best considered for power users.

So to choose a BI tool that is the best fit for your business, it is important to first learn about the analysis needs. In the recent decade, Power-BI and Tableau have emerged as the two powerful BI tools.

Let us look at how companies can choose the best for their business from the following key factors:

Cost

Cost of Tableau is on the higher side when it comes to larger enterprises. The primary reason for this premium cost is the need to build data warehousing. Thus, it is advisable for a startup to choose Power BI initially and then consider Tableau when required.

The professional version of Power BI costs you less than 10$ whereas, on the other end, Tableau would cost you more than 35$ per month per user.

Reporting

Power BI supports Predictive Modelling and Reporting when on the other side, Tableau opts for Data Visualization.

With Power BI, we can create visualizations by queries and natural language. Say, for instance, Cortana PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). Power BI is said to place a 3500 limit when it comes to conducting analysis on data sets.

Tableau can be the best choice when it comes to Data Visualization.  With a user-friendly dashboard, Tableau allows an in-depth data analysis.  As compared with Power BI, Tableau offers more visualization flexibility. 

With Tableau, we are able to create 24 different types of basic visualizations. This includes heat maps and line charts.

Functionality

The functionality associated with Tableau with respect to Data Searching is on the higher side than when compared to that of Power BI.

Tableau tends to answer more queries from users as compared to Power BI.

Large Data Handling Capacities

In case of processing large chunks of data, the capacity of Tableau is over and above that of Power BI.

Power Bi handles data via import functionality and hence is slower to process large volumes of data as compared to Tableau that makes use of direct connections for the same purpose.

Data Connectors

Tableau offers, convenience for data connectors. For example, OLAP (OnLine Analytical Processing), cloud and also big data options such as Hadoop and NoSQL. Tableau can automatically determine the relationships of data that users add from various data sources. It also provides for the creation and modification of data links manually as per the company policies.

Power BI, on the other hand, can connect to user’s external sources such as SAP HANA, MySQL and JSON. It helps users connect to third-party databases and online services like Salesforce.

Thus, if connecting to a specific data house is your business requirement, Tableau is the best choice as Power BI is integrated with Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform.

Related Reading: Business Intelligence or Business Analytics. Find what is best for your business. 

Deployment

Power BI is a SAAS model. Tableau, on the other hand, is available both on cloud and on-premises options. The deployment options for Power BI is lower as some business policies do not allow for SAAS deployment. Thus, in case of flexible deployment capacity, Tableau is considered the better option here, even though it is on the higher-end when the cost factor is considered.

User Interface

The user interface of Tableau allows for the creation of a customized dashboard. On the other hand, Power BI has an interface that is easy to use and intuitive. So, if easy to use is your major requisite, Power BI is the choice for your business.  

Programming Tools Support

Though both Power BI and Tableau run smoothly with programming languages, Tableau can be integrated better with the R language rather than Power BI. R language provides a wide range of tools used to capture the right model of your data.

Power BI, on the other hand, also can be connected to the R language, but by using Microsoft Revolution analytics and it is made available only for Enterprise users.

Product and Customer Support

Tableau emerged in an early stage than Power BI and hence has a smaller community when compared to Tableau. The knowledge base of Tableau has three subscription categories, namely Desktop, Online, and Server.

On the other hand, Power BI offers a support functionality that is limited to users with a free account, allowing only it’s premium and pro users for faster support.

Licensing

This ultimately depends on whether you want to pay the full cost up front. If yes, then Tableau should be your first choice.

If we could put it this way, Power BI can be your best choice if you are a common stakeholder because of its intuitive drag and drop features, for which a data analyst’s experience is not crucial. Tableau can win if your choice is speed and if you have the capital to support.

Related Reading: Find how SAP HANA is becoming the game changer. 

In a nutshell, both Power BI and Tableau have different functionalities which depend on the variant business requirements. The best BI tool for your business can be selected only depending on the business requirements. Partnering with a software development company can provide businesses with access to expert IT consultants who can help make informed technology decisions. At Fingent, our team of consultants can guide you in making the right choices for your business. Contact us today to learn more.

How To Use Mobile App Data For Optimized Business Processes

In this era of technology evolution, each company pays rapt attention to understand mobile data leverage, or in other words, how mobile app data can be used for business growth and to generate revenue from it. This data gives insights on mobile app user buying decisions and other behaviors. This data is vital for marketing, sales, and management services in organizations to understand and learn what to engage users or rather, their audience with.

With more than 6.5 million apps in the major app stores, and consumers spending 70 percent of media usage and other screen time on their mobile phones, more and more businesses are trying to make use of mobile app data to compete for customers.

This crucial mobile app data are used as a learning tool to deploy various estimation models which let us accurately estimate performance for apps in iTunes and Google Play.

Related Reading: Check out the top technologies used to develop Mobile App.

What Is First Party Or Mobile app data?

Mobile app data or in other words, the data you collect from your mobile app is termed as first-party data. This data is derived from mobile applications to analyze and identify unique users, record their behavior online and real-time, and then leverage this data into the existing workflow, CRM, dashboards, communication platforms and many more.

The first party data could be user-centric information wherein each data point can be user profiles, upgrades, installs, processes, location tracking data and even push notifications.

Related Reading: Basic steps of writing a mobile application requirements document.

How And Why Use Mobile App Data?

Mobile App Data track unique users to record their statistics real-time. The tracking strategy can vary from different websites, which could be using JavaScript technology or cookies and apps, which then, will need a software development kit (SDK) as the most critical requisite.

A lot of pressing concerns stem from the thought of how mobile app data are recorded. This takes place when the app triggers data at the action of a user while visiting a web page. This data is then recorded in the mobile analytics platform which is then used to derive insights and so on.

What Does The Mobile App Data Track?

• Page views
• Number of Visits and Time Of Every Visit
• Visitor Information
• Resource Of Data
• The course of activities in real-time
• The behavior of User Online
• Location
• Device Information
• Login/logout Activities and Time Schedules
• Custom Event/ Activity Information

Organizations will now leverage this data to figure out the user activity path in its entirety to understand and learn what users require or demand. This gives them insights to prepare to deliver an improved customer experience.

The following are some key insights derived from mobile application data:

• Reasons behind visits on a specific page or application.
• Issues related to customer interaction.
• Buying decision outcomes.
• Analysis of reasons for app data usage and retention of existing customers.

Related Reading: Find the top security issues in Mobile App development.

Leveraging Mobile Apps To Make Complete Use Of Data

The following are the major ways in which you can leverage from mobile app data:

1. Use Mobile App Data To Gain Insights

As market insights are valuable, these can be obtained from downloading applications, financial information and many more. This is important because it shows whether your client base is growing and where your users are coming from.

Also known as Acquisition Metrics, it gives an idea about the cost per acquisition thus help in identifying the ROI. It also helps in giving insights on the conversion rate of app traffic to download from the store. Thus, depending on this data, you can decide on whether to optimize the descriptions of your mobile app to push more conversions.  

2. Devise Strategies With Behavior Patterns From Mobile App Data

It is crucial to understand how users or rather visitors flow through your mobile app. Also known as Behavior Metrics, it is a major requisite to learn the steps that you expect your target audience to move through.

For instance, the ‘Trip Advisor’ mobile app recently witnessed an increase of 27% more conversions that had more than doubled their acquisition of new users. This was performed by allowing users to quickly log in using Facebook across multiple devices.

3. Boosting Ads Based On User Responses

Mobile advertising now accounts for nearly 70 percent of all digital advertising, according to eMarketer—some $135 billion.

Boost organic and paid mobile user Ads by streamlining your mobile app store optimization and maximizing advertising costs. For instance, an in-app referral program can provide an insight as to how many users will decide on buying and also refer a friend to the same.

The volume of ads/share of a particular network also matters, such as ad type, size, orientation, etc. The marketing teams can create positive feedbacks based on audience responses and can lead to more testing. A/B test, as it is commonly known, is used by teams to serve the user’s needs on mobile apps to yield more data.

4. As an Engagement Tool

According to Localytics research and study, 58% of users who download your app won’t use it after 30 days. The mobile app data can thus be used to enhance targeted audience engagement for improved customer retention by paying rapt attention to the targeted crowd by better understanding their behavior online, interests and their rapidly changing buying decisions, etc. Segment users by emails, push notifications, and other advertising strategies. 

To unlock greater revenue potential, the mobile app data will provide you with insights such as average session time, sessions by key demographics, and frequency of mobile app launches and intervals between each launch. It helps to identify the characteristics of engaging users who open a specific mobile app frequently and stay in the app for long intervals.

It helps to understand how to engage a user and drive higher levels of customer engagement.

5. Use Data To Derive Analytics

Use your data to test cost-effectiveness, retention, and other analytics. It is important to find out an average customer lifetime, differences in retention rates based on devices and variant segments and also optimize the onboarding process for new customers along with retaining the existing ones.

Also known as Retention metrics, the strategies can be categorized by device, channel configures or the installation dates. It is one of the key players in identifying and measuring the mobile app release updates.

6. Use Data For Mobile Monetization

The mobile app data can also be used to monetize by collecting, segmenting and processing user data. This includes device type, version, screen size, country, IP Address, mobile operator, RAM/ROM, and many more.

It is thus crucial to understand how to leverage mobile app data and streamline businesses. To know more about how to leverage mobile data for your business growth, contact our IT software development experts today!

Related Reading: How much will your Business App cost? Read along to know it all!

Read More: Mobile App Development : 4 Tips To Consider

Leveraging mobile app data opens up a multitude of possibilities for your business. From gaining insights into user behavior to improving personalization, the potential is vast. Maximize the value of mobile app data with our custom software development company. Contact us now to explore these impactful ways.

How to improve business efficiency with voice app?

Your company’s apps are losing attention. It’s not 2010 anymore. Simply telling your customers that you have a mobile app doesn’t impress anyone. It’s become a standard expectation. There are more than 2 million apps available for Android in the Google Play store and nearly the same number in the Apple App Store. As your app gets less and less use, your company is more likely to be ignored and your app uninstalled.

Three Traditional Mobile Best Practices That Dull Your Edge

Let’s review what used to work in building engaging mobile apps and why those tactics are no longer enough.

Releasing new features. An app that goes months without updates looks abandoned. So you should push updates for new features and bug fixes regularly. Unfortunately, every mobile app worth its salt is already updating frequently. Simply keeping up is not going to set you apart.

Responding to reviews. Monitoring the reviews end-users leave for your app is a good source of new ideas. Responding directly to end-user feedback by launching fixes is a good idea. It is also a common idea that most other companies have already implemented.

Staying current with security and privacy expectations. Consumer data privacy concerns have never been higher. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in Europe and increasing regulation in the USA (e.g., the California Consumer Privacy Act 2018) means the minimum security standard is going higher. The good news: Apple and Google are doing some of the heavy lifting in mobile app security for you. Fall behind with security and you will lose customers. On the other hand, simply keeping up with security threats and updates will not make you stand out.

If keeping up with those outdated best practices is not enough, what can you do to keep users coming back for more?

Apps That Speak and Listen: Your App Opportunity

Instead of getting lost in the app shuffle, take advantage of the latest developments in voice interaction. Thanks to Apple, Amazon, and Google, we’ve all become used to interacting with technology by speaking. In fact, there are over 100 million smart speakers currently installed in American homes according to an NPR survey. The true number of voice-enabled devices is much larger than that when you factor in mobile devices. Voice interaction with a mobile app gives a new and more intimate customer experience. That’s why you should take advantage of this new capability.

Why does the growth of smart speakers matter for your company’s apps? The popularity of these devices means that you do not have to worry about hardware. You just need to deploy your app to one of those platforms. Voice interactive apps are still new but don’t worry – your company is not going to be the very first.

Before you speak with other executives about launching a voice interactive app, you should have some live examples in hand. Consider Capital One, the financial services company, which launched an Alexa skill (i.e., a voice interactive app made for Amazon’s platform) back in 2016. Other financial companies have since followed their lead. On the Google Home platform, AutoVoice lets you set up tasks and create personalized commands. You can use these apps to control your smart home, order pizza, check your bank balance and more.

How do you jump into the world of voice interaction?

There Are Two Paths To A Talking and Listening App: Which Will You Choose?

There are two ways to join the voice-enabled app revolution. (Hint: One is easier.)

You can either follow the path forged by technology giants like Amazon and Google. Invest heavily in building a top-flight team of developers and launch a testing program. This approach maximizes your control over the app and gives you the most options for integrating it into your systems.

Bear in mind that there are significant downsides to building your app development team internally. Structuring this kind of app development capacity internally takes months if not years and comes at a considerable expense. After all, developers are well paid — PayScale ballparks the median pay for Android developers at $82,000. Quadruple that amount and you will nearly have built your full team.

Working with a custom software development team to build a voice-capable app is a better choice in many cases. Your IT managers set the scope and retain oversight for the project. But there’s no need to use resources for recruiting or training since the team is already in place. By working with Fingent top custom software development company, you will benefit from our expertise in enterprise projects. We’ve collaborated with professional services firms like PwC and technology companies like NEC on development projects. So which path into the voice-enabled app revolution will you choose?

Before I give a definite yes or no to this question, let’s understand the concept of User Interface or UI.

Remember back in the days when owning a Gameboy was as good as an Xbox now, when 30 minutes of Super Mario Land was as intense as a game of graphically dense Far Cry 5 today? Or how uber cool it was to hit your favorite music on a Sony Walkman while you browsed through your myspace account?

Fast forward to 2019, where software is more intelligent and much better looking, even the older millennials cannot ditch their Xboxes to go back to the Nintendo DS nor can they return to myspace from Instagram. Did they love their Nintendos? Yes. Did they enjoy using it even though it wasn’t as graphically demanding? Yes. Then what changed?

All thanks to better UI designers.

Related Read: The Power of UX and UI in Delivering Successful Digital Assets

What Is UI?

UI or User Interface is simply the link between your customer and your product. Whatever elements your customer can see, touch or feel to navigate through your product can contribute to the User Interface. Be it the mobile phone we use, the smartwatch we wear, the car we ride or the websites we use. Everything has a User Interface.

Talking about software, do customers really care what your software looks like or do they just want any platform to get their work done quickly?

The answer is Yes. Customers do care about the interface you provide. Are they aware of it? Probably not.

Psychologically, most users aren’t consciously aware of the interface they use to navigate through the software. It is through their experience on your website that they decide whether to stay or leave. This is where the importance of User Experience or UX comes to play. A well thought of User Interface can subsequently lead to good user experience and can undoubtedly help you retain your users.

Here are a few points that you need to keep in mind when you design your next product to help you retain your customers/users.

1. Take Time to Research

This is one of the most underrated steps in the software design process. Many product teams focus on having the requirements in place and getting work started without “wasting” time. Little do we realize that spending those extra hours in user research and understanding the end user, can do wonders for your product.

Nowadays companies even consult with independent UX research companies that conduct user interviews, focus groups, personas, etc. for them. According to Forrester Research, a good user-centric design has proven to boost ROI and bring up conversion rates by up to 400%.

Moreover, in a study by the Design Management Institute, “design-centric” companies outperformed the S&P 500 by 211%.

Source – The Design Management Institute

It is imperative that the product that is being delivered to users cater to their needs, accommodate their goals and reflect their behavior in order to make them use your product. A design that does not take into account what the customer wants will only prompt them to move away from your product.

2. Make Educated Decisions

Needless to say, it is absolutely crucial that design teams are aware of the latest trends in software design and are up to date with the current design principles. As a designer, you simply cannot afford to offer a dated solution to your user. So make sure your product team takes that extra step to study what solution your competitors are offering for the same problem and try to come up with a better solution.

This does not mean you need to go over the top with new ideas and designs. For example, a trash can icon is synonymous to “Delete” in the digital world and replacing that with any other fancy icon would only confuse your user.  

Some very well thought UI creations that come to my mind are

• Charlie AI
• Samsung SDS Flow
• Airbnb
• Bellroy
• ESPN Sports Programming

3. Use a Style of Communication that Suits Your Audience

Understand your user base and use a communication style that best suits their age and interests. Say for a children’s website or a fashion e-commerce application, a dull downbeat communication style might not sit well with your younger audience and could force your customers to move on to an application they can relate to emotionally.

On the other hand, a professional network like LinkedIn will require a precise and formal tone as the larger audience on it are strictly there for professional reasons.

Using a tone that makes sense to your audience is very important to capture their attention and build trust with them. Users like to know the “people” behind the software and the tone of your website does just that.

4. Consistency is Key

Like we talked about setting a communication style for your website, it is just as important that this style is maintained throughout the website. The importance of being consistent cannot be stressed enough when it comes to optimal user experience. Users tend to use applications that are consistent in their elements, color scheme, typefaces, and interactions.

Say, if your application displays notifications on a side panel, maintain all notifications on the side panel throughout the site. Believe it or not “Your users don’t like surprises”.

5. Include a Knowledge Base

Let’s explain this with an example. Patrick wants to use your application. He loves the concept and the UI design. He can’t wait to start using your app as he has heard it is perfect for his needs. But Patrick has no idea HOW to use your product. He searches for a guide to help him, but found none. Disappointed, he had to move to another application that had a detailed manual.

Now, losing a customer like Patrick is such a shame. Had you spent that extra effort to create a beautifully crafted knowledge base that explains every functionality and feature of your app, you would have retained millions of users like Patrick.

Understand what your users are looking for. If you don’t want to maintain a separate knowledge pile for this, you can add all the information you want to show the user in the UI, by making it seem less like a knowledge base but more like an intuitive design. You could even integrate an AI bot to answer popular queries for you instantly.

When customers are able to find answers to their questions easily and without having to Google/Quora for answers, the overall customer satisfaction increases and also increases user engagement on your website.

Related Read: CTOs Guide – How Robotics and AI Can Improve Customer Experience

6. Less is More Vs More is More

Minimalism isn’t just a fancy word for lazy design. A minimalist design is a visual concept that seeks to embrace simplicity in design, in order to rope in users only towards what is most important.

When catering to a mature target audience, minimalism can be more attractive than a page full of creative design elements, sliding panels, glittering headlines, and modish popups. If your aim is to urge your customers to focus on a particular set of products, minimalist design is the path to choose.

However, it is crucial to understand your customers here. A minimalist design may not work as well for software designed for children, like an educational game. Younger audiences probably would not understand the aesthetic that you are trying to create and may move away to a more attractive website.

7. Improvise and Adapt – The Secret Sauce of Software Design

This is probably THE most important point that businesses need to keep in mind in order to retain their user base for years.

According to a survey by Skype, Adobe, Norton, and TomTom, less than half of the technology users do not like to upgrade software when they should. The simple reason is that people are comfortable with the way things work and do not want to risk getting an update until it’s proven to work for someone else.

On the contrary, users are attracted to new features and functionality as well.

So how do we ensure our software stays on top of its game to an audience that are hesitant to upgrade but wants new stuff too?

Let’s look at the case study of a simple messaging software.

Starting with a messaging platform to simply connect with friends and family via text messages, the team introduced push notifications on mobiles to ensure messages are received even when the application is not running in the foreground. Once the application garnered a few users, more features like photo and video sharing were added and while they were at it, some edit and filter features were included too. Once the application turned out to be an indispensable communication tool for its users, they added voice and video call features.

At this point, users were receptive to all these subtle changes because they hadn’t realized that the application as it was in the beginning, had completely transformed into something much bigger. As far as the customers knew, their experience on the application was flawless. Once the users were comfortable with the current working, the team added group conferencing and even payment integration. Finally, what started as a simple one-on-one messaging app had the potential to replace at least 4-5 apps that were needed every day.

This is the story of how the messaging giant “WhatsApp” increased its user base from a humble 250,000 users to more than 1.5 billion active users standing right next to Facebook and YouTube.  

Takeaway – Start by building trust with your customers. Be attentive to your customer’s needs and incorporate improvements without overwhelming the users.

Some popular applications that have evolved into tech giants over time are

• Google Suite
• Adobe Photoshop
• Amazon
• Windows
• Android
• SAP
• iOS

Knowing how to improvise and adapt is the reason these intelligent businesses remain relevant in the market for years.

Related Read: How AI is Redefining the Future of Customer Service

Summing Up

Coming back to the beginning of this article, we asked you why millennials are unable to switch back to older technologies even though they enjoyed the UI at that time. Gameboys for one, were well researched, were consistent, came with a detailed manual and had a great design given the technological limitations of that age. Where they failed to deliver was improvisation. Users are always looking for the next big technological breakthrough.

To stay on top of your game, you must be open to enhance your product for improvements and cater to the continuous cycle of changing customer demands. Product teams should focus on providing users with a flawless experience, be it through the user interface, functionality or customer service. A user-friendly UI is a catalyst for building good relationships with your customers. Retaining your users become easy when you have earned their trust by consistently meeting your customer’s expectations.

By building sustainable software that sees well into the future, we at Fingent top custom software development company, believe our partners deserve the best that technology can offer. Feel free to contact our consultants to get an insight into how we work to deliver your dreams.

Customer Experience or CX may be the single most important factor that could make or break a business in today’s customer-centric market. A good product, a great marketing team, and competitive pricing can all amount to nothing if the customer experience isn’t up to the mark. As more and more businesses head towards brand transformation, it is vital that they keep the customer experience at the center of things.

In this blog, we will discuss why a memorable Customer Experience is key for brand transformation and how you can achieve it for your business.

How Important is Customer Experience?

Before we get into the importance of customer experience, let’s have a look at what that term really means.

Gartner defines customer experience as “the customer’s perceptions and related feelings caused by the one-off and cumulative effect of interactions with a supplier’s employees, systems, channels or products.”

A take on the definition of what a customer has come to mean today was brought out in this interesting article: “In a connected business reality, everyone in the ecosystem of your business is a customer: from employees and investors to partners, buyers and their networks, including the various players in the value chain from manufacturer to end consumer and back. In other words: all stakeholders.”

Customer Experience then is much more than achieving customer satisfaction. Everything a brand does play a part in forming the customer experience. A study by the Temkin group brought out that CX is made up of three components – success, effort, and emotion. The study showed that out of all the three, emotion played the most significant part. Affecting the emotions of customers through a concerted effort by the brand is what customer experience management is all about. Does it pay off? Definitely. As the study goes on to show, “companies that earn $1 billion annually can expect to earn, on average, an additional $700 million within 3 years of investing in customer experience.”

The benefits of Customer Experience extend to much more than revenue, though that is a pretty great factor in itself! A Walker study found that customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator by the year 2020. This is of prime importance in brand transformation as the key goal of this transformation is to differentiate a business from its competitors and get ahead of them.

Related Reading: Find how Robotics and AI can help improve the customer experience

Ways to Enhance the Customer Experience

Ensuring that Customer Experience is the best it can get is a complete discipline in itself. Customer experience management (CEM or CXM) is the function that works towards streamlining every interaction between an organization and its customers. The goal is to foster brand loyalty in customers by ensuring that every touch point in the customer’s journey with the brand is satisfactory. The Customer Experience must be memorable and for the right reasons.

The most important factor in creating a good CX is to have a 360-degree view of customers.  Starting from there, the customer’s journey is optimized at every point to ensure a consistently positive experience. Consumer research, a thorough knowledge of market conditions, and an organization’s culture, vision and mission are some factors to keep in mind when designing a customer experience strategy for your business. This will ensure that the strategy takes into account all departments in the organization and not just those in customer-facing roles.

Customer Strategist Journal lists six key areas of the digital customer experience:

1. Reachability

2. Service convenience

3. Purchase convenience

4. Personalization

5. Simplicity and ease of use

6. Channel flexibility

If you notice, many of these key areas are linked to the channels used by customers. The Genesys State of Customer Experience research brings out that 83% of consumers say the ability to move from one assisted channel to another, such as moving from web chat to a live conversation, is desirable. However, only 50% of businesses support such cross-channel interactions. This is definitely something to be considered. Let’s look into this in detail.

Unlike a few years ago where customers would communicate with brands either through email, telephone or directly visiting the company, today’s connected customer has various channels at their disposal. Websites, Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, and public forums are being used to contact and interact with brands. They expect customer service to be available and top notch in all these channels. This makes the brand transformation complicated, as delivering flawless customer service through every one of these platforms is challenging to say the least. If you fail, you know they are going to switch brands, which are available at the next click.

Channel Switching is another related challenge. For example, a customer could raise an issue through email and then request for escalation through a call and leave negative feedback on social media. The customer would expect the brand to be aware of his/her different interactions, respond and resolve the issue satisfactorily.

This challenge can be addressed with a few measures:

1. Centralization of interactions and data

   This gives all customer-facing executives the necessary information to deal with issue no matter which platform is used.

2. A unified stand

   The goal is to make the customer feel that it is one conversation, even if they are talking to different teams. This requires all teams to be equipped with the resources, information, and vision to show a unified stand and represent the brand consistently.

3. Engage with customers on their terms

   Customers prefer using different channels according to their convenience. They will not appreciate being directed to the channel that is convenient for the brand. This makes it important to identify and respond to them in their own terms.

Related Reading: Check out other blogs to know how a streamlined workflow can improve customer service.

Apart from addressing Channel Switching, there are a few important measures that brands need to keep in mind if they want to deliver a seamless and satisfactory Customer Experience. Here’s listing a few of them.

1. Go Mobile

   The Genesys report showed that “when interacting with a business for service and support, 78% of consumers surveyed use a mobile device. And that number jumps to 90% when working with millennials.” This makes it extremely important for brands to provide mobile-optimized solutions including apps, which focus on ease of access and interaction with the brand.

2. Weave CX into your entire structure

   The goal of Customer Experience must be all pervasive throughout the organization. A customer experience strategy must be designed and weaved into the core of your business. Your vision and mission must include this commitment. An example is Dell Computer. Their mission is “to be the most successful computer company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in the markets we serve.” Employees have this on their ID cards and every bulletin board in every office has a sign that reads “The Customer Experience: Own It.” 

3. Know your customers

   Understand your customer completely. Use technology to its fullest to derive insights into customer behavior and demographics. Getting detailed and actionable insights will help you plan your customer experience strategy effectively.   

Personalize! Personalize!

The most important aspect of getting your Customer Experience strategy right is personalization. Hyper-personalization is what the customer demands, and it is vital for brands to adopt measures to ensure this. Fingent, top custom software development company, we help brands build custom applications and solutions to achieve this for their customers. Let’s talk.

Do manufacturers need custom software solutions?

When Fingent started operations nearly two decades ago, we had the vision of helping organizations solve business challenges using technology. As we have helped numerous clients in the manufacturing as well as other industries, we have seen one thing – there isn’t a one-solution-fits-all software in the world that fits the needs of every organization. Each organization is unique.

While this is the most obvious benefit of custom software development, there are many other benefits that it brings to your organization. Let’s have a look at them in this blog.

How Custom Software Helps Manufacturers

Technology and software have become integral to the manufacturing industry. Irrespective of what the product is, manufacturers have recognized the role of good software in every aspect of their business. Right from design to implementation, production to shipping, employee management, to invoicing, and client relationship management (CRM) to predicting customer demand – there is no function that can run effectively without the help of good software. This makes software perhaps the most important element in your business. It stands to reason therefore that we consider in detail on which software suits your business best.

In that vein, let’s discuss the 5 benefits of custom software in manufacturing:

1. Better Production Planning and Control (or PPC)

In today’s competitive environment, lead times are getting shorter and price pressure is getting tougher. In addition, today’s consumers demand make-to-order manufacturing and hyper-personalized products. This is a tall order and requires highly optimized production processes, which focus on effectively allocating the internal resources of the company. This includes manpower, materials, and machines. Custom software will help you optimize processes more effectively than out-of-the-box software. This is because the software will be customized to include the right mix of resources and production needs, which are unique to your business.

2. Effective Monitoring of Machinery and Processes

Each manufacturer and product require precise process workflows and specifically calibrated machinery. Any change, however small, in the process or machinery can cause huge setbacks in production and eat away at your profits. A good custom software, which is specifically designed for your process flow and machinery, will help you track and monitor even slight changes. This will help you detect and rectify issues before they snowball into a major problem.  

3. Insightful Business Intelligence

With AI, IoT and machine learning adding exceptional capabilities to software, it has become possible to collect and process data to derive precise actionable insights. Business intelligence software helps managers have their finger on the pulse of every function in the organization and obtain an insight into the workings of the organization as a whole. These insights can be used to fine-tune inventory management, employee management, and other functions. Unique organization-specific data can be analyzed in real-time, allowing business leaders to make sound decisions without having to pour through lengthy and complex reports. Data mining, automated reporting, benchmarking and predictive analytics capabilities are features of Business Intelligence software, which are invaluable to manufacturers in achieving cost and time efficiencies as well as meet customer demand effectively.

4. Customer Relationship Management and Customer Service

With a custom CRM software for your manufacturing business, you can achieve better client relationship handling, faster responsiveness to customer demand and queries, and reduced customer dissatisfaction. Accurate Demand Forecasting helps manufacturers detect trends and cut the time from the concept phase to market delivery. This will ensure that you are keeping up with the competition and giving your customers exactly what they need. A custom CRM solution also helps figure process errors in real-time and ensure that the products are high-quality. It helps in creating an intelligent supply chain through insights into operations, order processing, inventory management, warehousing, and distribution chains. A CRM will also keep track of warranties, scheduled service calls, etc. to help serve customers better and maintain good customer relationships.

Related Reading: Find how custom software can benefit your business more.

Why Custom Software Is Better Than Off-The-Shelf Software

Although “custom” is often synonymous with “expensive,” this isn’t the case when it comes to custom software for your manufacturing business. The scalability, ease of integration and other benefits that come with custom software far outweigh the costs of initial investment. Some of the pros of custom software are:

1. Competitive Advantage

In today’s age when technology can be one of the most important competitive advantages, it is important to stand out from the crowd in this area. Using a mass-produced software gives you the same or lesser functionalities as your competitors.

2. Scalability

While off-the-shelf software might work for your start-up phase, these aren’t easily scalable, and the technology used could become obsolete with time. Custom software, on the other hand, can be designed to provide the scalability required for your individual business. This will help you have a solution that is perfect for your business while avoiding costs associated with major software overhauls every time a technology becomes obsolete.

3. Performance

Since off-the-shelf software aren’t customized for your business, they have many redundant features that you may never use for your business. This unnecessarily increases the amount of space required and load times, thereby decreasing performance. Custom software is sleek and only has the functionalities that your business requires. This makes it faster with improved performance.

Related Reading: Find how to make the right choice between off-shelf and custom software development.

Get Custom Software for Your Manufacturing Business

Despite knowing the benefits of custom software development, many manufacturers shy away from investing time and resources on this. They feel it is a daunting task considering the effort and resources needed to implement a custom solution. It need not be a difficult task at all however if you have the right help.

With decades of experience in custom software development, Fingent top software development company can help dismiss these fears. We help simplify the process for you, giving you the peace of mind to concentrate on your core business while we take care of the complete development and implementation. Get in touch with us to discuss more.

Video:  Custom Software Vs Off The Shelf – Dileep Jacob (Head of Operations, Fingent Corporation)