Apps or similar technology can benefit your business in many ways, including helping you gain valuable insights, and automating time-consuming tasks, so you can work with a smaller team or have more time to spend on growing your business.
Here are five easy steps to help you choose the right technology for you and your business.
1. Identify your business needs
Are you trying to solve an existing pain point? Or perhaps you want help to grow.
Are there manual tasks that you actively avoid, or tasks that take a lot of time?
If you have a team, ask them for their feedback on any business processes that they think could be improved.
2. Decide what you want technology to help you with
Identify the key problem you want an app to solve, or any specific benefits or features you’re looking for. For example, do you need your team to complete certain tasks? Could training be on an on-line portal?
Consider how an app could enable others in your business, and whether you need multiple users. Some apps limit the number of users, or more users may cost extra.
Get clear on your ‘must-haves’ and separate them from your ‘nice-to-haves’ to make it easier when comparing different apps.
3. Browse
You can browse by:
Industry: Some apps are designed to address broad business needs, and others are tailor-made for specific industries. Search by your industry to find apps designed for businesses like yours. Some of the most commonly viewed industries include accounting, construction and trades. Hospitality, manufacturing, professional services and retail.
Functions: Search through key functional categories that reflect the daily tasks you manage.
Aim to identify a few apps that fulfil your ‘must-haves’ list for comparison.
4. Compare apps
Once you’ve identified a couple of apps that could meet your needs, it’s worth doing some research to narrow down your shortlist.
Make a comparison checklist: These are things that matter to you, like price, user numbers, functional requirements, support channels.
Compare their features and benefits: create a good overview, including exactly how they integrate with any current technology.
Read the app user reviews: customers comments can help make it easier to choose an app that’s right for you.
5. Give it a try
A number of apps offer a limited time free trial, so once you have narrowed your list down, test out one or two apps to find the one that works best for your business. While you’re trying an app, run through a few of your key business scenarios and use cases to make sure it meets your needs – and get some of your employees to try it as well.
Things to remember when choosing an app:
An app is an investment – don’t just think in terms of price – apps will also pay for themselves in time saved, reduced mental load, and higher productivity for you and your employees. The lowest cost won’t always provide the most value in the long term.
Leverage the app’s support resources – apps typically have resources and support teams to help get you set up and ensure you can get the most out of their solutions. They are the experts in their app and want you to have the best customer experience possible.
Train your team – get your team trained on how to use the app right from the start, so they can see the benefit to themselves as well as the business. This will make for a smoother transition.
