When it comes to mobile we have cause to be excited. It’s commonly asserted that we walk around with more computing power in our pockets today than it took to get us to the Moon. But after years of mobile in the mainstream, many small and medium-sized businesses are failing to see the return.
Propelled by media hype and myths, businesses think of mobile as the silver bullet. Yet, even with an investment in mobile their people and processes continue to struggle. They lag behind competition. Their investments seem to have been for nothing.
Many business owners are now asking: where is this gain and return that was promised either by my team, the media, or a vendor? But the problem isn’t the technology: the problem is you. Only when wielded appropriately can any good come of your time and investment in mobile platforms.
So why isn’t mobile an automatic win for businesses? First, if you are looking to build your own app you might have misguided expectations about the cost of development to say nothing of the ongoing total cost of ownership. Second, if executed without paying due attention to your audience, an app can do your brand more harm than good. As many as 40% of mobile users have said they are dissatisfied with their favourite brands’ apps. Then once it’s finished, many companies forget to counter in the time and money it will take to effectively market the app.
With so many options to consider when choosing how to build your app, will you invest sufficient time to ensure it has the right functionality? Tack on the time it takes to learn to use the new systems as well as the security costs and risks. Finally, after you think you’ve selected the right app, there is a chance that there will be the all-too-common lack of adoption.
The trouble is that we get excited about the latest innovations. We often let tools and technology get in the way of thinking broadly. We look at the feature set of services and get sold on the slick and sexy rather than the sane and suitable.
But don’t lose all hope. If you can answer the following questions, then you shouldn’t rule out investing in mobile:
- Why do you need mobile?
- Do you know for certain who will benefit from mobile and when?
- What are the specific use-cases where mobile will be of value to you and your organisation?
- What are the pros and cons of non-mobile options that solve the same problem?
If you are a sole-proprietorship, make and keep a list of these answers so you can often refer back to them to remind yourself of what is and is not of value to your business. Run it by others to see if your reasoning is sound. If you are part of a larger business make these questions part of the justifications for project funding.
Many organisations assume or think they know why it is they need a certain technology. If you are completely honest with yourself, you’d admit there are many areas of your life where you waste time and money on shiny new tech offerings. Stop. Set up processes to put the latest and greatest in check – and ensure you are one of the businesses that succeeds in doing mobile well.
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