Things you must check before choosing a software development company.
1. Company’s expertise in related domain
2. Commitment towards their customers
3. Process Methodology and Proficiency in wide variety of technologies
4. Communication between client and development team
5. Support structure
6. Pricing
……….Read More About Software Development Companies: Things you must check
Innovation in chip design has helped manufacturers produce smaller and faster processors that have fostered the revolution in Smartphone with sleeker, faster and crystal clear display graphics, faster memory and speedy processing.
The performance of Smartphone largely depends on the operating systems which can utilize the power of the hardware. Most popular and notable operating system is Android, IOs and Windows. “Mobile App”, the term coined in year 2010, achieved the “Word of the Year” title in the same year. At that time, it was much hyped and believed by analysts to become a trend in coming years. Rightly said, Mobile Apps are in demand among all the communities of Smartphone users, be it a business man, working women, home maker, students and every segment of audience.
……………Read More About Why Mobile Apps are significant for sustaining Business Growth and Development
Retailers these days are figuring out ways that can enable cross-channel marketing and sales, increase customer conversion and drive brand awareness to ensure a long-term strategic success. Especially for large retailers, it’s a challenge to come up with new ideas and new ways to communicate their products and offers.
……………………….. read more for Why to invest in Android and iPhone Mobile Apps for Retail Industry?
Nobody knows better than you to decide the importance of latest technologies for Business Growth with the time. Similarly, if you have thought to introduce Mobile Application for your Business Objective, you will know better than anyone else about what sought of application you should introduce:-
…………………Read more about Mobile Application Development Process
Now when the world have started emerging from the worst recession been considered since after 1931 Great Depression, the window has also opened once again to look for conclusive organization development for companies across different industries. The Positive Market signals have given confidence to companies to think for technological intervention in organizational processes to maximize profits and look for holistic Development.
What could be the immediate strategy to cover up lost business during recession time? I have just tried to find out how implementation of IT and Software Systems to transform the organizational process into effective and efficient operation can actually help you cut down cost, leverage market demand, maximizing revenue and enhance profits for organization well being.
Software Application to enhance Manual Processes: During Recession, the first step companies tried to cut down cost is to “Layoff” the employee strength. In fact, it was been realized that the exaggerated employee strength was also somewhere the reason for excessive expenditures and poor performance. Precisely understanding the need to replace manual processes with IT and Software Application can help you reduce expenditures and maximize profits.
Following are few Trends in IT and Software Application (Desktop Application, Mobile Application and Web Application) Development for Business Enhancement and Growth:-
• In-Trend IT and Software Development for Transportation Industries in India: The transportation sector in still unorganized in India and somewhere it is also getting prime focus for bespoke application development companies to come up with cost effective robust applications to manage the fleet of Vehicles.
• Software Application for Kiosk and Point of Sales: With paucity of time, the customer likes to have prompt services and in fact likes to have better reach. Kiosks and Vending machine are one such proven solution to increase reach for companies’ product, enhance services and reduce expenditures. Bank ATM have in fact reduced their operational cost and trying to reduce footfall in banks thereby trying to reduce operation cost with IT and Software Systems for Customer Services.
• Bespoke Application for Operational Performance: There may be endless opportunities but somewhere we have to find out where the IT systems can help in leveraging the market potential or bring operational efficiency? For Example: Automobile companies use Automotive Insurance Platform to streamline the process of Insurance Claim Management, Policy Administration (Fresh Issuance, Renewals, Remittances, 64 VB etc.), Endorsements (Financial and Non-Financial), Accounting (Pay-in-slips, Payout computation and invoices to Insurers).
• In-Trend Mobile Applications for Customer Service Enhancement: Post recession, the trends have changed. In fact mobile applications are proving to be a disruptive technology for Customer Engagement. There are million and billion of smartphone users who spend majority of their time with Mobile for Surfing Internet, Finding useful information, online shopping, listening music social networking and many more activities for entertainment and work. Mobile applications are best medium for “In-Pocket Solution” for brand building, enhancing customer services and reaching out to leverage market opportunities. You may offer Mobile Applications for ordering products online, enhancing services, social engagement, personal utility and many more.
• Ecommerce Application for Business Expansion: Business needs to be agile, flexible and resilient with changing consumer needs. Conclusively, it has sparked the demand for 24 X 7 Shopping with On-Demand Home Delivery. Ecommerce is on such solution to provide in-pocket store/Kiosk for the customer with liberty to order 24 X & through Online Portals using Laptop, Desktop and Smart Devices (Smartphones, Smart Tab).
You won’t imagine, there are ecommerce store just selling Mangoes online and making money out of it!!
• Share Point for Business Communication and Document Sharing: For large retail chains and places where Business Operations are scattered, the document and information is shared quiet often. It is not easy to identify the security breach during Information and Document sharing. In such organization, SharePoint Portal is handy application for prompt and secure document sharing. The levels can be defined with permission levels as per designation and Job responsibilities.
• CRM Applications: Customer Relation is very important as it is been studied 80% of the Companies come from 20 % of the customers who are source of repetitive business. One cannot afford to loose the customer in this competitive Business landscape. For Business entities like Hotels and Restaurants, Customer Services are very important. In order to manage the daily in-out of Customer, manual process can never be as efficient as a software system can. In post recession scenario, it has become very important to manage existing customers to have continuous stream of repetitive business for organization sustenance and development.
• Social Application/ Facebook Application: The way we engage with our customers has been transformed with emergence of Social Media. People like to spend lot of time in Social Networking in their daily routine. Companies are also jumping into this social web to left no stone unturned to build and enhance relationship with the existing and prospective customer. As an organization, you can develop Social Media Application to reach out to new audience which could be prospective Customer for your product and Services.
The recession has come up with lessons for Businesses to be more open and more learned to tackle different adversities. As a business entity, one should not rely to single source of communications, or orthodox processes of customer engagement and relationship building. Hence budget for creative media and custom software application development can help in overcoming Post Recession Consequences. The world is very dynamic and interdependencies should be controlled in a way that downfall in one sphere should not have strong implication on complete business. “Efficiency and Effectiveness” in Business processes must be sought all the time for Organizational Development and Growth.
India is third fastest growing mobile app market in the world. It is getting popular not just among teens and youngster; rather everyone including the business personnel is engaged in using Mobile Application for Business Activities & entertainment. As per Gartner report, India’s active mobile connections will exceed 900 million by 2016, which translates to 72% penetration. According to TRAI in January 2012 the number of active mobile connections in India has reached 659.99 million and the total mobile subscriber base stands at 903.72 million.
The market where every Indian User spends average 52-min daily on mobile app usage, you can easily judge the importance of building brand application for mobile usage to stay connected with the consumers and customers.
For those who are oblivious about Mobile Applications, I just give you a simple explanation. A mobile application is just like a software program installed on your smartphone. The software program can be a simple planner, social networking interface, live navigator or an application to assist you in daily tasks. Its just like a software, for example, MS office, we install and use on our laptop and desktop.
Why are the benefits? In India, the mobile app usage is increasing day by day because it provides a medium to get things done with mobility. You can order pizza on the go and get it on dinning table before reaching your home. You don’t have to contact anyone, and just by sitting at phone, your movie tickets can be booked for tonight. It had made life and tasks simpler. The mobile applications market is not just restricted to general users but has also reached out to business and institutional users. People use messenger to communicate information. There are applications to click image and instantly share it in closed group. The mobile applications have given a new channel for the consumers to interact and get things done.
What will you loose if you don’t have an application? Being optimistic, we hope that you don’t loose anything in absence of mobile application. But one thing which is sure is that, mobile applications are tool to stay connected with the end customers to maintain the everlasting relationship for Business Growth and Development. Even if you are small business, with custom mobile application development, you can update your customers with new offers, deals, informative content and take feedback.
How to get it developed? There are many mobile application development companies in India; you can easily find it on Google. But before selecting a vendor, make sure the following things:-
1. The Service provide for mobile application development should have prior experience.
2. The Mobile Application developed should be cost effective and suits your Budget.
3. The diversity in development experience can always help you.
4. The Service provider must be capable to use latest tools to get it developed in shortest possible time.
It is Necessary to have mobile optimized website:-
a. To provide best viewing and navigation experience of website on Smartphones and Tablet Devices.
b. To develop an optimized site which also rank in Google Mobile Search Results
Google supports smartphone-optimized sites in three configurations:-
1. Responsive Website Design: Sites that use responsive web design, i.e. sites that serve all devices on the same set of URLs, with each URL serving the same HTML to all devices and using just CSS to change how the page is rendered on the device. This is Google’s recommended configuration.
2. Dynamic Serving Approach (Different HTML): Sites that dynamically serve all devices on the same set of URLs, but each URL serves different HTML (and CSS) depending on whether the user agent is a desktop or a mobile device.
3. The Parallel Mobile Site Approach: Sites that have separate mobile and desktop URLs.
Pros |
Cons |
Single URL for both versions, no duplication |
Possible redesign need |
Easier and Cheaper to maintain |
Less differentiation of mobile content |
Popularity consolidation |
Lower mobile focused user experience |
No Need for Re-direction |
|
Pros |
Cons |
1 URL for both versions, no duplication |
Complexity of technical implementation |
Capacity to differentiate mobile content |
Higher cost of Maintenance |
Popularity consolidation |
|
Better mobile user experience |
Pros |
Cons |
Easier Implementation |
Content Duplication Risk |
Capacity to differentiate mobile content |
Higher cost of Maintenance |
Better mobile user experience |
Split of Link Popularity |
In continuation to the article: “How to select right Service Provider for Web Application Development!!” we have come up with few check points for you to make a right choice.
What you should check for the Service Provider?
1. Past Experience in Custom Application: If you are going for custom application development, there is probability that the vendor might not have done such project but you may check-in credentials of the vendor and experience in custom application development for other domains.
2. Understand Process and Methodology: As a Business enterprise, you should research about IT Process, SDLC yourself. It will help you to understand the perspective of Service Provider, How they do things?
Please understand “A little knowledge is more dangerous” , you should read on Google to build understanding about the subject rather teaching anyone who is master in his own field.
3. Documentation for Every Phase of Project: for a small project, you can get cozy but in big project implementation, you cannot take risk with Uncertainties. Clear out all the points, deadlines, project deliverables, delivery time, and milestone well in advance before starting up with engagement.
4. If Possible, clarify and pay visit to Service Provider facility: Everything is getting online today and so is the communication most of the time. But still, if you sense any negligence and deviance from said SOW, you must clarify things in personal and if possible, visiting the facility can help you in understanding precise status of proceedings.
Check out How much Service Provider is involved in Project?
After you have decided to engage the service provider, you can keep a watch on its activities of every phase of project. Please ensure the following basic phases of Software Project Lifecycle:-
RESEARCHING
Before going for any software development you need a research. The word “research” indicates to know about few things. Checkout what Service Provider is researching keeping in mind the current requirements and demands of the users. A good Service Provider will do research and planning before beginning with the project. It also includes preparation of all the documents.
DESIGNING
After the completion of research stage, the designing of the software’s comes into the picture. In the designing stage, clarify the plan of the software. You may understand and ask for credentials of team involved.
CODING
After completing the designing work, the next task is the actual coding that implements the design of the software. Generally, code is a text written in a computer programming language. A powerful and bug free code can help you get robust application with minimum downtime, minimum probability of crashing.
TESTING
It is a very important stage of SDLC and a good Service provider always do proper before project delivery. It is good to engage service provider who work in adherence to defined Quality Policy or the International Standards defined.
Refrences:-
http://www.binarysemantics.com/services.html
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-04/software-services/36131306_1_infosys-executive-global-economy-infosys-science-foundation
http://www.nasscom.org/indian-itbpo-industry
http://articles.pubarticles.com/things-to-remember-while-software-development-1299069163,83558.html
There is no doubt in saying India as a Hub for IT and Software Development with over $100 billion aggregate revenue achieved in FY 2012.
Key Highlights IT Services in India:-
• IT-BPO industry-aggregate revenues cross the USD 100 billion mark
• Within the global sourcing industry, India witnessed increase in its market share from 51 per cent in 2009, to 58 per cent in 2011
• Software and services revenues (excluding Hardware), comprising nearly 87 per cent of the total industry revenues, witnessed growth of approx. 15% over FY2011
• As a proportion of national GDP, the sector revenues have grown from 1.2 per cent in FY1998 to an estimated 7.5 per cent in FY2012
(Source: Nasscom: Indian It-BPO Industry) – IT Services India
Indian Companies have been credible in Software Project Delivery and more than that have done critical projects that have helped in harnessing the advantage of IT and Software Applications for Business enhancement and Operational efficiency. It has not been easy for client all the time, lot many time Business Enterprise have to face many challenges while engaging Software Development Service Provider.
Existing Diaspora: Client V/S Service Provider
Custom Application Development is in itself a challenge for Business Enterprise and Services Provider both. The reason for the same is anonymous uncertainties that persist due to:-
a. Ambiguous Statement of Objective
b. Difference in opinion of multiple stakeholders involved
c. Statement of Work (SOW)
It is been observed, especially in Custom Application Development projects, improper documentation in any phase of Project Life Cycle (Planning, Preparation, Designing, Development, testing, Delivery) can cause serious conflicts producing mismatch between the Expected and Actual outcome.
You may witness following challenges:
1. Accurate alignment of IT Systems and Applications into existing processes.
2. Aligning Application functionality and features as per business needs.
3. Speedy and flexible IT strategy for existing Business need.
4. Conflict resolution and inclusive maintenance with non disruptive processes.
5. Concerted involvement to enduring IT Strategy formulation.
As a Business Enterprise, which have to spend money for business enhancement, would never like dangling in such situation.
Big Question: What could you do to avoid such situation ?
“Big thing are developed with Small Packages” As a Business enterprise, you got to have a checklist before selecting ISVs for Custom project development, be it a mobile application development, software application development or web application development.
What you should do at your end ?
1. Write down your objective of implementing an IT System ?
2. What are your expectations from it ?
3. Never Hesitate to speak out and clarify things been conveyed to Service Provider.
4. Calculate the ROI for IT Investment. Is it really goanna bring operational efficiency ?
To be continued……