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Creating software for a company is difficult. A lot of people all knocking their heads together for months to create a solution that’s actually useful and not just pretty – and it can get expensive. However, mobile apps offer a unique solution that’s equally effective. By utilizing the tool that can already be found in your employee’s pockets (their smartphones), you can increase the efficiency of your projects overnight.
There’s a lot of noise on the markets. There’s more options than ever before, each with their own pricing models and features that are unique to their companies. Despite there being a lot of variety and innovation, it’s important to weigh your options before committing. Signing up with the wrong company could lead to time lost and wages that you won’t see a return on.
Snappii works differently than other app-shops. Instead of building an app completely from scratch, Snappii has developed a platform that allows developers to put together apps in a fraction of the time. This means faster turn-around times, lower prices and readily available prototypes within 48 hours. To see more information about Snappii, click here.
If you really are considering a construction application solution, here’s a few pointers to make sure you’re heading in the right direction.
What’s the point?
There’s probably a few reasons why you came across this blog. Maybe you saw that one of your competitors has this nifty tool that they can do work from on their iPads. Perhaps your done with having file cabinets take up all the space in your office. Or maybe you’re just trying to keep track of your team without having to call them all the time.
Personally, I think the best way to answer this is to remember who the app is for. Your team members are the ones that are going to be using the piece of software on a daily basis, so if anyone is going to give you accurate requirements on what exactly you need (and why you need it), it’s them. Do the field workers need voice dictation so that they don’t get slowed down by having to type? Do your data-entry people want a system that sends forms to a cloud? Write down everything you can get.
Each app builder is going to do things a bit different, so determining what you want you app to accomplish can help significantly with the next part.
What’s the focus?
Even a professional app shop would ask you what you expect from the final product of your app. Creating a thorough list of requirements can help alleviate some of the questions they’ll have, and help you out with planning for the long run.
Take note of what type of utility you’d like to see in the app, what type of functions employees will (and will not) have access to, and, of course, your budget. Even though Snappii is pretty lenient when it comes to requirements, even they need an idea of what you want when it’s all said and done.
Another thing to keep in mind is something that is often overlooked: how easy is it to use? Remember that the purpose of converting your crew into a digital solution is not for them to look flashy, it’s for them to do their job easier. Daily tasks like report logs or scaffolding inspcetions can take minutes. If using the app is more difficult then finding a pen and paper, your employees will still opt for the latter (and they won’t care that you spend so much money on it either).
In most cases, at least with Snappii, our apps revolve around a single form or two. Making something extravagant and complicated isn’t the goal, and it’ll help with keeping the cost of things to a minimum.
Support for everything
During the first week of converting your employees from paper to digital, there may be some resistance, more so if something goes completely wrong. If it does happen, you want to make sure there’s a system to help. If the app shop that you’re investigating has a support hotline, call it and see if like what you hear. Are they English speaking? Did they actually help you with anything? Take notes if you have to, especially since support won’t be available if you hire freelancers to create your app. It may not seem like a deal-breaker at first, but even the most sophisticated systems can have problems, and you don’t want to freeze your whole operation because the new toy doesn’t work.
These are just a few tips to get your feet wet about the entire process of converting over to mobile forms. For every company, things will be different. Snappii, a leader in mobile software technologies, is dedicated to helping you see your vision come true. With our industry defining mobile form creator, platform, and the ability to customize every aspect of your app, our team can provide a solution to you in less time and with less money than you can imagine. Click here to try out some of Snappii’s templates, or click here to send a quote to our sales team.
