Custom Mobile Application Development

The advent of smart phones and cutting-edge hand-held devices has increased the potential for custom mobile solutions. Accessibility to data and applications is now an important feature on mobile phones. Enterprise Mobility solutions to build custom mobile apps require a combination of technology such as a complete custom mobile application development platform, Rapid Custom Mobile Application Development Tools, GPS and device management software, administration tools and a good understanding of the underlying process. Sometimes process corrections or tweaks may be necessary to get the intended output.

Some of the obvious benefits of going mobile include:

• Improvement in customer service
• Increasing time spent in field
• Reduction in paperwork
• Improvement in productivity
• Information at your fingertips

Many vendors who offer custom mobile applications also offer pre-built applications, which can be customised based on customer requirements. A custom mobile applications development solution would include:

• Rapid Mobile Application development tools
• Device Management Tools
• Support for Mixed Platforms
• Back-end Integration Systems
• Multi-Language Support
• Support for multiple mobile platforms

What Kind of Customisation?

Common examples of applications that can be customised include Sales Force Automation, Field Force Automation, Hotel and Travel Applications. Customization can be minor or major, depending on the requirement.

Make an app multi-platform

Mobile apps can be built for a variety of mobile platforms such as iPhone^TM Blackberry^TM Google Android^TM, Symbian^TM and so on. An app that functions on a Blackberry^TM may not be ready for an Android^TM Platform. You would need to customise the app for the new platform. Where enterprise mobility solutions are concerned, the enterprise would typically go with one or two identified platforms, in which case, the app can be built or customised for these.

Make an app operator-ready

Some off-the-shelf apps may need to be tested in specific operator environments. For example, application component deployment may vary across operators.

Create a new app for an Enterprise Mobility Solution

Include mobility for an existing enterprise application. For example, a client may want an existing Sales Force Automation solution to go mobile by providing pricing data to field workers on-the-go. Creating a new app for an enterprise mobility solution will involve creating a custom mobile application for a specific set of platforms, integration with back-end systems and deployment on the mobile operator.

Feature Customization

Often common off-the-shelf apps such as Hotel and Travel apps, CRM solutions need to be customised for features based on specific enterprise needs.

Considerations for Custom Mobile Application Development

Dynamic changes in the mobile market, the constant changes in platforms and the demand for quick turn-around in the mobile app world means that custom mobile app solutions need to be well-thought out and then implemented. Some of the considerations for custom mobile application development include:

• Development of cost-effective systems with quick turn-around times to ensure that the application can go to market quickly
• In enterprise mobility solutions, consider any necessary process tweaks and corrections for better efficiency to ensure that the final solution is effective and results in distinct improvement
• Support for multiple mobile platforms and mixed platforms such as laptops and hand-held devices
• Multi-operator testing to make sure that the application functions across operators in different countries
• Design Considerations for App Developers include:
  • Authentication and Authorization: Most mobile devices are designed for single user use, so the app must offer strong authentication and secure access to data
  • Battery-Life: Availability and consumption of power by the app is crucial and needs to be taken into account
  • Data Access: Consider network bandwidth, latency and connectivity drops
  • User Interface Design: The app must be user friendly, minimize the number of clicks and consider the small keypads typically available in mobile phones
  • Synchronization: Especially applicable in enterprise mobility solutions, consider when to synchronize data with the server and how frequently. Keep synchronization flexible, and consider offline availability
  • Communication channels: Choose appropriate and convenient channels for communication: Messaging, WAP or Native app

To customise or not to customise

Besides common and popular off-the-shelf mobile apps such as e-mail and messenger clients, social networking clients and so on, enterprises may typically use off-the-shelf apps for non-core solutions such as dashboards, expense management, time trackers and so on. These however will still require back-end integration during deployment, and data security considerations. The changes however may be minor, and may constitute as application deployment.

Enterprises may consider spend on customization for critical, revenue-generating mobile apps or apps that offer distinct benefits in business or competition such as custom CRM solutions, or Sales Force Automation mobility solutions.

O2I has vast experience and expertise in Custom Mobile Applications Development. If you would like to outsource mobile application development services to O2I, please fill our inquiry form and our Customer Engagement Team will contact you within 24 hours.