Developing ideas for an app can be one of the more difficult things for businesses to tackle. The app market is saturated with apps that are vying for your customers’ attention, and some organisations are instead, turning their attention to apps for their employees. By looking inward and solving day-to-day problems with mobile technology, businesses are making themselves faster, smarter and more efficient.

“Enterprise apps” are made with your employees in mind, and aim to create more efficient ways for them to do their jobs, from utility apps for performing job-specific tasks, to customer service apps that will give your employees superpowers when it comes to handling customer relations.

Apps to improve efficiency

Your organisation probably has all sorts of useful data stored on databases, but knowing how to make the most of that data can be difficult. There may be ways to give your employees access to useful data when they’re away from the office – on site, travelling or meeting with your customers.

You could develop an app that makes the key data relevant in the moment, helping your staff close sales with impressively up-to-date numbers. You could speed up diagnosis of your customer’s problems with apps that give expert knowledge to all your staff.

Apps to replace custom hardware

Now that pretty much everyone has a smartphone of some kind, you can potentially reduce your internal costs by replacing custom-made hardware & software with a handy app, downloaded straight to your employees phones.

Look at how credit card readers like iZettle are giving retailers a new way to take card payments in store. These mobile card-readers are an antidote to the traditional card-readers that lock retailers into contracts and set-up fees. Now they can buy a much smaller piece of hardware that runs straight off their phone instead – making it portable, flexible and cheap.

As smartphones become even more ubiquitous, we’re sure to see more and more organisations finding ways to maximise the power of these devices. If your employees are carry the technology everywhere with them anyway, why not make the most of it for your business?

Apps to help staff training

Staff can be required to know a lot of information about your products and services, so that they can relay it to your customers on-the-spot. Imagine how much more knowledgeable your staff could be if they had their training manuals in their pockets, or could double-check facts when they were unsure. Allowing your staff to fall-back on this information can free up space & time for them to develop other skills, like customer service.

Training could also be delivered in the field, via your staff phones, enabling them to gain an extra level of understanding about your industry, and freeing up valuable time & money from lengthy training days.

There are plenty of ways that apps could enhance the way your business operates, and these are just a few ideas, but remember that apps aren’t just a way to engage your customers – they can be a way to engage your business.