You want to streamline your fieldwork processes with an app. Collecting data more efficiently and utilising instant reporting is going to transform your business’s fortunes – big time.
Only here’s the tricky bit. Do you build an app for your business or go for a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution?
Some definitions before continuing:
A custom-built app is a tailormade solution delivered by a software developer. It will include all the specific features you require for your fieldwork business and you will have full control over the design, features and branding.
A COTS app is a software application that can be purchased or licensed from a third-party vendor. It comes with standard features and functionalities that cater to common business needs.
At first glance, the answer looks obvious. A custom-built app that fits your needs precisely has to be the right solution. Doesn’t it?
Actually, no. Because developing a custom-built app can be fraught with difficulty, as we outline below. And the right COTS app can be far more adaptable to a specific business’ needs than you might imagine.
Here's our take: if you own an app, you own a problem. However, if you choose a high-quality, adaptable COTS solution, your provider does the hard work and you get on with running your business.
Here’s what to look out for if you’re thinking of building an app for your business.
The build’s going to be eye-wateringly expensive
Sometimes, businesses enquire about our COTS fieldwork app and say: ‘We don’t want a subscription model, we want you to hand over the product to us for a set price.’
We never do that because the framework is our intellectual property. If we hand over everything to you, we’ve given away months and years of development refining a market-leading product.
We’re disclosing this so openly to illustrate that if you build an app for your business, it’s going to involve a heck of a lot of intellect and skill. The cost for that is astronomical.
‘Yes, but we could ask a cheap offshore team to do the build.’ You could, but be warned. You may encounter quality issues, communication challenges, different legal and compliance frameworks and tricky logistical problems.
The bottom line is this: if you undertake the build properly, it will cost you. And you may need to ask if your budget – or your market – is big enough to warrant a standalone product.
The build’s going to dominate your time and energy – and may take ages
Unless your company writes software for a living, when you build an app for your business you have to hire in a team. The quality of the result will be highly dependent on how well you brief your team and guide them, and your energy may be taken up ensuring that happens.
Also, bugs and technical glitches are bound to arise in a new build, and liaising with a development team can be a daunting task. You may find yourself dividing your attention between running your business and handling app-related problems.
Also, the above process could take months.
By comparison, a COTS subscription will ensure your time is your own. An experienced team will be used to guiding you through the setup process, to ensure the product is optimised for your needs. In the right hands, this will be a simple and painless process. You’ll have a proven solution up and ready to go – with very little fuss.
The build could fail
This isn’t a scare tactic – it’s a reality. Customers don’t always know how to ask for what they want. They understand their general needs, of course, but they don’t know how to put across the detail. Too often, they expect things to ‘come out in the wash’ with the final build. This is the equivalent of closing your eyes and crossing your fingers.
In this scenario, the project could completely fail, leaving you with a big bill and no solution.
Meanwhile, with subscription-based fieldwork software, you can see an online demo and get a full understanding of how it meets your needs before you spend a penny. It provides a verified way to solve a problem and it is proven to be working for other clients.
You might not know how to use your new software properly
Maybe you’ve commissioned a team to build an app for your business. But are you getting manuals, user guides or team training with your build? Let’s hope so, because if not you’ll be taking the time and expense of writing guides and holding workshops to keep your users on track. In reality, many developers will not provide you with this essential information and you will find yourself adding more time and energy to the build.
Maintenance and updates are going to add to your expense – and eat more of your time
We’ve encountered many business leads who believe that once an app is created, it’s ‘job done, move on’.
It simply doesn’t work like that. A mobile app development lifecycle does not end at product launch. In fact, software is a bit like a shark. If it stops moving, it dies.
You will need updates to:
- Fix bugs. Almost every software build – even from the world’s biggest providers – contains bugs that need ironing out.
- Ensure compatibility with new devices and operating systems. Without important updates, your software may be unusable.
- Provide security. If your app is not supported with regular security updates, it is not secure. And that means your data is not secure. It’s as simple as that.
- Stay up to date with your industry. What if a new regulation comes along, or other important industry changes? Without updates, your app could be rendered useless.
These updates are not optional. They are essential. So you’ll be either shelling out for your provider’s support and maintenance plan (if they even have one) to ensure all of the above is undertaken. Or you’ll be allocating funds ad hoc to make updates on a case-by-case basis, making it difficult to forecast your budget accurately. The costs of maintaining an app may start to take a toll on your business's financial stability.
Oh, and if a provider doesn’t even mention the need to undertake regular updates, you’re going to need to ask some serious questions. Or even better – run away fast.
Meanwhile, a COTS provider will undertake all of the necessary updates for you.
A COTS solution could be far more adaptable than you think
We’ve talked quite a bit about the problems with custom builds. At this point, some businesses will say: ‘We get that it’s tough. But what choice do we have? Our industry is too niche for off-the-shelf software.’
This is where we would suggest you think again – and dig a little deeper. The truth is that many COTS solutions can be customised to a remarkable degree.
Here at Rugged Data, we have built an entire COTS platform that is essentially a configurable framework adaptable to many, many different client solutions.
The ‘back end’ is our proprietary product. This is a suite of broad processes and functionality that is wholly agnostic – it does not provide specific solutions. However, once we talk to a client, we can configure those back-end processes into something that works precisely for them.
This is far more sophisticated than a ‘no code’, drag-and-drop COTS solution. For many businesses, it’s going to hit a sweet spot that gives them something that feels exactly tailored to their needs without the world of pain a software build entails.
In conclusion
Of course, many businesses will have a perfectly smooth app build. But in our experience, if you decide to build an app for your business you are very likely to encounter some of the problems we talk about above. One independent software developer – someone who actually builds these products for clients – warned people away from this route most of the time!
In a discussion, he said, ‘Building software is difficult… and needs skill and time. Custom builds are immensely expensive, for non-trivial software. Six, seven, eight figures. And more. That said, I like building software, and it’s how I make money. So, err, feel free to buy? :)’
Which may not fill you with encouragement.
A good-quality, tailored COTS product, meanwhile, is:
- Cost-effective. A subscription-based service is a fixed monthly fee and eliminates the need for a hefty upfront investment.
- Supported. With a reputable software-as-a service (SaaS) provider, you gain access to dedicated support updates and feature enhancements.
- Secure. Support will include security updates. This is vital and you simply must not proceed without ensuring your product receives ongoing and adequate protection from cyber criminals.
- Hassle-free. By entrusting ongoing support to the SaaS provider, you can focus on scaling your business.
- Adaptable. A good-quality product can be tailored to a high degree.
- Available immediately. The app can be ready for immediate use.
Rugged Data helps fieldwork businesses streamline their data capture and reporting processes with a custom-built app. You pay a monthly subscription to radically improve your processes – we maintain the software that is boosting your business to the next level. Find out more at https://ruggeddata.co.uk/
