On 2016 of October, App store removed around 50,000 apps because they were obsolete. That says something, right? An app work does not end when its uploaded to a platform or downloaded by a customer or even after getting the first conversation from it. Think of an app as child, it needs to grow with your business, adapt with time to reach it\’s true potential and always be at it\’s best. It\’s a long term process. Today, let\’s look into the importance and benefits of App Maintenance.
If your business had a physical store, wouldn\’t you clean it up? Make sure it looks spotless so your customers would feel like coming in? You would probably spend thousands of dollars to make sure their experience is worthwhile so they keep coming back for more. Then why see an App any differently. An app is a physical store for you but in a virtual space. There, customer\’s experience matter as much as in a physical space. If an app is not maintained, upgraded enough to fit the needs of customers in a certain time frame, your app will inevitably become obsolete. Technology is dynamic, and your app must keep up with it\’s pace or will face a nasty death. An App is no small investment, be it in terms of money, effort or effiency. It can take a lot to make one, but can bring back more than you imagine.
So what are few things to look out for in App maintenance and its Benefits?
Reduce Uninstallations
Firstly is greatly increase the life cycle of your App. You can save your Apps from an untimely death, first from the hands of your customers by unistallation or a bigger mess, the platform removing it for being obsolete. 70% apps get uninstalled on the first use. Why? It\’s mostly due to a bad experience faced than not being able to find value in the App. But if the app stops giving value to the customer after a certain point, user are prone to uninstall the \’useless\’ App. Maintenance helps keep the app fresh.
Improves User Experience
The key to getting people to continue using your app is to have them love it! And the only way for that is great user experience. There are many apps out there providing the same service. But what makes your App stand out will be the experience that the user has with it. There are various ways to see how well the app is working out with your customers, from monitoring the app to taking feedback from customers. Constantly updating your app based on this data helps you deliver better user experiences.
Killing Competition
In a way, Apps also go by survival of the fittest. The App that fits the needs of a customer, whose needs are also changing, survives. As mentioned earlier, there are millions of apps in the market, but only a few ever become successful.
Financial Benefits
Maintenance cost may look like a lot in the beginning, but on the long term, an App can be more rewarding than a physical store in the long run.
Good Brand Image
Today Businesses having apps are considered more credible by users, because thats the narrative right now. Maintaining an App is not easy , people are aware of the time and effort that goes into making an App. People have equated Apps with the businesses themselves. So if your app performs badly it will negatively affect your product or service, regardless of the quality of the product. Take the example of Amazon, the biggest interaction between amazon and its customers happen through it\’s app not even the website. If the app starts glitching or giving the users a hard time due to technical issues, its negatively going to affect Amazon
