Competition means choices. For the consumer, that is. And with more web developers creating apps, templates, themes, and more, it also means more choice for your business.
Let’s look at the iPhone for a second. On my last phone, I had the built-in software that it came with, and nothing else. I think Brick Breaker might have been on it. But I didn’t have much choice. There were 5 different color schemes to choose from, the clock on the front display could show in analog or digital (woo-hoo!), and I could choose from about 15 cheesy ringtones unless I wanted to pay $1.99 a piece for new ones. In short, my choices were limited. And expensive.
But now consider the smart phones that are out there, like the iPhone or the BlackBerry. Each is competing for consumers, touting their apps – available in the “App Store” and “App World,” respectively – as one of their biggest features. On my iPhone, I have over 30 apps that I use on a daily basis – I won’t count how many I have for those “just in case” moments, when I might need to learn how to tie a Flemish Flake knot – none of them made by Apple or that came with the phone. I now have choice in what games I play, and what information I can access.
This is how it’s becoming with software, too. More developers means more freedom. You don’t have to get the same out-of-the-box software you’ve been using for years. And with cloud computing, we have our own App Worlds to choose from for our business. Every business has different needs, so why should they all choose from the same software? Now you don’t have to. There are thousands of developers out there making apps for cloud vendors. This is good for the vendors and it’s good for you. Here’s why: with the openness displayed in the cloud, you can now integrate applications that you already use into your business apps. That means you can make phone calls over Skype that are still logged in your customer relationship management system, or you can respond to messages on Twitter or Facebook from your call center software. You get the functionality and the organization of your CRM software and the familiarity of programs you already use combined in one.
More apps and more choice also means more customization. Instead of purchasing an entire suite of out-of-the-box software – of which you might or might not need the entire package – you can mix and match what applications you need and how they interact with one another. It’s like creating your own customized suite, and you don’t have to pay for software you’re not going to use. And while we’re on the topic of customization, let’s look at one of the features that’s most attractive about the new apps we’re seeing: they themselves are customizable. You can change them, you can define new tasks, you can make them your own. With custom application development tools, you can tailor your apps to fit your company. And they’re not constrained to size, so you can add as much information as you want and they’ll grow with you.
The development of cheap, easy application development means more choice for businesses, and that means more choice for your customer. Because I like choosing what ringtone the world hears when somebody calls me – it’s Beyonce, but I won’t say which one…
