Apps are no longer a thing of the future. They are a tool of the present. Commercial and public users see apps as the norm, and they now expect the operational efficiency and smooth customer experiences that apps have created.
The influx of business apps has piled new responsibilities onto the shoulders of Chief Information Officers (CIOs). They are under pressure to improve the customer journey and to collect new streams of high quality data.
This blog recommends five ways that CIOs can maximise the potential of application development for their organisation.
- Constantly assess your application development strategy: CIOs must constantly weigh-up whether they are using the most fast-paced and up-to-date tools, systems, and infrastructure to keep up with the rapid technological changes within their market place. Crimson recommend that you outline your annual technology strategy and invest in the best tools your organisation can afford if you want your new apps to make your company into a market leader.
- Give customers a creative connected experience: Modern consumers are used to operating a variety of apps to complete a range of everyday tasks. These include everything from buying train tickets and online banking to food shopping and working out. CIOs need to create apps that make life simpler for their organisation’s consumers and give them a personalised experience. Large organisations with lots of legacy systems will find it more difficult than smaller SMEs to implement this approach but they will see significant benefits if they create the right product.
- Nurture developer skills: There simply isn’t enough talent in the tech sector to meet demand, and app developers are no exception. IT recruitment agencies like Crimson can find the right staff at C-level and other extremely skilled roles, but organisations have to do more to recruit, train, and promote young talent to give themselves the right skills resources in the long term.
- Be business focused: CIOs must aim to develop apps that work towards achieving their organisation’s strategic objectives. Maintaining smooth running of day-to-day operations is of course crucial but forward thinking apps that achieve company goals can be game-changers for your organisation and make people take notice of the IT department.
- Be an approachable CIO: If you want to get your ideas for innovations signed-off at board level and supported by your team, you need to adopt a ‘my door is always open’ demeanour. Explain your strategies with patience and understand that not everybody will immediately understand the benefits of what you are suggesting. Communicate with clarity, don’t get on your high horse, and be, or at least appear, receptive to new ideas.
ICrimson is an IT consultancy, an IT solutions provider, an IT recruitment agency, and a Microsoft Gold Partner with offices in Birmingham and the City of London.
