Do you just buy a car and then forget about it? Or do you assume the car will continue to operate smoothly?
You may want to ensure that it will be maintained in the event that something goes wrong with it.
There's a reason why after-sales servicing is such a large business. Because people want their equipment to keep running smoothly and efficiently.
The same is for your software or application. Your responsibility transfers from developing to managing your app with the help of consistent Software Maintenance Lifecycle once it goes live.
Although this may seem self-evident, still our customers' most frequently asked questions is: "If it's built correctly, why does it need maintenance?"
Your work isn't done once you've finished developing and launching your app. It should be updated on a regular basis.
All platforms, including software, websites, apps, and webpages, have a back end that is as complex as any machine in the physical world.
All of the external and internal factors connected to your app, just like any other technology, change over time. So it's only natural that once the project is over, you'd want to make sure that everything continues to run well, that it's up to date, and that it's even relevant with new services.
Because if your application/ software can't keep up, it'll crash and burn eventually, and you'll be ejected out of the game.
For instance, in October 2016, Apple removed 50,000 apps from the App Store that had become obsolete.
A robust app requires long-term maintenance to solve issues like providing a better user experience and reducing uninstalls etc.
If you're still not convinced that app maintenance should be a top priority for your company, consider the following reasons.
Why Invest in Long-term IT Support and Maintenance
As mentioned, you can’t develop an app and expect it to run on its own. The world around us, including its technologies and surrounding market, is changing. Here are five advantages of looking after your app long after it's been released by software development company using IT support and maintenance service:
1. Provide the best user experience
You don't want your users to just download and start using your app. Instead, you want them to like it, need it, and desire to use it on a regular basis.
One of the best strategies to expand your app and keep it successful for years is to build and maintain a solid relationship with your end-users. You must provide them with the best possible experience in order to accomplish this you need to have support and maintenance services.
A memorable experience that they will tell their friends and family about.
2. Minimize Uninstalls
Investing in long-term IT Support and Maintenance Services will save you from being removed from app stores.
Here are some statistics from Upland Localytics, every 3 Months 27.24% of app are retained and 72.76% gets churned.
App maintenance and scalability help you keep your app in good shape by correcting bugs, adding new features, and resolving problems as they arise. As a result, your app's retention rate rises dramatically.
3. Ensure long-term revenue
Apps that are maintained and updated with IT Support and Maintenance Services on a regular basis can bring several financial benefits, including a higher return on investment and cheaper costs.
Building a great profitable app on the first try is nearly impossible, regardless of the developer's abilities and expertise.
You'll almost probably encounter bugs when your app goes live. Keeping a close eye on your app and following a regular maintenance cycle allows you to spread the cost of fixing issues over a longer period of time. It is better than having to spend a large sum of money all at once after a few weeks or months, which can result in much higher overall costs than if you had spotted and corrected the problem earlier.
Also, one can monitor users and their preferences and remove or add features to retain users and give them better results.
4. Maintain your competitive advantage
Millions of apps compete for space on cellphones all around the world. People don't have enough time to use (or even store) them all.
You must regularly upgrade your app with assistence from IT Support and Maintenance Services to stand out from the throng and beat the competition. Users will begin hunting for better solutions the moment you cease maintaining and upgrading it.
5. Keep your brand name in the forefront
Your application serves as your company's interactive business card.
A well-designed and user-friendly software highlights your brand and deters negative feedback.
You don’t want negative feedback to tarnish your efforts of years of building a brand.
Keeping your app up to date also means keeping your brand up to date. You risk ruining your brand's image if you don't do it.
6. Taking Care of Downtime
Downtime is a typical occurrence in the IT industry, especially in mobile apps. Even well-known companies like Amazon Web Services, Blackberry, and Bank of America Online Banking have had outages that resulted in significant revenue losses.
Look into some past experience and a learning for other companies. In 2011, the business in charge of Virgin Airlines' online reservations and check-in had to pay the airline $20 million following an 11-day downtime!
Do you really want to imagine yourself in a position like this?
The maintenance crew for the mobile app will be able to notice downtimes immediately. You can expect a faster resolution so that your app can resume normal operations as soon as possible.
According to a study, depending on the cause and sector, a single hour of downtime can cost anywhere from $100,000 to $5 million.
7. Security
As technology advances, hackers and cybercriminals are constantly changing their tricks and methods. Your mobile app may have the strongest security standards and encryption, but it will not be protected indefinitely.
Maintaining your mobile app on a regular basis with IT support and maintenance service will keep it safe at all times. To guarantee that it does not become subject to new cyber dangers, the app development team will implement the most up-to-date security policies and methods.
Now we know the benefits IT support and maintenance can bring to your business.
Know the Challenges, Measures, and Best Practices of Application Maintenance and Support Services to get deeper insights.
But, What Exactly Do the IT Support and Maintenance Services entail?
- Support for new operating systems and devices ensures that you are constantly current and relevant.
- Bug fixes ensure that everything runs well at all times, as well as avoiding potentially huge long-term costs if permitted to accumulate. Additionally, unresolved problems may cause your app to crash.
- Because your company deserves to be in the best possible shape in the digital age, you should strive for continuous improvement.
- Backups are performed on a regular basis to ensure that your data is not lost.
- Manage the servers and databases on the cloud with hosting maintenance and monitoring.
- Monitor your app's uptime to ensure the application is available and functional.
- Because users are at the heart of your business, you must promptly respond to their reviews, feedback, and technical issues.
- Analytics and reports that allow you to keep an eye on your backend and user experience at all times.
- Add or remove features that work the best for the user experience.
IT support and maintenance will always help your business grow with the current business trends and customer demands.
So, what are my alternatives for support and maintenance?
Confused? That’s okay! The next part will help to guide you.
Ways for Opting for IT Support and Maintenance Services
You might be wondering, how can you opt for these services, what are your options, and what are the pros and cons of each option?
Well, Don’t Worry!
Here are 3 ways you can go for long-term IT support and maintenance services:
1. Engaging the services of a freelancer
Pros
- It is cheaper than other options.
- Will help you with a very specific technology (which can be a con too).
- Cost is determined by your agreement with the freelancer.
Cons
- Not at all dependable.
- Errors/mistakes are most likely to occur.
2. Hiring an IT support and maintenance firm
Pros
- They have an experienced and specialized team members
- The firm will focus on IT core functions.
- Professional IT teams know how to help you maximize your company app performance.
- Credibility to have sufficient understanding and deliver fast results as they work as a team.
- Peace of mind, because maintaining your app is remains the company's full-time job.
- Higher-quality support because they'll be more knowledgeable about the app and emerging technology than anyone else.
Cons:
- Might be costlier, but this totally depends on which country you are outsourcing and the firm’s experience.
- Your doubt and fears.
3. Recruiting an In-House Team to Manage
Pros:
- They know your business and your people.
- There is flexibility in using IT services.
- Can fix problems quickly if there any case of emergency.
Cons:
- Errors / Mistakes are more likely to occur.
- Developing know-how of the existing app takes time when there isn't a full-time CTO on board.
- Can deviate your business from providing its core value to customers.
- The cost might be more as you have to hire CTO, Project Manager, Designer, Backend Developer, System Engineer, Frontend Developer, and App Developer on a full-time basis.
Ready to revamp you software? Check our software maintenance as a service to know how we could help you with our key USPs.
Need Help With IT Support and Maintenance Services?
Our clients at Terasol Technologies are guided through the full development process. It covers the product's upkeep after it has been delivered.
For as long as you want us to manage your app, our development team will assist you in keeping track of prospective enhancements and concerns and ensuring that its performance is top-notch.
Do you have any questions about our development process or the long-term IT support and maintenance of your provided IT solution? For additional information, feel free to contact our team and discuss your requirement over a virtual cup of coffee.
