Does your business need an app? Fortunately, app-building platforms make creating a proprietary app for your company easier than ever. Businesses of all sizes can dive into development without getting bogged down in the initial setup or a pricey up-front investment.

Just about anyone can create an app. The result is that Google Play and the Apple App Store are flooded with new apps every day — some are outstanding, but many are subpar. While it’s easier than ever to build your own app, creating a great app still requires strategic planning and careful development. Whether your app will be aimed at customers or employees, the best apps are ones users rely on again and again.

What makes a great app? Here are the key traits shared by the most successful apps.

The Dynamic Power of Mobile App Downloads

• Biggest iOS and Android app store categories by downloads:
  • This data is for one day: September 28, 2016.
  • 5.13 million: Games
  • 2.66 million: Social and communication
  • 1.58 million: Photo and video
  • 1.35 million: Tools and utilities
  • 1.28 million: Entertainment
• Chick-fil-A increased their app downloads by 14,285% in one day.
  • Launched a free sandwich promotion to get people to download the app
  • In May, the app was downloaded roughly 5,000 times a day.
  • The promotion started June 1
    • Between June 2-4, the app was downloaded nearly 400,000 times a day.
    • The Chick-fil-A app was briefly more popular than Facebook’s app.
    • The download rate returned to normal numbers around 15 days after the promotion started.

Laying the Groundwork

Before beginning development, industry leaders begin their process with planning, researching, and gathering resources.

1. A Great Idea

The very first step in the process is to have a solid idea. Focus on what’s driving you to create an app in the first place.

• Is it to help customers access your services and products on the go?
• Is it to allow your employees to upload data from the field?
• Is it to enable your community to stay connected?

Ask yourself what problem your app will solve for users or how it will simplify their lives. Do you plan on monetizing your app once it’s created? If so, which model will you use?

Most importantly, ask yourself how your idea is unique from other apps. One search can produce dozens of apps that do essentially the same thing. The ones that stick around and are successful, however, are the ones that perform their purpose better or differently than the competition.

2. Research

While developing your idea, researching other apps is imperative. If your idea has already been created, perhaps it’s time to scrap it or take it back to the drawing board. Furthermore, apps aimed at customers and that are created for monetization need to offer something that’s not on the market in order to be successful.

For internal apps, originality isn’t quite as important. Perhaps your company would simply save money by creating a version of an app that’s been eating up part of your budget. In-house apps can still benefit from this research, however; you may want to emulate what works well in these apps, while tailoring other features to suit your unique needs.

3. A Blueprint

Once you hone your idea, create a detailed plan for taking it from concept to product. With the right tools, you can now create an app in just days — but to accomplish this feat, you need to plan ahead. To prepare their apps, professional developers create wireframes, or visual blueprints. These are simple images that show that basic look of your finished product. If you imagine taking a screenshot of key moments in the user experience of your finished app, then turning them into black-and-white sketches, it would look much like your wireframes.

Wireframes are important because they help keep each person on your team informed about the concept and execution. Even if you build this app yourself, work with your developers, designers, copywriters, and any other team members who will be on this project to fine-tune these wireframes so everyone is on board.

How much time is spent every day on mobile internet?

• Among adults over 18 years old, the amount of time spent in apps every day has increased — and it’s forecasted to increase through 2019.
• 2015
  • App: 1:55 [Design note: this stands for 1 hour, 55 minutes. Please design accordingly]
  • Mobile web: 0:25
• 2016
  • App: 2:11
  • Mobile web: 0:26
• 2017
  • App: 2:25
  • Mobile web: 0:26
• Forecasted:
  • 2018
    • App: 2:35
    • Mobile web: 0:26
  • 2019
    • App: 2:43
    • Mobile web: 0:27

4. A Marketing Plan

Great business leaders know that nothing — not a website, product, service, or app, no matter how revolutionary — will ever make true the saying, “If you build it, they will come.” It doesn’t matter how groundbreaking, streamlined, or flawless your app is: If no one uses it, it will never solve anyone’s problem. Depending on who your ideal users are, successful marketing of your app could take more time and resources than actually creating it.

Whether your app will be for customers or employees, plan on getting the word out early to build anticipation, then doing a big push right before launch.

Apps for Customers

Getting customer feedback is critical. The more five-star reviews you get right away, the better chance you’ll have of making it to the top of search results in app stores. Android and Apple app stores both return search results based on how highly an app is rated, so quickly share details with your ideal users and ask for reviews.

Apps for Employees

Instead of focusing on reviews, turn your attention to creating word-of-mouth buzz about your app around the office. Ask managers to use the app when completing tasks and have them request employees do the same. Offer training on the new technology and show them how it makes it easier and quicker to accomplish tasks.

Building Your App

After making these preparations, begin building your app. While every project is unique, the most successful apps tend to share many of the same features.

5. Use Fewer Buttons

The best apps are simple and streamlined. A single screen with one or two options for logging in or registering is generally all you need. Lots of options can turn users who want instant access off before they even get to experience your creation.

Similarly, the rest of your app should be easy to navigate and simple to use. Try to eliminate everything except the essence of the product.

6. Do One Thing, Really Well

What’s your favorite app? Chances are, it’s one that does exactly what you need it to do, and does it really well. Industry leaders have identified the tendency to convolute a product with unnecessary and complicated elements as “feature creep.” The best apps avoid this problem altogether. Apple Maps doesn’t try to keep you up to date on world events, and SmartNews doesn’t try to help you navigate.

Some leaders, such as Facebook, recognized feature creep after releasing a product. This is one reason why we now have one app for Facebook and another for Facebook Messenger.

Simple, focused apps work because users don’t want unnecessary other features cluttering up their experience. Developers who focus on a single purpose can maximize resources to flawlessly deliver that one thing your users need most. If users need more features, developers can add them in later versions. This helps them roll out a great app faster and shows they’re dedicated to continually making improvements.

To Compete in a Saturated Market, Your App Must be Well-Designed

• Average Monthly Smartphone Apps in Use from 2016-2019
  • 2016: 21.0
  • 2017: 20.7
  • 2018: 20.4
  • 2019: 20.1
• Why should your company create an app?
  • Increase sales
  • Improve the customer experience
  • Compete in a specific market
• To be successful and used regularly, your app should include:
  • Customer loyalty features
  • Social networking
  • Push notifications
  • Personalization
    • Location alerts
    • Loyalty rewards
    • Easy-to-access payment systems

7. Make Sure It Works Flawlessly

The single most important feature of any app is how well it works. Constant bugs or crashes will frustrate users and result in negative reviews that could hurt your success even after you roll out patches. It’s critical that product works flawlessly at launch.

How can companies be sure their apps will perform? They test, test, and test again. Feedback and usability testing are part of the planning and development process. Key testing moments include:

• When the basics are set up
• When the user interface is ready
• Just before launch, especially if last-minute changes are introduced
• Regularly and often after launch to ensure new devices and other technology don’t create problems.

8. Pay Attention to Speed

There’s nothing more frustrating to a user than waiting on an app to load or having to click through multiple screens before finding what they want. These days, speed isn’t just nice; it’s expected. Keep the app simple and straightforward to help keep things moving. Marisa Mayer suggests that two taps should get the user anywhere they want to go.

9. Visually Pleasing Design

The look of an app is almost as important as what it does. Use market research to understand the end user and employ professionally created graphic design elements to nail the visuals. The right design serves three purposes:

1. Tells users that this product is designed specifically for them with visuals that appeal to your ideal user
2. Makes navigation intuitive and easy
3. Integrates seamlessly with your existing branding so users remember you each time they accomplish a task

Create an App Your Users Will Love

While building an app takes dedication, any company can now easily create one with PaaS. Use these guidelines to make an app that will help your customers and employees accomplish more.

Learn about apps and other tools for interacting with customers in our report, “The Fourth Annual State of Marketing Research Report.”

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With cloud computing, there are multiple types of services. Software as a Service (SaaS) programs include programs such as Salesforce, Google Apps, and GoToMeeting. Software is hosted on a remote server and is always accessible through an internet browser. For companies that need to create software, a Platform as a Service (PaaS) lets developers concentrate on software building without dealing with updates, operating systems, and storage. And Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) delivers cloud computing infrastructure like servers, a network, and operating systems. Organizations can buy resources as a service on demand.

A Deeper Look into the Cloud

• What is cloud computing?
  • Cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the internet instead of your computer’s hard drive
    • Delivers computing resources (hardware and software) over the internet
    • Also described as an Internet Centric Software
  • Benefits include:
    • 24/7 access to data
    • Works on any device
    • Accessible from anywhere with an internet connection
    • Automatic upgrades to the latest version
    • Improved data liability and security
    • Large collection of free software
    • Only pay for what you use
    • Faster deployments
    • Subscription-based pricing
    • No IT staff required
• What is cloud hosting?
  • The process of using virtual servers to provide hosting solutions instead of a single server setup
  • Benefits include:
    • Affordability
      • Little or no expensive equipment needed
      • The provider handles regular maintenance
      • Charged on a by-use scale
    • Fast setup
      • No installation time—no machines to purchase
      • Quickly available for use after ordering
    • Reliability
      • Uses multiple (redundant) servers
      • If one server has an issue, a redundant server immediately takes over so your website or IT infrastructure sees no downtime
    • Improved productivity
      • The provider handles server maintenance and security updates
      • A business’s IT department can focus on other tasks
      • Fully scalable
      • As your company grows, your hosting needs may change
      • Easily increase your access and scale up your service as necessary
    • Better physical security
      • Digital security and regular maintenance ensure safety
      • Your information is completely safe
      • Cloud hosting servers are housed inside secure data centers
    • Multiple locations
      • Some cloud providers have multiple data centers
      • Allows you to choose the one that is closest to you
      • Ensures maximum speed and security
    • Customizable
      • Easy to customize to get what you need
      • Get the service you need by selecting the:
      • Operating system
      • Processing power
      • Storage space
      • Bandwidth
• There are two types of cloud hosting
  • Private
    • Designed and operated for a single entity
    • Used as either a kind of intranet setup or external
    • Generally more secure
    • More maintenance
    • Larger investment
  • Public
    • Rendered entirely on networks open to the public
    • Could be as basic as a website hosting or digital data storage
    • Overall architecture is similar to a private one
      • Has less maintenance
      • Has slightly less security
    • Access is usually available through the internet

Your “…as a Service” Options with Cloud Computing

• Software as a Service (SaaS)
  • Most popular form of cloud service for consumers
  • Popular SaaS products are:
    • Salesforce
    • Google Apps
    • Netflix
    • WebEx
    • GoToMeeting
    • Dropbox
  • Characteristics
    • Software is hosted on a remote server
    • Always accessible through a web browser
    • Managed from a central location
    • Users don’t handle hardware, software updates and patches
    • Integration with third-party applications are done through APIs
  • Suitability
    • Applications where demand spikes or reduces significantly
    • Applications that have demand for both web and mobile access
    • Short term projects that require collaboration
    • Start-up businesses that want to quickly launch ecommerce sites
• Platform as a Service (PaaS)
  • Offers a platform for the creation of software (which is then delivered over the web)
  • Developers concentrate on software application building without having to worry about:
    • Software updates
    • Operating systems
    • Load balancing
    • Storage
  • Characteristics
    • Built on top of virtualization technology
    • Provides services to facilitate development, testing, deployment, and hosting of software applications in integrated development environment
    • Multiple users can use the same development application
    • Integrated web services and databases
    • Billing and subscription is managed by tools
  • Suitability
    • When multiple developers or external parties are involved in the development process
    • For organizations following Agile methodology for software development
    • When you want to spread your capital investment by providing the underlying solid infrastructure
    • Large organizations who want to customize applications
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
  • Delivers cloud computing infrastructure including
    • Servers
    • Storage
    • Network
    • Operating systems
    • Instead of purchasing the infrastructure, organizations can buy resources as a service on demand
  • Characteristics
    • Includes multiple users on a single piece of hardware
    • Resources available as a service
    • Allows dynamic scaling capabilities
    • Flexible
    • Gives organizations complete control over their infrastructure
  • Suitability
    • Organizations that need complete control over their high-performing applications
    • Startups and small companies that don’t want to spend time and energy on hardware and software
    • Growing organizations that aren’t sure about the application don’t want to commit to hardware and software resources
    • Applications where traffic spikes or reduces significantly

Conclusion

With a better understanding of cloud computing, including its basic features and many benefits, you can determine how to best select and implement the service that would most benefit your company.

For more information about cloud computing, and how it works, check out the infographic below. And to learn about the benefits of working from the cloud, read our free ebook, “How to Jumpstart Your Journey to the Cloud.”

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Then Salesforce introduced Service Cloud. It brought all of this together in a single customer service platform, and it not only streamlines existing elements of your business but, when used to maximum effect, allows you to connect more broadly and deeply with customers. With Service Cloud, your company can make an impact that would have been unimaginable in the pre-Cloud world.

Here are a few best practices to get the most out of Service Cloud.

Integrate the Platform in Everything You Do

Integration is the cloud’s greatest strength. The same features, such as knowledge bases, FAQs pages, and forums, that save customers time also relay important data back to your service and sales teams in your customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Companies need cloud-based customer service software, especially one that integrates with their CRM and other platforms, to be competitive.

But that’s just the beginning. The one-touch feature built into products allows customers to instantly trigger a case from the product itself. This is the future of customer service: As shared during the Dreamforce 2015 Salesforce Service Cloud Keynote, by 2020 it’s estimated that the average consumer will own 58 connected products.

Be Social

It’s been said that Twitter is the water cooler of the 21st century. For businesses, it’s also the suggestion box. Unlike the suggestion box, however, complaints on Twitter are on display for the world to see. While that may sound intimidating or even unfair, Twitter can be viewed as an opportunity to address a customer’s pain point publicly and personally.

The Service Cloud has social integration that can create cases based on social media posts and connect public complaints with powerful service solutions in real time. Listen to and analyze conversations on social media with Social Studio, and use it proactively to find customers who are asking questions. Take common questions and concerns and create articles for your blog, on your website, and within the knowledge base of Service Cloud. By being proactive, you further reduce average case time and case volume.

Be the Hub

The Service Cloud platform empowers your agents to be the most comprehensive source of information and resources about your company. With the Lightning Console, agents maximize their time, your company can provide a great customer experience, and your agents have the most powerful tool available: an integrated customer service platform.

Focus on Experience

Service is a key component of overall customer satisfaction. Studies have shown that customers who use Service Cloud report 45 per cent higher customer satisfaction. The reason for this is simple: It makes problem solving easier for customers. And easy service is quickly becoming an expected part of the customer’s experience. Your customers are more demanding than ever, and rightfully so. They expect a service experience that does everything they need, and meets them wherever they are, on any device, and at any time they need your help. Service Cloud is fast enough to stay one step ahead of this frustration, and offers Live Agent to service your customers more quickly.

Think Big

Use the details of the Service Cloud to generate action on a new level. Take advantage of its powerful integration capabilities and task streamlining to affect change in your industry, your community, or even the world — all while creating an exceptional customer experience.

At the Salesforce Service Cloud keynote at Dreamforce 2015, the audience was told the story of how Service Cloud helped a San Francisco no-kill animal shelter make a much bigger difference than they set out to achieve. With help from Service Cloud, this shelter connected veterinary hospitals, animal control, and education services to address a larger problem in the city. Their mission changed: It expanded from trying to be the best no-kill shelter in San Francisco to working to end animal abandonment in the San Francisco by 2020.

Service Cloud puts a great set of tools and data at your fingertips in industry-leading customer service management software. Its greatest strength, however, is the way these tools deeply and seamlessly integrate to allow you to focus on the big picture.

Learn more about how Service Cloud will transform your customer service department in our eBook, “Personalized, Smarter, Faster: How the Smart Agent Console Can Transform Your Customer Service.”

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Today’s post offers a new way to perform this assignment. Using some simple Apex code and a custom button, I’ve created a Get Next button that works on both leads and cases. This button sits on the case or lead page. It looks up the queues that the agent is a member of and finds the next open case or lead assigned to one of those queues. If one is found, it then assigns the case or lead to the agent, and navigates the page there so the agent can begin working it. It’s pretty quick and intuitive. Here’s the code for it. The sample code as posted is somewhat generic, so you may need to modify it, particularly the one for Lead to identify more tightly what constitutes an “open” Lead for your agents. You may notice that these code samples are part of our ever-growing Developing With The Service Cloud wiki page — if you haven’t seen that, it’s worth a look. It’s full of goodies.These buttons aren’t the whole solution for the cherry-picking problem, however. For a complete solution, you’ll need to prevent the agents from seeing list views, and you’ll also need to prevent agents from “peeking” at cases or leads and then throwing them back in the queue if they seem too hard.The former, preventing access to list views, is fairly simple. The simplest way to do it is just to deny access to the Case and/or Lead tab by hiding it for your agents’ profiles. Another option is to replace those tabs with a simple Visualforce page which just has a button that calls the same Get Next code and pulls the next case or lead for the agent to work.The latter, preventing peeks, is a little more tricky, and something you need to think through. You can’t completely prevent the agent from changing ownership of cases or leads, since they need that ability to make the Get Next button work. You can, however, add a validation rule that says that for a given profile, once a case or lead has been assigned to an agent, that agent cannot change the owner. That validation rule might look like something this:AND( $User.Id<>OwnerId, $User.Id = PRIORVALUE(OwnerId), $Profile.Name = “Agent” )Be careful though! Your agents may actually on occasion need to change ownership of a case, for instance if they’re leaving for the night or on vacation, or if they need to escalate the case to another tier. So you might need to make exceptions to your validation rule for this. The above rule is therefore only a sample.An alternative would be a softer approach; you could allow your agents to reassign cases back to a queue, but when they do, add a workflow that emails the agent who reassigned the case and his supervisor. That way, if an agent were doing a little too much peeking, the supervisor would be well aware of it (and the agent would know that the supervisor knows).Preventing cherry-picking is never an easy problem with a one-size-fits-all solution, but with a little customization, it’s generally not so difficult to arrive at a solution that will work for you.

This post was originally written by Marco Casalaina.

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