The expansive benefits of DIY business applications

Transcription

1 The expansive benefits of DIY business applications 2013 TrackVia, Inc. All rights reserved.

2 CONTENTS Introduction Custom applications for custom needs Custom CRM can enhance employee integration A custom application system can save money and time The expansive benefits of DIY business applications

3 Introduction Consumerization of IT is one of the fastest rising, and potentially most powerful, trends affecting the business world today. One of the most prominent aspects of that trend, the citizen developer movement, is showing no sign of slowing. In fact, a recent Gartner study estimated that by 2014, citizen developers will be responsible for creating at least 25 percent of all business applications. The reasons for this trend are numerous. At the most basic level, do-it-yourself business applications are gaining popularity because they empower workers while ensuring maximum efficiency and saving time and money. Custom applications for custom needs Different organizations have drastically different needs when it comes to applications, including platforms for customer relationship management (CRM), business intelligence (BI) and project management (PM). In spite of the exponential variables differing companies, departments and employees, traditional pre-packaged, IT-backed business software merely provides a static, one-size-fits-all solution. In many cases, the result of such a solution is that the organization is forced to adapt its processes to meet the particular functionality of whatever software it purchased, rather than creating applications that are molded to meet the specific industry and day-to-day requirements of the given company. Today, many businesses recognize that this is a very backward approach to business application software. After all, it is the software that is supposed to be a tool to help the organization, not the other way around. If two organizations have drastically different structures, exist in different industries and have totally different objectives, it is extremely A Gartner study estimated that by 2014, citizen developers will be responsible for creating at least 25 percent of all business applications TrackVia, Inc. All rights reserved. 3

4 unlikely a given application will be best for both of them. A nonprofit that wants to improve communication between employees and members and a small business looking to find new customers may both benefit from a CRM system, but any application that is ideal for one of those objectives will almost certainly not be simultaneously optimized for the other. Custom CRM can enhance employee integration This observation, that one-size-fits-all software doesn t help individual businesses address their unique needs, is true within any given organization. While a particular project management application may be perfect for the sales team, it may not address the needs of the customer support staff. As a result, if the business has pursued a broad, IT-backed software solution, at least one set of employees will often be left frustrated by the suboptimal application it is forced to use. Instead of forcing a solution on its employees, a company can entrust and empower workers to make the best decisions to improve their job performance. Incompatibility is a major contributing factor to business application failures. Despite the benefits they provide, many of these programs, when implemented, fail to yield a positive return on investment, or, even worse, can actually have a negative impact on a firm s profits, customer satisfaction or other key measures. A 2009 Forrester Research report found that among participating businesses that had deployed CRM systems, the failure rate was 47 percent. This means nearly half of those firms that attempted to leverage CRM programs to improve their operations were successful. There is no single, definitive answer as to why so many 4 The expansive benefits of DIY business applications

5 businesses struggle when it comes to effectively deploying business applications, but employee inability or refusal to utilize the system is definitely a significant contributing factor. If workers are not made to see the value in a CRM or other business application, or these programs are too difficult to learn or integrate into existing workflow, employees will resist incorporating such applications into their daily routines. As a result, the system will go unused, and the company will see no benefits from implementing the application. Because DIY applications are customized to accommodate individual users, the benefits of the program become more readily apparent, increasing the likelihood that employees will embrace the system. Further, DIY applications are inherently built to enhance and accommodate an individual s existing workflow, making it a solution rather than another complication to incorporate into a daily routine. The goal of creating an application that makes work easier, rather than more complicated, speaks directly to the heart of DIY business applications. With a DIY approach, users are empowered to develop applications that specifically apply to their day-today needs. DIY business applications provide the basic platform, and users are able to customize that existing framework to best match their workflow. Instead of forcing a solution on its employees, a company can entrust and empower workers to make the best decisions to improve their job performance. A custom application system can save time and money In addition to the usage benefits easier to use, more relevant programs that better meet employee needs DIY business applications can yield powerful financial and time-saving advantages for organizations. This cost and time savings are due to the simple fact that firms are able to purchase a single, basic solution package, which they can customize to meet the particular needs of the individual workers and departments within the organization, rather than buying disparate solutions for each situation, worker, department and so on TrackVia, Inc. All rights reserved. 5

6 Even greater than the cost benefits, however, are the time savings. Using a single software can significantly simplify the installation and implementation process. The IT department, rather than having to master a smorgasbord of different programs, will instead be responsible for a single system. The end users themselves can handle the bulk of the customization, limiting IT s necessary involvement. This is a major benefit. Typically, IT departments must dedicate a significant portion of their time and energy to guiding users through the uses of various business applications. What s more, the fact that these cookiecutter applications aren t good fits for the individual workers means usage issues and conflicts are more likely to arise. DIY business apps provide the basic platform, and users are able to customize the existing framework to best match their workflow. With DIY applications, users will likely have fewer problems, as the tools they use will be designed to meet their personal specifications and needs. This frees the IT department to devote more of its time to bigger, more significant projects that can yield greater benefits for the organization as a whole. Many business leaders see dependence on the IT department as a major drain on company resources. DIY applications are a powerful way to sever this dependence, leading to a more efficient company and a more effective workforce. Greater independence from the IT department can yield enormous time benefits for an organization. Rather than waiting for IT to install and update a business application, DIY platforms encourage and enable users to handle such issues by themselves. This means workers will not need to passively wait around while IT finds time in its schedule to assist them, nor will they be forced to use an outdated version of a business application while waiting for an upgrade. And because all of the applications will be based on a single system, the learning curve will be less steep. This means employees can master their CRM, BI, PM and other tools much more quickly than when using a diverse range of systems. 6 The expansive benefits of DIY business applications

7 About TrackVia TrackVia is a do-it-yourself application platform for business users. TrackVia gives you the power to build custom applications for your business with no programming required. As easy as drag and drop, business users can quickly build applications for CRM, marketing automation, support ticketing, project management and more, tailored exactly to their needs and at a fraction of the cost of out-of-the-box software. TrackVia, Inc Larimer Street, Suite 500 Denver, CO TrackVia Support TrackVia Sales sales@trackvia.com TrackVia, Inc. All rights reserved. 7