We’ve seen it before. You know a Field Service mobile solution would really improve the way you do business but you are on the fence about spending the money to bring on the right product. It’s understandable – new technology comes at a price (financial and otherwise), and there’s a good chance someone in your IT department has the knowledge and ability to cobble together a tool that might meet your expectations.
Is a solution built in-house really going to be more cost-effective than something that’s already been perfected by a mobile app development team? There are many factors to take into account but think about these key considerations listed below…
Can your in-house team stay within budget?
Unless you have a full team dedicated to building and deploying the mobile solution across your company, the simple and direct answer is, “no”.
Building a mobile application – particularly one that will encompass the specific needs of your business and meet security requirements necessary for dealing with private and sensitive information – takes time, and time is money. Even the best-case scenario sees you spending 15% more than your originally stated budget – are you willing to eat that cost?
Outside of financial considerations, it takes considerable time and effort to build a functional, functioning mobile app that supports your needs. Can your in-house team handle being “short-staffed” while you reallocate resources to build a mobile app from the ground up?
Do they know how to future-proof technology?
It’s important that a Field Service mobility solution is built to scale with your company, your industry, and technology as a whole. If you own a smartphone, you already know that most applications are updated regularly, sometimes weekly, to stay up-to-date with changing technology and regulations. Just like a rooftop chiller, application technology is fickle and can break. The expertise of a dedicated app developer helps to mitigate downtime lost to troubleshooting.
Apps in the app store benefit from teams of developers dedicated to building, testing, deploying, maintaining, updating, etc., not to mention integrating third-party tools that can help automate the system even further.
Is the team equipped with the know-how to get it done right?
There’s a reason we place a premium on expertise. The right person for the job will…
- Get the work done faster…
- With fewer errors…
- In a more comprehensive manner.
Even a simple Field Service mobile solution requires depth and complexity if you want to improve the efficiency and performance of your Field Service team. Is your in-house department equipped with the knowledge (and tools) necessary to produce an easy-to-use, easy-to-deploy mobile solution that is also built on an enterprise-grade security infrastructure to guarantee data governance and peace of mind?
Conclusion
The initial investment in a Field Service mobility solution may seem steep, but looking at some of the key factors involved in the development process suggests that opting for a mobility platform provider over your in-house team is a more cost-effective, time-saving solution in the short and long term.
As a Field Service provider, you know when you want something done right you go to the experts. ServiceApp is a comprehensive platform built on a secure framework that is fully customizable, scalable and supported by our team of experienced developers. There’s no time lost in the development phase – our products are practically turn-key (dependant on customizations), with a host of powerful features at your disposal.
We perform regular maintenance checks and have a support team available for near-immediate troubleshooting of technical issues. Tell us your pain points and we can have a custom demo ready within 5 business days.