essential guide to becoming a mobile app rock star - part i - consumer-facing apps

The essenTial Guide To BecominG a

MOBILE app rOck star

Part 1Developing an actionable mobile app strategy

1The essenTial guide To becoming a mobile app rock sTar (parT 1)

Mobile devices and apps are changing the way businesses and consumers communicate This shift brings new opportunities for enterprises from a fresh approach to customer engagement to streamlined internal business processes and change management If implemented thoughtfully mobile technologies can not only drive real change but also drive real business value

This 3 part series will guide you through

Developing an actionable mobile app strategy

Creating a business case for mobile apps

Choosing the right partner for your apps

1

2

3

Introduction

Source Symantec 2012


Many companies spend months developing strategies that do little more than justify what they wanted to do in the first place Thatrsquos not a good strategy nor is a high-level plan thatrsquos developed without thinking about implementation Wersquove developed a five step fast-track process for developing a thoughtful actionable strategy that will guide you through the spider web-like process of developing an actionable mobile application strategy Best of all this process will take you weeks instead of months to complete

The process consists of 5 simple steps that almost every company can deliver in about 4 weeks

Evaluate how your customers use mobile devices and apps today

Benchmark competitors and companies in adjacent industries

Interview key stakeholders and identify use cases where mobile can transform your internal and external relationships

Prioritize the use cases based on opportunity size complexity cost and commonality

Look for opportunities to maximize impact

We will explore each of the action items listed above in more depth In the end yoursquoll be ready to get started developing your actionable fast-track mobile app strategy


1

2

3

4

5


Whether you realize it or not your customers are already making mobile devices and apps a big part of their shopping experience In-store shoppers call friends and family to ask their advice they use search scan barcodes or use photo-based apps to look up reviews and compare prices 24 of shoppers say they use their devices to find coupons or deals

In a recent study 75 of consumers said they would switch brands if offered real-time promotions delivered to their smartphones To develop your own mobile app strategy you need to understand how your customers are using mobile applications now

Some practical steps to discovering whatrsquos going on now

1 Gather info from inside your company Is your team currently running mobile apps to market to customers Are other teams What are the apps What do they do What features do they offer What features do customers use

2 Ask your customers Primary research is invaluable If you have a big research budget good for you ndash do surveys and anthropological studies If you donrsquot thatrsquos ok Research doesnrsquot have to cost a fortune Just go ask Ask about how theyrsquore using apps now Ask about cool things they wish they could do


1

Mobile phone owners when shopping in store

46 call a friend or family for advice

28 look up reviews of a product

27 do price comparison with other stores

24 have used their device to find a coupon or deal


The good news is itrsquos probably pretty easy to find your competitorsrsquo apps in app stores if theyrsquore designed for use by consumers It will be harder to find out how the apps are performing but you should be able to see how many downloads there are and you can read comments Here are some other things to try

Look for online news coverage about competitorsrsquo apps

Look for market research on apps in your industry

Check out case studies in your industry by the major vendors

Identify companies from adjacent industries and look online to see what they are doing

Benchmarking is the best way to inspire and get buy in from management (especially when they are skeptical about deploying apps) but the most valuable information yoursquoll gather from this exercise is identifying a ldquoworking knowledgerdquo from other companies of

1 Strategic successes Therersquos nothing wrong with being inspired by ndash and improving on ndash your competitorsrsquo successes

2 Strategic failures Most often an app fails when it does not meet the objectives that were established before its release


2

How have others succeeded or failed


ldquoThe hardest single part of building a software system is deciding precisely what to buildrdquo - Fred Brooks author The mythical man-month

The best way to understand business needs is to ask those that would benefit most from the proposed initiatives Ask your internal stakeholdersmdashC-level executives heads of RampD sales operations and of course marketingmdashwhat theyrsquod like to gain from a consumer app Would they like more insight into consumersrsquo buying processes feedback about your companyrsquos products or services input about preferred buying incentives established customer communication channels etc

A good way to get the information you need is to ask your internal stakeholders to complete this sentance As an [actor] I want [action] so that [achievement]

This use case model is an excellent tool to use to communicate with stakeholders about mobile services in a language they can easily understand This will also set you up for the next two actions of your enterprise mobility strategy

1 Break down a system into manageable pieces

2 Begin to define the functional requirements

Interview key stakeholders and identify use cases where mobile can transform your business

3

What use cases can transform your business

transformative

no way

useful niceto have


Using the methods above most companies easily identify hundreds of potential use cases for mobile applications

The challenge now is to focus on the ones that will have the biggest impact and result in a few quick wins Start by taking all the use cases and rank them from 1 to 10 in the following categories

Opportunity size How much could it cut costs improve productivity or increase revenue (Where a 10 means it is a big opportunity)

Complexity How difficult or simple is the implementation (Where a 10 means it is an easy implementation)

Cost How much is this puppy going to cost you (Where a 10 means it is a low cost)

Commonality Is the use case applicable across multiple lines of business (Where a 10 means it is applicable across the entire business)

Calculate and

1 Identify the top scoring use cases as well as a few quick wins to focus on

2 Develop a roadmap for the next 12-18 months (Expect it to change over time as yoursquoll be learning from the initial development and user feedback)


4

What will have the biggest impact


Many companies have multiple lines of business and may sell a variety of different brands to different audiences Your mobile app might be shaping up to be something very similar to what another brand or marketing team could use Looking for opportunities to pool development resources and share development efforts could help you get more bang for your buck and ultimately deliver greater value to the organization

Any company planning to deploy more than three enterprise apps should consider a Mobile Enterprise Application Platform (MEAP) as part of the strategy to share technology minimize time to market and cut development overhead across business units

Use the results from the use case prioritization exercise in Step 4 (ldquoCommonalityrdquo)

1 Identify what use cases if any would make sense to provide centrally in the organization and start mapping out the requirements

2 Set aside budget for a MEAP which centralizes global functionality but allows individual business units the freedom to develop their own apps (more on MEAP in Part 3 of this series)


5

What use cases shouldwe provide centrally


Now that you have a mobile app strategy based on REAL business needs itrsquos time to get buy in and convince stakeholders to spend the money needed to succeed with execution

Coming Soon More information on becoming a mobile app rock star is coming soon in Parts 2 and 3 of the series

104869210486921048692 Part 2 Creating a business case for mobile apps

104869210486921048692 Part 3 Choosing the right partner

Conclusion

EvaLuatE

BEncHMark

IntErvIEW

prIOrItIzE

MaXIMIzE

How are your customers using apps today




Are there opportunities to maximize impact

12345


About DMI

DMI is the worldrsquos leading provider of enterprise mobility services and solutions We build enterprise class mobile solutions that generate results for the worldrsquos top brands and businesses Our mobile solutions combine the award-winning user experience design that has made us one of the top creators of consumer apps with the deep middleware and engineering expertise that wersquove used to build and manage enterprise applications for the most demanding IT departments in the world DMI mobility solutions improve business processes tap new revenue streams build customer loyalty and increase employee productivity And we offer a full range of Managed Services to securely set up configure and manage your mobile devices

The proof Wersquove built more than 400 mobile appsmdashin the past 12 months alonemdashfor more than 150 leading organizationsmdashlike Disney Coca

Cola Toyota Vodafone PampG The National Guard and Universal Studios

We offer brilliant creative and user experience Our mobile app development group was named the Best Branded App Developer at the 2012 Mobile Entertainment Awards

We have 500000 devices under management for more that 100+ clients including many Fortune 500 companiesmdashlike BP Johnson amp Johnson Sears The Associated Press Allergan and more At BP wersquore deploying 1000 managed mobile devices each day

We provide 24 x 7 x 365 mobile service support for more than 500000 users DMI is the one call our customers need to make to resolve any issuemdashdevices apps infrastructure even carriers

We offer a full range of security options that include Federal-grade hardware-based security two-factor authentication secure container and sophisticated encryption solutions

With our expertise and economies of scale we can provide mobility management at a higher service level and on average 20 lower cost than most companies can do on their own

Pervasive excellence is our commitment to quality service DMI is one of only a handful of companies that is CMMI L3 appraised for both application development and services as well as ISO 90012008 ISO 270012005 and ISO 20000-12011 certified Our average DampB Open Ratings performance score from our clients is 94100

dmi one Rock spring Plaza6550 Rock spring drBethesda md 20817

DMInccom

dmi sales Teamus sales 8559632099intnrsquol sales 2402005848salesdminccom

copy2013 Digital Management Inc All right reserved


Mobile devices and apps are changing the way businesses and consumers communicate This shift brings new opportunities for enterprises from a fresh approach to customer engagement to streamlined internal business processes and change management If implemented thoughtfully mobile technologies can not only drive real change but also drive real business value

This 3 part series will guide you through


Creating a business case for mobile apps

Choosing the right partner for your apps

1

2

3

Introduction

Source Symantec 2012











1

2

3

4

5








1
















2










3


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no way

useful niceto have








Calculate and




4









5







Conclusion

EvaLuatE

BEncHMark

IntErvIEW

prIOrItIzE

MaXIMIzE






12345


About DMI











DMInccom













1

2

3

4

5








1
















2










3


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no way

useful niceto have








Calculate and




4









5







Conclusion

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BEncHMark

IntErvIEW

prIOrItIzE

MaXIMIzE






12345


About DMI











DMInccom










1
















2










3


transformative

no way

useful niceto have








Calculate and




4









5







Conclusion

EvaLuatE

BEncHMark

IntErvIEW

prIOrItIzE

MaXIMIzE






12345


About DMI











DMInccom













2










3


transformative

no way

useful niceto have








Calculate and




4









5







Conclusion

EvaLuatE

BEncHMark

IntErvIEW

prIOrItIzE

MaXIMIzE






12345


About DMI











DMInccom











3


transformative

no way

useful niceto have








Calculate and




4









5







Conclusion

EvaLuatE

BEncHMark

IntErvIEW

prIOrItIzE

MaXIMIzE






12345


About DMI











DMInccom










Calculate and




4









5







Conclusion

EvaLuatE

BEncHMark

IntErvIEW

prIOrItIzE

MaXIMIzE






12345


About DMI











DMInccom










5







Conclusion

EvaLuatE

BEncHMark

IntErvIEW

prIOrItIzE

MaXIMIzE






12345


About DMI











DMInccom








Conclusion

EvaLuatE

BEncHMark

IntErvIEW

prIOrItIzE

MaXIMIzE






12345


About DMI











DMInccom




About DMI











DMInccom



essential guide to becoming a mobile app rock star - part i - consumer-facing apps

Technology