When asking this question; I am assuming that you have some knowledge of what an app actually is; I am no techie; so, the best I can say is that an app is something like a computer program but you install it onto your smart phone and use it from there – usually through the internet and your smart phones wireless connectivity. App is shorthand speak for “mobile application” as applied primarily to smart phones; it first began to enter popular parlance around 2008. Such was the growth in smart phone ownership that the word “app” was listed as word of the year by 2010!
Is A Smart Phone A Private Use “Toy”; Or A Legitimate Business Tool?
Back when cellular phones first appeared; there was a tendency to view them as personal property that was entirely financed by the individual owner user. Some company bosses were quick to latch on to the concept that it would be a good thing to be able to phone their employees no matter where they might be located. Obviously, for this to be effective, the boss had to provide not only the phone; but, also, the service subscription. Even today, there is still some dispute over who pays for what; but, with the advent of smart phones with wireless internet connectivity, employees who are often away from the workplace are more and more expected to be always connected.
Business Apps
Once a company starts to invest in smart phones for employees; there will be calls for additional investment in apps for them to run on those phones. It is not so much that the expense snowballs; it is more that the uses to which a business can apply these apps are growing almost every day. A conference app to enable staff to attend meetings without having to travel back in person will soon lead to the idea that customers and other interested parties can also be brought into the loop.
Any event that a company organizes; be it a new product launch or an appearance at a trade show can be covered by easy apps for events to engage potential customers and get your message across to them. You can reach those that are too busy or too distant to attend your event in person and, even those that do actually attend can use their Apps For Events to collect and organize your publicity material (carting paper away from a trade show is heavy work – storing the data in one’s smart phone is a walk in the park (and they have the data ready to recall anywhere at any time). Sounds like a good investment to me.
