Businesses value mobile technology, but they’re discovering deploying and managing mobile applications isn’t so easy. According to a survey released today from Kony, Inc., businesses are still unsatisfied with the apps they have, and organizations note that issues with IT are holding them back.
Kony partnered with Wakefield Research and surveyed more than 1,000 business executives to find that enterprises recognize the need for a mobile app strategy. This recognition, according to Carlos Carvajal, chief marketing officer at Kony, doesn’t make the process of developing a strategy any easier.
“The findings highlight that despite the maturity of the technology, organizations are facing a number of challenges developing the app internally or using an external app developer,” said Carvajal. “Unfortunately, these hurdles around user experience, cost, and management are stifling innovation. And we are well aware that organizations that fail to innovate quickly become irrelevant in this digital era.”
While 98 percent of respondents noted their company would benefit from specific types of mobile apps, 65 percent of business leaders that invested internally in mobile app development over the past 12 months are not completely satisfied with their IT department’s management of the overall user experience of apps.
Since those who manage in-house app development are not satisfied with their internal IT departments, they are choosing to instead work with third-party developers who will build, manage and maintain an application. Or, they go to work with third-party app design agencies to manage the app in-house.
A small percentage of respondents said they would rather rely on their internal IT teams, and executives that chose to receive outside help faced additional challenges on their own. Ninety-two percent of those who sought out external application development assistance didn’t feel that their outsourced applications met their expectations, according to the survey.
Plus, only one in five business leaders said that their in-house IT department is the best solution to develop their apps. Some of the challenges highlighted include lack of skilled staff, limited IT budget, and security. Additionally, 27 percent of respondents feel their IT department deprioritizes the mobile app strategy.
As a result, business leaders turn to third-party vendors to develop their mobile applications and help them maintain a solid mobile app strategy, but challenges still remain. Almost half of respondents cited higher-than-expected costs to develop and maintain the app, and other respondents cited lack of customizable options as a key challenge to using third-party vendors.
According to Kony, internal IT resources are stretched thin and current IT departments lack the skills necessary to manage emerging technologies. Since there is an employee demand for internal applications and information in real-time, businesses need to rethink their mobile app strategies for more cost-effective approaches, according to the survey.
