Usually it is no, or at least not yet, and we build apps for a living. Here is how to work out whether you need an app, a better website or just a few reminders.
"Does my small business need an app?" is one of the first questions owners ask us, and they're often a bit surprised by the answer. Usually it's no, or at least not yet. We build iOS and Android apps for a living, so that's not a great sales pitch. But an app nobody opens is a waste of your money, and it won't win us any friends either.
So here's how we'd work it out with you, using nothing more complicated than a few honest questions.
The question that matters most
How often does the same customer come back to you?
Everything else depends on that. Nobody installs an app for a business they'll use once. They'd be downloading something, making room for it on their phone and giving it permission to send notifications, all for a company they may never need again. They just won't do it, however nice the app looks.
Now take a customer who books a house clean every month, orders from the same cafe every morning or brings in the dog every six weeks. For that person an app is handy. It remembers their details, it knows their last order and it lets them rebook in a couple of taps. It also gives you a spot on their home screen and a way to send them a notification, and those are hard to get any other way.
If your customers come back regularly, keep reading. If they come along once every few years, you can probably stop here and put your money into a better website.
Does my small business need an app or just a better website?
Most owners who ask us about an app are really after one of these things:
- More enquiries from people who haven't heard of them yet.
- Bookings or payments without phone calls.
- Customers coming back without being chased.
- Something for staff so that they stop running the business from a group chat.
Only some of those call for an app. New customers find you through Google, and Google sends them to your website. Hardly anybody searches an app store for a plumber. Bookings and payments work well on a good mobile website. Bringing customers back can often be handled with reminder emails or text messages. Our rebooking reminders guide shows you how to set that up without any app at all.
The one that often does justify an app is staff. If your team is out on the road or on the shop floor all day, an app built around their actual work can save everyone a lot of messing about. Quite often that's a better first app than a customer one, and it's an easier decision because your staff have to use it.
When an app is the right call
We'd seriously look at building one if most of these are true for you:
- Your customers buy from you several times a year or more.
- Reminders would actually help them, rather than annoy them.
- You need things a phone does well, like the camera, location or notifications.
- Your website is already doing its job, and you've got people to send to the app.
- You or your staff would use it every working day.
A cleaning company we built for in Australia is a good example. House cleaning comes around again and again, so we built a website and iOS and Android apps with automation behind them. When a customer's next clean is due, they get a notification. You can read how we approached that project. The app made sense there because of the way that business works. It wouldn't make sense for everyone.
When we'd tell you to wait
Hold off if your website is slow or out of date, because that's where new customers are going to meet you, and an app won't fix it. Hold off too if you're still working out what your customers want. An app is a slow and awkward place to run experiments. Changes have to be built, tested and sent out through the stores, while a website can change the same afternoon.
And be careful if the only reason is that a competitor has one. Find out whether anybody uses it first. Lots of business apps get downloaded once and forgotten.
The middle option most people haven't heard of
There's something between a website and an app store app. It's called a progressive web app. It's built with web technology, it works from a single codebase on any device, and customers can launch it from their home screen just like an ordinary app. There's no separate build for each phone, which keeps things simple.
It's a sensible way to test whether people will really use an app-like tool before you commit to the stores. It isn't right for everything, particularly if you need deep access to phone features or want to be found in the App Store. But when an owner isn't sure, it's often where we'd start the conversation.
What running an app really involves
The build isn't the end of it, and we'd rather you knew that now. You'll need an Apple developer account and a Google Play one. Phones update every year, so the app needs looking after too. And you'll need to give people a reason to install it, because they won't find it by themselves. Put it on your invoices, mention it after each job, and have your staff tell customers about it in person. If you'd like the numbers, we've written about what it costs to build an app.
What we'd do if you came to us
We wouldn't start by quoting you for an app. We'd ask how you get customers now, how often they come back and where things fall over. Then we'd lay out a plan in plain English: this is what we'd build, this is why, and here's what we'd leave out for now. Sometimes that's a website and a few automations. Sometimes it's a website with iOS and Android apps. You read it and you decide. If it doesn't stack up for you, there's no deal and no hard feelings.
We mostly work with small businesses and startups, so we're used to making a small budget go a long way, and you won't get pushed into building more than you need. If you've got an idea for an app, or you're wondering whether you should have one at all, send us a few lines about your business. We'll give you a straight answer, even if it's "not yet."
Need help putting this into practice?
Our team can do it for you — a clear plan and price within 24 hours, no obligation.
