Virtually all of our modern industries here in Australia are going through a period of rapid digital transformation.
While this period was initially brought about by the realities of COVID-19 lockdowns and an immediate need for businesses to design and implement digital alternatives to their traditionally face-to-face or office-based processes, the advancements that Australian businesses have made over the past few years have continued to be needed in our post-COVID economy.
One particular element of industrial digital transformation that was seen as highly valuable to businesses during the pandemic was both the development and use of business mobile apps.
A record number of Australian businesses were simultaneously investing in mobile app design and using business management apps and communications software to support their new ways of working.
Essentially, the role that mobile apps have played throughout this current period of digital transformation is truly dynamic, and as such, market analysts have had to take a multidisciplinary approach in order to assess the impact that these technologies are having. had on the Australian economy as a whole.
We will explore some of the most significant impacts mobile apps have had on the digitization of a wide variety of Australian industries, ranging from financial institutions and retail industries to education.
Streamline Organizational Operations
One of the biggest impacts the COVID-19 lockdowns have had on businesses has been forcing professionals to shift from in-office work to a fully remote work model, which we now affectionately refer to as a remote work model. home (or WFH).
Telecommuting models had their fair share of challenges, ranging from the added difficulty for professionals to achieve a healthy work/life balance to the drastic limitation of communications between colleagues throughout the workweek.
The reduction in communication and collaboration opportunities has led many companies to express concerns about the stagnation of organizational development, as well as the negative impacts on productivity and a simultaneous increase in potentially costly errors.
After just a few weeks of working from home in 2020, many Australian business owners have recognized the need to invest in project management software as a way to facilitate communications when working remotely.
Project management and business communication software have enabled organizations to effectively synchronize their working days with each other, ensuring that colleagues know what their peers would prioritize on any given day of the day. week, while maintaining a solid understanding of how a collaborative project would progress.
Holistic approach project management software with built-in communication features such as Slack and Asana would have been more readily adopted by Australian businesses than apps just for messaging or communication.
Boost customer retention and acquisition
Of course, business apps aren’t just developed by companies for companies. In fact, one of the most important forms of app development we’ve seen throughout the pandemic wasn’t innovations in project management software at all, but more so in the experiences of customer-centric mobile applications.
As mentioned earlier, Australian businesses operating in virtually every industry have been encouraged to develop their own digital alternatives to their traditionally in-person processes, with retail businesses and financial institutions being the most common organizations with which Australian consumers found themselves interacting. through their mobile devices.
Although business owners have recognized the theoretical benefits of developing and maintaining a mobile app for their business, the pandemic has led a large majority of Australian business owners to take the plunge and start investing in a mobile app and making sure their interactions with customers were happening. on multiple platforms.
App offerings such as games, interactive customer experiences, or customer loyalty programs have enabled businesses to enjoy higher customer engagement rates and, consequently, customer retention and acquisition.
Continued Convenience in a Post-COVID Economy
A huge offer provided by mobile apps and web pages that Australian consumers have made full use of throughout the pandemic was the ability to click through and collect their goods from physical retail stores rather than simply waiting for delivery of package by themselves.
As AusPost faced unprecedented amounts of parcel deliveries throughout the pandemic, click and collect was a system that removed immense strains from both Australian industries and its consumers.
These offers have continued to be a convenient alternative to shopping for many Australian households as well as businesses, with many stores establishing ‘click and collect’ bays inside and outside their store to accommodate customers. who may not have time to shop the traditional way.
In this sense, professional mobile applications have demonstrated their ability to improve the convenience of the customer experience of any company, but also the accessibility or inclusiveness of this experience.
Supporting Sustainable Practices in Modern Industries
Finally, the implementation of digital alternatives to traditional processes has also inadvertently enabled many Australian businesses to reduce their overall carbon footprint at a time when sustainability is becoming increasingly critical for businesses around the world.
Mobile apps are playing a valuable role in weaning businesses off their outdated pen and paper processes, both by replacing physical documents with greener electronic copies, reducing the need for office correspondence and thus potentially minimizing overhead costs associated with the office. lighting, heating or air conditioning, and the consumption of office supplies and other resources, including transportation emissions associated with the provision of these resources.
There is also evidence to suggest that consumer mobile apps have played a similar role, as businesses no longer need to invest as much in physical advertising to reach consumers outside of their storefronts or offices.
Along the same lines, the introduction of mobile apps in other industries such as law, financial services, real estate and property management, and even education has drastically reduced the demands of the industry into paper contracts, course materials, and other physical media that require customers and organization representatives to interact face-to-face. -to deal with.
The decline in emissions throughout the pandemic has definitely told us that the rise of business mobile apps and the digital transformation of industries that mobile apps are inspiring are just as positive for sustainable development as they are for economic growth as a whole. .
While the extent of the impact mobile apps have had on the digital transformation of Australian industries is yet to be measured, what market analysts have observed so far indicates that these digital alternatives will continue to play a major role in the future of not only our national economy, but also our global economy.
