The Importance of Regular App Maintenance: Why Neglecting Your App Can Harm Your Business

A ton of smartphone users think of mobile applications as definite solutions to daily problems and needs. However, these same users will not think twice before saying goodbye to an app for good if they feel that overall performance is or has become very poor.

This is a major reason why most businesses and companies want to keep their applications well-maintained and user-friendly. Mobile maintenance is therefore a form of investment that brings in great advantages later on.

App maintenance practices are crucial for all businesses and have led to several providing regular updates for business apps at regular intervals. Applications are updated based on market demand and the latest trends. Enterprises have started scheduling maintenance every 2 to 3 months by allocating the required resources and setting a budget.

If you are a company or business owner that wants to learn more about app maintenance and why it is important, then you are in the right spot. Today, we shall look closely at why application maintenance is so crucial for business success. Let’s get started!

What Happens If A Business Opts Out Of App Maintenance?

A lot of users are dependent on apps provided by a certain company so any malfunction or breakdown is a huge cause of alarm. If such an incident does occur, it can greatly tarnish the image of a brand. Users may also stop using the app altogether which makes the presence of an app completely useless.

Plus, users often make use of business apps to solve daily life problems that relate to:

• Grocery
• Education
• Banking
• News
• Health
• Entertainment, etc.

Research shows that tons of adults all over the globe use apps to connect to the Internet. Most make use of at least one messaging app, social media app, mobile payment app, and a few others. This usage has allowed brands to better market their products/services. Even App Stores have become more accessible and offer an array of options.

Not only this, the number of applications downloaded for mobiles is also seeing an increase. The 3rd quarter of 2020 witnessed 28.3 billion Google Play downloads whereas 8.2 million downloads were made from the Apple App Store.

These stats and figures show how important mobile app maintenance is and why businesses must focus on this to come on top of competitors.

The better an app is and the longer its lifespan, the more fruitful and profitable it is for a business.

What Are The Different Types Of Mobile Maintenance?

Before we get into reasons why app maintenance is crucial for businesses, it is necessary to understand the different types of mobile maintenance. Let’s take a look at these below:

Perfective Maintenance

The emergence of new trends, functionality, and features means businesses will have to cater to new user expectations or modify existing app features. Taking feedback from current users is a great way to assess what part of the source code requires modification for a completely perfect user experience.

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance focuses on eliminating any functional errors in an application. It also attempts to make the UI simpler while also reducing app usage complexity. Documentation updates, code revamping, and reconstruction are just a few of the things that are part of the process of this type of maintenance.

Adaptive Maintenance

Keeping track of app changes to ensure the system stays updated is known as adaptive maintenance. Adjustments mean adjusting the hardware, software, operating system, or other things in a working environment to keep an application running smoothly.

Emergency Maintenance

Some errors or issues can be random or sudden. The sudden emergence of unpredictable or unexpected problems requires immediate attention. This prevents users on the app from being deterred away from a seamless application experience.

Corrective Maintenance

Corrective maintenance is fixing any app malfunctions, defects, faults, and issues. Repairs include covering or fixing errors that have emerged due to coding, app logic, or design issues.

All kinds of maintenance require resources, attention, and a dedicated budget. Depending on the type, these can vary greatly. Maintenance ensures that as a business, you are well acquainted with all types and are prepared to handle various maintenance issues without any trouble.

Why Is Mobile App Maintenance So Important For Any Business?

Now that you have an understanding of various mobile maintenance types, it is time to look at why mobile app maintenance is a must for any kind of business. Let’s look at the top reasons below:

1. User Reviews/Ratings

Users or individuals that download a business app from an App Store often share feedback and leave reviews regarding the app experience. Other potential users often go through these to decide if your app is even worth downloading.

Frequent updates help bring in positive ratings and app reviews which encourages other users to download the application as well. A positive user experience channels positive reviews, and higher ratings which ultimately drive greater downloads. All of this helps your business to build a solid application rapport.

2. Updates Are Always Appreciated

App users always appreciate new functionality, smart features, and frequent updates. Maintenance is, therefore, a great way to keep customers engaged and happy. Updates also make users think that a brand cares about them, and their app experience and takes heed from feedback. Therefore, improved development and staying on board with mobile app technology trends can help you not only make old users stick, but also attract new ones.

3. Bugs Are A Nuisance

Even with a strong and knowledgeable development team and programmers on board, it is still possible for bugs to appear from time to time. Maintenance helps eliminate bugs that can cause errors, loading issues, problematic functions, and crashes.

Providing app bug updates keeps users happy especially if an error is seriously affecting app function and experience. The good news is that bugs are easily discoverable and can be quickly fixed using dedicated tools. As a business, it is also a good idea to invest in bug-fixing tools to ensure great app health.

4. Users Have Become Tech-Savvy

The modern age and technological awareness have made app users quite tech-savvy. To keep them pleased and ensure your app stays relevant, it is important to keep providing updates and bringing innovation to your platform.

Failure to provide fresh updates in line with new trends causes users to take your app less seriously which is why proper maintenance is essential for consistent user appreciation.

However, you must be aware of how frequently updates are required. Do not provide them too often as this can throw customers off and leave them feeling annoyed. Make sure to also revise regular updates as a marketing trick to stay on top of the competition.

5. UI And UX Channel App Success

UX (User Experience) and UI (User Interface) play important parts in a mobile application’s success. This means that keeping both UI and UX updated is essential.

It is a good idea to stay ahead of the latest UX and UI trends and try to provide updates that allow your business mobile app to match the latest mobile app standards.

6. Updates Help An App Stay Compatible With OS Updates

Whether it is Android or Apple, all OS (Operating Systems) get updated a few times each year. OS updates are offered to provide a great user experience, offer the latest functions and open up new possibilities.

Failure to maintain a business mobile app can lead to a loss of information transfer speed each time an OS is updated. Extreme scenarios can cause complete app malfunction, crashes, and failure.

Regular system app updates in relevance to OS updates ensure proper function and seamless compatibility. Make use of remote application management tools to help match your application’s interface and design to an updated operating system’s background.

7. Ensures App Security

Mobile apps are the new target for hackers and cybercriminals. This is due to the increased dependency of users on mobile apps to access the Internet. Therefore, mobile app security is super crucial to not only protect app users but the business network itself.

A secure app allows users to feel safe and increased trust means that customers are more willing to share and store private/confidential data on the app. A poorly maintained app is also a huge threat that can lead to cyber-attacks and malware spread due to the absence of the latest security protocols.

8. Preventsa Blacklisting

This is a major reason why maintenance is so important. All App Stores have a set of rules and guidelines that must be followed. These are also updated regularly which means if developers do not stay updated and are not cautious, they can risk a business app getting blacklisted.

Any major policy updates or changes must never be ignored as this helps boost app compatibility with Play Store updates. Continuous updates and monitoring will elongate app life and boost app health while also providing the perfect user experience.

9. Allows An App To Stay On Top Of The Competition

The app industry is highly competitive which means businesses must provide frequent updates and top-notch maintenance to keep customers glued. App performance monitoring is another great way to prevent your business from losing loyal customers to competitors and stay on top of your game.

Most businesses have also started allocating resources and a proper budget for timely app maintenance. Without users, an app has no life. Therefore, a seamless and flawless user experience is key to profits, app success, and business credibility.

10. Dodge Unforeseen Downtime

Almost all business apps are launched to not only attract customers but also generate profits/revenue on the side. App downtime due to poor maintenance and monitoring can lead to a loss in profit and customers. The worst part is that you will face greater loss based on how elongated a downtime is.

No smart business should allow such a situation to tarnish its image and cause a loss of incoming revenue. Regular mobile app maintenance, server updates, and proper monitoring are the only things that can eradicate this issue.

How Does Mobile App Maintenance Allow Businesses To Stand On Top Of Competitors?

By now, you must have realized how crucial business app maintenance is and why it is considered so essential. All business owners and development teams should form a foolproof app maintenance strategy/plan and allocate the required budget and resources so there is no hindrance in regular mobile application maintenance.

A solid plan helps a business stay on top of the competition and gain an obvious advantage. The smartest way to go about app maintenance is to come up with a service strategy and update plan that most other companies cannot compete with, target, or win against.

It is also important to note that companies interact directly with customers via an app so fresh functions/features at regular intervals will help provide an excellent CX or customer experience.

Maintenance also allows current users to believe that a brand or business is willing to listen to the audience’s needs and cater to them. They feel heard, start believing in brand credibility, and are likely to stay more loyal. Top-notch, updated and new features also help attract other potential users who can be tuned into loyal consumers.

Brand loyalty and customer trust automatically give any business leverage over others and helps the downpour of 5-star reviews and positive user feedback. All of this is what is surely required by a business, company, or brand that hopes to sell its products/services through a mobile app to generate profits/revenue.

Final Thoughts

Giving priority to mobile app maintenance is an effective method to keep customers loyal, happy, satisfied, and hooked. A business’s top priority should be to keep its mobile app function healthy and updated.

Professionals should be brought on board, and allocated a suitable budget and required resources to enable this. This ensures an app is free from bugs, has the latest UX/UI, can garner positive reviews and 5-star ratings on any App Store,

All of this eventually builds brand rapport and a strong brand reputation. You will be able to keep existing customers while simultaneously attracting new ones. A secure, robust, and error-free app is, therefore, truly a win!