Over the past few years, we have seen all kinds of businesses, from supermarkets to laundry service providers, embrace technological advancements wholeheartedly. There has been a rise in the number of both web and mobile apps. Businesses of all sizes feel that it is worthwhile to invest in an app that will help them reach more potential customers and capture their attention.

Whenever a business wants to launch a new application, it has to invest a lot of resources into the process of its development and launch. There is first an exhaustive discovery and analysis phase where the business defines its requirements, i.e., what features and functions the final version of the app is supposed to have. Then comes the design phase, which is especially critical for consumer-facing apps since many users may not be very tech-savvy. Finally, development begins. Programmers and testers turn the app idea into a reality. Most developers offer to assist the app owners with the application’s launch, also known as the implementation phase.

What happens now? The app owner is given the opportunity of choosing a maintenance package. What would you, as an app owner, do? Do you think it is a viable idea to sign up for a regular application maintenance and support package?

Today, we will tell you five reasons why it is important to sign up for application maintenance and support services when you are planning to launch a web or mobile app.

1. Compatibility with Newer Hardware and Software

Every day, new types of computer hardware and software are launched in the market.

Look at the technological giant Apple, for example. It regularly launches new features and updates for its products, such as the iPhone and iWatch. Now, let’s suppose you launch an app on the Apple store that is compatible with the latest iOS version. A little while after the launch of your app, Apple launches a newer version of iOS, along with another upgrade of the iPhone. Imagine the users’ disappointment when they realise that they cannot run your app on their new devices because you have not updated your app to run on these platforms.

Therefore, it is important that you stay updated with the latest technological progress and adapt to the rapidly changing digital landscape. Otherwise, your customers or users will waste no time in switching to a better, more up-to-date provider.

2. User Satisfaction

An app that runs smoothly has the potential to grab and retain the attention of its users. Even after the launch of your app, you need to make sure that your app not only meets top-tier user interface design benchmarks but also provides a flawless user experience. This is one of the best ways to keep users happy and satisfied with your product.

With proper application maintenance services, you can also continue to update your app to add new features and functions, as needed by the users. You can also take user feedback within the app and remove any features that they feel is irrelevant. This will make the users feel heard and build their loyalty and trust towards your product.

3. Security Upgrades

Security and privacy are crucial parts of software application development. They are key factors on which no user is willing to compromise. If you do not carry out regular maintenance and upgrades, cybercriminals will have a field day discovering and taking advantage of any security vulnerabilities within your app.

Proper application maintenance and support is required to make sure that your app is safe from the latest cyber threats, such as new ways of hacking, phishing, and data theft. If the users feel safe when they use your app, they will give it preference over apps offered by your competitors. They may also use your app more frequently. Both situations are ideal for retaining customers and boosting revenue.

4. Bug Fixes

Software development is an error-prone process. There may be many parties involved in the development of a single app. It is especially difficult for one person to single-handedly take up a large-scale software project. There is always a whole team of experts who contribute to the development of the app, from analysts and designers to multiple programmers and testing engineers. Thus, it is obvious that the process cannot be absolutely perfect from the get-go. Despite the level of professionalism that experienced software engineers exhibit, there can be bugs – or errors – in your app, some of which you may end up discovering after the app has been launched. That is why it is important that you have the right kind of help standing by – a reliable application maintenance services provider.

With professional application support services, you can have technical experts take care of any problems that your app or your users may run into before or after the app has been released. Major panic can be avoided if you hire the right application maintenance and support professionals for taking care of bugs.

5. Downtime Avoidance

What would happen if you were watching a video on YouTube and suddenly the stream refused to buffer further? You could try to refresh it once or twice. Oops. It turns out that all of YouTube has suddenly crashed! You will then turn to another video-streaming site, such as Dailymotion, in the hopes that you will be able to continue your journey down the video-watching rabbit hole. There are plenty more fish in the sea – so many fun videos to watch on other streaming sites!

Now, imagine the same thing happening to your app. A user opens your app to perhaps place an order and suddenly the app experiences a country-wide crash. Can you afford that kind of loss? There could be hundreds of customers trying to place an order at that time who would all end up turning to your competitors, not knowing if your app would ever come back to life.

With periodic, well-scheduled application maintenance and support services, you can avoid such catastrophes. Perhaps you could pick a time of day at which user activity is at a minimum, and set up maintenance tasks for that time slot. Even if there is seemingly nothing wrong with the app, there is no harm in carrying out regular tests to ensure that the app is working smoothly. Consistent application maintenance and support can help avoid large-scale crashes and burns.