Corporate Apps: Why Us? Why Now?

The means of interacting with your customer continue to evolve. One of today’s newest ways to connect is with a corporate app. Here are some examples of how some companies are getting right in their customers’ pockets:

Pizza Hut. Their app allows you to build a customized pizza on your phone by choosing the crust type and adding various toppings, then clicking a button to order it. Convenient for grown-ups and fun for kids!

Nationwide Insurance. While most of us know the steps we should take, it’s hard to think clearly after an accident. Nationwide Mobile helps you contact local authorities and emergency services. It also prompts you to exchange relevant information with the other driver, as well as take pictures of the scene with the iPhone’s built-in camera and record the exact location with the phone’s GPS.

AirStrip OB. Since this is the healthcare issue, I couldn’t neglect the huge impact apps are having on this industry. The Apple website shares an amazing example. AirStrip OB enables obstetricians to monitor different stages of labor even when they’re not by a patient’s side. Developed by AirStrip Technologies, AirStrip OB links individual mobile devices to a central server with HIPAA-compliant authentication, giving obstetricians remote access to live views of delivery room data—including fetal heart tracings, contraction patterns, vital statistics and nursing notes.

“AirStrip OB is an absolutely indispensable app on iPhone,” says Dr. Marco Giannotti. “It fundamentally changes the way I’m able to interact with labor and delivery. In a tenth of the time, without pulling a nurse away from what she’s doing, I get all the real-time data I need at the touch of a button.”

The Wine Connection. Massimo Marinucci runs a $20 million business with six employees, an online enterprise system and his iPhone. “We’re basically a web-based business,” Marinucci explains.

Having instant access to inventory and sales data means that Marinucci can better serve his customers. If a customer walks in and says, “You know, I can’t remember what I bought last time. Can you help?” he pulls out his iPhone, logs into the system and looks up the purchase based on the customer’s name or email address. If the customer decides to buy, Marinucci can process the sale right there, without using the cash register. And that results in a faster transaction for the customer and shorter lines at checkout.


Ahead of the Curve
DLA Creative recognized the trend of apps and launched a spin-off company six months ago. This new entity, appitudez, has already released several successful apps. Having the ability to create these portable marketing tools is just one more way to help clients extend their brand and reach the higher level of customer intimacy that is needed in today’s marketplace. iBi

This article was originally published in interBusiness issues, written by Michelle Lefebvre