Even gourmets like us have to watch what we eat sometimes. Fat, calories, carbs, sugar, salt..the list goes on. Some people take it to the extreme to monitor everything they eat to make sure they maximize their food intake. You could call this “return on eating” or ROE. They won’t eat anything unless they know they are getting some form of ROE benefit (fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, etc.).
For mobility, many companies take this investment very seriously (as well they should) and try to justify mobile projects through detailed ROI analysis. For a field service app it could be how many more jobs can a tech squeeze in a day by using a mobile app, or how much on-hand inventory can I eliminate through real-time ordering. It definitely makes sense to calculate an ROI in such use cases. However, there are other instances where ROI is fuzzier. Take consumer apps. You know that your customers want mobile apps, but how can you justify the cost? Will a mobile consumer app save you money or make you money? It’s hard to say.
Just as with food, some things you shouldn’t really try to justify or over analyze if it feels right to do (or eat) and if it will make you happy. When having dinner with friends, why pass on a delicious slice of chocolate cake when everyone else is enjoying their creme brulee or cheesecake? Forget the ROI or ROE, join the crowd and make yourself and your customers happy! Don’t focus solely on the investment costs of mobility and know that by giving your customers a great app, they will remain satisfied and loyal to you.
Tags: Jason Wong, Mobile Gourmet, ROI
