Why Should You Opt for Application Maintenance and Support Services?

Summary

If you have an app, it needs application maintenance and support services, pronto, to remain useful to your customers.

Because technologies are changing, trends are evolving, and AIs are bridging any remaining gaps in the digital world.

And the short-term cost of app maintenance isn’t enough to incur major business losses in the long term.

Key Takeaways

> Wondering if you need a maintenance management system software for your apps?

> Your best bet is to choose application development & maintenance packages from the get-go.

> Because mobile app maintenance costs can be better negotiated with the vendor who developed it.

Table of Contents

1. A few facts about Application maintenance and support
2. Why is it important for Startups, Big Brands and SMEs to opt for Application Maintenance and Support services?
3. What is Application Maintenance and Support?

⤷ What is Application Maintenance?

⤷ What is Application Support?

4. Top Benefits of Application Maintenance and Support
5. Application Maintenance and Support: The Process Flow
6. How to choose the best possible Application maintenance and support Partner for Your Brand?
7. Conclusion
8. FAQs

Application Maintenance and Support is the regular upkeep that any application needs to stay in shape, just like your car needs regular services to run smoothly.

But many businesses spend tonnes on application development while neglecting application maintenance and support altogether.

This leads to decreased downloads and user counts of the app.

In this LinkedIn newsletter, we will help you understand the power of application maintenance and support.

A few facts about Application maintenance and support

• 20% of the users leave the app after first-time use.

• Within the first three days of deployment, 77% of the apps lose their daily active users.

• 90% of users reported that they stopped using an app because of poor performance and other features.

• One bad experience is enough for 32% of the customers to abandon the brand they adored.

• App maintenance costs for a simple app are 10-15% of development costs, while for a complex app, they are 20-25%.

Why is it important for Startups, Big Brands and SMEs to opt for Application Maintenance and Support services?

There are a few reasons why software maintenance and support is a dire requirement for apps, be they for a startup, small & medium enterprises (SMEs), big brands or Fortune 500 companies.

You can find them below.

Fig 1: A graphical representation of the reasons for choosing application maintenance and support.

Extraordinary Performance

If you want your business apps to perform extraordinarily, they must be re-engineered on a timely basis.

It will help in the addition and removal of features, security measures, and compliance regulations that will make the apps more user-friendly as well as safe.

Productive Updates

If you feel that one productive update will solve the competition worries for you, then it is a big mistake.

You need constant updates, and to do that, the applications need constant monitoring.

This will deliver apps with robust environments, better outputs, efficiency, trustworthiness and simpler features & functionalities.

Business Growth

When you make plans for business growth, do you consider the current application level compared to its competition?

Various aspects, such as lack of maintenance, intelligent support, and upgrades, will lead to a poor review of the app even though it was awesome when it was launched.

But with software  maintenance and support services, your app will become the reason for your business growth.

Better Features & Functionalities

With so many options available in the market, it is hard for an app without application maintenance and support to stay relevant to its users.

User Adoption Rate

User adoption rate generally decreases as the time passes by since the app was launched.

This happens because the app is not getting any upgrades and is becoming outdated by the minute.

Your apps and websites are the digital identities that craft a brand’s image in the minds of its users and competitors.

If an application gets regular app maintenance and support, then it will become a user’s favourite and the reason for the competition to consider you as a thought leader.

Thus, the pathway to an excellent EEAT on Google starts with timely upgrades of your apps.

What is Application Maintenance and Support?

It is important to know it separately so that you understand what is needed to keep your apps at the top.

What is Application Maintenance?

Application maintenance is the term given to the process of taking care of an application post its development and deployment.

Apps need application maintenance services or constant updates, modifications, and re-assessment so that they can be ready for the future with the latest features & without any bugs.

This ensures that the apps’ performance is never hampered.

What are the major roles of application maintenance?

Fig 2: A graphical representation of the major roles of app maintenance.

The key roles of application maintenance are as follows:

Correction

Rectification of any issues highlighted due to error reports or user feedback.

Adaptation

Adapting the current app software towards the latest tech, trends and compliance.

Perfection

The only way to a perfect app is via its constant growth.

Prevention

Preventive measures help in avoiding any glitches, hacking attempts and more in an application.

What are the various types of application maintenance?

There are roughly four types of application maintenance, and they are,

• Emergency maintenance

• Perfective maintenance

• Adaptive maintenance

• Corrective maintenance

This information is enough to help your business relate to one or more of its types and roles.

What is Application Support?

Application support is a service that helps complex apps and apps with huge traffic with appropriate support.

Application management services, or application support services, are used to provide chat support, AI support, service guides, patches and upgrades to prevent any vulnerabilities & zero-day scenarios.

What are the key roles of application support?

Fig 3: A graphical representation of the major roles of application support.

The key roles of application support are mentioned below,

• Emergency response

• Error fixing

• Assistance support

• IT Environment changes

• Documentation changes

What are the various types of application support?

Below are the various types of application support,

• Technical support
• Skilled support 
• Customer support
• Immediate assistance

They are roughly similar to application maintenance but the difference is that support ensures uptime while maintenance ensure future-readiness as well.

Now with this insight into application maintenance and support, it is time to understand its benefits.

Top Benefits of Application Maintenance and Support

The benefits of application maintenance are endless, but how about listing the ones that will help you choose it?

Fig 4: A graphical representation of the key benefits of application maintenance and support services.

Bug Fixation

Bug fixing is the topmost reason and benefit that encourages companies to opt for application maintenance and support.

Bugs can pop-up because of issues in hardware, software or even the operating system (OS).

By regularly checking application maintenance and support, you will not have to worry about them. 

Application support services help Reduce Downtime and Increase Uptime since immediate actions can be taken in case of performance disruptions.

Capability Enhancements

If you wish to keep adding new features and functionalities, your organization needs application maintenance and support services.

Removal of Outdated Functionalities

By removing the outdated features and functionalities, your business apps will never give the old and boring feel to your users.

Improved App Performance

Adding and removing features will impact the apps’ performance as well. 

Regular monitoring and fine-tuning of your Business Application helps your app run faster & smoother, minimizing lag, load time, and crashes.

Via mobile app maintenance and support, your business apps will have the top-notch performance.

Scalability & Security

Timely updates protect the app against cyber threats and ensure compliance with evolving regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA). 

Your apps need the best possible scalability and security to ensure that they not only handle the evolving customer demands but also keep users’ data safe.

Time & Cost-saving

There’s no point in using a legacy app or making a new one; instead, application maintenance and support services should be used to keep the apps up to date while saving time & resources. 

It also avoids unexpected costly emergency fixes.

Customer Satisfaction

Customers love an app that grows with their needs and the market because then they can rely on it with complete satisfaction.

Peace of Mind

With application maintenance and support, your business can have the peace of mind imparted by owning an awesome app forever.

Requirement of Expertise

If you engage application maintenance and support in a timely fashion, the number of expert developers needed (for unplanned downtimes) will decrease significantly.

You can even hire a developer on contract.

Are you feeling the positivity radiating from the thought of engaging application maintenance and support services?

Application Maintenance and Support: The Process Flow

Fig 5: A flow chart of the app maintenance and support process.

If you know the application management process, then you can easily integrate it into your schedules and have realistic timelines.

• It starts with a Change Request that is presented to the Change Management Partner.

• Impact analysis of the change request is evaluated.

• If there are no negative impacts from the change request, the System Release Planning is done. It includes all four types of application maintenance.

• After the planning, Change Implementation occurs.

• And a new System version is released.

By following this procedure, you will never have to roll back your apps due to any haphazard changes.

How to choose the best possible Application maintenance and support Partner for Your Brand?

By following the steps mentioned below, you can easily choose the right app maintenance and support partner,

• Clear requirements

• Researching the application maintenance and support provider (case studies, client testimonials, user reviews and more)

• Platform evaluation

• App maintenance and support process’s lifecycle understanding

• Pricing model comparison

• Starting slow and scaling accordingly

We are sure that by now you are fully equipped to choose app maintenance and support for your business apps.

Conclusion

An app that is maintained and supported will never falter and will always attract more users.

So, depending upon your future goals and expansion plan, the app maintenance and support should be planned.

Remember, you do business via the app, and thus it must be the first beneficiary of your profits.

Lastly, don’t wait because your competitors aren’t…

Wildnet Technologies is a leading software development and maintenance company in India that has helped more than 4100 clients across 8000+ projects to help them develop and maintain their websites, apps & custom software.

If you would like to know more,

> Hyperautomation vs Intelligent Workflow Automation: What’s the Difference?

> Cross Platform Mobile App Development: Balancing Performance & UX

> Wildnet’s Digital Glossary

Connect with us now at info@wildnettechnologies.com and get your Apps up-to-date.

FAQs

FAQ 1: How does application management help with user retention?

Ans: If your business apps are getting scheduled maintenance and support, they will definitely be evolving with the user demands and market trends.

This will keep users engaged and lead to a higher user retention.

FAQ 2: How can user-friendliness be achieved via application maintenance and support?

Ans: When Google is penalizing brands for not being user-centric, it is high time to opt for it.

User friendliness is being promoted to ensure that those websites and apps that are easy to use, helpful and simple to navigate get to rank on top.

This can be achieved if your apps are getting the necessary maintenance and upgrades so that they don’t have to take an unplanned downtime, becoming a reliable resource for the users.

FAQ 3: Should my business hire a full-time developer or a contractual developer for maintenance and support?

Ans: This depends totally on the work that lies ahead along with its complexity and privacy concerns.

If your company will require its apps to be regularly checked because of heavy reliability and traffic, then you should choose a full-time resource.

A full-time resource will also help with ensuring the privacy concerns about confidential data.

While, if your app needs maintenance on a weekly or monthly basis, it is advisable to engage a contractual developer on an hourly basis.

FAQ 4: What are the compliance requirements that an app must adhere to on the Google Play Store?

Ans: An app on Google’s Play Store must ensure the following:

• No restricted content

• No impersonation

• No IPR (intellectual property right) infringement

• No abuse of user privacy

• Safety of the SDK (software development kit) used

• No to excess monetization and ads

• No malware, mobile unwanted software, and spamming

• Android 14 and above

By maintaining and supporting your apps, you ensure their longevity on the Play Store.

FAQ 5: What are the compliance requirements that must be adhered to by an app on the Apple App Store?

Ans: An app on Apple’s App Store must adhere to the following:

• User safety

• App performance

• Proper explanation of app monetization

• User-friendly design

• Legal compliance

• iOS 18 or above

By proper application maintenance and support, you are giving your apps the chance to become the best.

FAQ 6: What are the various application maintenance services?

Ans: They are as follows:

1. Enhancements 

• As-Is Study
• Impact Assessment
• Design & Architectural Improvements
• Build
• Validation & Verification
• Integration & Deployment

2. Transformation

• Application Migration
• UI Enhancements
• Reverse Engineering

3. Maintenance & Support

• Transition Support
• Incident Management
• Application Upgrades
• Environment Support
• Performance Tuning

4. Consulting

• System Analysis
• Roadmap & Definitions
• Process Consulting & Interoperability