IoT applications expand the capabilities of modern businesses

With the Internet of Things fundamentally changing the way companies do business, those who make use of the IoT stand to benefit far more than those that do not. Logistics, customer experience, manufacturing, research and much more can all be improved through the integration of IoT functionality. The interconnectedness of technology allows multiple disparate areas of a business to be coordinated with greater ease, and information be collated and shared with the relevant parties with next-to-no human intervention. Perhaps one of the best examples of this is through modern mobile or desktop apps. Companies of all kinds make use of these apps for countless purposes, and benefit from many of the features that these applications offer, according to IoTforAll.com.

Customer success

When people think of mobile applications, they usually picture apps offered by companies for the convenience of their customers. Banking apps allow you to check your funds without a phone call or in-person visit. Restaurant apps enable the easy placing of pickup and delivery orders. Apps for e-commerce giants even let you place orders for items you need and have them delivered within days, all in the palm of your hand. These new conveniences offer customers greater control over their purchasing habits and foster brand loyalty. In addition, it speeds up the purchasing process, which helps both consumers and the companies they are buying from. Easier, faster purchases means that customers are more likely to buy again, and more often.

Applications meant for customers also afford organizations many benefits of their own. On client facing mobile applications, companies gain unprecedented access to consumer information; the IoT can be utilized, in combination with appropriate software architecture, to gather data that will help a business grow. Metrics like advertising click-through rates and data, features used, product interests, social media usage and much more can be gathered through the use of mobile applications. This, in turn, can be utilized to tailor a company's strategies and focuses. The information can be taken and used to craft marketing campaigns that will attract large portions of the existing customer base, or improve features that have been underused. Feedback systems even allow customer complaints and criticisms to be received within moments of an issue occurring, enabling the immediate fixing of bugs on mobile apps themselves, all thanks to the IoT. 

Mobile apps allow customers to interface with a business in a convenient, accessible way, while also affording many benefits to the companies themselves.

App implementation in the workplace

Applications are not only for customers; many companies also use IoT systems for internal issues, often connected to an organization's intranet Virtual meetings can be coordinated and conducted between different offices, and payroll and time-off can be managed on employee's' personal cell phones. Company mobile or desktop applications create a smart, IoT-enabled environment with which an organization's efficiency can be improved. The ubiquity and simplicity of IoT-enabled devices reduces costs across the board for many of a company's required operations. IoT additionally enables remote monitoring of various work duties; labor costs can be saved through the use of technology. Costs can also be saved on data collection and collation; with easy-to-use IoT devices, employees can gather the information they need with minimal headaches and far less of a time commitment than traditional methods. Workplaces can even become safer through the use of network-connected safety and monitoring equipment, which help maintain a healthy work environment for all employees. Companies being able to save on costs is one of the biggest reasons for the increasing adoption of IoT technologies, and its resulting market growth, according to TechRepublic. 

Yet the greatest benefit IoT applications bring to the interior of organizations is the improvement of productivity. Software can be used to track ongoing work and coordinate the various stages of development and production processes. Employee working trends can be monitored, and the level of employee productivity can be analyzed per hour; in turn, this information can be used to schedule important events during the days and times that the relevant employees are expected to be most productive.

Companies looking to create interconnected applications like these need to have strong IoT infrastructure in place to meet the required demands The larger base of employees or customers an organization has, the more scalable their networks need to be. Luckily, Perle offers high-performance networking tools that can keep companies tapped into their IoT devices around the clock. Our durable Device Servers and Ethernet Switches are graded for heavy traffic use and can be easily integrated into existing network infrastructures. Read some of our customer stories to find out how we've helped other organizations take full advantage of their IoT applications.