When you buy a new car, you cannot just drive around in a basic version. You want to add more niceties to enhance its comfort and style. You also need to go for regular oil changes and maintain the vehicle as per recommended maintenance cycles, so it runs smoothly for a long time.
The same goes for your mobile application once it is out in the market and your mobile application developer now has to focus more on maintenance than mere app development.
Even if your initial mobile app development involved all the best practices, it will still show the signs of wear with changing external and internal factors.
What’s the solution here?
Invest in an appropriate mobile app maintenance service to prevent your application from getting outdated.
Here are 7 vital services to look for when choosing a mobile app maintenance plan.
#1 OS Compatibility
Your app may stop performing well whenever a new version of Android or iOS is released. The users may find it very frustrating; some may even stop using your app at all.
Therefore, your app maintenance package must include services for proactive audits on pre-release OS versions to avoid last-minute surprises.
This will help your app developers intervene in a timely manner so they can make code changes prior to the release of a new OS version.
#2 UI Enhancement
Irrespective of how much good work your mobile apps designer had put in towards making the initial UI of your app as functional and attractive as possible, it will need continuous work to ensure it does not get outdated.
Therefore, before you signup for any app maintenance package, you must ensure that it includes at least a few hours of provision for UI enhancement of your app every month.
#3 Software Libraries
As an industry-standard practice, mobile app builders make use of 3rd party software libraries to eliminate redundant code.
Your mobile app maintenance plan must ensure continued compatibility with these software libraries as they come out with newer releases.
#4 Downtime Management
Even the biggest names in business are not completely protected from downtimes.
Regular & timely app maintenance schedules have to be put in place to detect downtimes before they hurt you.
Therefore, do make sure your mobile application maintenance package includes regular maintenance plans to provide effective and prompt solutions for re-establishing regular functioning during these situations.
#5 Security Assurance
Even if your mobile app development has adopted the best security and encryption protocols, you can never guarantee that your app will not be the target of cybercriminals and hackers, who are always looking for security loopholes to break into your app.
Routine app maintenance enhances security.
Your application maintenance package must include provisions to ensure that the latest security measures are in place to protect the mobile app and the users are kept safe from the dangers of vicious cyber crimes.
#6 Monitoring Performance
Your app should be regularly monitored for performance, its behavior in terms of lags, loading times, and responsiveness.
Various analytics regarding your mobile app along with technical performance should be on the watch. Things like churn/retention rates, customer usage, conversion rates, and user engagement must be continuously analyzed.
Make sure your mobile application maintenance package includes services for monitoring these metrics to help you improve your app and minimize the loss of customers.
#7 Bugs Fixing
Your users may walk away if bugs are not fixed in time.
Carrying a huge bag of pending bugs may also lead to problems like crashing or complete failure. An increase in bug backlog may also lead to a drastic increase in your app development expenses.
Therefore, it’s critical that your mobile application maintenance package must have SLAs in place to fix technical problems and bugs ASAP. It should also include provisions to respond to user complaints, issues, reviews, and feedback timely and effectively.
