New Partnership with The APP Company

There’s a new partnership with The APP Company, allowing our clients to work with their WebCenter Owners for potential app development.  While not owner or associated with MA WebCenters, we are excited to collaborate with a leading industry-provide of custom app development.  We had a chance to sit down with Nick McCandless, Partner of The APP Company, to discuss their company, the Shop.com/MA WebCenter partnership and the market for app development for small and medium-sized businesses and large organizations.

Jason Pelland (JP), Field Development Executive with MA WebCenters interviews Nick McCandless (NM) below:

JP: Nick, thanks for taking the time to meet with us to discuss the relationship. Can you please introduce yourself and The App Company:

NM: Hello, my name is Nick McCandless and I am one of the Partners here at The APP Company. The APP Company is a fully integrated mobile software company and has been designing, developing, building, managing & publishing mobile Apps for more than eight years. We have launched over 100 Apps to date & have created Apps that have been featured on the App Store & the Google Play Store. Our Apps have risen to # 1 in Education, #2 in News, #3 in Entertainment & #5 in the Sports & Lifestyles categories. Our clients range from large organizations such as the University of Southern California (USC) and Cosmopolitan to small businesses like Joe’s Italian Ice and Hope Family Wines. We are excited to be working with Market America to offer our industry-leading App platform at an incredible price that is attainable for all businesses.

JP: Are apps solely for large businesses, software companies, social networks, and games?

NM: Apps are beneficial to businesses and organizations of all sizes. The APP Company has extensive experience in servicing small, medium, and large businesses and well planned and executed apps offer incredible benefits to each group.  Specifically with small businesses in mind, The APP Company has built a suite of features baked into our App Platform, to accommodate businesses’ smaller budgets. Our App Platform focuses on delivering a plethora of features and functionality that will help them grow and expand their business. Medium-sized businesses have also leveraged our App Platform to offer tools and experiences that would have cost exponentially more if they were built from the ground up. Because our technology was built with businesses of all sizes in mind, we made sure that we offered a feature set that covers all industries. For large businesses, we also offer our platform as well as custom app development to service all needs. We are often able to offer large businesses lower pricing due to our investment in our App Platform and the building blocks that most apps are built upon. We do not have to build everything from scratch, put simply, anything that is possible through a mobile app, we have covered!

JP: But, is there a market for Small Businesses to tap into with application development?

NM: Absolutely! We work with many small businesses around the world including, but not limited to, ice cream shops, salons, gyms, restaurants, and more. With features like our rewards program, menus, push notifications, and more, every small business can learn more about their customers than ever before and offer their customers a better experience from their business. This enhanced business experience leads to more loyal customers and higher revenue that make the small cost of their app a true investment in their business. We help small businesses learn that a high quality, useful and cost-effective app is well within reach of their business.

JP: Why should a business or organization consider an app versus a mobile responsive website?

NM: A recent study showed that over 85% of consumers prefer mobile apps over a mobile responsive website. The experience of a mobile app is more engaging, seamless, and offers functionality not possible through a mobile responsive website. For example, with a mobile app you have the ability to instantly ping your customers alerting them of specials, reward loyalty through our robust rewards program, offer a more native experience with integrated technologies, and more! When looking at services like Yelp, Facebook, etc. most users access these platforms through a mobile app because of the more integrated and seamless experience.

JP: What are the top objectives you hear when consulting business/organizations about developing an app for them? What are they looking to do with it or what results are they hoping for?

NM: The top objectives we hear from businesses when creating their apps are

1) Offer an enhanced experience for customers/clients

2) Better communication with customers/clients

3) Establish a positive return on investment (ROI) on the cost of the app

4) Drive more traffic to the business

5) Sell more products and/or services

6) Outperform the competition

Our App technology opens up endless possibilities for businesses to achieve all of the above!

JP: If a company feels they can get exposure, promotion, or streamline business practices by using an app, but they’re just not certain what type of app or how to implement, what advice could you provide?

NM: The APP Company is proud to assist our clients in ensuring their app is successful for their business. Through our 100+ clients, we have learned what works and what doesn’t when it comes to leveraging an app for business promotion and streamlining a business. Often our clients run promotions to incentivize their customers/clients to download their app so that they can take advantage of the experience the app offers while allowing the business to better communicate with their customers/clients. We are happy to discuss strategies and what we have seen work for each client based on the industry they are in. Our core value is to advise our clients to build useful, cost effective apps, that make sense for their business objectives and fit within their budgets.

JP: So, what is the process for developing an app?

NM: Thanks to the robust platform we have developed, we have an average turnaround time of less than a month for getting an app built and approved in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. We begin the process by understanding what the client is looking to achieve and offer inside of their app. Once we have an understanding of what they want to offer with their app, our team will use our technology to build the app for the client within 1-2 weeks and deliver a build for the client to review. Once the client approves the app that was built, we will handle the process of submitting and getting the app approved for both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for the client.

JP: What does The App Company provide, in terms of app development?

The APP Company is a full service mobile software company, so we offer design, marketing, consulting, development, and any other services related to mobile apps. We have been in business for over eight years with many top hits so we know what it takes to be successful, the best strategies to obtain the best results, and how to obtain all of this while remaining within the budget of businesses of all sizes.

JP: What is your process and timeline for production?

NM: Once a business signs up for one of our three plans, they will gain access to our App Platform where their app will be created. If the business signs up for the Silver or Gold plan, we will handle the entire build and design process. If the business has an existing website, we will design the app to match the look and feel of their website while adding the additional functionality that our platform offers. Once we are done building the app, we share the app with the business and once they approve it, we will submit to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and handle the approval process. The entire process typically takes less than 3 weeks. For businesses needing custom app development, the timeline can vary based on the scope of the project, but we are transparent and will inform the client before beginning of the expected timeline.

JP: What goes into managing an app for the business?

NM: Thanks to our easy-to-use platform, managing an app is very seamless and simple. Everything needing added or modified can be done instantly and easily through our web platform that is synced to the business’ app. If the business needs assistance, The APP Company will always be there for the business to ensure their app is always updated.

JP: What does The App Company provide for management?  Is there on-going support?

NM: The APP Company provides 24/7 customer support and management. Our plans include a $149/month service contract that covers all support, maintenance, and required updates.

JP: If a client needs to revise or update the app, can they do this themselves?

NM: Through our easy-to-use interface, businesses can easily update and make changes to their app in realtime, but as a part of the service contract, we are always around to help and guide the client as well.

JP: Would The App Company make revisions on the client’s behalf?

NM: If the business needs a revision that can be done through our platform, we will be happy to make the change for the client as a part of the service contract.

JP: How do you consult with a company or organization that may be considering an app?

NM: We first begin by understanding what they would like to accomplish through the delivery of an app and we will then show them how to accomplish their goals with our technology. Because we built our technology with small to large businesses in mind, we are able to service and offer incredible value to businesses of all industries. We will tailor our consultation with businesses to their specific industry and show how an app can benefit their business and offer a better experience for their customers.

JP: Do you provide a demonstration, walk-through, or mock-up as part of your consultation?

NM: During our consultation, we will showcase other apps built using our platform. This will provide the business with a strong sense of the flexibility and options that we offer to businesses.

JP: What challenges do businesses face when developing or managing an app?

NM: Typically businesses struggle with the budget required for app development as building an app from scratch is costly. Building an app that offers the functionality that we offer from scratch would easily cost a business over $100,000 which most small businesses cannot afford. We are proud to offer pricing of $999, $1999, and $2999 as well as custom app development to be able to service all businesses.

JP: What is the best, next step for someone looking for information on an app?

NM: For those interested in building an app for their business or know someone interested in creating an app, we would recommend them to visit http://theappcompany.com/app-platform-sales-page/ to learn more about our industry-leading app platform or talk with their WebCenter Owner or Shop Consultant. For further questions, I can be contacted directly at nickm@theappcompany.com and will respond to all emails within 24 hours.

JP:  Nick, I can’t thank you enough for your time and energy to give us a little more insight into this relationship. I am  looking forward to hearing some of the success stories from you in the near future!

NM: The pleasure was mine!  We are also excited and looking forward to this relationship as well.

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