Many software companies are eager to build the next hot mobile app. A Mobile Software Development Kit (SDK), empowers you to build native, HTML5 or hybrid apps. Here are three ways to ensure you build the best app possible for your customers.

1. Identify a Problem That Needs Solving

Start by identifying a problem that causes friction to a significant range of customers. It goes without saying that the friction has to be significant enough that companies will be willing to pay for a solution. I founded my latest company, RingDNA, to solve problems that my marketing consultancy, DemandResults encountered with B2B companies in the healthcare, legal & SaaS industries.

For example, we encountered a lot of sales managers that loved using the data in Salesforce to help manage their teams, while their reps wanted to spend less time entering their activities manually. As companies became more mobile, and began rolling out BYOD programs, this problem seemed to become more common. Over time, we became convinced that a mobile app that connected sales calls to CRM - and auto-logged those activities - would be a win for both sales managers and their agents.

2. Define Your Mobile SDK Strategy

Your development strategy can be contingent on a lot of factors, including your team’s skills, required app functionality, and the importance of security. While HTML5 apps have the advantage of being cross-platform - giving you the potential to reach a larger base of users - apps built natively for iOS, Android and other mobile platforms may deliver the richest user experience. Meanwhile, hybrid apps can combine the flexibility of HTML5 apps with some native device capabilities. For example, you could create an HTML5 app that leverages a phone’s camera through a JavaScript bridge.

Consider who’s on your team. Because we wanted Mobile SDK to help our customers access and search large amounts of contact and lead data quickly, we had to find developers with structured query loading (SQL), representational state transfer (REST) and javascript object notation (JSON) parsing skills.

3. Test the Waters

As we all know, there’s a lot of competition out there for mobile apps. Accordingly, it’s important to verify that your idea will connect and resonate with your intended audience before you invest a lot of time and money into your idea. I can’t emphasize the importance of participating in startup contests and private beta tests in the early stages of app development.

As an example, during the Dreamforce Hackathon, we won first prize for a simple mobile call center app for iPhone, which validated the idea that there was interest in connecting Salesforce.com with enterprise telephony. As happy as we were to win, the feedback we received - both critical and supportive - was far more valuable.

During this early feedback period, we learned that we needed something far more robust to win enterprise customers. Companies were looking for mobile solutions that could help both marketing and sales. For us, the ability to pass marketing campaign data to sales agents - and deliver this data in real time before, during and after phone calls - was the feature that made the difference for our prospective customers.


Finally, make sure you have the necessary resources to get through the development phase. While building mass market apps can be relatively inexpensive while employing a lean startup methodology, don’t underestimate the reliability and flexibility that companies demand.


So if you have a great idea and the resources to execute it, I encourage you to take the leap and start working with Mobile SDK. Remember, the key is properly defining a problem with a specific community and building apps that make them more productive and successful. When you feel like you are partners in your customers’ success, you’ll know you’re onto something good.