Features to Consider While Developing an On-Demand App

The extensive popularization of mobile technologies in the past decade has directly shifted the control into the hands of the users. Day-to-day tasks can be easily performed with few taps, that too at the comfort of your home. The growth of the smartphone market has also brought along numerous benefits in terms of doorstep service provisioning. This has essentially paved the path for the advent of on-demand services, a market with nearly 86.5 million user base just in the US.

What are On-demand Apps?

The success of on-demand services can be credited entirely to the efficient and intuitive mobile apps that act as an interactive platform for connecting the service providers and users. In modern settings, a service provider can be anyone, ranging from an individual to a full-fledged enterprise.

On-demand apps cater to the wide-spanning user base by offering them instant access to their preferred services like food, eCommerce, transportation, etc. at their doorstep. Even for a service provider, investing in an on-demand application proves to be a win-win condition. Businesses can easily scale up their service models by means of on-demand apps and subsequently increase their customer base and revenue across targeted avenues.

Why choose an on-demand app?

According to Burson-Marsteller’s survey, the percentage of American adults using at least one on-demand app service rose to nearly 42% in 2019. These numbers prove the growing popularity of on-demand mobile apps, but what are the functional advantages that make them stand out.

Flexibility certainly comes across as a major plus while serving a variegated user base. Most on-demand apps are designed in a way to adapt and integrate functionalities according to the changing user needs. This not only improves the user experience but also allows businesses to stay competitive in the ever-changing customer-servicing domain.

If current market trends are to be believed, on-demand apps have been proven to be more effective business models than conventional channels. The end customer gets easy access to various services, convenience, and quality while the service providers can draw in higher profits and scalability.

In a nutshell, lower cost of service, on-demand availability, ease of payment, and variegated choice make these apps a successful business solution.

Key points to consider while building an on-demand app

It is clear that on-demand apps are the next big thing in the service industry. Both large and small scale businesses are placing their bets on the emerging potential of the on-demand apps to attain higher revenue streams and market share. However, not every business can turn things in their favor while shifting to a complex work model like on-demand servicing.

Before starting with the development phase, a profound market assessment should be done in order to understand the interests and needs of your end-customers. By carrying an in-depth market study, you can clearly define the market trends and leverage them for better outcomes.

During the development phase, make sure the entire interface and functionalities are designed to meet the end-user expectations. An intuitive platform built using the latest technology stack can largely improve the likelihood of app success. In addition to this, the development team should be flexible enough to incorporate functional changes to ensure customer satisfaction.

Top features of an on-demand app

Statistics show that over 80% of businesses trust on-demand app development services to encash the growing market opportunities in the eCommerce sector. However, only the right blend of functionalities and features can ensure the success of the app in the end-user market.

In the general run of things, an on-demand service app has three main participants, namely user, service provider, and admin. In order to achieve seamless operability, the service system needs to have separate apps for all three partakers. By integrating highly functional and pertinent features, business-owners can increase the efficiency of their service model. Here are a few important features that need to be integrated into an on-demand app.

Features for end customers

Booking service

The central idea of an on-demand service app is to deliver the requested service as and when required. By allowing the users to book services from anywhere, at any time, you can ensure increased customer satisfaction across the targeted group.

Service estimate

Most of the time users wish to know the amount they would be charged to avail of a particular service. By integrating an efficient price calculation algorithm, service providers can gain credibility by letting the users know approximate estimation they would be spending on the service.

Payment gateways

Easy and secure payment functionality is a crucial part of an On-demand service. Businesses must ensure that the integrated payment function must be fast and reliable to carry streamlined checkouts. Another important feature in the app is to have multiple payment options so that users can carry secure transactions through various modes such as credit card, debit card, cash, mobile wallets, etc.

Notifications and alerts

The growing eCommerce market has also popularized push notifications to the extent that they have become an integral part of an on-demand application. Users not only stay updated about the service updates within the app but also get alerts related to service details, fares, new arrivals, etc. through text or email.

Contact service provider

While availing an on-demand service most customers need to communicate with the service/ product provider to coordinate for the expected deliverables. This offers added convenience to the customer which in turn adds to the overall experience.

Ratings and reviews

It is a globally accepted fact that even the best service offerings have the scope of improvement. For an on-demand service provider, it becomes even more crucial to keep improving its service model and deliver a good user experience. An on-demand service app should consist of a feedback and rating section where users can feed in their opinions and suggestions.

Cancellations

An on-demand app should provide the users with a feasible service cancellation feature to let them cancel the service as per their will.

Customer support

The on-demand app should also integrate a customer support function to provide immediate help in case the customers come up with queries related to the requested service. By providing help & support feature service providers can assist their customers even at odd times, thus improving their own customer service model.

Service history

With service history feature users can anytime view and evaluate their previous service requests. This helps them stay informed regarding their total spending and other service details.

Promo codes and referrals

Attractive promotional offers have become a popular norm in the on-demand service domain. Both the service providers and customers are benefitted by such deals. Customers get a profitable deal on their desired services while businesses gain increased revenues. Businesses launch various promo codes, discounts, coupons, and referrals programs in order to please their customer base.

Favorite services

A lot many times users wish to avail the same services but dislike the hassle of going through the search process. By adding a favorite services section in the app, service providers save a lot of time and energy of their customers by letting them find their favorite services at one place.

Geolocation and tracking

Geolocation and tracking feature is among the core functional aspects of an on-demand app. By integrating an efficient GPS API the service providers save the user’s effort of manual input and instead employ automatic location tracking for fast and reliable service delivery. This feature also allows users to track their service requests in real-time.

Features for service providers

Service Provider’s Account

By setting up an account or user profile on the app, service providers can gain access to the operational dashboard to facilitate various service requests from their customers. A service provider may easily sign up and log in to his account through his email, mobile number or any social media account for added convenience.

Availability Options

By integrating the availability features in their on-demand service app, service providers can voluntarily decide to operate within specific timelines and targeted regions. This allows them to focus on their business strategies and manage the workflow accordingly.

Track Earnings

Business owners need to keep track of their profit margins and transactions for simplified record keeping and analysis. With a track earning feature, service providers can easily plan and improvise on their service model for better efficiency.

View Customer Rating

Customer ratings and reviews are targeted to suggest possible improvements in the system. By assessing customer ratings, service providers can substantially improve customer satisfaction by offering a personalized experience to them.

Accepting or Rejecting Requests

While working in a time-bound service domain, it becomes imperative for a service provider to operate in a particular time frame. The service provider’s app should have the functionality to accept or reject service requests within a set period of time.

Service Information

Detailed service information allows the business owners to better evaluate customer requests and serve them accordingly. The app must automatically provide the service providers with service estimate, pricing, ratings, etc.

Contact Customer

Once the request is accepted and confirmed at both ends, service providers should be able to contact the end-customer to coordinate about queries and service details.

Feature for Admins

The Admin panel is the most crucial and decisive interface for an on-demand app. It has the most complex workflow within the app and chiefly controls the entire app operations. An admin is responsible for the efficient upkeep and functioning of the system and therefore needs access to all the rights and features in a dedicated app. Features such as user management panel, content management panel, service provider management, customer management, price & commission management, analytics & reporting, issue handling, etc. need to be incorporated within the admin app/ dashboard for proficient service management.

Wrapping it up

In recent times, the on-demand service industry has developed into a multi-billion dollar establishment. Businesses have generated plentiful revenues by adapting to the changing sphere of quick and reliable service delivery model. Modern businesses having an on-demand service app gain higher ROI in comparison to the conventional modes. Such businesses attract more investors and enjoy the benefit of on-demand business scaling. Moreover, by catering to the demands of the end-customers, businesses get easy access to a whole new territory with immense profit-making potential.