The 7 Genres of Apps

The term “app” is quite broad and grows broader with every year of technological advancement. An app can be a game, a store, a connection portal, a management system, and so much more. With all the options for apps, it’s easy to see how any business could deploy any kind of app in a creative, productive fashion.

But you don’t want just any app because your business is not just any business.

Let’s start by quickly looking at some common genres of apps.

1. Accounting

2. eCommerce

3. Inventory

4. Booking and Scheduling

5. Point of Sale

6. Tools and Utility

7. Communication

Now, there is no rule saying you cannot combine multiple of the above genres into one app. However, you need to know from where your business could benefit the most.

For example, let’s consider an accounting app. Do you have a fledgling company without the capital for someone to make sure the books and ledgers are looking square? Are you sick of checking those books yourself? An accounting app takes the stress off your hands. Better yet, an accounting app will make itself useful no matter what you’re selling.

Speaking of sales, if your business is centered around selling and buying a product, you’ll want to consider eCommerce, Inventory, or Point of Sales apps. eCommerce and Point of Sale apps often go hand-in-hand: your customer can use your app to purchase the product, thus making their experience with your business less strenuous and time-consuming.

However, an Inventory app is concerned with helping you, the business owner, feel less stress and have more time. An inventory app lets you know precisely what you have and how much you have, helping you make purchase decisions and keep your money where it needs to be. (You can see here how an Inventory app might combine nicely with an Accounting app.)

What if you’re providing services? Maybe you repair and/or install roofs. Or perhaps you lend heavy machinery to those who like grease and dirt on their hands. These types of businesses may not have a store, or they don’t have someone who can sit and wait for the phone to ring all day. You could use a Booking and Scheduling app—exactly what it sounds like. With this app, your customers can set an appointment to meet with you for an appraisal, a scheduled job, or simply plan a future servicing. With a Booking and Scheduling app, you will also feel the benefits as you’ll never double-book a time slot, and you can always see when your next appointment is and how many you have upcoming.

We’re now left with Communication apps and Tools and Utility (TU) apps. Much like Inventory or Accounting apps, you will feel the most benefits. Yes, it’s essential to put the customer first, but what if the nitpick of running a business detracts from your ability to please customers?

With a communication app, your employees can easily stay on the same schedules or receive the same memos/alerts about urgent information. If you’re leading a business with many employees spread across different projects, communication apps help keep it all tight.

Lastly, your TU apps can accomplish much of the same, but they are highly versatile based on your needs. For example, do you have lots of data to work with, such as a medical provider or information technology business? Keep your files neat and organized with a TU app. Do you need to quickly scan information and store it for later? A TU app can do that. Or maybe you have a promotional form of currency such as reward points. A TU app will take care of that.

Whatever your business needs, there is a genre of apps that can act as a solution and a Semaphore Mobile team member is ready to help implement that solution today. Reach out below for more information.