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ASP.NET vs PHP: Make a choice for Your App Needs?

Posted on 10/03/202015/06/2021 by Tushar

Both PHP and ASP.NET has broad bases. They are used by huge number of developers and this makes it difficult for the new developers to choose either one of them. In one hand, PHP is a general scripting language on which developers rely to a great extent and on the other hand, ASP.NET has a brand like Microsoft attached to its name.

ASP.NET vs PHP is an argument that doesn’t seem to have an end any time soon. Since both are quite popular languages in the programming world. You must have seen a ton of articles on differences between ASP.NET and PHP by now but in reality most of those articles are biased.

However, in this article we will talk about both the programming languages, breakdown the terms in for better understanding and discuss which is better ASP.NET or PHP.

PHP

PHP is a recursive acronym for Hypertext Preprocessor. It is an open source programming language that is used for web development and can be embedded into HTML. The best thing about PHP framework is that it is great for beginners since it allows simple and easy coding techniques. On the other hand PHP is great for professional programmers as well because of all the advanced features it offers. PHP framework is said to be adopted by many businesses in the near future and you can look at the upcoming best php frameworks here.

Pros and Cons of PHP framework

Pros:

One of the biggest advantage that PHP has is the rapid development. The market demands faster app development process and PHP gives the benefit to any mobile app development company that does multiple productions in one day. The framework is not only fast but ensures the security of the application. But the PHP developers have to make sure to use the framework as it is meant to be used to ensure application’s security. PHP is easier to maintain and has a huge community of developers that provides help whenever needed.

Cons:

PHP is prefered by developers for all the advantages it provides but they can’t ignore the disadvantages that comes with it. Slower execution, lack of ability to solve specific problems and time taking to master are some of the cons of this framework.

ASP.NET

ASP.NET is an open-source server side web development tool developed by Microsoft. The framework provides web development tools to produce dynamic web pages, web applications and web solutions. ASP.NET frameworks are written in .NET language and support Visual Basic.NET, JavaScript.NET and languages like Python and Perl. The framework also compatible with the previous version ASP.NET MVC.

Pros and Cons of ASP.NET frameworks

Pros

The pros of using ASP.NET include the flexibility to add and remove features as and when needed, the ease of setting up, an open-source and cross-platform framework and compatibility with other .NET frameworks. Microsoft has claimed it to be a highly popular framework soon just like Ruby and Node.js.

Cons

However, ASP.NET does have a few cons that may make its popularity a slow process. The framework does have problems when it comes to ease of making changes, documentation gaps, lack of supporting tools and lack of basic features since its too raw. These issues can be solved by ASP.NET developers, of course, by using external tools and methods.

ASP.NET vs PHP: The comparison

There is no doubt that both ASP.NET and PHP frameworks are great frameworks to work with but one may have few advantages more than the other. For professional developers this debate has already been settled based on their experience with each of the frameworks. But any budding developer might want to take a look at this comparison to decide which platform to start with.

Both PHP and ASP.NET provide multiple advantages and at the same time has some disadvantages. To decide which one is better than the other, we shall compare each of these two carefully. In this section we will discuss ASP.NET vs PHP: Which is better?

Performance

When it comes to the performance of a framework there is a misconception that the language of the framework determines its performance. However, this is not completely true. The performance of any framework depends on the way the coding was done.

The performance of ASP.NET is comparatively better than that of PHP. This statement may not be believed by PHP developers for the fact that many great websites have been built using PHP.

While that may be true but it does not dismiss the fact that ASP.NET allows parallel programming which lets chunks of code to run all at the same time whereas PHP does not support threading at all.

Market Share

The biggest difference between ASP.NET and PHP is the usage and market share. The chart below clearly shows that PHP has more usage popularity than ASP.NET. The websites built with PHP has been ranked among the Top 10k sites, Top 100k sites and Top 1M sites. Whereas ASP.NET hasn’t been awarded any titles that can beat PHP’s.

Security

Another huge difference between ASP.NET and PHP is the security options they both provide. Both the platforms provide security features to the developers however ASP.NET has built-in security features such as SQL injection. In other words, ASP.NET automatically does the work for you whereas PHP only provides you with the tools.

So to settle which is better ASP.NET or PHP security-wise, ASP.NET would be the right choice. The PHP developers are provided with the tool and if they wish they can structure their apps securely. Sadly, many PHP developers don’t care about it and that results in vulnerable apps.

Websites

Since it has been said earlier in the article that websites that used PHP has been ranked top as compared to ASP.NET built websites here are two lists to compare ASP.NET vs PHP websites:

Websites built using PHP

Facebook
Wikipedia
WordPress.com
Flickr
Yahoo!
iStockPhoto
Tumblr
Mailchimp

Websites built using ASP.NET

StackOverflow
Microsoft
GoDaddy
DELL
Visual Studio
Wild Tangent
Diply.com
TacoBell.com

Among these, some websites are extremely popular in both the lists but the majority of famous websites are PHP developed.

Cost-wise which is better, ASP.NET or PHP?

In this area, PHP is a clear winner for the reason that PHP is an open source development framework whereas ASP.NET charges some fee for hosting. The fee charged by Microsoft owned ASP.NET is not high but when compared to PHP’s free usage, it can make developers skeptical towards ASP.NET.

The cost does not however stop ASP.NET developers from building websites using the framework. Another great way is to outsource the ASP.NET mobile app development services.

Community Support: ASP.NET vs PHP

It’s a given that PHP has a larger community than ASP.NET because it’s free. But that is not the only thing to say about a good community. ASP.NET community consists of highly dedicated developers who are supportive of their community even though the numbers is not as high as PHP. Of course the PHP community regularly comes up with the solutions to the challenges faced during PHP web apps development process.

However, advantage of ASP.NET over PHP is that the ASP.NET developers have a community that is rather dedicated towards programming that having a large support.

Advantages of ASP.NET over PHP

All the comparisons in the previous section point towards choosing PHP over ASP.NET. But this may seem unfair to those who are looking for reasons to choose ASP.NET over PHP. So what is the use of ASP.NET?

ASP.NET provides the freedom to choose from multiple languages such as C#, Visual Basic.NET, C++, etc.
The SQL security feature that ASP.NET provides is automatically applied to the applications and has unlimited data storage.
With ASP.NET you get multiple .NET libraries which is not the case in PHP development.
ASP.NET allows threading of codes which allows multiple codes to run at the same time.
ASP.NET developers are paid much better than any PHP developer because of there are less ASP.NET developers in the market.

As this debate of ASP.NET vs PHP comes to an end its time to decide which one is better than the other. Both the development frameworks are exceptionally great in the work they do and developers freely choose between them as per the need of the development process.

In many cases PHP has proved to be a stronger framework but has also had some weaknesses that can affect the development process to a great extent. We have also seen a completely separate section for the advantages in ASP.NET development which consisted of strong points of benefits for the developers.

PHP has a huge community and is a free framework to work with. On the other hand ASP.NET is likely to have more scope in the future since it has a huge company name Microsoft behind it.

But if you still can’t decide between the two, contact our team at Anteelo and we will help you out. We engage in both ASP.NET web app development and PHP mobile app development services which will help us give you the best solution for your problems. Take a look at our mobile app development guide for more information.

MVP App Guide- Mobile App Development for Startups

Posted on 09/03/202015/06/2021 by Tushar

Mobile applications are, undoubtedly, the buzz in the entire business world. Today, every business is getting on mobile. But, is it wise to develop a mobile application? Is it a profitable deal, especially when you are a startup struggling to establish itself in the market? The answer to this question is quite difficult to say. You can’t deny the importance of having your own mobile app, as well as can not invest an exorbitant amount of money in a single idea itself. And this situation becomes more complicated when there is a risk of app failure even after pouring all your money and efforts into mobile app development. Remember, there are endless mobile applications in the market- you can’t expect the users to get entice with your app idea & choose it over others. Then what to do? The simplest way to tackle this situation, as per our experts, is to go for MVP – a concept that is bringing down the cost of mobile app development to a great extent.

MVP (Minimal Viable Product) App

An MVP (Minimal Viable Product) is the product (or we can say app) with the least, vital features that target a particular problem using the minimum resources. It enables the start-ups to engage the first users, understand the audience’s needs, and make their application better using the feedbacks gained.

In other words, it is the smallest, quickest yet functional version of your app idea that can be taken into consideration to understand the viability of your app idea.

Talk about Uber, Airbnb, or Foursquare- almost every top-grossing app that is ruling the market today has undergone this phase. In fact, we recommend all of our clients to have a thought on developing an MVP, particularly in case of a complex app idea. Wondering, why? Check out the following points.

Benefits of MVP for Startups

MVP application is the ultimate investment for start-ups, due to the following reasons:

1.Testing the Main Idea at the Earliest

There’s no denying the fact that we all find our ideas good enough to set the market on fire. But, are they really so? Will the users really find them fantastic? The best way to analyze this is to launch an MVP app in the market. Develop an application with just the sufficient features that define your main purpose and launch it in the market. If it offers impressive outcomes, take it to the next step. In the flip side, gather user feedbacks, do market research, and improve your applications so as to launch it in the future. This way, an MVP application can help you to understand the market validity of your idea and can save a lot of money on developing a ‘less-effective’ app.

2.Reaching Investors

It is always better to visit investors with a functional model than a diagrammatical representation or an idea in your head. When you present an MVP to the investor with your future plan, the investor can more likely link to your idea and get interested in it. He need not visualize the main idea- he can see the demand for your app in the market, and hence, can easily agree to your request and contribute to further app development process.

3.Making an Impact on the Market

When talking about mobile application development, you hit the market at once. You have to make extra efforts to immediately attract users. However, in the case of MVP, you can keep on attracting a group of people throughout. With the introduction of every new feature, you can attract more users, as well as entice the existing users. This way, you continue to make an impact on the market.

4.Minimum Development Cost

We all know that the more features & functionalities you include in your app, the more you have to pay for it. If you build a complete mobile application, it might cost you enough to make a hole in your pocket. But, here in MVP, you can test your idea in less than half of the mobile app development cost. Moreover, you need not make a one-time investment; you can invest in different sessions related to the integration of different features into the app.

5.Prevents Losing Interest

It usually happens that the development process takes so much time that you completely feel detached to the idea. In such a scenario, an MVP app is a great investment. It gets developed in lesser time, reaches the market, and keeps you interested in updating it with what the users want.

6.Saves Efforts Time

MVP development not just saves the cost, but also the effort and time. It allows you to determine if your efforts are getting a required response or not. Wherever you find that the efforts are not bringing fruitful results, you can put it on end. This way, it allows the startups to use their potential in the right way!

Wrapping Up!

MVP, as you might have learnt by now, is a crucial element to consider for both startups and established brands. It can help you develop a mobile app successfully. But in case, you are looking forward for understanding various other elements that should be considered for launching an app successfully, have a look at this mobile app development guide.

Better using AIRO in security operations-For Analysts

Posted on 08/03/202015/06/2021 by Tushar

The traditional security operations model is rapidly succumbing to the challenges and dynamics inherent in today’s cybersecurity market. Over the last few years, organizations have deployed a myriad of security technologies to combat specific threats, and as a result have inherited a collection of point product solutions with very little interoperability. This has made it difficult for operation teams to leverage these technologies as a common fabric for threat identification, correlation, detection and remediation activities.

This has also increased the amount of time it takes to detect and remediate a security breach. On average, it takes organizations nearly 6 months to detect a breach and another 2 months to remediate it. While organizations continue to operate in a reactive mode to security threats, the goal is to move to a model that is much more proactive and predictive in nature.

Compromising this goal is the lack of skilled security expertise needed to perform identification, detection and remediation activities. The talent shortage is most pronounced for Level 1 analysts in the security operations center (SOC), the “first responders” that must sift through volumes of data and determine which alerts require immediate action.

Attackers are using sophisticated approaches to exploit vulnerabilities, and the volume and velocity of known and unknown attacks continue to rise. Organizations still demand “eyes on glass” to detect and respond to security threats, but the volume of attacks originating from multiple threat vectors, and the skills challenge they face has created a scale issue where level 1 SOC analysts are overwhelmed with the amount of data that must be analyzed. In some cases, SOC analysts are dealing with petabytes of data. In addition to the scale problem, the incoming data lacks context, which makes the task of prioritizing suspicious behavior for further investigation another challenge for SOC analysts.

The Business Benefits of AIRO

To effectively address these challenges, organizations must adopt a new approach for SOC operations that addresses the need to handle the volume of data and alerts more effectively. A move toward an intelligent SOC that utilizes AI, Automation, Incident Response and Orchestration (AIRO) to increase productivity and efficiency of SOC analysts and accelerate the time to detect and contain a security breach is directionally where the market is headed. AIRO consists of the following components:

Analytics: Driving contextual insight into threat dynamics
Intelligence: Collecting and indexing sources of information
Response: Initiating the proper response based on the nature of the security threat
Orchestration: Coordinating multiple toolsets to mitigate a threat and harden the network

Using AIRO tools, organizations can better leverage existing investments in security technologies by utilizing APIs to interconnect various platforms and correlate data from firewalls, IDS sensors, endpoint devices, and external threat intelligence feeds. AIRO tools complement an existing security information and event management (SIEM) tool by acting as middleware to integrate with existing tools and provide greater visibility into indicators of compromise. This becomes increasingly important as corporate data moves from endpoint devices to on-premise infrastructure and multi-cloud environments.

AIRO tools ingest alerts from the SIEM and automate the responses to repetitive alerts, freeing up security analysts for the more challenging alerts that require human intervention. The tool should also provide valuable contextual information — such as asset information and threat enrichment data — to effectively improve the security analyst’s decision-making ability by prioritizing threats that represent the most risk to the organization.

In today’s complex environment AIRO tools can make security analysts’ work more efficient, less burdensome and more accurate by leveraging automation, analytics and orchestration. By ensuring proper integration and interoperability with existing security technologies and centralizing visibility on a security platform, security operations teams can gain greater insight and move from a reactive security posture to a more predictive and preventative approach.

AI and ML Advancement leading to new Application Emergement

Posted on 20/02/202017/06/2021 by Tushar

With most innovative technologies, at some point in the solution evolution there’s a tipping point from “this is cool” to “there are real business outcomes to gain.” We are now seeing that shift with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), especially in three major use case patterns:

1. Customer care

When it comes to customer care, many companies face a similar set of challenges: Customer service representatives (CSRs) typically need to view multiple windows on multiple screens to find answers to a caller’s questions. This results in calls taking a long time to handle, frustrated customers, lower CSR productivity and overall poor customer satisfaction.

AI and ML can help change these outcomes. One insurance customer implemented AI and ML to transform its contact center, which responds to approximately 5 million voice calls per year. It also introduced an intelligent voice agent to respond directly to 50-70% of all customer inquiries. The power of AI and ML extended and enhanced the customer experience and the productivity of CSRs, who are now able to deliver more accurate and consistent answers, at lower cost and greater speed. As a result, we have also seen reduced attrition, as the CSRs are happier in their roles and require less training time to become self-sufficient. Overall, by using AI and ML, the contact center is able to provide a high level of customer service, enhanced customer satisfaction and more efficient engagement.

In another example, a customer service center handling 60M service requests per year is implementing AI “smart chat” to transform customer service, drive better quality, improve consistency and lower costs.

The transformation of an operation as complex as a customer call center is a multi-step journey:

Organizing and visualizing the data required to support typical workflows is a critical early step and can include authenticating/validating the caller, providing easy access to the data from different back end systems, initiating transactions and closing out the call.
A second step adds natural language processing (NLP) to allow the CSR to ask more complex questions. NLP uses a trained ML model to determine the most likely answers from a collection of large, unstructured documents.
A third step includes self-service for external callers, using voice and natural language to respond directly to client inquiries without requiring interaction with a CSR.

While the steps themselves remain the same, the sequencing may vary to align to the specific outcomes the organization desires.

2. Human capital management

By applying cognitive capabilities to human resources, companies are able to transform their human capital management (HCM) processes.

One valuable use case improves the employee experience by leveraging intelligent natural language conversation services to integrate data in operational HR data systems, such as Workday, and in knowledge management systems that explain policies, procedures and guidelines. Benefits include improved employee engagement, higher productivity and lower costs.

Other potential HCM use cases that are ripe for AI and ML include recruiting, selection and on-boarding of candidates. AI and ML models are already being used to help analyze and match job descriptions and candidate resumes, and to recommend potential jobs for existing employees.

3. Process rethinking/reimagination

There are also multiple examples of leveraging AI and ML for rethinking and reimagining processes.

In one example, an insurance company reduced claim settlement time and costs by incorporating AI and ML to improve First Notice of Loss (FNOL) initiation and data collection, as well as claim classification/assignment processes.

Companies can improve the speed and accuracy of FNOL by enabling claimant self-service using natural language voice/chat to initiate a claim. They can integrate external data sources such as weather and employ a fraud scoring model to facilitate claim classification and corresponding assignment to the correct processing alternative. Processing alternatives can include:

Straight-through processing without human involvement
Sending appropriate claims to the legal department for potential early intervention to reduce lawsuits
Rejecting claims because the deductible is higher than the claim
Assigning claims to a human analyst/adjustor

Predictive modeling to triage injured worker claims has been developed and applied to help determine “return to work” outcomes, along with typical treatment plans for various types of injuries (NOT replacing doctors) and estimated treatment costs. This technique optimizes case manager resource assignment and helps injured workers get back to work, improving service quality and lowering costs.

Applying an ML model to extract information from unstructured documents and forms helps to provide insights from previously unanalyzed sources. This capability works by accelerating processing of information buried in those large unstructured documents and drives new insights, lowers costs and improves processing efficiency.

In a fourth example, Anteelo is automating the underwriting process for home inspection to lower costs and improve scalability and overall quality. This use case applies visual recognition to highlight details in home inspection photos and use those details to consult the underwriting guidelines and then augment the underwriting decision.

As you can see from these use cases, the ability to improve the customer experience and gain operational efficiencies through AI and ML are real and very achievable. What other use cases can you think of for your industry? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

How learning aids in the development of an agile workforce

Posted on 17/02/202015/06/2021 by Tushar

While forward-thinking companies are rapidly investing in their technology resources, they’re doing the same for their human resources.

That’s because these organizations know that the workforce of the future isn’t made up solely of robots. Instead, the workforce of the future is an “augmented” one, where humans and AI work together to drive greater efficiency, innovation, and business success.

Humans and AI? Better together

As AI capabilities take over repetitive, more routine functions, human workers will be needed more than ever to not only manage and supervise technology but engage in higher cognitive functions, such as creativity, innovation, persuasion, and decision making.

Mercer describes this new, blended workforce as one that is “human-led and technology-enabled.” This idea of augmentation means that humans still matter in the workforce, despite fears to the contrary. While experts predict that 52% of existing human tasks will be performed by robots by 2025, technology will create 133 million new jobs by 2022.

According to Mark Sears, founder and CEO of CloudFactory, as quoted in Robotics Business Review, “People will always play important roles in the workplace of the future. Even in highly automated environments, people must continue to develop, train, and iterate machine learning models to facilitate robotic automation. The feedback provided by the humans in the loop—even in highly automated environments—is critical to the success of automation.”

Building an effective augmented workforce starts with learning

A high-functioning augmented workforce depends on effectively managing its two core elements: technology and people. But while the AI piece of augmentation depends on choosing the right technology, managing the human element isn’t as straightforward. The skills shortage means that organizations can’t simply hire their way to an agile, upskilled workforce. Instead, organizations must begin focusing on creating the workforce they need by engaging and retaining existing employees.

A successful augmented workforce requires highly trained, agile, continuously upskilled employees—employees who are both eager to learn and simultaneously given the opportunity to learn by their employers. HR has long known that learning is key to both employee engagement and retention.

In the age of digital transformation, learning has an additional, equally significant benefit: organizations that provide ongoing learning are anticipated to outperform those who don’t. Putting learning at the center of the organization enables the creation of a workforce that is always ready to work with and adapt to changing technology and the market, thus making the organization far more flexible and agile in an era of constant disruption.

The six keys to getting started

Building an augmented workforce begins with building a learning organization, one that enables employees to learn continuously, quickly upskill as needed, and drive their own careers paths.

For organizations accustomed to providing an employee stipend for a college course or offering one-day workshops, this new approach– learning at the center of the organization rather than at its periphery—can seem overwhelming. But while becoming a learning organization is crucial to remaining successful amid constant change, the transformation doesn’t have to happen overnight.

Organizations can begin with six manageable steps, efforts that help prioritize development and nurture learning for the long term:

1. Establish a learning culture. Start Thinking of learning as something that happens every day, within every job, for every employee, from hire to retire. Enable employees to try new skills and fail. In the workplace of the future, failure is an opportunity to move forward.

2. Nurture curiosity by offering learning opportunities to everyone. Research shows that every generation (not just Millennials) wants to learn. Offer learning opportunities to those in entry-level and leadership roles–and every role in between.

3. Enable learners to drive their own learning. Let employees follow their curiosity. Offer a wide range of accessible, ongoing, and free opportunities.

4. Develop learning agility. Learning agility isn’t an innate skill. To drive efficient upskilling, vanguard organizations are teaching employees how to learn effectively.

5. Create career paths that are not so much traditional as transformational. See beyond traditional hierarchies and realize that the careers of the future will be very different than those of today. By offering a wide variety of developmental experiences, organizations can inspire employees to define their own career paths (and simultaneously encourage them to stay).

6. Offer empowerment, not entanglement. Offering employees ongoing learning doesn’t guarantee they’ll stay. However, by offering learning portability, organizations create an environment of trust and employee empowerment. And as more organizations do the same, employees will be free to find the right work “home” and thus be more productive and engaged.

The convergence of learning and work in the digital era.

Who wins in the digital era? Organizations that use both people and technology resources efficiently—the augmented workforce. While the use of AI for routine tasks is on the rise, the abilities unique to human beings—the cognitive, the creative, the empathetic—are still crucial to an organization’s long-term success. How then can organizations help the human workforce make this shift, from manual tasks to cognitive and creative roles? By making ongoing learning central to work and placing development opportunities at the core of every role. Practically, this means creating an employee-centric learning environment, such as a multi-platform, agile methodology where the learner’s experience is the focus.

The New Customer Satisfaction Era

Posted on 12/02/202015/06/2021 by Tushar

Let us start with an oft repeated question,” What do you know about your customer’s preferences”?

The answer could be any of the standard responses which talk about their tastes in your merchandise based on past transactional records. It could be also one of the slightly more personalised answers which talk about the customer’s likes and dislikes basis whatever they have filled in their surveys and feedback forms. Does this tell you all you need to know about your customers? Does this help you make the customer experience of that customer something which he/she will remember? Something that gets ingrained into the sub-conscious decision-making component of their minds. That is the holy grail which most CX organisations are after.

Where does data come into the picture?

With 91 properties around the world, in a wide variety of locations, the Ritz-Carlton has a particularly strong need to ensure their best practices are spread companywide. If, for example, an employee from their Stockholm hotel comes up with a more effective way to manage front desk staffing for busiest check-in times, it only makes sense to consider that approach when the same challenge comes up at a hotel in Tokyo. This is where the hotel group’s innovation database comes in. The Ritz-Carlton’s employees must use this system to share tried and tested ideas that improve customer experience. Properties can submit ideas and implement suggestions from other locations facing similar challenges. The database currently includes over 1,000 innovative practices, each of them tested on a property before contributing to the system. Ritz-Carlton is widely considered to be a global leader in CX practises and companies like Apple have designed their CX philosophy after studying how Ritz Carlton operate.

What does this tell you- Use your Data wisely!

The next question that may pop up is, “but there is so much data. It is like noise”. This is where programmatic approaches to analysing data pop up. Analytics and data sciences firms across the globe have refined the art of deriving insights out of seemingly unconnected data to a nicety. What you can get out of this is in addition to analysing customer footprint in your business place, you get to analyse the customer footprint across various other channels and social media platforms.

This aims to profile the customers who are most susceptible to local deals/rewards/coupons basis their buying patterns.

How is this done? The answer is rather simple. Customer segmentation algorithms (both supervised and unsupervised) enable you to piece together random pieces of information about the customer and analyse the effect they have on a target event. You will be surprised at the insights that get thrown out of this exercise. Obviously caution needs to be exercised to ensure that the marketeer doesn’t get carried away by random events which are purely driven by chance.

Okay- so I have made some sense out of my data. But this is a rather cumbersome process which does not make any difference to the way I deal with my customer on a day-to-day basis.

“How do I get this information on a real-time basis so that I can actually make some decisions to improve my customer’s experience as and when it is applicable?”

This takes into the newest and most relevant trend into making data sciences a mainstream part of decision making. How do we integrate this insight deriving platform into the client’s CRM system so that the client can make efficient decisions on a real time basis?

In Anteelo, for one of our leading technology clients, we have built an AI-based orchestration platform which derives the actionable insights from past customer data and integrates this into the customer’s CRM system so this becomes readily available to all marketeers as and when they attempt to send out a communication to their customers.

What does this entail? This entails using the right technology stack to build a system which can delver insights from the data science modules at scale. I prefer calling it out as a synergy of both data sciences and software development. Every decision that a marketeer is trying to make must be processed through a system which will invoke the DS algorithms in-built on a real time through the relevant cloud computing platforms. Insights will be delivered immediately, and suitable recommendations will also be made on a real-time basis.

This is the final step in ensuring that personalised recommendations being made to every customer are truly personalised. We in Anteelo call it “The Last Mile adoption”. This development is still in its nascent phase. However, companies would be wise to integrate this methodology as a part of their data science integrated decision making since it is very unlikely that they will hit the holy grail of customer satisfaction without delivering real-time personalised recommendations.

Things to consider while defining Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence use case

Posted on 10/02/202014/06/2021 by Tushar

While many companies are interested in applying artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to help their businesses transform and innovate, few have an appetite for a lengthy project or a large initial investment. But when companies can see meaningful value in six to eight weeks, they are more likely to expand their usage of Artificial Intelligence(AI) and machine learning (ML) into new initiatives.

To demonstrate the value proposition for Artificial Intelligence(AI) and Machine Learning (ML), we recommend concentrating on unlocking insights from vast amounts of unstructured data to help augment human intelligence, create process efficiencies and lower operational costs. We have also found that the best results tend to come from a business-led/IT supported model.

Four key questions are central to scoping out an initial minimal viable product (MVP) for a valid use case.

Which persona are you trying to assist – external or internal? The answer is not a value judgement, but rather a focus that impacts some of the design considerations and decisions. As an example, in a contact center, the focus for the customer service rep is productivity – quickly giving the rep as much information as possible. This usually means fewer prompts, fewer stops, one- or two-word questions, and fewer and more dense answers. Contrast that with the external customer, where we tend to focus on a warm and engaging experience that incrementally guides the customer to the answers they need. This typically means more prompts, more questions, a wider variety of natural language to ask the questions, and more and shorter (more digestible) answers.
How are you are trying to help that persona? This aspect typically helps us hone in on part of an initial business process to understand how we are going transform — whether by adding more data for consideration, augmenting analysis, and/or automating the execution of steps.
Where does the data come from to support this initiative? This is often the most challenging aspect for several reasons: There may be more questions than current answers, the current answers may be inconsistent or conflicting, or the current answers exist, but may not easily understood or comprehensible. All of these situations tend to require focus on curating, modifying, and/or creating content in order to get the right answers.
What is the value? Value can be determined most successfully when we can be as specific as possible. Very often, benefits can be described in terms of metrics. From a best practice perspective, having specific metrics-based objectives makes it clearer for business and IT to determine the value. Examples include: a) higher customer satisfaction, measured by Net Promotor Scores or revenue increases, b) lower costs, shown by reduced handling times or increased processing volumes with the same staff and c) better employee engagement, indicated by reduced attrition and training time.

To further the dialogue as you consider progressing towards transforming your business by leveraging artificial intelligence, here are some additional questions to guide your thinking:

Are you focused on transformation and innovation?
For what initiatives are you considering AI/ML support?
What business outcomes are you driving?
What is your current level of experience with AI and ML?
Have you identified any use cases or do you need some assistance in defining them?

The key to evolving your approach from MVPs to multiple initiatives developed and deployed in production at scale, is to effectively balance faster time-to-value and major transformation outcomes. This balance demonstrates business results in smaller time increments and sets the foundation for flexible and continuous transformation and innovation.

The Insider’s Guide to Repairing Your App’s Bad Reputation

Posted on 05/02/202014/06/2021 by Tushar

In a time when the internet is filled with bits of advice telling entrepreneurs to opt for a mobile-first approach, can you really afford the source of your future business empire to have a bad reputation online?

The challenges that a mobile app startup face is already a lot to ignore and left unseen. And when you add the issue of bad app reputation in the mix, the whole app journey becomes a lot more haywire, instantly.

Answering how to protect your brand’s reputation in the dog eat dog world can be an act lot easier said than done. In a time when there is a constant race to win and then rule the already crowded space, it can get really difficult for you to maintain that nothing bad is said about your offering. Especially when a lot rides on it – Uninstall Rates, Abandonment, Decline in Downloads, etc. (Talking about downloads, know how to get million downloads on your app)

Every single day past the day when you launch your application act as a landmine. While you can be overly careful to never step on them, chances are that when you do, it would take a lot to recover from the damage.

In this article, we are going to give you the secrets of how you can manage your brand’s reputation, both on the app and in terms of your empire online.

Refraining from spilling out the secrets from any single POV, we are going to look at three different stages – Prevention. Manage. Secure – of mobile app reputation management.

Without further delay, let us get to it, straight-away.

Set up Listening Tools

Much before you even approach the submit app button, you should set up the subscriptions for app monitoring tools – the first step to How to Monitor Your App’s Reputation.

The idea of these software is that they fetch everything that is being mentioned about your application online and at the same time, they update you of new reviews on the Play Store or App Store.

There are a number of application reputation management platforms you can opt for in the quest to be one step ahead of combating negative reviews about your brand – Rankur, Brandeye, Social Mention, amongst others.

Set a Team to Reply in Real-Time

Before your app hits the market, you need a team in place who would be responsible for answering all the app reviews in real time in the play store and app store. For one of the biggest way of how apps influence brand reputation is by not replying to the users.

Doing this will ensure that no bad mention goes unaddressed. Because an unaddressed review is in many ways equal to being a catalyst to a tarnished reputation.

Bring Troubleshooting Tips to Website

One of the root causes of genuine bad reviews and mentions of any brand is users not getting a solution to their problem. So, when you give them a platform full of troubleshooting solutions that they can apply and get a redressal, the chances of them passing a bad review will automatically be nullified.

So, we recommend is that you hire online experienced online mobile app reputation manager and brainstorm all the different scenarios that the users can face which can frustrate them and then work on troubleshooting guide to solve it for them in one place.

Being prepared for the somewhat inevitable time of negative feedback and mentions can be one of the most sound decisions that you can take in the app journey.

And now that we have looked at the precautionary tales, let us now get into the ways you can combat bad reviews on your app in real-time – whether they are in the stores or on the social media. Here are the tips for app reputation management when you are in the second stage.

Reply in Real Time

This pointer here, to reply in real time, has to be the mantra of your mobile app reputation management. You will have to ensure that a team is always ready to reply on the negative feedback with a solution or an apologetic message.

No matter what technicality the problem’s solution calls for, your mobile reputation management strategy should ensure that the first level of message always goes through in real-time. None of your users should ever feel abandoned, for it would only leave room for more frustration and thus the bad word of mouth marketing.

Do Not Be Defensive

A very important thing to understand when tackling bad reviews is that the users who are making them are frustrated. Now, no matter how small you believe the problem is and how invalid the users’ responses are to it, make sure your reply is always on a defensive note. No matter what word the users make use of, your reply always have to be on the softer side.

Keep the Reply Very Short

The number one formula in every guide to increase the prestige of mobile apps is to never use the comment section of the stores or any social media platforms as your way to reply paragraph-sized solutions or justifications to the complaining user.

Try to keep your comment very short and precise, for example, you can take 3 lines as your standard response size.

Take the Commentator on a Private Channel

Refrain from justifying or clarifying the miscommunication on a social platform which is open for everyone to see. After all, if you pass a negative message online as a brand, the user out of ego will only take it forward and beyond, in place of understanding the situation.

So, simply mention your email id in the comment and ask the users to contact there – thus taking them away from the platform where there is space for the good reviews to grow.

Reply When the Issue is Resolved

Make it a mandatory process to reply to your customers when the issue is resolved in a timely manner. Even if it takes a week on end, make sure you come back to the comment and drop in a line saying that the issue is resolved now and that you are sorry that it caused inconvenience in the first place and that you value the association that they have with your brand.

Now that we have looked at the ways to combat and get your negative reputation in control while it is happening, it is now time for the last segment – Repair Damage. The part we look at mobile app reputation management solutions for after the plans are retouched and users are now content.

Experience Before Ratings

One of the most annoying things which only aggravates the frustration of a bad experience offering mobile app is when the app asks for reviews at every possible occasion.

While it is important to ask for reviews, it can backfire when you have not timed it right. So, let the users arrive at a particular app stage before you pop up the message to leave a rating.

Also, instead of directing them straight to the store, first give them the option to share what they are feeling in the app – this way you will be able to create a gap between negative feedbacks and the stores.

Influencer Marketing

If there is anything that marketing has taught us, it is the fact that when you attach a reliable face to a product, the trust sentiment automatically flows between the face and the product.

Following the same formula, it would help if you introduce an influencer into your mobile app promotion strategy.

After all is said and done, the one compressed secret to managing and reimaging your app’s image in the market and to achieve the fruits of your online app reputation management labor is to be present at all times in a non-defensive mode.

Are you facing a time of bad app reputation? Let us help you get to the root of it.

Enterprise Mobility Solutions: Why to Invest in Them

Posted on 02/02/202014/06/2021 by Tushar

Gone are those days when employees were supposed to check the notice boards or contact management for every query. Today, they can connect with the management and get the right information/product in real-time regardless of if they are in the office or at home. And this has been made possible by Enterprise mobility solutions.

Enterprise mobile apps are transforming the working environment of the company. They, unlike business apps, are targeting the employees of the company and providing them with a surplus of options, making it necessary for the organizations to look into Enterprise mobile application development.

But before we jump into the benefits the mobile apps avail to the Enterprises – the one that differentiate enterprise apps from consumer-end solutions, let’s have a look at this data giving a hint of the Enterprise app market:-

Enterprise mobile market is expected to hit a revenue of $430 billion by the year 2021.
4.67% of companies acknowledged that Enterprise mobility solutions are becoming the need of the hour.
65% of companies are using 2-5 enterprises apps, while 27% are relying upon 6 or more applications for catering to the needs of the employees.
5.66% of companies decided to develop Enterprise apps in the coming 3 years.
47% of agencies observed an improvement in internal communication, resulting in better relationships and lower disputes under the roof.
59% of workers in America worked beyond their 9-to-5 shift because of Enterprise mobile apps.
Around 250 hours have been saved per year using Enterprise app, which is nearly equal to 6 additional working days.
77% of employers shared that the market for Enterprise apps has grown in the past two years.
39% of employees admit that they are using Enterprise mobility solutions due to efficiency potential they have.
19.23% of increase has been experienced in terms of customer satisfaction.

With these interesting fact known to you, let’s check the reasons to build Enterprise apps:-

1. Effective Communication

Various companies still rely upon emails and other desk-based means of communications. While these methods sound effective, they act as a barrier in communication when the employees are not at their desk or are into field work, resulting in isolation and disputes.

Enterprise business solutions, in this scenario, reside on their phones and provide them with a chat feature which is faster, easier and more effective than an email. An example of this is IBM launching its video streaming application enhancing workplace communication. It enables them to enjoy communication on the go and the best part, share the information with multiple people in group conversations without undergoing the risk of forgetting to click on the ‘Reply All’ button.

2. Real-time Data Sharing

Unlike the traditional methods that demand staff members to prepare offline records and hunt for getting every single information, the Enterprise apps rely upon the cloud technology and offer quick and comfortable sharing of files and information anytime and anywhere. This encourages organizations to look forward to investing in Enterprise app development.

3. Higher Productivity

One of the benefits of Enterprise app software is that it comes with various handy tools that help them work efficiently. For example, the calendar aids the employees to monitor their work schedule, while the push notification feature provides them with information about the upcoming meeting, project deadlines, and more.

4. Better Employee Involvement

An Enterprise application also helps the management to bring all the workforce on the same platform. It gives the employees an opportunity to freely give their feedback, share relevant information, make an announcement, and much more effortlessly – rather than waiting for their turn or visiting the management personally.

These apps also help organizations to realize the importance of education app in Enterprises and thus, provide the facility to their workforce.

This, as a whole, improves the relations and build effective work culture and productivity, prompting the organization to look ahead towards how to build Enterprise apps.

5. Seamless Record Maintenance

Another reason behind rising Enterprise demand for custom app development is that it gives management an escape from the manual record management process. These apps enable employers to keep an online record of all their employees and retrieve the data easily and anytime based on different factors, such as age, department, contact number, etc. And, in this way, prevent them from going through the hassle of checking each record to find the right employee.

Let me explain this with an example. Suppose, you have a French client and are finding language as a barrier in communication. You need someone to have fluency in the French language immediately.

Now, if you talk about the traditional method, you were supposed to ask every individual to find the right person. Whereas, in the case of Enterprise mobility solutions, you can easily filter the data and contact the candidate with the required skills.

6. Robust Security

One of the prime reasons to invest in Enterprise app development is that it adds security to the process. These apps, by integrating technologies like AI and Blockchain, enable the companies to ensure that their data is safely and securely stored on the cloud.

7. Improved ROI

By providing all these features, the Enterprise mobile apps enable the employees to work seamlessly, effectively and safely, which eventually boosts the ROI.

Now as you know the reasons why invest in Enterprise mobile apps, it’s evident that you must be looking forward to hiring an enterprise mobile application development company in New York and get an app ready.

Taking the same thought forward, let’s see what it takes to hire an enterprise mobile application development company in New York, Florida, Texas, Middle-East and European countries for your enterprise app needs.

1. Experience

The foremost factor to consider to develop Enterprise apps is the experience of the app development company. If the company is highly experienced, it will be well-versed with the challenges and trends of the mobile industry as well as that of yours, implying they will provide you with the best solution as per the market needs.

Whereas, on the flip side, a newbie company might fail to deliver the application at the right time or may serve you with a low-quality product.

2. Platform

The decision of investing in Enterprise Android app development or Enterprise iOS application development or both also depends on the fact that the platform chosen makes a huge difference in the development area, timeline, cost, and the corresponding outcomes. This is because every team has its own level of expertise at tech stack associated with developing an application for Android, iOS or both the platforms individually or using Cross-platform app development approach.

3. Design

Many companies focus completely on the coding part, leaving no time for the design element. An outcome of which is that they fail to gain the attention of the target audience and thus, enjoy higher outcomes from Enterprise business solutions.

So, it is necessary to learn more about the designing skills of the company you are planning to hire before getting into a deal.

4. Portfolio

A portfolio, like a window, can help you to get a comprehensive look into their skills and visualize the type of application you will be served with. So, do not skip this step.

5. Communication

Though often overlooked, the level of communication also makes a difference in the choice. This is because if a mobile app does not connect you throughout the process, you would find it hard to know what and how they are developing your application, what challenges they are facing and how they are mitigating them, and ultimately fail to understand the impact on your application. In the worst scenario, you get delivered an app solution that is entirely different from the idea you shared, implying you need to ask them to invest additional effort and time in return of funds to get the same facilities available. Thus it is safe to opt for the enterprise mobile application development company in New York or other areas around the globe to get a top-notch application.

6. Security

Considering the level of sensitive data stored/shared/exchanged on the platform and the growing interest of hackers into the mobile data, it is again important to consider an app development team that looks into the mobile app security best practices and strive to deliver a secure experience.

7. App Cost

Last but not least, check how the cost to develop an application is defined at their end – do they provide all the services in a single package or has added a price tag to each service individually. Depending on the answer to this question, check for the company that can deliver the right set of services within your budget.

As covered in this article, Enterprise mobility solutions are becoming an indispensable part of the organization. They are encouraging the enterprises to serve their employees with the right insights and resources, and thus empower them to add more profits to their business.

So, in case you are also an Enterprise, look forward to investing in the process of how to hire the right mobile app development company and introduce Enterprise mobility solutions to your traditional process.

A Glimpse of the burgeoning On-Demand Home Services App Market

Posted on 01/02/202014/06/2021 by Tushar

Imagine a scenario. You woke up, had your breakfast and left for the office with a messy room and stinky dishes behind. But, when you come back in the evening, you find everything in the perfect order – dishes cleaned and organized in the shelves, carpets vacuumed and the floor shining like a star. What would be your first reaction?

If I would have asked this question a few years back, the answer would have definitely been elation and curiosity of whether there’s any genie (spirit) who is cleaning everything up. But, in the present time, all these incidents are common to experience – thanks to On demand home services apps.

Eager to know more about these mobile apps and the future scope? For the next 8 minutes, we will be on a journey to the on demand home services app market– looking into the reasons why the industry is gaining momentum, who are the top players, the future predictions, and more.

On Demand Home Services Apps – Why are They So Popular?

An on demand home service app, as you can sense from the scenario shared at the beginning of this article, aid people in managing their busy lives. These on demand service apps enable people to hire someone to manage their household chores and boring tasks including cleaning, plumbing, painting, and moving and storage. On the other side, it also provides a source of high and constant revenue to on demand app development companies.

The home services segment of the On-demand economy is reshaping the world around us by acting a solution of the three challenges of the industry:-

1. Availability of Service Providers

While some areas have plenty of service providers to take the help of, others have countable numbers of options. In such scenarios, an on demand service app development company acts as a medium providing the users with multiple options both locally and those ready to visit their areas for delivering services.

2. Reliability of Service Providers

In the traditional market, it is quite tough to rely upon any service providers when not performing the task in front of you. But, when it comes to on demand household services app market size and on demand home services applications, then these platforms empower you to connect only with authorized service providers and pick the right one- based on the feedback from existing customers and other factors. This encourages the users to rely upon the service providers and feel free to leave their place with the provider while performing other tasks.

3. Quality of Work

The reviews and ratings for the on demand app for home services, when created by the reputed on demand app developers help to get an idea of the quality of work the service providers offer and thus, go with the online on demand app development company that matches your needs and expectations.

While these were some of the challenges that On-demand apps for home services have catered, there are a myriad of advantages it offers, including:-

Significant Convenience

A majority of the On-demand home services applications provides all the home-related service options at the same platform. This makes it convenient for someone to look into different services without jumping from one platform to another.

Considerable Flexibility

While the customers get an opportunity to enjoy multiple services at the same platform, the service providers obtain the freedom to choose their own working hours and conditions. This way, the On-demand home services platform designed by the best software development company is adding flexibility to the marketplace.

Simplified Appointment Scheduling

Another reason why companies are investing in on demand services app development is that these applications offer the users and service providers the opportunity to check their calendar and fix an appointment for the job accordingly. This way, they can manage that the task is fulfilled on the day of their availability or the day with better optimal solutions.

Ease of Payment

The On-demand platforms that connect users with service providers often manage billing and payment transactions. This gives the service providers an escape from the stress of the payment and avails their best efforts into their responsibilities while making it easier for the customers to pay in different forms, apart from cash.

Higher Lead Generation

Last but not least, lead generation is also one of the reasons why businesses are embracing the concept of on demand mobile app development.

While the traditional methods might be still applicable, the On-demand mobile apps provide the service providers a platform to connect with a greater audience and transform their service offerings into a wholesome business.

With all these benefits, the online and instant home service market has become popular in the marketplace – making both users and service providers turn towards the On-demand economy. A few statistics proving this statement are:-

On Demand Home Services Industry Market Statistics (And Future Predictions)

The global on demand home services market size is anticipated to reach USD 1,574.86 Bn during 2020-2024. That indicates that more and more startups and established service providers will plan to enter the arena.
The landscaping segment generates annual revenue of about $600 Bn market in the United States only. This is also one of the online on demand home services market statistics to focus upon.
The moving and storage market has around 8,000 companies involved who produces around $12 billion of collective revenues.
The online home services app market, as previously covered in our article about On-demand mobile app economy statistics, will gain higher popularity this year. It will experience more requests from people for services like home cleaning, tutor service, carpenter, water heater repair, painter, etc. in addition to the demand for delivery of food, cab, and fuel.
The Global commercial dry cleaning and washing sector will become 3.4% more in demand between 2017 and 2023. Whereas, the Flooring segment will observe a 5% rise in their market value and Plumbing market will grow by 12%.
However, it is also predicted that the major slice of the market share will remain confined to the Top market players, implying it would be necessary for the new startups to take a deep thought of how to succeed your On-demand business in a crowded app market.

Now as you are familiar with what is the current scenario of the On-demand home services industry and what will be the future of the sphere, it’s the right time to look forward to uncovering everything related to on demand home services app development.

So, without ado, here are a few things you must consider when partnering with an On demand app development company to design your own home services application –

1. Understand User Persona

Since customers are the prime element of every business, it is necessary for the service providing companies to gather in-depth knowledge about their customers – their needs, expectations, age, region, and more to get a clarity of your goal and the target audience. It is also important because not all the people from all the areas across the globe are relishing the advantages of On-demand home services economy equally .

So, be open to performing extensive market research, gathering enough customer feedback and ensuring that you minimize the pains of the customers.

2. Analyze the Top Players

Though the demand for on demand household services app market size is increasing, the larger market profits are still going with the top players. In a scenario like this, if you perform competitive analysis for their mobile app idea, you can easily figure out what makes the customers magnetized to the services of these top players. This information can enable you to integrate those elements into your mobile app and thus, increase the chances of app success.

3. User Experience

Considering the importance of UX mobile app success, the next thing to pay attention to the type of onboarding and UX experience you are introducing in your application. This implies, adding the elements that keep the app users hooked to your platform and convince them that it is adding some value to their lives.

4. Push Notifications and Other Engagement Options

Focusing on the right use of Push notifications and other such engagement options is yet another thing to consider when making a ‘Home services On-Demand’ application. The push notifications, acting as a reminder to the users, will encourage them to tap on your app icon more often and perform some activity. This will improve your app engagement as well as ranking in the competitive world. Besides introducing push notifications, getting familiar with how to localize your app to increase its conversion rate by 200% is also a profitable method. So, look forward to exploring its potential in your niche market also.

5. Tech Stack and Development Cost

Last but not least, having a sound knowledge of what tech stack to integrate into your On-demand app development process and how much does home services app development cost is also helpful.

While these were some of the factors that must be considered while making an On-demand home services app, there can be various other constraints and challenges associated with the development process depending on the type of services and business model you pick. So, to get a complete idea of what things to watch out for turning your On-demand app vision into a mobile app, you should consult with an On-demand app development experts.

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