By Jinen Dedhia, Co-Founder, DronaHQ
A low code platform (LCP) can help business managers at the enterprise as well as mid-market organisations digitalise every business process, thus bringing in true business process automation
Even as mobile apps have become a necessity in an enterprise, several app development requests from business managers remain unapproved due to resource constraints. The high development costs and shortage of professionals with cross-platform development skill sets are the key reasons behind a lukewarm response to new app ideas.
However, the availability of low code app development platforms aka low code platforms (LCP) promise to change this scenario. Constituting visual integrated development environment, a low code platform enables citizen developers and business users to build micro-apps using the built-in drag-and-drop features. The platforms that come with container app architecture further simplify development, nullify the app visibility challenge, and automate app upgrades and updates.
A low code platform (LCP) can prove handy to business leaders and functional heads by allowing them to automate every tiny process without putting a strain on the organisation’s IT team or budgets. Let’s explore how an LCP can deliver true business process automation and prove immensely beneficial to organisations with the help of a few real use cases.
Driving without hassles
A business manager working in a logistics services company operating a fleet of trucks can make life easier for his company’s truck drivers by building micro-apps for them. A truck driver spends most of his life on the road. He visits office only on payday or on a slack day when he does not have any trips. It is on these days that a driver has to submit, along with his monthly reimbursement form, the toll, fuel, food and parking receipts he may have collected (and safeguarded) throughout the month.
Using a low code platform, a fleet manager can build a reimbursement app each for road tolls, fuel, food, and parking. Using these simple apps, a truck driver can simply scan all receipts and submit them every day. Making use of technologies such as image recognition and a device’s native features such as camera and GPS, these apps can eliminate the need for manually entering data. For instance, every time a toll receipt is scanned, it will also collect the location data and send it to the server at the backend. A truck driver can get his reimbursement claims approved without visiting the office.
Empowering the HR
The HR department of a large organisation is always bustling with activity. There are events to be organised, training camps to be scheduled, induction programmes to be conducted and recruitment drives to be initiated—round the clock. Plus, there are quarterly, half-yearly and annual performance appraisals and subsequent raises to pay attention to. The HR staff of a large company is, therefore, extremely busy any time of the year.
A low code platform can minimise the strain on HR as well as a company’s other employees by enabling HR officer(s) to build micro-apps for a range of tiny processes and functions. Some of the processes that can thus be automated with the help of apps include: leave requests and sanctions, conference bookings, travel bookings, employee surveys, and so on. Due to the drag-and-drop capabilities of a low code platform, an HR officer can build these apps without putting a strain on the company’s IT resources. Net effect — an empowered HR department which can focus its energies on employee engagement and satisfaction better.
A boon for credit banks
India has a huge network of credit banks. Classified as non-banking financial corporations (NBFCs), these institutions make capital available at the grassroots level. It’s a common practice amongst credit banks to collect cash deposits from small shops and local businesses through collection agents. The agents visit every member’s house or shop on a daily or weekly basis. The same agents also act as loan agents helping the people in the neighbourhood to meet their credit needs. A business manager heading the operations at a credit bank can empower these collection-cum-loan agents by building a simple but useful app that can keep a track of aspects such as daily, weekly, and monthly collection(s) as well as the loan requests, applications, and approvals.
An LCP that comes bundled with container app architecture can further help the business head to build multiple apps and push them to a collection agent’s container. Many of the credit banks also provide services such as power bill payments, bus bookings, train bookings, tour bookings, etc. These services can be developed as separate micro-apps and be added to a collection agent’s container.
At another level, many of these credit banks are affiliated with cooperative banks in their towns. A business alliances head at such a cooperative bank can also take lead in building micro-apps for credit banks using a low code platform. As it can be seen, a low code platform can bring in true business process automation for every department of an enterprise or a mid-market organisation.
