The Financial Services (FS) sector continually invests huge sums in IT to remain competitive and compliant in a post financial crisis world. In 2014 Celent predicted a global bank IT spend of $188 billion. So it should be no surprise that FS companies are at the frontline of mobile enterprise applications. However, this IT spend often revolves around developing state-of-the-art customer applications while staff are left in the dark ages.

By the end of 2014, 50 per cent of business processes that involve human tasks will require near real-time responses that are mobile-enabled, according to Gartner research. Both front and back office teams are starting to use these applications more as part of their day-to-day business processes. Staff at financial institutions now require high-performing and secure applications for their mobile devices.

Yet, often the way companies focus on software development has impeded the desired outcomes of saving time and money. Projects have been signed off by senior staff with little consideration for an applications’ usability with its intended audience. Investing in solutions that don’t consider the practical application of the tool and the user experience (UX) misses the bigger picture and these apps often generate few rewards for a significant cost. So how can financial firms reap the business benefits of mobile technology? 

IT departments that invest in enterprise applications that are designed with the user in mind add far more value to the organisation and generate return on investment. Enterprise applications should be intuitive and easy to use; just as consumers will quickly give up on clunky and awkward apps, staff will only use enterprise apps if they function well. User experience needs to be at the heart of app design if IT departments wish to encourage significant take up of these apps and continual long-term use.

Even if companies design an app that functions well, they must make sure that it is not too corporate. For users to buy-in to the app enough to use it, it needs to be interesting and enjoyable. Even though an enterprise app is designed as a business tool, it doesn’t have to be staid.

Working on the go is a reality for many in the workforce today, and in fact, Gartner predicts that by 2017, 70 per cent of mobile workers will be using tablets. Mobile workers need apps that can allow to carry out business tasks or edit documents when they are away from a computer or their place of work. As consumers, we demand mobile apps that work quickly and easily on the go. Designers that ensure that an app has this functionality will create an app that employees actually use.

Early adopter mobile workers can already access services, such as file storage tools and project management apps. Most of these services are currently consumer grade but as security models improve, enterprise services will be on the rise. In fact, it is likely that in the next couple of years, employees will be using multiple applications and services in their every day working lives. However, for this to happen, IT departments must ensure that they get mobile applications right at this critical junction.