Want to improve your customer experience? 4 reasons why you should do that with OutSystems!

OutSystems Low-code

Why does Piet buy shoes at store A and not at store B? Naturally, this is an interesting question for both stores and something they’d like to know more about. It is also the reason why some companies, especially larger ones, are dedicating entire departments to continuously improve the online experience of customers.

Part of the answer to this lies in marketing. For example, brand awareness is a huge factor when looking at purchasing behaviour. However, the quality of the service you receive also plays a big role. If the quality of the service is great, there is a good chance that Piet will return to order the rest of his clothes at store A. On the other hand, if it wasn’t up to satisfaction, there are plenty of other online shops ready for business.

To get to the crux of the matter, good service can only be delivered with good IT in place. For instance, by processing and delivering orders quickly and smoothly for customers. However, being flexible is also important, so that new insights about the needs of the customer can be understood easily and be implemented quickly. A Low-code platform such as OutSystems is ideally suited for this kind of task. Take into consideration the following four reasons.

1. Speed

Programming in OutSystems works much differently than traditional methods. Normally, you draft a design, then you write the code, and then you have the resulting application or interface, which can be adjusted further.

Another approach is with OutSystems. Using OutSystems, it is possible to utilize ready-made templates to create the front-end of an application. After that, you simply link the back-end to the interface. The first big advantage of this is that you can save a lot of time by using low-code templates to perfect your design. Besides, by working with pre-programmed code you also have tangible results that can be adjusted on the fly.
Building an application with OutSystems is up to 10 times faster than using a traditional programming language. This applies to both building new applications as well as adapting existing software, allowing you to put the latest insights into practice at lightning speed.

2. Test, test, test

UX design is becoming increasingly important in the creation and development of applications. A UX-Designer – short for User eXperience – safeguards the interests of the user in relation to the developers and the clients. It is their task to see whether users understand the app, use it correctly and provide feedback for changes before the app goes live. This immediately creates an app without annoying bugs and frustrations for the user, which is important if you want Piet to come back to your webshop.

Because OutSystems works on a platform of pre-built modules that can be adjusted independently of each, it means adjustments can be made to modules without creating issues or causing the website to “break”. With a traditional approach, an adjustment in one area of the code could potentially cause errors to appear all over the site. Would you like to change that green button on the shop to a blue one? Or perhaps a certain feature should behave differently? With OutSystems you can apply UX design indefinitely, without having to annoy the developers.

3. Flawless integration with other customer applications, systems and databases.

Another unique feature of OutSystems is the possibility to create links with third-party applications. To process a request into an order and get it ready to send out, several systems are likely at play, and these systems must communicate smoothly with each other to avoid any errors. Other systems may also be at use, such as a Power Bi, which analyses your business data. You might think, ”but my legacy systems cannot work with OutSystems”. However, you link your “old” database and legacy applications to an OutSystems app with ease. That applies whether they are in cloud or on-premise. This saves you a lot of time and money that you would otherwise spend on reprogramming huge layers of outdated code. Even if you must get rid of your legacy environment sooner or later, you can easily migrate to an OutSystems application while your legacy applications are still running.

4. Future-proof

OutSystems works on a platform on which all parts that you use for your application are regularly updated and renewed, so you can be sure that your OutSystems app will not become outdated or unsafe 12 months down the line. Another possibility is to outsource the management of the platform altogether. That is also possible with LINKIT’s LOMAAS management service for OutSystems.

If you’d like to learn more about OutSystems and how it can improve your business agility, please get in touch or join one of our regular sessions.