There are a number of apps on the market that are marketed to business owners as “build your own app” turnkey solutions. Zoho Creator’s marketing in this regard is realistic. It is excellent for some functions which just require simple code, but it’s tough for a business owner to parse what needs a few lines of code and what needs a few thousand lines of code. Integrations are a good example – some just need a connection made in Zoho Creator and you are good to go, while some need far more work.

If you think your programming requirements are simple, and they are included in the templates that Creator offers, go ahead and set it up. If you get it set up and running without any issues, obviously you do not need a programmer. However, if you find yourself hitting a brick wall, spending too much time on the project, or a template doesn’t exist in Creator for what you want to do, it may be time to call in a programmer to help you with your Zoho Creator app. That way, you have the app set up and ready to go in Creator and can make minor changes down the road without the programmer’s input. 

Zoho Creator: The WordPress of Coding

Using Creator for coding is very similar to using WordPress for your website instead of straight code; you can do most simple things yourself in WordPress, but you may need help for things like theme design or integrating your ecommerce solution. 

You can probably use Zoho Creator on your own for: 

-Simple app integrations

-Automating simple workflows (e.g. if a new customer is created in your CRM, have it auto populate to your accounting solution) 

-Migrating spreadsheets and databases

You may need help to:

-Automate complex workflows across multiple solutions

-Create a mobile app for a smartphone

-Verify that your app is secure 

The ion8 app development process: spend the least amount of hours to get it done

If you find yourself needing to bring in a programmer but are sweating at potential development costs, grab a towel and take a deep breath. We’ll offer you an honest advance assessment of how many hours your app will require, and that assessment will include cheaper options if they are available. Since our programmers are familiar with Zoho Creator, they may know a way to do what you want within Creator without having to step outside of the box at all – in which case you are just paying us for an initial slate of hours for consultation. 

However, if you need more, you’ll have an actionable estimate in hand which will give you a forecastable expense as long as you don’t change too many elements of what you are asking for. That means you can budget for it in advance and not worry about “gotcha” bills. 

As far as our expertise goes, it runs deep with both Zoho and programming. We have project managers that have proven their leadership working with some of North America’s largest tech companies, and our programmers are familiar with Zoho Creator and, of course, most modern machine languages. It’s tough to find programming expertise and a Zoho Advanced Partner in one business, and ion8 is that business. Contact us today to find out what we can do for you if you are “stuck” with Creator or just want your project to flow more smoothly.