Author: 2060 Digital

Transportation and delivery companies build and maintain their reputation by delivering products on time to customers. When a company delivers a client’s products on time, they gain repeat business. Inventory management and movement of goods in a timely manner are vital to the company’s success.
In this vein, a logistics company should have an app designed for them to make business more efficient. Here are a few ideal features to include in a potential app, whether your business is a warehouse, shipping, delivery, or all three.
Appointment Booking and Route Information
Appointment booking capabilities make assigning appointments for delivery to your customers more efficient. Electronic bookings eliminate the need for physical paperwork for managers, and an app puts the delivery schedule on a mobile device instead of employees having to check a computer for each delivery.
Clients can choose the time and date of their delivery via the app. They are able to book times for appointments by choosing the free spots available.
Drivers get a full inventory count and exact details of what they are carrying in a smartphone app instead of in a file. Updating when each client receives their delivery is easier and less time consuming as it is done all within the app.
Drivers can also receive route information and estimated times of delivery on their device instead of on a delivery sheet.
Driver Tools
Driver tools, like built-in GPS tracking to find the customer’s location or gas stations that can handle large trucks, could be a priority. Finding the best gas and fuel prices at any given gas station should also be a must. And logbook capability makes the driver’s job easier without having paperwork or logbooks cluttering the cab.
Real-Time Tracking of Trucks on Deliveries
If you’re a delivery company, real-time tracking of your fleet of trucks helps you find the best routes with the least amount of traffic for your drivers. It helps to avoid accidents and construction zones. This adds efficiency to the delivery process. Shorter routes save money on fuel costs. It lowers the cost of maintaining your fleet due to less wear and tear.
Real-time tracking of trucks on the road also keeps you informed of where your fleet is at any given moment. It helps keeps clients informed of their delivery progress and when to expect it to arrive.
An app that tracks the trucking fleet allows managers to assign loads based on the closest driver to the location of the warehouse. This speeds up loading and delivery to customers should new or rush orders arrive during the day.
If you also have a chat function, it can help keep communication lines open with your drivers to arrange pickups or navigate through any problems that might arise.
Warehouse Optimization Tools
If your company uses your own warehouse, automating your company’s warehouse tools helps boost productivity. Tools that optimize your inventory management can reduce excessive stock by eliminating out-of-date or hardly moving stock. Inventory that is not moving can be highlighted so you can remove it efficiency to make room for stock that is selling.
Apps can show when stock needs to be replenished and in what amounts. Potential ordering through the app with manufacturers could be a functionality as well.
Features that include picking and packaging orders are a must. Shipping management tools keep the warehouse running smoothly with orders processed quicker and more accurately.
If you are a logistic company or a warehouse in need of an app that makes your company or drivers more efficient, then contact us at JACAPPS today. We can work with you to build you an app for your logistics company or warehouse.

When a business goes to the time, effort, and investment of creating its own in-house app, it needs to ensure that the targeted users will actually use and enjoy that app. That means it needs to be user friendly. How can you accomplish that if you’re new to the app game? Here are four easy ways.
Keep It Clean
A clean and uncluttered look improves the customer experience on several levels. First, minimalist screens help users find the right steps and complete their transactions quickly and comfortably. Second, a simpler app loads faster and more successfully on any device and in any sort of connection circumstances. The longer your customers have to wait to move around in the app, the less likely they are to frequent it.
Decluttering the app also means keeping it focused to a certain set of goals and targets. An app that tries to do everything — from making orders to scheduling employees to troubleshooting products — gets confusing and slower very quickly. Focus on your core goal(s) for the app when it releases, adding new features only as they become organic.
Use Colors Wisely
The color schemes for any app or website are an important aspect of making a user-friendly experience. White text on a yellow background might be in line with your brand identity, but it can be terrible to read in the bright sunshine or when on the run.
Bolder text colors on a light background are a simple and proven way to help people find what they need without strain. No matter what your brand color scheme, you can find a way to blend it with easy-to-read choices.
Highlighting the correct next step in a different color than the text could also clue in people as to where to go next. Similarly, you might highlight navigation features in a way that keeps them consistently in the users’ view throughout the app’s pages
Think Mobile
A mobile app is designed to be used on the go and on different devices. That means you must think about how the users will interact with it while they walk, eat, wait in line, are in a busy store, stand on a street corner, or are in the car. They will use the app in daylight, at night, inside buildings, and in bed. How easily does the app work in less-than-ideal situations?
Complex instructions, small text, or undersized selection buttons, for instance, are hard to pay attention to and press when in motion. A simple fix might be to reduce the amount of text or steps, increase sizes, or spread out content on multiple pages.
Also, make sure your app can function even in changing connection situations. Does it require a good wireless connection to load a lot of graphics or different sections? If so, your customer may experience a problem as they physically move around.
Make It Intuitive
Move the user through your experience in logical manners. Consider an example. If you want a person to read instructions and then select one of three options, make sure the option buttons are logically placed directly underneath the text. Too much space will confuse users and an illogical placement will frustrate them. Even if you include instructions in the text to choose a button on the left, this is not an intuitive location to look.
What feels intuitive to one person may not feel so to another, of course. You achieve the best results by working with a group of people, testing the interface by third parties, and working with experienced developers.
These few tips are sure to enhance users’ interaction with your app. A professional app developer will be able to help you use them to create a great interface to reach your goals. At jācapps, our team knows what it takes to appeal to users of all sorts. Call today to make an appointment and get started.

Any manager who oversees shift workers knows the challenges that come with scheduling. You must account for individual employees’ availability, company needs, business cycles, and the payroll budget. For many managers, this process takes up much more time than it should.
Do you still attempt to do this job with a pen and paper? Then what you need is a scheduling app. How can this simple tool revolutionize shift management? Here are four distinct ways a scheduling app can help you and your business.

1. Let Employees Schedule

What happens in your organization when one person has a change of availability? Do you end up having to spend hours remaking the whole schedule? Does the person email the whole team to find someone who can cover? Do supervisors bear the brunt of the responsibility? Do they sometimes not even know what is going on with their shift workers?
With a scheduling app, employees can connect with one another to make their own swaps or reliably notify supervisors of emergencies. You may have them input things like blackout dates, schedule preferences, and skills certifications.
Allowing employees to self-schedule their time as much as possible is more than a time saver. The more employees can control and manage their own schedules, the more empowered they feel. This simple and free benefit may help reduce turnover and boost morale.

2. Use the Power of Data

The variety of elements in good scheduling are occasionally too much for one person to manage. What are everyone’s preferences? What does the upcoming business cycle look like? Who will run into overtime? How much payroll budget is left?
An app can do all these calculations much more easily and quickly than just about any human manager can. If you let it do the analysis based on data from prior shifts and pay periods, you can then focus on other matters.

3. Automate Communications

Do you have a workforce that tends to show up late, forget their shifts, or fail to respond to attempts to reach them? You can partially overcome many of these challenges with an automated scheduling system. Set reminders through push notifications or text alerts about when employees are to be at work. Rather than someone calling or texting workers, your system can take care of the need automatically.
The advantage of a mobile-based scheduling system over traditional web-based ones is that most employees have their phones on them nearly all the time. Using a mobile app lets you harness this connectivity and get more immediate results.

4. Link With Finance

Scheduling connects with payroll as well as other aspects of the company’s finance department. But if you schedule on paper, you do not get real-time information on how the week’s numbers look. And you still end up entering data into the payroll system separately.
Look for an app, instead, that tracks payroll expenses on a per-shift or per-day basis and offers reports to see how your schedule holds up against the payroll budget. Senior managers can keep an eye on payroll and performance data without investing too much time. The app’s data should also be downloadable into your payroll system or provider’s software so no one does redundant data entry.
Which of these features could make the biggest difference for your company’s scheduling challenges? Whether you need a time-saving device, the ability to empower shift workers, or stronger data analysis, a scheduling app could be the answer. At JACAPPS, we design customized apps for businesses of all types and sizes. Call today to make an appointment, and let us help your business help itself.

Apps are ubiquitous in today’s world. But as a small business that’s mindful of its budget and goals, how can you know when to invest in creating your own company app? While it’s different for each company, here are four indicators that day has come.
You Have a Clear Purpose
Don’t create a mobile app just because everyone else is doing it. To have a successful app experience, your business needs to know exactly what it wants from the app. Many small businesses assume that apps will generate new customers, but this isn’t often the case. This should be more about making your best customers better.
Decide on your company’s priorities. Do you want the app to handle direct sales? To teach customers about your business? To facilitate service calls? To make data easier to transmit between both sides? To provide self-service tools? To increase brand awareness? To provide a substantially different experience than other platforms?
An app needs focus in order to do one or two things well. Having too many competing priorities will likely water down its effectiveness in key areas.
Both Sides Will Benefit
Any business relationship is built upon both sides benefiting from the arrangement. An app is just the same. Identifying how your company benefits from the app is usually fairly easy. You get more data on your customers and their interests or needs. Your brand is more accessible and publicized. You get a boost in sales or attract a younger crowd of digital natives.
But make sure you never lose touch with the benefits to your customers. If you ask them to download an app for your business relationship, they’ll need a strong motivation and reward to do so.
Will they experience faster, easier orders? Will they get loyalty benefits, such as free returns or discounts? Are there dedicated team members to help app customers? Can you offer special deals only available on the app? And how will these benefits be made long-lasting enough to make downloading worth the effort? Consider how your business will answer these questions.
You Can Track the Benefits
How will you determine if your app is being successful in meeting its goals? This is an investment in time and money, so there should be concrete measurements that you can track and learn from. Will that metric be in direct sales? In referrals? In customer satisfaction as defined by surveys or more retained customers? How will you measure things like brand awareness or self-sufficiency among customers?
Generally, a business should start on the simpler end of things to see how the app functions and achieves its specific requirements. This allows you to focus on the core elements and measure the more easily. As you know what’s working and what isn’t, add to its functionality or experience with new features.
Your Budget Can Handle It
An app may appear deceptively simple, but it takes an investment to get it up and running — and then to keep it that way. You’ll have to maintain the apps and integrate them all into your existing techology.
Most small businesses outsource this work, so work with a quality app developer to find out what ongoing investment will be required to make the app what you want. Define what concrete financial goals will make that investment worthwhile.
Do you think that an app would enhance your company’s interactions with customers? Whether you’re just investigating the options or have a thorough idea of what you need, start your app journey by visiting jācapps today. Our app professionals will help you create the right app to fit your business’s needs and budget. Call today to learn more.

Apps are ubiquitous in today’s world. But as a small business that’s mindful of its budget and goals, how can you know when to invest in creating your own company app? While it’s different for each company, here are four indicators that day has come.

You Have a Clear Purpose

Don’t create a mobile app just because everyone else is doing it. To have a successful app experience, your business needs to know exactly what it wants from the app. Many small businesses assume that apps will generate new customers, but this isn’t often the case. This should be more about making your best customers better.

Decide on your company’s priorities. Do you want the app to handle direct sales? To teach customers about your business? To facilitate service calls? To make data easier to transmit between both sides? To provide self-service tools? To increase brand awareness? To provide a substantially different experience than other platforms?

An app needs focus in order to do one or two things well. Having too many competing priorities will likely water down its effectiveness in key areas.

Both Sides Will Benefit

Any business relationship is built upon both sides benefiting from the arrangement. An app is just the same. Identifying how your company benefits from the app is usually fairly easy. You get more data on your customers and their interests or needs. Your brand is more accessible and publicized. You get a boost in sales or attract a younger crowd of digital natives.

But make sure you never lose touch with the benefits to your customers. If you ask them to download an app for your business relationship, they’ll need a strong motivation and reward to do so.

Will they experience faster, easier orders? Will they get loyalty benefits, such as free returns or discounts? Are there dedicated team members to help app customers? Can you offer special deals only available on the app? And how will these benefits be made long-lasting enough to make downloading worth the effort? Consider how your business will answer these questions.

You Can Track the Benefits

How will you determine if your app is being successful in meeting its goals? This is an investment in time and money, so there should be concrete measurements that you can track and learn from. Will that metric be in direct sales? In referrals? In customer satisfaction as defined by surveys or more retained customers? How will you measure things like brand awareness or self-sufficiency among customers?

Generally, a business should start on the simpler end of things to see how the app functions and achieves its specific requirements. This allows you to focus on the core elements and measure the more easily. As you know what’s working and what isn’t, add to its functionality or experience with new features.

Your Budget Can Handle It

An app may appear deceptively simple, but it takes an investment to get it up and running — and then to keep it that way. You’ll have to maintain the apps and integrate them all into your existing techology.

Most small businesses outsource this work, so work with a quality app developer to find out what ongoing investment will be required to make the app what you want. Define what concrete financial goals will make that investment worthwhile.

Do you think that an app would enhance your company’s interactions with customers? Whether you’re just investigating the options or have a thorough idea of what you need, start your app journey by visiting jācapps today. Our app professionals will help you create the right app to fit your business’s needs and budget. Call today to learn more.

Your company’s app can be a source of great cooperation and communication between your business and its customers. By focusing on how to provide customer service directly through the app itself, you can save time, money, and frustration for everyone.
What customer services should you include when designing an interactive app? Here are five key ingredients.

1. Ticket Tracking

If you provide services or repairs, your app should help customers understand the progress and outcomes of those services. Give them the ability to request a service within the app and then follow its progress on their own — right through the app and without a call to your staff.
Help ticket tracking might include confirmations of the order, regular updates by team members working on the service or repairs, shipping confirmations, and package or location tracking information. You may also want to use tracking to communicate directly with customers so that they feel more personally attended to.

2. Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions, or FAQs, are self-help aids where people can find answers to common concerns and directions for doing common activities. FAQ sections in apps reduce the need for customers to call or email your staff, saving time and money. They also save the customer frustration from not knowing how to answer a simple question that should take a minute or two to learn.
Work with staff, customer service representatives, and actual customers to determine what to include in your FAQ list. Generally, it would include directions for using the app or portal, company policies, product specifics, and return or replacement information.
Avoid making it too long, but tweak it regularly as new issues arise and others become less important. And if possible, make it easily searchable to serve as a knowledge base.

3. Direct Messaging

Help customers direct inquiries to your company easily and quickly with some kind of in-app messaging capability. When they have questions, requiring customers to log into their email or pick up a phone to call you will increase stress and annoyance — setting up your company for failure.
A great answer is to add one, two, or three methods to contact company personnel right then and there. Along with phone numbers and email addresses prominently displayed, include live chat that prompts users to simply reach out with their questions. And empower your staff manning these chats to do what they can to resolve customer concerns quickly and seamlessly.

4. Log-In Accounts

Having customers log in as early in their app experience as possible helps boost customer service. Their own order or account information will come up right away, leaving them less stranded in finding what they want to see. And if they contact your staff through built-in methods, you’ll have more information about them and their needs, which will lead to less guesswork and less repetition of information.
Customers should also be able to initiate changes or returns through their own accounts.

5. Community Connections

Direct customers to your larger community. Place social media links prominently and repeatedly, directing them to places they can learn more about your services and find others to talk to about your products.
Social media is a powerful tool to help avoid larger customer grievances, so pay attention to it and be responsive. By freely directing customers to your own social networks, you are proactive about their customer experience.
Make your app a great customer service tool by focusing on how you can help them to help themselves as well as connect them with your live customer service avenues. At jācapps, we specialize in designing the best app experience for you and your customers. Call today to make an appointment to learn more.