Tag: construction

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App Everywhere B2B Apps Construction Mobile Apps news and press

Improve Your Construction Business with a High-Quality App

Running a construction business requires tracking a large number of materials, workers, bids, and jobs as efficiently as possible. Thankfully, there are many construction phone applications available on the market to streamline this process. Even better, companies that create apps can design high-quality apps that work for a specific construction business.
What Are Construction Apps?
Construction apps are applications that can be run on various types of phones and tablets that track multiple elements of a construction job. Apps of this type are becoming popular on many job sites because they help to improve the efficiency of a building job.
For example, managers will no longer have to continually call employees to let them know when they are building and what type of job they are doing next. Instead, managers can send their employees an update using a construction app.
Which Types of Construction Apps Are Available?
Construction apps come in many different styles and provide a diverse range of benefits. For example, some apps focus on the creation and tracking of job bids. These types of apps provide construction companies with a detailed reminder of the nature of their proposal, who received the plan, and all of the elements of the bid, such as labor and materials.
A large number of apps focus on home and building design. Some of these small, but high-powered, apps take building plans and create a 3D model that builders can use to show their clients. Other design apps include real computer-assisted drafting (CAD) features that allow builders to come up with detailed and high-quality plans on the fly.
Just as importantly, employee-tracking apps provide construction businesses with an easy way of following all of their jobs without being on multiple sites. For example, these apps will let you know what workers are on a job site, when they clocked in for the day, when they took breaks, and when they clocked out. As a result, you can be apprised of their progress at all times.
And some construction apps are designed specifically for a single type of business. For example, roofing apps allow roofers the ability to plan a roof design, track the material costs, and follow bids. While there are a large number of these specialized apps available on the market, many businesses have professional app design companies create new ones just for them.
What Features Are Best in Construction Apps?
When designing construction apps, builders should ask for a broad variety of features that help their app stand out from others. For example, a good app should track the costs of all building materials and be adaptable enough to input the names of dozens of employees. In this way, construction managers and business owners can more easily track their expenses.
Construction apps should also have at least some design capability for the builder. Even employee-tracking apps benefit from a small number of design capabilities, so owners can use their apps for multiple purposes and avoid having to spend too much money investing in various app options.
Lastly, a suitable construction app can link multiple app accounts in a way that allows every employee to input information, track their houses, and adjust some aspects of their work schedule. Connected apps help to make relevant information easy to find for a construction group without oversharing and bogging down workers with excessive details.
If you are interested in designing your own app instead of using one already on the market, contact jācapps today to get more information about the app-design process. We will help you get a high-quality construction application that works right for your company.

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App Everywhere B2B Apps Mobile Apps news and press

5 Ways That an App Can Boost Your Customer Service

Mobile apps can be one of the best ways to reach customers and keep them. However, smaller companies often do not fully understand the value of an app as part of their overall customer service plan. How can a good app boost your customer service and make you invaluable to your clients? Here are five ways.

  1. It Is Always Open

Your business probably is not open 24 hours a day to serve customers whenever they have needs. But your app can always be open for business. An app provides an easy portal for customers to make late night or early morning orders, to manage payments on their own schedules, and to complete transactions when customers are on the run.
Today’s consumers expect to be able to conduct business on the road and on their terms, so they are more likely to open an app than to pick up the phone or drive by your location. Being there for people right at the tap of their finger builds customer loyalty, and in the modern, competitive era, you need loyalty more than ever.

  1. It Frees Up Personnel

The more that customers can do themselves, the less they have to contact and tie up your employees. When customers can order directly through the app, they do not have to interact with sales personnel. But the app can still offer new products or suggest additional services just like an employee would do. If they have questions, employees can answer these through email, text, or phone calls at an appropriate time rather than always playing defense.
By installing simple transactions on the app, your service people will also be free to focus their efforts on high-maintenance customers, complex service issues, and customer base development.

  1. It Provides an Outlet

Businesses increasingly have to deal with customers who take their complaints public. This can become a PR nightmare, and a bad review has effects well beyond that one transaction. If your customer cannot get an easy resolution to their disappointments, concerns, or complaints, they will likely turn to talking with other people or using social media to air grievances.
An easy-to-use return option in the mobile app as well as simple ways to initiate contact or get updates on complaint resolution will help prevent public shaming.

  1. It Offers Easy Solutions

A well-equipped app should help customers handle minor issues, questions, and changes on their own. The less effort they have to put into finding solutions, the better they will think about your company.
What types of problems should a mobile app easily solve? These could include things like changing billing information or shipping addresses, reporting and receiving updates about problems with goods, or initiating returns. Anything customers can fill in themselves should be on the app and not your own data entry employees. You save money and they save time.

  1. It Directs Customers

The app is a great way to direct both new and existing customers to new products and services. Customers can go to pages where they can see new items or be offered reorders on goods they already buy or they can be directed less assertively by using suggestion on what to do next. Or, use the app to push notifications to drive sales or launch new products. Any way you do it, an app is a new way to grow customers.
Whatever improvement your customer service needs, an app can help by shifting the load off personnel as well as giving customers an easier experience — both when problems exist and when they don’t. Start creating your custom business app today by visiting jācapps. Our app pros will help you make your life simpler and your customers happier.

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Alexa Amazon Echo B2B Apps Construction Mobile Apps Mobile Web Push Notifications

Connect with us at the CAM Tradeshow 2019!

Michigan Construction & Design Tradeshow 2019 hosted by CAM kicks off for a one-day conference on Tuesday, February 5th, and jācapps will be there to present and talk to you about taking your construction company mobile. In addition to the event’s productive networking, jācapps will hosting a workshop from 9:15am – 10:15am in one of the boardrooms!
Register today for our hour workshop where our COO, Bob Kernen will be discussing how construction businesses can leverage the ubiquity of smartphones to make their projects more efficient and profitable!

 

Construction In The Mobile World

Mobile apps are building the future and we are looking forward to this opportunity to meet local construction company owners, contractors, suppliers, architects, engineers and others to help take your companies mobile.
In the construction industry, where so many people do their jobs outside of a traditional office, whether it is training a mobile workforce, strengthening your safety procedures, and/or tracking your materials, mobile can make life a lot easier for communication and management. Mobile apps enhance communication, productivity, and transform bottom-line goals into reality across your project lifecycle. 
Here’s how:

  • Real-time logistics updates
  • Improved staff accountability
  • Easy, accurate document retrieval

But that’s not all, mobile construction apps have unlimited uses, such as:

  • Project management and productivity
  • Daily reporting and time entry
  • On-site photography and video
  • Safety trainings and monitoring

Mobile is the ultimate high-tech hand tool giving your projects a strong foundation. These are just a few of the ways our mobile solutions have helped clients succeed. We help clients differentiate themselves with complete custom solutions.
 
Don’t forget to register for our workshop and stop by booth 308 to learn more about how mobile strategy can impact your business! You will also get the chance to enter to win a FREE Amazon Alexa Echo Dot!
We look forward to seeing you at CAM’s Tradeshow 2019!
Register Here
If you are interested in expanding a mobile presence to support your business, contact us at sales@jacapps.com or 248-353-9030
 

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B2B Apps Mobile Apps

How Mobile Apps Are Transforming the Construction Industry

According to PwC Global construction output is estimated to grow 85% to $15.5 trillion by 2030. In order to support this increased work load many companies are turning to mobile.
Mobile technology enables the collection and distribution real-time information to benefit a wide variety of processes associated with a variety of construction projects. While the industry evolves, one thing remains constant: construction projects require an enormous amount of coordination of people, information and resources in an environment that isn’t conducive to desktop or even laptop devices.
Construction managers require great attention to detail and the ability to manage many elements of a project at once. This may include keeping track of subcontractors, progress, scheduling, quotes, invoices, schedules, union work rules and more. Historically, pen and paper has been the route many management teams take. When some or all of that information is recorded on paper or in digital systems that can’t accommodate mobile, it takes a toll on time management and productivity.
Mobile technology creates an abundance of opportunity to improve efficiency and accuracy, reduce costs, and accelerate timelines. With the ubiquitous use of smartphones, construction managers can leverage the power of apps to reduce costs and improve the bottom line.
Here are some ways companies have used mobile technology on the job:

  1. Improved communication with dispatch teams: Dispatch is an important part of many construction jobs. Materials, people, and schedules are always changing and always on the go. Mobile apps and GPS capability can help keep track of or send new jobs to the closest technician. Technicians are able to complete work orders directly from the field, reducing data entry time and avoiding costly errors.
  2. Provide real-time access to plans, quotes and orders: Apps can provide two-way access to information allowing construction companies to file electronic versions of work orders, plan clarifications, building code references, by-laws and more for quick access by teams in the field. This improves productivity and reduces the need for re-work.
  3. Improve accountability of team members: GPS locations, staff travel times, and time spent on-site can all be consistently monitored with mobile apps. This improves accountability and reduces labor costs. Companies can also reduce costs with mobile timesheets that record clock-in/clock-out times. To benefit transparency with clients and management, staff can also document their work progress with photos.
  4. Manage equipment more effectively: Equipment scheduling and maintenance can affect a construction company’s bottom line. With a mobile application it’s easier to track and manage equipment use. Users can log equipment hours and keep track of locations to and improve planning and use.
  5. Provide and track safety training: Construction safety features can include the ability to digitize safety inspection checklists, document safety meetings and incidents, and provide instruction in the event of accidents. Up to date training materials (including video) can be easily pushed out to workers on their mobile devices.

construction-mobile-apps
This list just scratches the surface, there are many different uses for mobile apps in the construction industries. At jācapps we have consulted unions, associations, as well as individual businesses on how this technology can be customized to fit organizational goals. If you’re curious about mobile and would like to have a conversation about ways it can be customized to your company’s needs, please contact us at sales@jacapps.com .
 

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Alexa Amazon Echo App Everywhere B2B Apps Mobile Apps news and press Smart Home

Digital Summit Detroit

Digital Summit Detroit 2018 kicks off for a two-day digital marketing gathering on Wednesday September 12th, and jācapps will be there to talk mobile strategy, and to mix with hundreds of other leaders in the digital space. We are looking forward to this opportunity to hear brilliant speakers, meet the best of Detroit’s digital industry and pick up some cool event swag! In addition to the event’s productive networking, jācapps will be exhibiting with examples of our most recent apps and some swag of our own!
There will be over 50 sessions and workshops that will provide info about the latest digital trends plus lots of practical, game-changing ideas to apply to your marketing strategy!
Additionally, there will be over 45 digital marketing sessions in mission-critical topic areas that include: Social, Email, Data & Analytics, Brand Storytelling, Search, Conversion & Engagement, UX & Design, Mobile, Strategy, B2B Marketing and B2C Marketing. As you can see digital and mobile are some of the hottest marketing topics this year.
You will get the opportunity to learn directly from the brands and leaders who you believe make the largest impact on today’s world economy now and in the future! Some of the brilliant speakers include; Chelsea Handler, Scott Dikkers, Cailin Lavallee, Andrew Malcom, Rob Lawson, Kraig Hansen, Amber Lewis, Nick Skislak and many more! Along with the learning experience, you’ll get insight from BuzzFeed, Waze, Discover, Jaguar, Salesforce, and many more!
Not only will you gain great content from the different sessions, you will also have the chance to engage in professional networking! There will be hundreds of professional marketers, strategists, designers, and more to connect and chat with.There is a countless amount of opportunities here that may lead into inspiration, partnerships and/or business deals that you will leave with after ONLY two days at Digital Summit Detroit!
We’re excited for our second year at DSD! If you are attending, let’s set up a meeting to talk about your mobile strategy! Stop by our booth between sessions for a chance for a chance to win a free smart speaker!
Get your tickets here!

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Android Auto App Everywhere Apple CarPlay B2B Apps Connected Car Mobile Apps Mobile Web Radio Smart Home Smart TVs

Mobile Developer Aims for Growth As It Serves New Industries

Recently, Bob Kernen and Paul Jacobs spoke with Crain’s Detroit Business about investments, growth, and the mobile revolution. In great summary, we are ready to hit some goals this year! Being in the emerging mobile application sector, we topped $1 million revenue in 2017, and we expect that to double this year!!
Alright, so let’s check out what we shared with Crain’s, and how we plan to reach these goals!
We are a software company founded by former WRIF 101.1 FM Program Director Fred Jacob. He is helping companies create efficiencies through mobile applications. Jacobs started the tech firm out of a storage close in his Jacobs Media Strategies offices in Bingham Farms months after Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple Inc. launched its App Store in 2008.
We started out with four employees building apps for radio clients including WRIF, WDET 101.9 FM, Michigan Radio and WMGC 105.1 FM to stream radio content to listeners.
“Smartphones have been the transformative device of our lifetime. It creates an unbelievable way to connect businesses to their customers, such as through push notifications,” COO Bob Kernen said. “The average person has about 30 apps on their phone. Once a company can get an app on a customer’s phone, it can become the best marketing tool for them.”

Realizing that other businesses and organizations could benefit from the mobile industry that has now reached nearly every corner of society, we began diversifying our client base in 2013.
Our company picked up a private investor in 2016 to help grow its staff to nine and moved into a new headquarters across the street from the old Jacobs Media at 30300 Telegraph Road, Bingham Farms. jācapps has a six-year lease with Bloomfield Hills-based JFK Investments Co. LLC.
Our workforce grew to 22 in 2017, warranting a $70,000 investment to tear down a wall and nearly double the space to 7,500 square feet this past March.
“We saw the opportunity to become a full-fledged mobile software provider,” Paul Jacobs, Fred’s brother, said. Paul, who also worked for WRIF as a salesman, is now president of the software company. “We broadened out our skill set and found growth in construction, health care, wellness and other businesses that realized that they needed a mobile strategy.”


Since then our company has taken on clients in Partha Nandi, M.D., of the medical TV show “Ask Dr. Nandi,” and Ireland-based building material supplier CRH plc, including two of its subsidiaries in Canton Township-based Cadillac Asphalt LLC and Monroe-based Stoneco of Michigan. Cadillac Asphalt has contracts to rebuild some of the crumbling roads in metro Detroit, including the 696 freeway.
“In the case of Stoneco and Cadillac, what’s important is communication to their customers and employees” for process efficiency, Paul Jacobs said. “Our clients at Stoneco told us if we can get the message out to contractors, they could come pick up more loads and that makes all the world to their business. These are tools that are all about creating efficiencies for the people on the move.”
Because software is constantly changing, Jacobs said the firm is continually investing to keep up with the times as operating systems are constantly changing and new technologies emerge. One of those investments include building an analytics department to allow customers to better utilize their apps.
We are also working with Dearborn-based Ford Motor Co. to build programs for mobility and focusing on other products including smart TVs and smart watches, Jacobs said.
Last year, we saw 30 percent growth, topping $1 million in revenue, Jacobs said. He expects to double revenue this year as the company capitalizes on investments made over the past two years.
Lastly, we would love to thank Crain’s Detroit Business for the support! Click here to read more about how we plan to double our growth this year!
If you are interest in us, the apps we’ve built, or a product of your own, contact us at sales@jacapps.com or (248) 353-9030

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Mobile Apps

jācapps on FOX 2 Detroit

Paul-Jacobs-jacapps-fox-2-detroit

A few weeks ago, Derek Kevra from FOX 2 Detroit visited the jācapps offices and needless to say, our team was excited! The final piece, which aired April 10th on Fox2’s 6PM news, gave Fox’s viewers a taste of what jācapps is all about.
Derek interviewed Paul Jacobs, Bob Kernen, Ben Levy, and Kate Coyle-Levy about where we came from, what we’ve done so far, and where we see both jācapps and the tech industry going in the future.
Paul Jacobs described jācapps as the world’s oldest start-up, but the piece made it clear how far our “started in a storage closet” company has come.. jācapps has built over 1,100 apps – every single one right here in Detroit.
With mobile technology booming we are here to help our clients get to the next level. As Bob Kernen would say, Detroit is where builders and doers are born – we know how to make things, and we know how to make them well. California might be the tech hub of the US, but our “Detroit vs. Everybody” mentality extends to our tech companies.. With or without an Amazon location. 😉
We may have started as a radio app development company but we’ve produced logistics apps to help construction and trucking companies communicate with clients, apps for health and wellness leaders such as Dr. Nandi and ACCESS Community Health, and apps for travel companies.
Now, we’ve got our sights set on App Everywhere® – especially with the boom of Amazon Echo (Alexa) and Connected Car capabilities. These technologies create yet another sensor in which businesses can communicate with their employees and consumers.
We had a blast meeting with some of the FOX 2 team. Check out the official video below, or the FOX2 direct link here.

If you’re interested in us, the apps we’ve built, or a product of your own, contact us at sales@jacapps.com or (248) 353-9030.