As healthcare spending in the U.S. continues to grow (currently nearly 18% of GDP) and as accountability in healthcare becomes a bigger and bigger issue, engaging patient audiences in their care is a bigger challenge than ever. Getting patients to integrate simple, daily habits to benefit their health is key to improving outcomes. While many companies look to foster proactive, instead of reactive healthcare – they are having trouble making these processes easy for patients. But with so many of us so deeply dependent on our smartphones, perhaps mobile technology holds some answers.
Private practice physician groups, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers are working to incorporate better technology into their internal processes and patient communications.
Beyond EHR (electronic health records) there are many ways to keep patients and families abreast of facility logistics, patient health literacy, and service or surgery preparation.
Take Dr. Partha Nandi for example: by day Dr. Nandi performs endoscopic procedures to diagnose and treat digestive health. On top of his typical practice, Dr. Nandi wanted to better communicate his holistic approach to patient health. Educating the public and his patients is an important part of his business. With an application, Dr. Nandi was able to get his content in the hands of his on-the-go consumers. This internal medicine physician is able to share e-books, educational episodes, and many other patient literacy tools to better serve his audience. A mobile application complements his health delivery model because an important part of health is the ability to make mindful health efforts anywhere, anytime.
Mobile apps can also be an option for hospitals to communicate better with their consumers. A hospital Florida wanted to help its audience stay on top of ER wait times, important urgent care information, and mapping of their medical center to help patients and families get around. Knowing that much more time on mobile phones is spent within applications instead of in browsers, they understood the opportunity mobile provided.
Mobile apps are a proven way to seamlessly connect with your community! Healthcare costs and getting better outcomes is an issue for everyone, and health and wellness providers can make their patient experience a digital one. This will save resources and benefit both patients and healthcare providers! To share ideas for your institution’s healthcare app please contact us at sales@jacapps.com .
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!
Many of our clients are looking to increase consumer engagement and loyalty with mobile because of its robust, in-their-pocket connection with consumers. Your best consumers have downloaded your mobile app, but now you want to be able to reach out to them with messages to keep them coming back. Push notifications are a hugely popular way to gain attention and engagement from your consumers. jācapps now offers this capability within our apps at a surprisingly affordable price.
What are push notifications?
Push messages are notifications sent through your application directly to a mobile user’s ”notification tray.” They arrive alongside other important messages from other apps right on the user’s device, without them having to actually open your app. These messages are similar to texts – and have over a 90% open rate. This is why clients in various industries see increased engagement with their app when using push notifications. Why do companies use them?
To alert users to news and other timely messages.
When sharing deals and promotions.
To remind users about important brand messages.
And to increase visibility and app usage.
Companies can strengthen their marketing and sales strategy by adding push notifications to their mobile app. With the amount of time consumers spend in mobile apps, and the almost instantaneous delivery of notifications, the possibilities are endless.
The advantages of push notifications include:
Wide reach across users
Most of mobile usage is within apps – notifications can reach 9 out of 10 users on average, higher than email and social. Push messages are automatically prioritized with the user’s latest news and updates.
Conversion rates
Notifications are converting as high as 40% and are considered a phenomenal marketing tool that can significantly increase sales.
Real-time communication
Push notifications offer instant communication with consumers and are great for breaking news alerts, limited-time offers, and event notices when you want to reach your consumers instantly.
Now jācapps can include push notifications in applications! For more information on push notifications implementation and pricing contact your sales representative.
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
In an industry full of one-trick ponies, we are proud to be the Justify of our field. In similar suit to the Triple Crown winner, jācapps has recently been recognized by Clutch as a triple industry leader; a Triple Cache if you will. After careful analysis, the firm published their annual report of identified industry leaders and cited jācapps as not only the #1 company among Detroit app developers but also as titans of web development and UI design. Our leadership seems unbridled as we were also analyzed by Clutch’s sister website, where we similarly earned placement among top app developers in Detroit.
Based in Washington D.C, Clutch provides in-depth insights to aid buyers looking for service providers. Clutch’s research is coupled with independently conducted reviews in which current and former clients have provided their feedback and appreciation.
With the increasing amount of time being spent on mobile apps in lieu of former avenues, we seek to help our clients harness the power apps possess for customer relations. Though we’ve been around close to the same time as the App Store itself, we know in order to create the best apps, we have to be evolving with and educated on how consumers are using mobile apps.
Even after ten years, over 1200 apps built, 28 million downloads, and other countless awards we’re earned on the way, we are most humbled by recognitions earned directly from our clients. To partners past, current, and future – thank you for choosing to grow your company with us and we look forward to creating more seamless experiences for your users in the future.
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
Recently, on Thursday, June 14th, our jacapps team attended Corp! Magazines event hosting an awards ceremony honoring Michigan Economic Bright Spots! We have been awarded by Corp! Magazine the Michigan Economic Bright Spots, Small Business Award!
Before we get into the award itself, let me tell you a little bit about our company here at jācapps!
Through current technology, mobile apps can be very versatile solutions, for businesses and consumers alike. Not only do we have over 1100 apps and 10 years in the industry, they go beyond common devices. While many developers focus on iOS and Android applications for mobile phones, we deliver your messagethrough the most-used device in the world. As well as, in the Connected Car, Tablets, Smart Speakers, Smart TVs, Streaming Devices, Wearables, and whatever comes next. Our App Everywhere® suite allows clients to utilize apps in unique ways, as mobile is put to work outside of the consumer sphere.
Over the past 10 years, we have not only doubled our team and office size, where we are also continuing to develop for small and mid-market businesses, we even expanded our industry focus! We moved beyond radio and into the healthcare and construction industry!
Through our expansions as a team and as a company we have grown in talent and economically. Which got us recognized by Corp! Magazine! They are honoring the companies that have continued to thrive in economic growth, expansion and hiring Michigan’s brightest talent. We are honored to be recognized by Corp! Magazine multiple times and appreciate and enjoy all of the award ceremonies we have attended!
Not only do we want to congratulate our team, we would like to notice and congratulate the other businesses who were also awarded in the same category! We were awarded the Small Business Award along side numerous outstanding businesses, such as; Charity Voice, InsITe Business Solutions, Inc., Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC, Simplify Healthcare, Blackford Capital, Tech Defenders, Brooklyn Outdoor, and many more!
Thank you Corp! Magazine for honoring businesses from all over and hosting a unforgettable awards ceremony!
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
Did you know… Mobile Advertising is expanding greatly in small businesses?
In recent studies, we see how the mobile industry is expanding from traditional media companies to small businesses. Radio, television and newspaper companies are increasing their spending and options on the fast growing ad channel. However, through the expansion of spending the majority of these budgets will be mobile pure-play companies.
Through research from BIA LMC survey report and Inside Radio, it is shown that 56.5%, nearly six in ten small businesses are using advertising through mobile, where just 2 years ago we were only at 22.9% of small businesses.
Local advertising on mobile devices sold by pure-play mobile providers will hit $19 billion this year, according to BIA. If you take a look at the $3.1 billion being sold by traditional media companies and the 2018 local mobile total tops out at $22.1 billion. BIA forecasts and predicts hat figure will grow to $38.7 billion in 2022.
Does your media company provide mobile advertising options for clients? If you need help with a mobile media app contact our sales team at sales@jacapps.com .
Check out this chart below to see the location-targeted mobile ad spend from 2017 to 2022!
Taking what we can see about mobile and how quickly it is expanding in the media advertising channels, we can take a look at how it will impact the radio industry and mobile advertising. Inside Radio touches on how digital radio execs and mobile technology providers agree that radio apps are now full of advanced features in order to help advertisers.
Small business advertisers like the reach of mobile, as well as its customer and location-based targeting capabilities, BIA touches on how not only are small businesses increasing their use of mobile, but how they are increasing their spend on the channel itself. Mark Fratrick, Chief Economist and SVP, BIA Advisory Services states, “The most rapidly growing media channel for local advertising is mobile, followed by desktop advertising.”
With that being said, we can see that mobile is opening up the opportunity to expand investments in mobile apps as well as websites. This is because of the advanced technology features that we have today, which allows broadcasters to deliver more targeted ad opportunities. Having these opportunities companies helps better compete in the red-hot mobile ad space.
For example, check out some of our mobile media apps here.
Fratrick also states, “Mobile has become a preferred platform for the advertising dollar because of its ability to capture audiences of all ages based precisely on where they are and what they are doing, at any given moment.”
Through the apps and new technology features, the radio industry especially can deliver mobile ads targeted by location, demographics such as gender and age, and behavioral and contextual targets. As well as, the advancements such as capturing device IDs and gathering information on users from registration, radio stations can direct ads a more specific target audience.
Overall, the next-generation mobile apps are offer major possibilities and advertising advancements. As Inside Radio shares, “Using data from the apps, radio sales execs can go after new clients and also prove out to existing clients where they should direct more ad dollars. Stations can also sell local businesses on sponsoring sections of the app, such as push notifications with sponsored content or even branded digital exclusive audio streams.”
Click here to check out Inside Radio and more about how mobile advertising is changing in the radio industry! If you are interested in us, working with mobile, the apps we’ve built, or a product of your own, contact us at sales@jacapps.com or (248) 353-9030.
Recently, our President, Paul Jacobs and our COO, Bob Kernen spoke at Better Business Bureau in Southfield, Michigan. During this event Paul and Bob gave insight on the 5 Things All Businesses Need to Know About Mobile. Because of mobile usage, our culture has permanently changed in countless ways.
Before looking into the important things to know about mobile, check out this video below showing the things the iPhone helped destroy!
Well, now that we can see how the iPhone and apps have proven to be helpful in every way.. lets take a look at the 5 important things all businesses need to remember and learn when dealing with mobile!
Thing 1: The smartphone is King
“There’s an app for that!” App transformed the smartphone into a phenomenon. Owning a smartphone is becoming more common every day. Smartphones are always with you…people even sleep with them!
When apple launched the App Store the world changed. Showing that since 2016, mobile takes over desktop showing that 63% of internet usage is on mobile devices. However, only 10% of time is spent on smartphones is on mobile websites. And this is where we see how apps rule; 90% of time spent on smartphones is spent on mobile apps!
With that being said, smartphone is king by being the most valuable real estate a marketer can have. Where all companies can participate, and being a limited barrier to entry.
Thing 2: What is an app?
Alright, so lets talk basics… what is an app exactly? The basic definition of an app is that an app is self-contained piece of software designed to serve a discreet function and work on a specific type or types of devices. So, we can see that an app isn’t a website on your phone!
So, what is the purpose for an app? It’s purpose build software that leverages the power of the smartphone. While bringing us location awareness, phone/email/text integration, part of the purchase function.
Not only are apps easy to use, apps are easy to get! Users get apps in the two major apps stores; Google play and iTunes AppStore.
Think 3: What does a developer do?
Here are jācapps, we have a complexed development process in order to satisfy and help our clients succeed with their new apps!
Our development process goes through 4 steps… Discover, design, develop and deploy:
Discover:
We discover where your app will take root and draw inspiration from our conversations with you to brainstorm the ideas and discuss the requirements that are needed for development.
Design:
Once a concept has been approved, we combine skills and strategy to make sure your apps look great and are easy to use.
Develop:
After you’ve approved our specification document, our in-house development team gets to work. This phrase culminates with rigorous QA testing.
Deploy:
We submit your apps to their respective stores and watch the download numbers skyrocket! But we don’t stop there… we provide ongoing maintenance and upgrades to ensure compatibility with new devices and iOS versions as they become available.
Apps are on more than just your mobile devices. jācapps app everywhere communicates across all devices! Through mobile phones, connected car, smart TVs, smart speakers, tablets, and wearables.
Let’s take a look at some of our clients and the apps that have been created for them!
Dr. Nandi’s Health Hero
Dr. Nandi wanted to create a resource that is reachable anywhere and anytime for the individuals who are changing their lives to make health #1 priority! He wanted individuals to have access to health & wellness tips, research, cookbooks, answers to questions, and help meet each individual need, throughout their health & wellness journey.
Our team created an app that is designed to:
Receive simple and powerful daily health and wellness tipsProvide a full library of books on topics from Beating IBS Naturally to Organic Living to Living Gluten-Free and more.
Provide a monthly Health Hero Magazine with articles on the latest research in health and wellness, interviews with thought leaders and industry experts.
Provide an exclusive link to the Health Hero Superfoods Cookbook
Provide the “Calming The Chaos” 7-day audio program- Dr. Nandi’s foolproof formula to kill daily stress in minutes.
Supply a private, member-only Health Hero Facebook Group where Dr. Nandi delivers health and wellness information, answers member questions, hosts Facebook live segments and more.
Lawyers Mutual (LMIC)
LMIC wanted to get text and video content to their clients in the easiest to use way to certify that those clients received that content and information. As well as, verifying that the information was understood in order to providecertification.
Our team created an app that allows the users to log-in and see the content that they needed to review in order to get their continuing education credits and other certifications.
Using this app, users can:
Easily log-in, watch a video or read a PDF, and take a short quiz. All of this engagement is recorded and credited to the user toward their continuing education requirements.
This app is unique in that it puts content that usually has to be consumed in front of a desktop environment and puts it in a place where users can easily get to it and use it in the place and time that bests suits their busy schedules.
For LMIC, it provides a competitive differentiator and a way to have a closer relationship with their clients by providing many more touch points with that client.
Our work with you does not end at the sale. We will continue to market your app through database, website, social media, advertising, and signage!
When dealing with the database, we will use your company’s database to create messages to your clients about the benefits and how easy it is to get your product. While through your website, we will create a page on your site that shows users how to get the app and how to use it.
But, we don’t stop there we will advertise your products through social media and signage by talking about your new app in regular posts and create signage for your retail locations that helps show off your new app and all the benefits it has for your customers! Click here to check out more of who we are! If you are interest in us, the apps we’ve built, or a product of your own, contact us atsales@jacapps.com or (248) 353-9030
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.
One of the things we’ve learned over the past nine years we’ve been doing mobile applications is that there are an almost infinite number of ways mobile can improve a business.
When Stoneco of Michigan came to us, we weren’t sure how a large hauler of aggregate would use mobile. Stoneco realized they needed a more efficient way to communicate available inventory to its on-site and on-the-road customers. They were also unable to effectively communicate extended hours and other schedule changes to their broad customer base. In addition to this, Stoneco was looking to streamline quote, quality control, and order requests.
The app we built them is designed to help facilitate instant communication with Stoneco’s customers. Using the app, customers can:
Receive real time updates on product availability
Request a quote
Place an order
Set up delivery for an existing order
Contact sales
Contact dispatch
Contact quality control
View hours of operation at each site
View available products by location
Stoneco’s initial launch has seen all their top customers downloading and utilizing the application. Their current download count of 200 users may seem small. But because it’s the right 200 users, the app has delivered huge benefits for Stoneco’s business. And now that customers are in the habit the utilization is only expected to climb as their customers head into the 2018 construction season. “Stoneco needed a smartphone app that could deliver real time updates to a wide range of customers and provide a streamlined way to receive requests from those customers. jācapps provided the complete solution to our needs and continues to exceed all our expectations in a professional, timely manner.” – Paul Cuthbert, Sales Manager, Stoneco of MI
It’s important for businesses to think innovatively about how mobile can help them. Unique uses of mobile we’ve executed include reaching consumers directly, or connecting business to business customers, or even apps that facilitate communications among a business’ staff. Whatever the need, we can help you figure out the right application.
To learn more about how mobile apps can benefit your business, reach out to us at 248-353-9030 or marketing@jacapps.com we love talking mobile!
content that they needed to review in order to get their continuing education credits and other certifications.
