In the year 2016, Stoneco was looking for a solution.
Stoneco, a CRH company, is a key supplier of aggregates in the construction industry and operates several quarries in Michigan. Our team worked with Stoneco to design a custom mobile app addressing their distinct needs while also elevating their current business operations. From start to launch, the Stoneco project spanned four different phases: Discovery, Design, Development, and Deployment.
Discovery
The first phase, discovery, identified Stoneco’s primary pain points and needs. Being able to communicate existing inventory to clients is vital to their business, and the company was searching for a way to do this effectively. In addition to this, Stoneco required the ability to quickly inform clients and employees of updates regarding job site operations. And lastly, the company was searching to improve business processes overall, both internally and externally.
Design & Development
Stoneco’s app started coming to life in the design phase. Our developer team began outlining app features targeting the needs recognized in the discovery stage. Once the design was approved, the project moved onto development.
In order to address Stoneco’s desire to quickly communicate their inventory, the app featured a catalog showcasing the available products and the locations where they could be found. Through this, the company could ensure customers were kept updated on available inventory.
An announcements board on the homepage displayed important notices such as plant closures or changes in site hours. The app had the additional feature of sending out these announcements as push notifications, which would keep customers and employees aware of any sudden changes.
The app also featured additional capabilities such as the ability to place quote requests and product orders through in-app forms. These forms simplified the ordering process by letting customers submit requests right from their phones.
Deployment
Five months after the project began, the final phase, deployment, was reached. When the app was launched at the end of 2016, it was downloaded by hundreds of Stoneco’s clients and employees alike.
Following the app launch, communication between Stoneco and their clients improved. As a result of features such as the in-app forms, calls to the company were reduced as the app was able to send forth the orders to the appropriate teams. Paul Cuthbert, former Sales Manager of Stoneco, recognized the impact the app had on Stoneco’s daily operations.
“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, Vice President of Sales, The Shelly Company
Our Construction Story Continues
Our work with Stoneco was only the beginning of our role in the construction world.
In 2017, three CRH companies came to jacapps with similar needs. Like Stoneco, these companies were looking to communicate more effectively with their workforce and customers.
The apps for Callanan, Tilcon, and Pennsy Supply were each custom projects that were successfully launched throughout the months of 2017. Displaying features similar to those of Stoneco, these mobile apps gave on-site employees the tools necessary to complete their job activities more efficiently. Through custom calculators, employees could determine exact measurements needed for different product materials. A directory within the app also provided employees the locations and hours of different job sites, as well as directions, which made traveling between sites easier.
While at first glance construction and mobile may not seem synonymous, at jacapps we know mobile is key when it comes to engaging your employees. Apps can be customized with a variety of features designed to facilitate daily tasks, improve communication, and keep companies connected with their employees on the job site and with their clients at home.
Originally published by Jacobs Media
