When the work happens where there is no computer
The fitter writes the installed parts on a slip of paper. The driver has the handover signed on paper. The inspector fills in a form that someone types up in the evening. Between the actual work and the moment the information reaches the system, hours or days often pass.
In that gap notes get lost, figures are copied wrongly and questions come up that nobody can answer any more. An app closes the gap by capturing the data where it is created. With a photo, a signature, a time stamp and a location, if that is needed.
What matters is that the app also works when there is no network. In the basement, in the workshop, in rural areas. We therefore build apps so that entries stay on the device first and are transferred automatically as soon as the connection is back.
What we build apps for
Jobs and service calls
The fitter sees the assigned jobs, records material and hours and has the completed work signed off on the spot.
Inspections and checklists
Document maintenance visits, site inspections and quality checks with mandatory fields, photos and time stamps.
Capture by scanning
Read barcodes and QR codes with the camera or a handheld device, for the warehouse, for stocktaking and when issuing goods.
Route support
Sequence, addresses and status messages for deliveries and field service, reported back in real time.
Time recording on the move
Book start times, end times and project hours from the phone, with no terminal and no paper timesheets.
Employee apps
Duty rosters, holiday requests, documents and announcements in one place, including for staff without a company computer.
Native app or web application?
Not every project needs an app in the store. Often a web application that works well on a phone is enough and saves considerable effort. This overview helps with the assessment, and we make the decision together.
Technology and integration
We develop natively as well as cross-platform. Native apps are written in Swift for iOS and in Kotlin or Java for Android. That is the first choice when the camera, sensors, background services or handheld scanners are used intensively. If an app has to run on both platforms and the scope allows it, we work with React Native and TypeScript, because iOS and Android then share the same code, which keeps maintenance and further development cheaper. Which route is right for you is something we settle before the project starts, based on your requirements. In both cases the connection to your systems runs through an API that we usually provide with Python and FastAPI or with Node.js.
App
Server and API
Data
Operations
From the idea into the store
Clarify the use
Who uses the app, under what conditions and on which devices.
Design the screens
We show early on what the app will look like, so that misunderstandings never take hold.
Development and test device
Your people get early versions on real devices and try them out in daily work.
Connection to your systems
The app reads and writes data into your existing software through a secured interface.
Release
Through the App Store and Google Play, or as an internal rollout without a public store.
What you gain
Data is digital right away
No typing up in the evening, no lost notes, no illegible handwriting.
Works without reception
Entries are stored on the device and transferred automatically as soon as there is a network again.
Documentation that holds up
Photos, signatures and time stamps make the work verifiable if there is a dispute.
Faster invoicing
What was recorded in the morning can be invoiced in the afternoon.
Fewer queries
The office team sees the current status in the system instead of chasing people by phone.
Accepted by the team
An app built for the real working situation is an app that actually gets used.
Frequently asked questions about app development
Not always. If your people have a network connection all the time anyway and need no camera or scanner, a web application is usually the cheaper and faster answer. We say so openly in the first meeting instead of proposing the bigger project by default.
No. For apps that only your own staff use, there are ways of distributing them internally. That saves the store review and allows faster updates. If the app is meant to reach customers as well, the store is the right route, and we handle the submission.
An app with a clearly defined purpose, for example job capture with photo and signature, is often ready for use in two to three months. Larger applications with several user roles and connected systems take longer. We provide a first testable version much earlier.
As a rule, yes. At the start of the project we define which versions of iOS and Android are supported, and we go by the devices that are actually in use at your company. Very old devices can push up the effort, though.
Apple and Google publish new system versions every year, so every app needs regular adjustments. We offer a maintenance agreement that covers updates, store administration and smaller changes. Without maintenance, an app disappears from the stores sooner or later.
On your own server or in our data centre in Germany, whichever you prefer. Only the data needed for the current task stays on the device, and it can be deleted remotely if a device is lost.
Where in your company is paper still being filled in?
That is exactly where an app is most likely to pay off. Tell us about it and we will estimate the effort.