Hall of Fame: John’s Home and Yard Service

Jacoba Black, from John’s Home and Yard Service based in Billings, Montana, USA, discovered our platform after acknowledging their employer’s idea of getting an App for the business and took on the task themselves. Here’s what they had to say about their experience with AppInstitute…

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.. How would you best describe your technical ability?

I have about 7 years of computer experience in various spreadsheets and have recently delved into web design. John’s Home and Yard Service’s brand new App was the first I have created.

2. What made you decide to build an App for John’s Home and Yard Service?

My employer had expressed a desire to one day have an App for the company. I do a lot of the marketing and had already started redesigning the website so I decided to give a hand at trying to create the App.

3. Did you find the App Builder easy to use? (What was easy and what was difficult?)

I actually found App Builder extremely easy to use for the most part. I liked the ease of importing colour schemes from our website and personalising the App to truly reflect JHYS. What I found more difficult was trying to personalise our specific way of allowing consumers to inquire and/or sign up for our services.  It took a little tweaking but I was able to create forms to our satisfaction.

4. Is there anything you particularly liked about the App Builder or AppInstitute in general?

I particularly liked that App Builder uses a simple and easy step by step process to create an App. I was able to navigate it with ease as a first time App builder.

5. 3 words to describe us?

Simple, Optional and Satisfactory

6. How was your overall customer experience with AppInstitute? (e.g. How much support did you need along the way, and if so, was it easy to get?)

I did not have to use customer support.

7. Tell us a little bit about your App?

Our App is designed mostly to make sign up for our existing customers simpler and easier. During the Spring and Fall there are multiple services to sign up for to get your yard ready for the Summer and Winter.

Every year we send out Spring and Fall sign up letters. Many customers will forget to send them back and occasionally letters get lost in the mail.  Having the App available to our existing customers is a simple and guaranteed way to sign up for the services that are needed.

For new customers, we’ve included pictures of the owner and founder along with pictures of our foremen, most who have been with us for years.  We are a local company so there is a short description about us with a link to our website.  Our website gives a more detailed description of who we are and also explains exactly what our services entail. There is also a link to our Facebook page where we hold monthly and weekly contests for free services as well as advertise coupons.

8. How is your App helping your business? (What kind of results have you seen so far?)

Our App helps our business by guaranteeing that those customers who don’t personally call us can get signed up for services in a simple and expedient manner. Results from the App are slow at the moment but is also expected at this time. A higher volume of usage is expected in early Fall and early Spring at the time we send out our sign up letters.

9. If you were to tell a friend about AppInstitute, what would you say?

If I were to tell a friend about AppInstitute I would say that it is an easy to use step by step site that is friendly to both amateur and experienced consumers who wish to build an App.

10. What is your favourite App/Apps?

Some of my own favourites apps are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TouchTunes and of course, John’s Home and Yard Service.