How No-Code Platforms Enabled a Rapid COVID Response

In light of the recent pandemic, several organisations have had to realign their business operations to adhere to new regulatory health standards whilst simultaneously meeting the demands of their people, customers, and suppliers. This has not only pushed firms to become more agile but forced them to transform entire operating models, engage in crisis management activities, and support their staff and customers through change rapidly. With this incessant need to act fast, companies now have realised the value of becoming more digital, data-driven, and tech-based. However, what has separated successful companies from the rest is their ability to adapt seamlessly and quickly to the new normal.

Unfortunately, traditional software development and digitisation projects that heavily involve IT teams are just not practical in these circumstances, especially when the IT teams are busy managing the transition of staff to remote working and preoccupied with just ‘keeping the lights on’. This is where no-code platforms shine. No code platforms empower the business users who may not have a technical background to develop their own business applications using drag and drop. And because the platform is designed to handle all of the complexities associated with application development, the time from ideation to deployment is fast. And in these times, rapid development of a pandemic calls for rapid development of applications.

At Checkbox, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that many of our customers had built solutions using our no code platform to respond to their business needs, adhere to the new health compliance measures, and provide support to employees working from home.

Here are a few examples of what customers have been able to do with Checkbox

• COVID-19 Resource Allocation Application
  As a response to the shifting internal resource requirements, our customer used Checkbox to build a resource allocation system. Given the impacts of Covid 19, several teams across the organisation have both increased and substantially decreased their workload. However without proper management systems in place, HR teams were unable to effectively manage and allocate resources across the business, particularly when looking to send employees on paid and unpaid leave.Therefore by building the Resource Allocation App, managers were able to report on current capacity and the basic skill sets of their team members. The app uses a form capture system through which data is updated and aggregated on a fortnightly basis via a CSV and put into excel to draw insights and reallocate people across teams. This has been extremely beneficial for our customer as it has allowed HR teams to make evidence-based decisions, cut costs and remain profitable during this time.

• Covid-19 Contact Tracing App
  In light of the new health regulations, our customer has quickly built a Contact Tracing App that facilitated their seamless transition to COVID safe activities. The organisation was looking to build an app that allowed them to keep record of all their visitors across 4 NSW offices such that in the event of an outbreak they were able to trace the source for effective management. Therefore through Checkbox, our customer built an application that allows office receptionists to easily fill out the basic details of employees arriving on the premises. The application uses an intuitive table format that is submitted at the end of each workday, dismantling the need for manual management of information. The organisation currently completes approximately 80 assessments per month which assists both the government and their own firm in efficiently managing outbreaks and making the workplace a safer, more pleasant place to be. Build your solution within hours by using our pre-designed Contact Tracing App Template here.

• WFH Hub
  The transition from working in the office to working from home has been challenging for several companies, particularly because businesses have found it difficult to provide support to their employees and ensure their physical and mental safety. Therefore to aid the seamless transition of their employees, our customer quickly built the WFH Hub application that provides information to employees on how to work from home safely. The application asks a series of questions pertaining to the employee’s current work from home set up in order to identify how the company can assist in working safely and effectively. Through the app, the user is able to provide photos of and information about their current set up, nominate any items they would like to claim, get advice, and apply for any financial reimbursement. The deployment of this app has given our customer a greater level of visibility over their employees to ensure they are sufficiently supporting their staff through this time. Build your own solution within hours by using our pre-designed WFH Support App Template here.

• COVID-19 Customer Financial Support App
  As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, one of our customers launched a program for its customers to help with the payment of bills. However, given the novel nature of the policy, front-line staff were unsure about the exact available options and processes involved. This risks non-compliance and inefficiencies in internal communications which leads to large delays for the customer. Therefore our customer built an app that guides internal staff through the pre-approved options against the financial support policy whilst flagging whether executive approval is required given the circumstances. Factors such as whether the customer falls within impacted industries such as air travel as well as their current situation around business operation are considered. At the end of the process, a report is generated summarising the options, concessions and conditions that can be offered to the customer. This has transformed our customer’s business operations as it now allows front line staff to provide a more efficient and structured service. Furthermore, processes are streamlined and easy to follow which provides the organisation’s customers with a much better service experience.

• Supplier Covid-19 Force Majeure Assessment
  Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the suppliers of our customer are unable to meet all their supply contract obligations and are relying on force majeure or delay notices. In response to this issue, our customer has built an app which assesses suppliers against a variety of considerations including the nature of the supplies, the criticality to the business and ability for the company to continue providing its services and products, as well as the financial impact and risk associated with supply obligations not being met. This allows complete information to be collected against each supplier which is then presented to the legal team in a succinct report to resolve the matter. By building and embedding this app into their daily operations, our customer has been able to resolve supply issues quickly and provide a seamless service to their customers without any delays. This overall has been beneficial for the organisations customers and also kept them competitive.

• The COVID-19 Stimulus Assistance Application
  To manage the influx of applications and enquiries, our customer has built the COVID-19 app that allows business owners to navigate through temporary business assistance from government stimulus packages. Business owners seeking assistance, often find it difficult to assess if their business meets eligibility criteria and as a result reach out to third party providers to answer simple questions.With our customer’s Stimulus Assistance App, business owners are able to assess their eligibility through a series of interactive questions, which feeds into Checkbox’s decision-making engine. By building this app our customer has helped businesses gain access to advice around eligibility during a time of uncertainty and rapid policy development. Furthermore, our customer’s app has helped them delegate low value, low priority tasks to tech-based solutions, effectively allocate internal human resources to more complex tasks, streamline processes and increase competitive advantage in the market.

• COVID-19 Relief Measures App
  In response to the release of several COVID-19 relief grants, our customer has created an intuitive web app that outlines the various COVID-19 federal relief responses, both for businesses and individuals. With a lot of information spread across websites, our customer has made it easier for their clients to navigate through complex and extensive information and come relevant solutions quickly. This app guides users through a series of appropriate tests and eligibility criteria to come to an effective outcome. The application is currently embedded in the law firm’s website under their Covid hub and acts as a digital front door for clients to access information, advice, and our customer’s Covid specific services. By deploying this application our customer has been able to manage their requests effectively and reduce their time directly engaging with questions that can easily be answered through self-serve tools.

Check out our library of pre-designed app templates here or request a demo to see how Checkbox can help you build your bespoke solution.

Although organisations may not have been able to predict a pandemic, they are capable of responding through efficient crisis management activities. However what separates competitive firms from the others is the ability to act fast and have the right tools in place, allowing them to solve issues and adapt to situations quickly. Although we may not be able to control how the pandemic plays out, with the right mechanisms and processes in place we can control how the pandemic impacts our employees, customers and suppliers.