Author: TheAppLabb

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“Off The Shelf” App Solutions Can Level the Playing Field

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Accelerate time to market and reduce the overall costs without sacrificing on customization and flexibility with our comprehensive White Label App solutions

It is safe to say that much of our world is driven by mobile phones and they are a powerful piece of technology that now lies in the pockets of almost 70% of the world’s population. Apps are quickly becoming an essential part of our daily lives and an important consideration for all business planning. Building an app can be a complex (read costly) and time-consuming process; one that requires detailed planning and sometimes an entirely new dedicated app development company in Canada in order to build a custom app from scratch. As a trusted partner in building over 600+ apps across a number of industries, The App Labb team sometimes found that our clients were challenged with the process of “starting from scratch”, particularly with regards to resourcing, time and cost. To alleviate some of these daunting challenges, we began building our own white label or ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions, which are pre-built platforms exclusively designed across a range of popular industries such as retail, on-demand services, healthcare, restaurants, events, and transportation.

These pre-built solutions have helped a number of our clients by providing the fundamental functionality they require, allowing them to focus resourcing on specific customizations unique to their brand and market and have allowed our clients to get to market quickly so they can start to build out brand equity in the space and collect valuable customer data allowing them to learn from and adapt with their customers over time.

Perhaps the biggest win in choosing a white label solution is the ability to accelerate time-to-market. White label solutions offer standardizing essential components and fundamentals in industry learnings and market needs in order to deliver a best-in-class experience right out of the gate. The solution is quick and easy to brand with all the fundamentals of a well-performing app already laid out. The client can then invest time and resources on branding, customizing and developing other key areas needed for their individual business.

In one such example, our team at TheApplab created a unique recognition algorithm while customising our retail whitelabel solution for a fast-growing grocery delivery company. The custom algorithm was able to quickly begin learning the buying patterns of its users and notify them when a specific product was currently on sale based on the consumers buying patterns. Personalized product recommendation and reward programs ensured our client was able to increase revenue by 400% while driving loyalty. This retail platform helped the company to get to market quickly, focus on select features unique to their brand and disrupt the grocery delivery services in no time.

Another essential benefit of our white label solution is that it can be a cost-effective solution for all business sizes and fits in a more affordable budget. Building an app from scratch requires deep resources both financially and human resources for the planning, mapping and building process. Choosing a white label solution is allowing our clients to start further along in the process and direct resourcing to customization and refinement.

Building an app from scratch can be a daunting process for many of our clients with regards to defining the starting point and “ready to launch” point, assembling resourcing needed for the project and securing budget for a project of this size. Not many businesses have a fully formed and skilled development and design firm in house to tackle these large-scale projects. White label solutions provide clients with a fully operational platform that leverages a deeply experienced design and development team to incorporate all of the platform fundamentals based on deep industry experience. This also means that you are potentially avoiding some of the pitfalls that can occur in early stages of a project such as project drift, key approval and regulatory considerations and data security and functionality considerations. With “off the shelf” solutions, smaller development teams that sit in house, can now focus on maintenance, feature set customization, trouble-shooting and refining based on customer data and feedback – it’s like getting a head start in your “get to market” solution.

Another key consideration we have in building out white label solutions is the ability to offer clients the choice of a “head start” solution that also offers the flexibility to scale with your business as it grows and changes. App builder solutions, while offering customers a pre-built answer, often have rigid feature sets and restrict further development that falls in line with new feature requirements or changes as your business grows. With this in mind, we build out app solutions for key industries that allow you to customize or add and subtract feature sets based on business needs. This in turn means you have an app platform that scales with your business as it grows. These solutions are an attractive option for clients who want the flexibility of a custom app with the “head start” of a pre-built solution.

One of our fast growing clients from Toronto, who offers their customers third party home delivery service from a wide range of retail and marketplace vendors, was able to quickly ramp up its reach and drive net revenue per vehicle with the help of our On-Demand white label app solution. Our augmented reality standard feature set allows customers looking for delivery of their purchases to provide size estimations (particularly for large items like furniture) based on product scans using the app on their phones. This in turn, is making it easier for drivers to more accurately plan out vehicle space and delivery requirements. Our built in trip scheduling engine makes end-to-end delivery of anything from anywhere possible from customer order all the way through to home delivery. With real-time customer/vendor visibility on pickup and delivery status, our app solution ensures our client is able to deliver on convenience and satisfaction promises to their customers.

In today’s market, creating a brand experience in an app environment is the key to unlocking additional revenue potential, creating an exceptional and unique customer experience and being able to grow and scale along with your customers as their needs and the market itself changes and evolves. Brands are tasked with weighing the cost vs benefit of building out customer app experiences that deliver a feature set that is unique, fully functional and seamless for your customers while delivering on profitability and business KPI’s. Choosing a white label solution means that you can start much further along the path with a fully functional platform that gets you to market quickly, reduces the overall costs of the project and allows you to focus in-house teams on powerful customization features and experiences unique to your brand. Launching quickly also means that you can beat competitors time to market and start to collect valuable customer data and turn that into new and refined features that continue to build customer loyalty and customer acquisition for years to come.

As Covid-19 continues to accelerate digital transformation across industries, our Whitelabel App solutions can help you achieve innovation and scalability. Explore them here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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PRESS RELEASE: TheAppLabb donates a gift of $20,000 to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation along with Srinarayanathas Foundation

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]TORONTO, May 26, 2020 – During this exceptional unprecedented time, it’s a matter of privilege to be in a position to spread happiness in the local community. The act of giving to the ones who need it the most can be an immense source of inspiration. Last week, TheAppLabb’s CEO, Kundan Joshi along with Muraly Srinarayanathas, Deputy Chair, Srinarayanathas Foundation presented a gift of $20,000 in a socially distant way to the Sandra Hawken, President and CEO, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation.
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation supports a lot of amazing programs aimed at creating a world of possibilities for kids and youth of diverse groups with disabilities through specialized programs, clinical care, rehabilitation and complex care. The donation was made to provide support towards research, programs and services for these kids.
TheAppLabb and Srinarayanathas Foundation joined hands for the inaugural Paddle for Good Charity Tournament held earlier in March 2020, an initiative to donate up to $20,000 for a charity or non-profit of choice. TheAppLabb won the table-tennis tournament and chose the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation as their charity.
Kundan Joshi, TheAppLabb’s CEO said, “It feels incredibly privileged especially in today’s times of greater need, to contribute towards a great local cause. TheAppLabb’s purpose is to enable technology and innovation to deliver positive social impact and it’s our honor to contribute to an organization that creates innovative programs to support and empower kids with disabilities. It feels great to have made a meaningful difference in the lives of these wonderful kids.”

About Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital creates a world of possibility by supporting children and youth living with disability, medical complexity, illness and injury. Holland Bloorview is a top 40 Canadian research hospital that is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and serves over 7,500 families annually. Website: www.hollandbloorview.ca/

About TheAppLabb
TheAppLabb is a Toronto based app development company focused on strategy, design and development of exceptional apps that create impact and drive business outcomes. TheAppLabb’s SaaS based platforms provide built-in intelligence and scalability to help retailers, consumer goods companies, healthcare companies etc. transform their digital journey. Over 13 years, TheAppLabb has built more than 500 apps with their passion and expertise in technology helping businesses master their domain and mark themselves as leaders of the future. Website: www.theapplabb.com/

 

MEDIA CONTACT
Hardik Dave
437-688-4840
hardik@theapplabb.com

Original newswire release >>

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Investing in our community is a large part of our DNA and we will continue to strive for it

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]It feels incredibly privileged to have participated and won the inaugural Paddle for Good Charity Tournament in Toronto earlier this year. It was a wonderful opportunity, especially in today’s times of greater need, to contribute towards a great local cause as TheAppLabb and Srinarayanathas Foundation present (in a socially distant way) a gift of $20,000 to the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation , a charity chosen by TheAppLabb team having won the Paddle for Good Charity Tournament. The Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation is committed to creating a world of possibilities for kids with disabilities through specialized programs, clinical care, rehabilitation and complex care. The donation was made to provide support towards research, programs and services for kids with disabilities.

L-R: Kundan Joshi, CEO, The AppLabb; Muraly Srinarayanathas, Deputy Chair, Srinarayanathas Foundation; Sandra Hawken, President and CEO, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation.

 

TheAppLabb team with the winner’s cheque.

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Retail Grocers Pivot to Mobile Innovation Amid COVID-19

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The impact of the Coronavirus on Grocery Retail

As shoppers are flocking to e-commerce to fulfill their needs, we are witnessing a rapid increase in online shopping account registrations and mobile app downloads from the previous month. Overall, demand for retail delivery is now booming with Shopping app global downloads hitting 106 million during the week of March 29 and April 4, 2020, according to App Annie  — that’s up 15% from the weekly average in January 2020.

With growing online footfalls, grocers’ systems and services have been pushed to their limits. From increasing shopper support calls, scaling database servers and website/app crashes, grocers are struggling to keep things intact. Even the grocers with robust e-commerce stores are challenged right from inventory management to supply chain disruption. This is impacting deliveries with extended delays becoming frequent.

Online shopping for groceries is still a relatively novel idea for the vast majority and forming habits takes time. According to a recent report released by Dalhousie University 9% of Canadians are now shopping for food online for the first time.

What can grocers do to tackle the ongoing situation?

To ensure grocers are able to support their shoppers and communities, its imperative for them to focus on the essentials: On-Demand fulfillment, communication, online and in-app customer experience and omnichannel strategy.

  1. On-Demand Fulfillment

In order to counter hoarding behaviour among shoppers, grocers will have to build robust inventory management to ensure that essential products are available to more members while better managing out-of-stocks. Grocery retailers can manage inventory by:

  • Placing purchase limits on high-demand products in-store and online
  • Building on-demand delivery engine and/or seamless integration with existing third-party delivery providers, and hence effectively communicating inventory and purchase limits
  • Monitoring real-time inventory at store level and adjusting online accordingly

 

  1. Communication

Frequent and effective communication is essential to build trust among shoppers and empowering employees to keep your business running.

Grocers can update their shoppers about product availability by providing:

  • Frequent updates to your product catalog (out-of-stocks, order limits) online, in-store and your connected third-party applications
  • Notices and updates for your shoppers both in-store and online
  • Direct notification of product availability, and alternative stores with available stock
  • Using personalization tools to automatically help shoppers easily find the products they want and need and appropriate product substitutions, as needed

 

  1. Improving the experience

Based on an understanding of in-store consumer behavior and their perception, retailers can provide optimal, memorable experiences through intuitive UI/UX. The key objective of a mobile app during this pandemic is to provide shopping convenience and efficiency to users, therefore, here are the few important features that your grocery app requires:

  • Intuitive UI/UX for effective navigation that’s simple, clean and easy to navigate
  • Mobile Product Catalog for customers to browse through product catalogs
  • Shopping Cart & Mobile Payment enabling checkout and pay on the go
  • Store Locator enabling location of nearest grocery stores
  • Sales Chatbot to simulate conversations with customers using artificial intelligence, in order to guide them through the buying process
  • Push Notifications to keep your customers updated with the latest offers, discounts of stock added to your store
  • Loyalty program to ensure customer stickiness and user engagement
  • Personalized AI-powered 1:1 Experience
  • Product recommendation and messaging based on dynamic segmentation
  • Voice-based Ordering allowing customers to order efficiently
  • AI powered Product discovery enabling discovery of preferred products

  1. Omnichannel Strategy

To provide customers memorable experiences across channels, grocery retailers need the right technology in place to streamline the entire customer journey from product pages to checkout to tax calculations to fulfillment on an e-commerce site or a mobile application.

To stay relevant in a world increasingly growing towards omnichannel commerce, grocers will have to augment their customer experience to align with consumer expectations.

The COVID-19 is the single most disruptive force ever to hit the grocery industry. Key lies in building resilience, reimagining the next normal, and embracing innovation cutting across all business levels. At TheApplabb, it is our endeavor to ensure business continuity for grocery retailers without the risk of exposure, by focusing on design solutions that provide grocery retailers with exceptional capabilities which leads to improved customer experience and brand loyalty.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Announcing ChangeLabb

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With not even two weeks left until New Years, we at TheAppLabb are scratching our heads at how another year has lapsed so quickly. But, as they say, time flies when you’re having fun.


The technology sector is like no other; everyday there is turbulence, innovation and problem solving. The tools and practices you were using yesterday must adapt for today. The issues you face require new modes of thinking to work around them. The ideas clients bring to us are radical shots in the dark; all the research and due diligence in the world can’t tell you if a brand new concept will be a success or failure.


By far the best determinant of success is solving the problems of others. Not your own problems, and not your company’s problems. Other people’s problems. And there are no shortage of problems in the world to be solved. Thanks in large part to technology, people are more socially conscious and actionate than ever before. Individuals and entities are more empowered to make positive change in the world, thanks to technology’s ability to proliferate information and bring like-minded people together.


Going into 2019, TheAppLabb is undertaking an exciting initiative: ChangeLabb.


True to our think tank style, we came up with another “labb” to fall under TheAppLabb umbrella. The ChangeLabb is a branch of our app development company in Canada where project leaders can apply to receive assistance with socially oriented projects. We are accepting applications for projects impacting any one of the following areas:

  • Environmentalism
  • Healthcare
  • Education

How It Works

Example:


Rhonda is an entrepreneur looking to build an app that helps people monitor their daily carbon emissions. She has some funding, but not enough to finance an app at full cost. She sends an email to applications@changelabb.com, outlining her idea, her timeline for completion and her budget.


TheAppLabb evaluates the merits of her project and approves her for the ChangeLabb incubation program. A project proposal is drafted, detailing the full scope of work. Rhonda receives a payment schedule for her own financial contribution to the project, which will be matched 100% by TheAppLabb.

TheAppLabb’s Sponsorship


TheAppLabb does not match financial investment in a project. Instead, we offer consultation and services equal to our client’s funding. If a client has $50, 000 to front their project, we will provide technology services worth $50, 000. The client essentially receives double the product for half the price. This means more complicated features can be added to the app, more design work can be done, and more support can be offered post-launch.


We’re beyond excited to take on more projects focused on areas that do the world good. It’s important to walk the walk if you’re going to talk the talk. The world can’t wait for companies to take action, so TheAppLabb is making our time now.


We’d like to thank our clients, partners and supporters for a banner 2018. We’ve been humbled by the trust and recognition given to us; as much as we’ve grown in the past year, we know we’ll only push further in the next.

Goodbye, 2018. You’ve been great. Now, we set our sights on 2019!

 

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The Importance Of Design In Mobile App Development

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Mobile app development encompasses many elements, but one of the most important is design. While it’s possible to create a mobile app from a pre-built templates, it’s well worth investing in design talent that can help you create a truly tailored product. You only get one chance to create a first impression, and design is what makes that impression. If you’re a business looking to use your app for revenue generating purposes, then good design is especially crucial.

 

 

In 2019, mobile users spent an estimated $83.5 billion USD on in-app purchases, subscriptions and premium apps. That figure should tell you something about the money-making potential of a well executed mobile app. Without good design, however, an app can quickly be forgotten, resulting in nothing but wasted time and money.

 

Top-tier design is about more than just having an app that looks good. App design is vital for app performance, achieving business objectives and encouraging widespread use.  Here are some undeniable reasons that good design is fundamentally important in mobile app development:

 

1) Good Design Builds Trust

 

Good design immediately displays thoughtfulness, professionalism and attention to detail. This creates a sense of trust between a product and its users. When a product has finish and polish, it builds trust. When a product offers value, it builds trust. Trust facilitates the user journey and makes for smooth transactions.

 

Trust is one of the strongest currencies in the growing sharing economy, so it’s important to consider whether the look of your app promotes trust or instills doubt. Thrown together design indicates a disorganized strategy process. Your users will be extremely hesitant to enter personal information such as their home address, credit card or driver’s license if the app has obvious flaws in its basic design. 46.1% of people surveyed in a study by Stanford University indicated that design is their main criteria in deciding whether a company is credible or not.

 

2) Good Design Indicates Professionalism

 

You don’t have to be a professional design guru to create a nice looking image, but you do need design expertise if you want to create something that will be on par with industry competitors. The biggest companies in the world have dedicated design departments that adhere to strict brand guidelines and quality standards. Having a poorly designed mobile app tells the world you’re not at the level of your industry peers.

 

More than keeping up with the Joneses, good design shows that your business is meticulous when it comes to their product offerings. The design of your mobile app is a direct reflection of whether your business strives for the best or is content with merely mediocre. In short, how you do anything is how you do everything.

 

3) Good Design Brings Value

 

In design there is a concept called the aesthetic-usability effect, in which beautiful things are perceived to be easier to use and are regarded to be more valuable than ugly ones.. The same can be said of a well designed car versus an old beater. Both may get you from point A to point B, in effect delivering identical value. A beautiful luxury vehicle, however, is highly correlated with greater value, ease of use and increased enjoyment. This raises its value perception significantly.

 

The same is true with apps, where design is on display at all times. A well designed app projects value to the user. A poorly designed app projects an impression of being cheap and breakable. Which would your business rather project?

 

4) Good Design Results In Higher Conversions

 

Whether you’re aiming to maximize revenue through in-app purchases, number of sign-ups, ad revenue or other means, good mobile app design makes for increased business outcomes.

 

At least 71% of people delete apps because of design issues. When almost three quarters of users who make the conscious decision to install an app end up getting rid of it, you end up losing a major amount of leads.

 

 

Good design doesn’t just prevent user attrition, it can channel people towards making the conversion you desire. Experienced design talent will take into consideration psychological principles that help people make decisions, move them through the sales funnel and make the process as easy as possible for the customer. A user may have every intention of using your app but will quickly give up if the design doesn’t help them to do so.

 

A great mobile app is made of two components: great user interface (UI) design and great user experience (UX) design. Scrimping on mobile app design in your development budget will make the challenge of attracting and retaining users much more difficult. Good design is essential in creating a trustworthy, professional customer facing image and will maximize your return on investment, validating all the hard work and strategy you put into your app.

 

A beautiful and functional app requires a mobile app development company in Toronto with a heavy design focus. If you’re looking to build an appealing app that will make a mark in your industry, contact TheAppLabb at (416) 745-3164 or visit our contact page.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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TheAppLabb CEO Announced as EY Entrepreneur of Year Finalist

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Kundan Joshi, CEO of leading technology innovation firm TheAppLabb,  is a finalist for the annual EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards, the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award ceremony will be held October 25, 2018 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, bringing together the most notable and innovative figures in the current Canadian business climate.

Kundan started his career as an engineer and took the leap to found a company based around the disruptive power of mobile. Over the years TheAppLabb has undertaken hundreds of Digital Transformation projects for clients such as Hudson’s Bay, Samsung, Dell, RBC and Teknion, and helped them through strategy, design and development of transformative experiences with Apps, Artificial Intelligence and Mixed Reality.

TheAppLabb’s mission is to improve human experiences, while driving business outcomes for clients through technology innovation, and in the last 11 years, they have delivered over 500 apps through 8 global offices.

Kundan’s passion for creatively applied technology has helped him build TheAppLabb from a Toronto agency to an international company with offices in New York, Hong Kong and Silicon Valley. Kundan continues to take part in the local business network, participating in round-table discussions whenever opportunity presents. Watch this segment of CTV news to see Joshi weigh in on the transformation of NAFTA, and how it might impact Canadian tech companies.

 

About The EY Awards

 

The EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards are meant to recognize and celebrate remarkable Canadian business. Every year, millions of Canadians put their hard work and ingenuity into building the country they call home. Whether native or newcomer, the Canadian business ecosystem has a place for everyone, which is reflected in this year’s nominations.

The EY Entrepreneur of the Year is a 25 year old program that has become a staple in the business calendar. Over 71, 000 guests cumulatively have attended the annual winner’s banquets. Ernst and Young is a multinational services firm that is amongst the gold standard in it’s field. The awards foster the collaborative spirit of Canada, where we rise by helping others. Other nominees for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards include Wealthsimple, Whitehorse Liquidity Partners, TouchBistro and Endy.

“Winning an award from EY has allowed my business to gain not only credibility, but great marketing nationwide. EY has such a broad following that when a business wins an award, that business grows immensely. I would recommend competing in EY Entrepreneur of the Year to any CEO, as it allows you to network, gain new connections and market your business nationally.”

-Alex Maclean, CEO East Cost Lifestyle, 2016 Atlantic Business-To-Consumer Products & Services Winner

About TheAppLabb

 

Technology has changed just about everything. When the world changes, the wisest of businesses figure out how to evolve and plan strategically for the unknown. TheAppLabb is a custom mobile application development company that creates custom mobile technology solutions that help businesses achieve their goals. Custom apps, prebuilt app platforms such as for on-demand delivery or retail businesses, and emerging tech projects in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Conversational Bots and Mixed Reality are some of the services offered, in line with a effectively built strategy. With our passion and expertise in emerging technology we’ve helped businesses master their domain and mark themselves as leaders into the future.

 

About The Gala

 

The EY Awards will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre at 222 Bremner Blvd, Toronto. The evening begins at 5:30 with a reception, with dinner and the awards ceremony following at 6:30. The sold-out black tie gala is funded by sponsors such as CBC, Bell, BNN, Air Canada and The Globe and Mail.

The EY Entrepreneur Awards are tomorrow, October 25 2018. Stay tuned for further updates from TheAppLabb to see if Kundan takes home the prize! In any case, it’s bound to be an electric gathering of Canada’s best.

For more information, contact us at info@theapplabb.com. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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How AI Is Revolutionizing HR

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Thank you to Enlightened-Digital for this guest post

Over the past few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has ignited change in a number of industries, altering the ways in which we perform daily tasks, complete our work and even how we find work. AI and automation have revolutionized the processes and responsibilities of human resource departments and the value they can provide to the rest of the company. Let’s examine some of the benefits of integrating AI into HR departments as we learn to embrace and take advantage of this technology.

 

Recruitment

 

According to IBM’s 2017 survey of 6,000 executives, 66 percent of CEOs believe cognitive computing can drive significant value in HR. For this reason, major companies such as Oracle have integrated AI into various parts of their HCM suites, and as CEO Mark Hurd noted at the SuiteWorld 2018 conference, its already contributed to internal success. Hurd says, “If I asked our head of HR, ‘Would you like an AI application?’ I’m not sure what she’d say. But if I told her that I could help her do a better job of recruiting the 2,000 college kids we recruit every year, by knowing things like whether their GPA would do a better job predicting their future success at Oracle, or the school they went to or their major or any of these hundreds and hundreds of correlations… she’s going to buy that every single day.”

 

This kind of automated assistance is what makes AI in HR so appealing, starting with its emerging role in talent acquisition. Utilizing recruiter-defined parameters such as location, skill set and industry, AI can deliver lists of potential candidates, predict their readiness for a move, develop and send communications and map responses, relieving HR professionals of extra work and expediting candidate sourcing.

 

Additionally, as Johnny Taylor, CEO of the Society for Human Resources says, [AI] will help democratize, equalize and significantly reduce hiring bias. AI’s capacity to remove bias in writing style, photographs, alumni and other affiliations leads to better and more diverse shortlisting. All in all, the reduction in hiring time enabled by AI can provide a competitive edge in the fight for limited resources.

Training

 

Once you’ve selected your new employee(s), AI can provide further assistance in getting new-hires up-to-speed. Employees are 58 percent more likely to remain with an organization after three years when they’ve gone through structured onboarding, so a fully-optimized process is critical. Leveraging AI to automate tasks that traditionally take hours allows HR personnel to focus their attention on engaging new employees.

 

AI-powered chatbots are a great tool for enhancing user experience and providing an interactive assistant for initial onboarding procedures. Outlining company-wide policies, setting up office accounts and arranging meet-and-greets with team members can all be automated and assisted by AI. Deepak Bharadwaj, the VP of HR Business Unit at ServiceNow, predicts that chatbots in the workplace could reach adoption rates of as high as 75 percent by 2020, with employees accessing these bots to resolve frequently asked HR questions and access HR solutions anywhere at anytime.

Culture

 

AI has an effect on the overall company culture as well as the individual experiences of new employees. As responsibilities are re-prioritized, the methods in which workers accomplish tasks and collaborate with one another will also evolve. With routine and mundane tasks automated by AI, uniquely human attributes such as creativity and problem solving will allow employees to flourish in more productive sectors, further proving that  AI will not eliminate jobs but alter the nature of them. As workloads and positions change in line with AI, performance metrics will shift as well. For HR, this means rearranging how employee performance is measured. Rather than assessing someone’s ability to complete routine assignments, an employee’s ability to create new business value though more creative and innovative behavior will be recognized.

 

Regardless of the connotation artificial intelligence may hold, AI is slowly but surely making the workplace more human-focused. With a stronger, more qualified team of mobile app developers in Toronto and the automation of historically tedious responsibilities, the implementation of AI is a win-win for all. As the technology advances and more organizations shift toward a more innovative mindset, the benefits of AI in HR will multiply.

 

-Maddie Davis

Maddie Davis is co-founder of Enlightened-Digital and a tech-obsessed female from the Big Apple. She lives by building and redesigning websites, running marathons, and reading anything and everything on the NYT Best Sellers list.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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USMCA Agreement Versus Tech Stakeholders

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Goodbye NAFTA

Cars and cattle have been the historic “hot” issues for trade agreements such as NAFTA, but that was in a time before innovative technology was in the hands of nearly every consumer. Now, technology is one of the biggest wealth-generators in our economy, and elected officials aren’t sure what to do with that.

 

Canada is a prominent country on the world stage when it comes to technology. We’re leaders in artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, and we have a thriving startup ecosystem. Most startups hinge on proprietary technology, and technologists worry that NAFTA negotiations fail to address the finer points of tech law.

 

The new agreement, titled the United-States-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA) gives the US greater access to the Canadian dairy market and puts mandates on auto manufacturing. Conspicuously missing from coverage, however, is how technology professionals will be affected by new trade laws.

 

Kundan Joshi, CEO of TheAppLabb and Jesse Hirsh, both respective technologists and industry leaders, weighed in on the CBC this past weekend.

 

The Main Issues

 

Intellectual Property is a huge consideration for Canadian startups, for most of whom see the United States as a goal market within two to three years of being founded. Entrepreneurs and developers who wish to travel to the States, as so many do, had to obtain a temporary visa for cross-border work. This is an area tech professionals want to see expanded going forward.

 

Joshi emphasized that IP laws must be “not only equal, but fair” for Canada-US-Mexico technology enablement. Canada is absolutely wealthy when it comes to talent and inspiration, but sometimes suffers from the short end of the stick with over-regulation. Breaking into the American market is a sign of positive progress for Canadian businesses. IP laws need to be structured to assist Canadian businesses, not hamstring them.

 

Also discussed was tariffs on items bought online in cross-border purchases. With the advent of e-commerce, Canadian and American retailers are able to go more head-to-head in targeting each other’s traditional customer bases. The internet allows customers to shop internationally from the comfort of their homes, which allows Canadian businesses to expand more aggressively through electronic mediums.

 

Summing up the discussion on NAFTA was Joshi’s advice to regulators: take data seriously. As personal tech grows, so does the collective reservoir of data. It’s essential that negotiators recognize tech as being a dominant force in the economy, and that they create policies to enhance innovation rather than stagnate it.

 

Technology stakeholders want fluid but secure cross-border movement when it comes to telecommunications, intellectual property and digital products. If the Canadian, US and Mexican government can uphold these desires then we’ll see an innovation landscape that produces great players, expanding on the already dominant framework of technology.

 

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Artificial Intelligence: The Secret To High Performance Apps

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Artificial intelligence is on the tip of most CEO’s tongues as businesses race to maximize this technology. 62% of enterprises in 2018 have already implemented AI. Companies can’t afford to be without it, but what exactly is AI and how does it deliver results?

 

Artificial intelligence is an umbrella term for a machine capable of performing automated tasks. General intelligence like that of a human is still out of reach for AI programs, but there’s still tremendous value in it’s ability to process and filter enormous data sets. When it comes to getting to know your customers’ habits, this information is invaluable.

 

AI powered apps are especially useful to businesses because of the sheer amount of activity the average smartphone performs on a daily basis. This means there is plenty of information to be gathered and analyzed, translating into an improved customer experience and optimized revenue.

 

Equipping your mobile app with artificial intelligence gives you tools for automation, data analysis and user personalization. We break down the main use cases for AI in mobile applications, illuminating the very real present day benefits of this futuristically named technology:

1)    Automated Reasoning – Solving Problems With Logic

 

The advantage of computers is that they can be programmed to follow rules of logic. This makes for consistent processes and outcomes for each and every user of the app. It also allows for methodical problem solving.

 

The field of automated reasoning is a subject of much fascination for roboticists, computer scientists and philosophers. In the context of your app, automated reasoning standardizes the user experience and makes it so users can find solutions to problems with no human help required.

 

2)    Tailored Recommendations

 

One of the best benefits of artificial intelligence for businesses, artificial intelligence learns about your customers and can recommend products or content they’re most likely to enjoy and engage with. This can drive revenue for your retail app, encouraging shoppers to add another item for their basket if it suits them perfectly. AI derived, tailored recommendations are the backbone for sites like Netflix and Amazon, whose cutting-edge algorithms quickly learn about it’s users and feed them suggestions that keep them coming back.

 

3)    Voice Assistance

 

Voice assistance is one of the hottest trends in tech, projected to be a paradigm shift for conversational interface. 20% of all Google searches are performed by voice, and voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa and Cortana are already ubiquitous.

 

Enabling your app with voice assistance AI puts it at the forefront of UX, or User Experience. Voice assistance AI is also better able to register emotion and tonality in the words of it’s users, which is an advantage over textual conversational AI.

 

4)    Chatbots and Customer Service AI

 

All AI improves customer service, but few branches of AI have such an active role as conversational chatbots. Chatbots give the app user instantaneous access to “support staff”, answering user queries within the scope of it’s understanding. Night or day, wherever the user happens to be, they can interact with a chatbot quickly and easily rather than waiting indefinitely on hold for a human rep. This type of automation helps businesses scale while offering the same quality of service to their customers.

 

5)    Image Recognition

 

Image recognition AI is gaining ground with apps such as Prisma and Nantmobile. Advanced neural networks are able to scan an image, identifying shapes and signifiers and piecing them together to identify what it’s looking at. Since the web is such a visual medium, image recognition AI will be greatly influential as it continues to find uses.

 

6)    Advanced Analytics

 

One of the most valuable AI business tools is in-depth analytics insights. AI can process and filter extremely large data sets in minutes, the kind of clerical work that would take a human weeks to do. AI is then able to analyze the data and find patterns, make groupings and display results in a boiled-down form. Much of the buzz around AI centres on the escalation of data processing. Analytics are essential for revealing what’s working and what’s not on your mobile app. The greater the insights you have, the better positioned you are to create a product that is valuable to your users.

 

7)    Unique Branding Possibilities

 

Big brands are seizing AI as a way to delight customers and differentiate themselves. With the advanced computing power of AI comes unlimited possibilities for creative usage. Procter & Gamble have developed an AI powered “Skin Advisor” app that analyzes users selfies and recommends a personalized skincare regimen for them. Furniture stores are creating apps that take stock of the user’s home and gives projections of what a new sofa, table or chair would look like in their space. Snapchat uses speech-recognition AI to notice when users say simple words like “hi”, “yes” and “love”, triggering special effects to emphasize the statement. AI can be used in any number of ways to add quirky or useful features to your app, making it stand out in the crowd.

 

8)    Technology That Teaches Itself

 

One of the best things about artificial intelligence is it’s ability to learn from it’s own performance and make self improvements. This known as machine learning. Computers are able to analyze data and learn over time in an autonomous fashion. This has some people freaked out by the prospect of super-intelligent AI, but enthusiasts are excited for the knowledge breakthroughs that are already taking place.

 

Machine learning in mobile applications means that your app will only get better as time goes on, becoming more in tune with user habits and efficient at providing them what they’re looking for. Machine learning is so effective that self-taught computers are able to defeat human grand masters at games of strategy such as chess, Go and poker. You want your mobile app to be a step ahead so it can always be in the position of guiding the user, and not the other way around.

 

Intelligent apps are already transforming how we communicate, design, socialize, do business and get around in the world. The apps that cause a sensation are the ones that offer the best, most personalized and fluid experience to the end user. To remain at the forefront of the highly competitive app industry it’s essential to implement targeted AI for the wealth of features and insights it provides. Artificial intelligence isn’t something to be feared; it’s a tool that every business should learn how to harness.

 

A great user experience requires a strategy that considers every detail. If you’re looking to build an intelligent app that will make a mark in your industry, contact our mobile app development company in Toronto. Contact TheAppLabb at (416) 745-3164 or visit our contact page here.

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