Competitive Services and Innovation with No-Code Apps

The young KLC group is an innovative startup in a traditional industry. Using Open as App, the czech company thrives and stands-out from established players by offering innovative services and ensuring the productivity of internal processes. This is done in a smart new way, combining no-code apps with automation tools.

Challenge: compete in a traditional market

The KLC group s.r.o specializes in selling, renting and repairing forklifts of various brands. Founded in early January 2020, the team who met at the Czech logistics leader YALE CZ secured a dealer contract with the famous pioneering forklift brand CLARK.

Co-owner Antonin Barta is responsible for IT, service innovation and internal organization. As KLC competes with long-established and much larger companies, Antonin needed to think of a flexible and effective way to enable innovation with a return-on-invest. He found it with everyday easy-to-use software tools: Google Sheets for data hosting, Integromat for workflow automation, and Open as App for apps development without coding (no-code apps).

“I wanted to create reliable apps fast on my own and, thanks to God, I found Open as App 😊. As a low-code guy, I cannot believe how fast and easy it is to create powerful applications and automated workflows.”

Antonin Barta, Co-Owner, KLC group

Solution: no-code apps combined with automation workflows

With the need to balance budgets and yet to provide a reliable solution, Antonin Barta designs and creates highly professional processes and innovative customer services.

Barta is not a developer but as a data scientist, he has some technical knowledge and is not afraid to write a query or use webhook information. That makes it easy for him to build more complex apps and processes as well as to operate and adjust them flexibly as needed. He is using most of Open as App’s extra features such as scanning barcodes and QR codes, creating signed PDF files, database searching and reporting.

In this way, the skilled data scientist builds apps almost at the level of a software system – mainly for KLC’s technicians, sales staff and management. While the back-office is using a combination of several Google Sheets “databases”, the field staff works with easy-to-use mobile applications based on Google Sheets.

“With automated workflows, you can skyrocket Open as App. KLC has apps and processes in place, that normally only much larger companies with huge IT budgets create. Small and mid-size companies can now use their know-how more productively and compete more effectively.”

Antonin Barta, Co-Owner, KLC group
CRM app screenshot in iPad
CRM app based on Google Sheets

The sales team and management use “CRM for Sales” which combines three database tables in Google Sheets – one for sales meetings, one for forklifts models and pricing and one or reports from technicians. The app provides all information about products and clients. It enables KLC sales staff to calculate quotes on the fly and send them to customers as PDF files while they are still talking to them.

Quotes are instantly saved via a link in Google Sheets, where the back office can manage all pending offers and set follow-up schedules. These are of course also visible in the app for the responsible salesperson.

Field report and service app including digital signature

The “Field Reports App” for technicians is another example of KLC’s strategic no-code excellence. It offers a complex workflow with webhooks which are a built-in integration of openasapp.com. The app is based on a database of forklift trucks and enables every KLC technician to create a quick report of all services provided and have it signed by customers.

The report information including the signature is sent to Google Sheets via Integromat and webhook which also sends a PDF copy to the client per email. In another no-code app the report information is retrieved and evaluated. This way, all documentation and billing information regarding forklift maintenance for customers is done in 3-4 minutes. Before it used to be 20 minutes. This saves 1-2 hours per mechanic per day – a big win. Plus, the mechanics can focus on the main part of their work, to know their products and to provide reliable service to customers.

For workflow integration, Antonin is using the online automation platform Integromat which is particularly strong in Google Sheets and multi-systems environment.

Result: accelerating processes and driving innovation

The main advantage of Open as App for KLC is speed, closely followed by price and reliability. KLC currently has about ten apps in operation – some of them are even partially connected. With the smart combination of reliable tools, Antonin Barta has created a great functional IT landscape at the fraction of the traditional cost.

There are also soft factors that carry a lot of weight. Customers and OEMs are impressed by the speed and reliability of the services offered which show a maturity that goes far beyond the actual age of the company.

And last but not least, the feedback from the KLC users is great. The KLC team is happy to work with flexible apps. Initially they were using a desktop software, but now they can rely on a strong and reliable solution with Open as App in its center. In comparison, desktop-based processes now appear old-fashioned and slow to the KLC team. New ideas can be implemented quickly, allowing the young company to flourish and to reap all its competitive advantages as a fast-moving start-up company.

“Open as App gives us the flexibility we need to respond quickly to our teams’ needs. They love to find their ideas put into practice almost overnight.”

Antonin Barta, Co-Owner, KLC group

About KLC group

KLC sells, maintains and repairs forklift trucks for companies in logistics, warehouse and retail. Our team at KLC consists of experienced professionals with many years of experience in logistics, handling technology, financing, service and diagnostics.

We offer all mechanical repairs for all common brands including repairs of engine, axles, mast change, hydraulic hoses, fastening of load discs, change rollers, bearings or repairs of brake systems. Of course, we also offer the re-pressing of tires, replacement of wheels on storage equipment, manual palletizing of trucks and much more.

More information: www.klcgroup.cz