Moving home or business premises is something that’s often complex, stressful and prone to things going awry. To address this, FlatRate Moving have developed an app that can do things like enabling the person moving to view the location of their moving truck and also to communicate directly with drivers and customer service in real-time. Another function is with the ability to create a photo library to track and manage all items for moving and storage service.
As to how the app was devised and to learn what else it can do, Digital Journal spoke with Sharone-Ben Harosh, Founder of FlatRate Moving.
Digital Journal: How has digital technology impacted the moving industry?
Sharone-Ben Harosh: We’re in the age of “the convenience economy,” so more companies are adapting and incorporating digital technology to not only enhance and streamline business processes, but also to make life easier for customers. The moving industry was ripe for digital modernization. To attract and retain customers, companies must constantly innovate and utilize technology to adapt to customers’ evolving needs. And that’s why we’re happy to bring the My FlatRate app to the moving industry.
DJ: Are consumers more inclined to go online to research moving companies and book their move?
Harosh: These days, people conduct online research for almost all items, products, and services before making a purchase, and that certainly applies to the moving industry. Given that moving residences is not an impulse purchase, the vast majority of customers have ample time to review and compare different moving companies before selecting one. The majority of our customers find FlatRate via word-of-mouth and online searches. Now that we have the My FlatRate app, it completely integrates the moving and storage services into one convenient system regardless of how and where customers booked their move.
DJ: What does the “My FlatRate” app do?
Harosh: We want to make sure our clients can manage their move by using the My FlatRate app before, during, and after their move. My FlatRate gives clients the ability to track their truck on move day, write a review for and tip moving staff, create a photo inventory of all items being moved, edit move details, and retrieve items from storage, all without needing to speak with a customer service representative.
My FlatRate is designed to reduce stress and save time. Key features include the ability to track the truck on moving day; get real-time updates and the option to connect with the movers and dispatch. Plus ‘manage the move’ – including logistics, confirmation, and any last-minute changes, including options for extra packing services and protection or any adjustments the movers should be aware of. People can also receive fast, flat rate price quotes by simply inserting the moving requirements and specifications, build a photo inventory to help track and manage all items for the move and storage purposes, and retrieve your items from storage by scheduling a convenient one-click delivery.
DJ: How did you develop the app?
Harosh: The idea to develop the app originally came from customer feedback on how to make their move more seamless. Customers kept asking if there was a way to track the moving truck on moving day. Initially, booking and managing a move online was novel and convenient but customers still had to call our customer service line for additional requests, questions, and clarifications. Even though our website and customer service hotlines are completely functional for booking, managing, and tracking a move, we knew that an all-in-one moving and storage app was what we needed to truly deliver convenience to our customers.
DJ: What does the app offer that is different to competitor products?
Harosh: One key feature that differentiates our app from competitors is “track the truck”, similar to popular taxi services apps. Moving day can be hectic, so the last thing that we want customers to worry about is the location and arrival time of their moving truck. There are other competitor apps that allow users to retrieve items from storage, but My FlatRate is the only app on the market that offers the full package of moving and storage services into one convenient platform.
DJ: How important is location technology to the app?
Harosh: For our thousands of customers, location technology is the most important feature of the app.
In fact, since we included this feature into My FlatRate, 60 percent of our NYC-based users are tracking their trucks during moves.
DJ: What has the response from clients and consumers been like?
Harosh: In terms of the My FlatRate app, we’ve received very positive feedback from our customers. Since the initial launch in February 2019, the app has helped more than 3,000 customers book $200 thousand worth of moving and storage services. Before the launch, we were seeing about 10% of our customers calling customer service on their move-in day for various needs. Now with the app, we have reduced the amount of calls to dispatch by 50% as customers have the ability to express their needs through the app, including Instant Messaging and the “track the truck” features.
