Quickbase has been hard at work this year. Our customers work in industries that have complex challenges, and we often see that leaders in these spaces have their jobs bogged down by manual work, spreadsheets, regulatory complexity and more. But we’re tackling these challenges, just like how Bill in accounting is trying to figure out who got a subscription to Galvanized Nails Weekly. He’ll figure it out soon enough.
We’re slashing Gray Work. We’ve unpacked the impact of skills and labor shortages in industries like manufacturing and construction. We’ve explored how business leaders learn from complexity and improve. And we’re just getting started.
In the second half of the year, we’ve unveiled some exciting product updates and services for our customers, and are releasing new features before the year closes out. Let’s take a look at what’s new and what’s coming down the pipe for our users.
New Features and Improvements for All
Business in all walks of life face challenges. The constant coordination needed between teams. The outdated processes that bog down efficiency. Inability to access information on workflows. It’s like trying to manage a muscle cramp just before you hit Heartbreak Hill in the Boston Marathon.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
We’re pleased to offer a host of new features and enhancements to the Quickbase platform to eliminate these complexities and make operations a breeze for any organization. Quickbase is supercharging the way businesses get their hard work done, powered by an all-star roster of AI tools, collaboration tools (such as secure links and document generation), FastField integration, and governance features that are gamechangers for our admins.
A key element of our improvements and features is Quickbase AI. Remember that marathon we mentioned? Quickbase AI is like your own personal trainer during the race, taking care of those aches and pains so you can propel yourself across the finish line on Boylston Street. We’re delivering on the promise of AI with real impact, putting its power in your hands and delivering real impact instead of hype.
The Quickbase AI Console is a new platform feature that centralizes all our AI capabilities. This console takes the features you may know and love, like Smart Builder and Data Analyzer and more, puts them in one place, and showcases our new features. One new feature it includes is "Ask Quickbase AI," a conversational interface that allows users to ask questions in natural language, providing instant access to data and boosting productivity.
We’re also excited to announce Quick Insights, a tool for our users to easily understand data and make better predictions. Building on last year's Data Analyzer, Quick Insights simplifies access to predictive analytics without needing a lifetime's worth of technical expertise. For our friends in industries like Construction and Manufacturing, it transforms your data into actionable insights to improve how you get your jobs done.
Some additional new features we’re unveiling:
- New Navigation: We introduced our New Navigation in May, and now it’s generally available! We reduced the amount of screen space navigation takes up, provided more flexible viewing options for common interactions, easier access to other areas of the platform and updated branding to match our broader brand experience.
- Solution APIs: Support has been added for all report and chart types. This improved capability enables version control automation, environment segregation, multi-destination change deployment, and will drive future ALM capabilities with the aim of providing an easy and intuitive governance experience. Additionally, our Solution Lifecycle Manager app is now available in the exchange, making for users of all levels of technical skill to manage and deploy changes to your solutions.
- Document Creation and Secure Links: Automated document creation allows customers to generate simple Word and PDF documents from their Quickbase data, like work orders. Secure Links allow for things like project updates to be made in a single spot, keeping all stakeholders aligned on timelines and milestones.
- FastField Capabilities: New FastField capabilities include automatic Data Tables, new integrations, and an AI form converter. The new form convertor can take an existing PDF, picture, or paper record and transform it into a dynamic mobile form in seconds.
- Service Accounts: This new feature allows users to enable secure collaboration for builders and admins without sharing user logins. Now users can quickly switch to any Service Account they have access to and act on their behalf. This also means that builders can finally collaborate on managing and editing pipelines.
Workforce Apps
Working in construction and manufacturing is complex. These industries require a super specific set of skills to know inside and out. If an employee on the shop floor or on a jobsite is not 100% certain of how to do something, or how a piece of machinery works, jobs can get delayed, product quality can suffer, or even worse, injuries can occur.
Compounding this problem is the skills and labor shortage. Workers with tons of experience are starting to age out of the workforce, taking critical knowledge and skillsets with them. Making things worse, these industries are also seeing huge increases in layoffs, people quitting, and other job discharges.
Simply put, if you’re in manufacturing or construction, you have to do your absolute best to keep your workforce trained, show them new ways to do their jobs better, and make them feel incentivized to stay.
That’s why we unveiled Workforce Apps. These pre-built apps are designed to combat inefficiencies and productivity gaps caused by the current skills and labor shortages in construction and manufacturing by simplifying complex tasks. They enable your crew to maintain productivity, keep projects on schedule, and uphold quality standards, even with a limited workforce.
For construction professionals, these new Pro Apps include:
- CRM and Bid Management App: The new CRM and Bid Management app transforms construction operations by providing full visibility and control over bids, enhancing collaboration and communication even when understaffed, to improve bid success.
- Site Safety Audits App: The Site Safety Audits app helps construction teams identify and address safety issues, ensuring worker safety and compliance with regulations like OSHA and HSE. This prevents costly fines and injuries, mitigates labor shortages, and fosters a safety culture, boosting productivity and protecting talent.
- Prefab Tracking App: The Prefab Tracking app enhances communication and oversight for prefab construction teams, ensuring they stay on schedule and budget by optimizing resources. It addresses challenges like coordination issues and material delays with real-time updates and streamlined communication for effective collaboration.
For the manufacturers among us, here’s how Workforce Apps can help:
- Shop Floor Management App: The Shop Floor Management app enhances operational control by streamlining processes, reducing cycle times, and minimizing manufacturing defects to improve product quality and reduce waste. It optimizes asset usage for cost savings and boosts workforce coordination with features like productivity heat maps, certification visuals, and shift action assignments. This leads to more efficient production and a collaborative work environment.
- Site Safety Audits App: The Site Safety Audits app streamlines inspections and identifies workplace hazards while supporting compliance with OSHA and EHS standards. It offers customizable checklists and real-time reporting for efficient inspections and immediate feedback, helping manufacturing leaders reduce accidents and avoid compliance fines.
Making Grant Management a Breeze
Managing grants is no easy task. Whether it's dealing with natural disasters or housing crises, the pressure to get aid out quickly is of the utmost importance. If you're a CIO, CTO, grant manager, or local government official, you know how vital it is to respond quickly and effectively.
Often, grant management gets bogged down by siloed information, leading to manual data entry and sharing, which causes delays and errors in response efforts. This inefficiency stretches budgets and strains resources, slowing down aid to those who need it most. Poor fund management during emergencies can lead to resource misallocation, delayed aid delivery, and budget issues, making the crisis worse and eroding public trust.
Quickbase now offers grant and work management solutions that integrate systems, centralize data, and support real-time collaboration. Our grant management solutions provide complete grant lifecycle management, process automation, and unifies team interactions and data on a single platform. This empowers state and local agencies to efficiently manage emergency grants, optimize funding impact, and quickly stabilize communities.
Some key features:
- Grant Funding Application Portal: Streamlines the grant process for non-profits by offering online submissions, automatic routing for approvals, tracking, and reporting, simplifying applications and enhancing workflows.
- Mobile, FastField: Quickbase's FastField feature enables real-time data collection online and offline. Whether conducting assessments, registering individuals, or documenting infrastructure needs, FastField streamlines operations and ensures timely assistance.
- One Unified Platform: Get a cohesive view of essential data, breaking down silos and enabling seamless collaboration across teams. This unified approach improves coordination and alignment, allowing faster and more effective grant management and emergency response.
- Integration: By breaking down data silos, Quickbase integrates processes across agencies, improving coordination and resource allocation. This results in faster response times and better outcomes, supporting accountability and transparency, which are crucial for maintaining public trust during emergencies.
- Governance: Granular permission controls ensure secure data access for authorized government personnel, auditors, and stakeholders. Quickbase stays compliant with regulations using audit trails and version control, enhancing governance—crucial in crises where accuracy and accountability are key.
Workforce Management for Manufacturing
Modern day manufacturing leaders need modern day solutions. In the past decade, we’ve seen a number of technologies make their way onto the shop floor. The challenge here, however, is the sheer number of solutions available. IT leaders at manufacturing companies can feel like they’re drowning in possible solutions to use. Manufacturing data is complex, and leaders can’t afford to introduce new tools into their stack that are going to make those complexities worse.
We think there’s a better way. Rather than drowning in solutions, Quickbase now has a lifeboat to get you out of the sea of SaaS and solution sprawl.
We recently announced the latest series of Pro Apps aimed at solving the unique, specific challenges faced in manufacturing – the Quickbase Work Management Platform for Manufacturers. This platform modernizes operations with pre-built, customizable Pro Apps, modifiable templates, and AI-powered app-building. These Pro Apps connect teams, processes, and machinery, serving as a digital command center. They enhance visibility, break down silos, increase productivity, and improve product quality, preventing manufacturers from being held back by outdated processes.
Key features include:
- Pre-built Pro Apps: Tackle common issues like facility management and site safety with customizable, ready-made solutions.
- Customizable Templates: Tailor processes to your needs without starting from scratch.
- AI-Powered App Building: Leverage artificial intelligence to create apps that fit your unique operational requirements.
The Future is Bright for Complex Industries
That’s a lot of innovation in just a few months. The challenges our customers face are complex, but that doesn’t mean they need a headache trying to manage it all. Through these new features and announcements, Quickbase is cutting complexity and letting you get back to what you do best – innovating and being leaders.
Interested in checking out these features for your own use? Try out a demo of the Quickbase platform today.
