SoilCares (as of August 2018 SoilCares is part of AgroCares) is rapidly developing and we continuously improve our products and services. At the beginning of the new year, we look back at the biggest improvements that we implemented throughout 2017.
1. Improved registration and tracking of soil testing results with our portal
This year Spring (our IT colleagues specialised in agricultural data) developed a platform where all soil analyses with SoilCares sensor lab (Lab-in-a-Box) are done. The Portal is the operational page for Lab-in-a-Box users where they can register clients and samples, track the analysis and view the soil testing results. This online platform serves as a replacement of the previously used OFA (Order Form Administration) platform. Unlike OFA, SoilCares Portal is completely online which makes it accessible anytime, anywhere. Moreover, the Portal is more intuitive, has better layout and works faster.
The Portal is available in five language: English, Dutch, French, Russian and Ukrainian. Currently, SoilCares Portal is available only for Lab-in-a-Box but integrating the Scanner to it is on our agenda for 2018
2. Improved Customer Support with the Zendesk customer support platform
This year SoilCares support officers started using the customer support platform Zendesk. Our clients can find there all the information they need to use the Lab-in-a-Box (LiaB), the soil Scanner and the Scoutbox. The detailed articles accompanied with photos guide them through the process of analysing soil with our products. The information is organized by topic. This makes it easy to find what you are looking for. The platform also allows clients to submit requests and contact our support officers quickly and easily. The ticketing system offers efficient issue monitoring for both our clients and our support team. We aim at to solve all software-related issues within a day and all hardware-related issues within 5 days. We are happy to inform that 80% of the issues are solved within one hour.
The information on Zendesk is currently available in English, but additional languages will be added in 2018!
3. New soil testing apps in Africa, Asia and Europe
SoilCares provides not only soil testing equipment but also customizable mobile apps to be used with it. Multiple apps were released this year. In Africa we introduced one app that covers several countries: Kenya, Zamia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Our first white label app was launched in Myanmar for AWBA. This app is customized for their specific needs and language and includes new crops specifically added for Myanmar – Wetland rice, Rainfed rice, irrigated rice, peanut and sesame.
In 2017 we also launched our first app in the Netherlands together with our Dutch partner HLB. The app gives information on soil pH and organic matter and provides liming recommendation. This lime app is now in the final stages of development for Ukraine, Poland and Hungary. We expect to launch the app in these three countries in early 2018! All apps are available for Android devices.
4. New staff & support in 5 different languages
SoilCares is now able to provide support in 5 languages: English, Dutch, German, French and Swahili. In the past year we have extended our team with new people. This allows us to offer better service to our existing and future clients.