“The CLA App for Childcare was primarily used to have quick and easily searchable access to the collective agreement texts. We didn’t really make use of the other features the app offers. We then experimented with some possibilities, such as sending out surveys through the app via push notifications. This received a good response, which prompted us to explore what else the app could yield.”
Suzanne Wartenbergh, Industry Specialist for Social Work at FCB.
Faster and easier access to professionals in the industry
Suzanne continues: “What we also observed is that we could reach professionals and employees much more easily and quickly through the app. The group of directors and HR departments is easily accessible to us, but sometimes it can be a challenge to reach the group of professionals; the app helps with that, especially with certain surveys.”
Valuable (calculative) tools for users
“We made a very deliberate choice regarding the components in the CLA app. All the content of the app should relate to the collective labour agreement. It’s important to us that an app can do one thing well, in this case, provide access to all relevant collective agreement information. Furthermore, we really wanted to include the Diplomacheck tool in the childcare app. This tool allows you to check if a diploma qualifies for working in childcare. It’s frequently accessed on the website, and it’s really nice that it’s now also in the app. For the Social Work CLA app, the individual choice budget calculation tool has been in the app since its launch. This tool is often accessed through the website, and it’s great that it’s also available in the app. We want the CLA app to be truly valuable for users, with a clear focus on an app that centers around the CLA with related tools.”
Increased use of the app with push notifications
With the app, as an (industry) organization, you have a powerful tool to reach your users. At FCB as well, this is increasingly being utilized. Suzanne elaborates on this:
“We are now more active in using push notifications to see what results it yields. We have observed that sending information about collective labour agreement negotiations or changes in the collective labour agreement immediately leads to increased app visits. The value of push notifications has become clear to us in this way. We will use this strategically without causing irritation to people.
It’s also interesting to start utilizing the new possibilities with (push) notifications, namely the ability to inform specific groups of employees selectively.
The app and website complement each other
The app and the website are two entirely different mediums. On the website, the CLA pages are the most visited; it’s crucial information in the industry. User research revealed that some people prefer to view the collective labour agreement on the website, while others prefer to use the app because it allows for easy searching. You deal with personal preferences, and we want to serve users in various ways.
The website contains much more than just the collective labour agreement; the app, on the other hand, focuses specifically on the collective labour agreement. We also make clear choices when it comes to the news articles we put in the app; there is always a connection to the collective labour agreement in the news. We hope that people in the industry know that if they want to stay informed about their collective labour agreement, they are in the right place when using the app.
Keeping the app itself up-to-date through the Dashboard
The apps from Yaacomm are built in a modular fashion. New components and capabilities can be added where needed. We asked Suzanne if there are any components that she currently feels are missing from the app. “We are very satisfied with what we can do with the app now. With the update, we have thought carefully about what we want to include; now we are going to work on trying out all the possibilities, especially the communication features. However, we are still considering adding new (calculative) tools. It’s also very convenient that you can change a lot of things on the backend yourself. And it’s reassuring to know that Yaacomm is there to help if we can’t figure it out ourselves.”
Demonstrating your added value through the app
Finally, we ask Suzanne if she has any tips for organizations considering a CLA app from Yaacomm. “A searchable collective agreement and job function book are truly appreciated by people in the industry, and having them at your fingertips with the app. That solves a problem. The significant advantage of the app is that it is configured for mobile phone use, the CLA in your pocket. There are people in the industry who open the app daily to retrieve information from it. That is valuable for the users. Because the collective labour agreement is a topic where many people find us, it’s great that we can also showcase what else we have to offer through the app, such as the IKB calculation tool or the Diploma-check tool. This way, you demonstrate your added value as an industry association.
And the collaboration with Yaacomm is very pleasant; we can always switch quickly, and you think along with us. It’s always nice when the collaboration with an agency runs smoothly during the development of a product, and I have always experienced that with you.”
To see how the app is experienced in practice? View the video that FCB has made here.
