Helper app

Helper is a modern and flexible CRM system, originally created for companies in the beauty and care industry. The main goal of the product is to optimize the workflows of salons, hairdressers, spas and other enterprises in the industry so that they can improve the quality of customer service, simplify routine operations and reduce operating costs. Our team Avada Media created a web version of CRM Helper from scratch, and then, taking into account the growing mobile traffic, began developing a fully functional mobile application based on the Flutter framework.

Below, we will tell you in detail how the work on the mobile version of the product went: what challenges we faced, what decisions we made and what results were achieved.

When the web version of CRM Helper proved to be successful, the client noticed a significant increase in mobile traffic – it exceeded 50%. This fact became a key reason to create a standalone mobile application that could provide more features and comfort to end users.

Main objectives of mobile app development:

• Increase the convenience of accessing the service – the user gets quick and constant access to CRM without depending on the browser.
• Optimize performance – native phone features and internal mechanisms of mobile platforms are often faster than web-based solutions.
• Make using CRM Helper even more flexible – with push notifications, native interface and other specialized features of mobile platforms.

Main objectives set for us

In order to meet the customer’s expectations and make CRM Helper the best solution for the beauty and grooming industry, Avada Media team performed a comprehensive analysis of potential users’ needs. Based on the results, a clear development strategy was formed and a list of key tasks was defined:

1. Analyze user scenarios: find out which functions are necessary for the daily work of beauty salons, which modules will be used most often, and which of them should be moved from the web version and which should be left only there.
2. Design the application architecture: think through how each CRM section should function within the mobile interface, and which modules will be available only on the web.
3. Develop a cross-platform solution for iOS and Android – to cover the entire target audience, minimize development costs and shorten the time to market.
4. Ensure ease of management and administration: establish a close connection between the mobile app and the web version, so that users can switch freely without any limitations in functionality or the need to duplicate data.
5. Conduct a series of testing and debugging – create an app with a smooth, intuitive interface and optimized processes for the care and beauty industry.
6. Prepare and release the app on the App Store and Google Play – taking into account all the requirements and regulations of the distribution platforms.

Development technologies and tools

We chose Flutter to implement the mobile application. It is a cross-platform framework that allows you to write a single code and build applications for both Android and iOS. This approach provides a number of advantages:

• Reduced development time: you don’t have to do parallel development for each platform, which simplifies version control and speeds up the process of making changes.
• Unified UI code: Flutter offers a rich set of widgets that are easy to customize and provide a consistent user experience.
• Minimize costs: one code – less financial costs for maintenance and further development of the project.
• High performance: Flutter is compiled into native code, giving a fast interface and responsiveness.

A key feature of the development was that the mobile application uses the same server side as the web version. This architecture provides full synchronization: the user can switch between the web application and the mobile solution without losing data or encountering functionality discrepancies.

Integration with the web version and a single dashboard

Helper is a complex ecosystem where different modules are tightly interconnected. We aimed to make the mobile app an extension of the web version without losing focus on simplicity and usability.

A single user accessible admin panel is used to manage all aspects of CRM Helper (mobile and web versions). It allows you to:

• Monitor active licenses and control access to the service.
• Analyze data about registered companies and branches in real time.
• Receive structured reports and analytics on sales, services and staff performance.

Functions and features of Helper mobile app

When designing the mobile version, we took as a basis the most popular functions that beauty salon administrators, hairdressers and masters interact with on a daily basis. The rest of the functionality, which is used less frequently or is analytical in nature, remained in the web version. This approach saves the mobile interface from being overloaded and makes it as clear and fast as possible.

Key functional modules in the mobile application:

Visit schedule

• Built-in calendar with the ability to view daily and weekly schedules.
• Display of the nearest visits: time, client, master.
• Ability to quickly navigate to the details of the appointment.

Branch management

• Add new branches or edit existing branches.
• Quickly switch between branches and view up-to-date information for each.

View daily balance

• Analyze cash receipts for the current day.
• Ability to sort data by branches or specific employees.

Customer database management

• General register of all company’s clients with contact details and brief history of interaction.
• Quick one-touch client call (via built-in phone interface).

Personnel management

• Display employees and masters, their schedule and current status.
• Tools to add new specialists and edit information about current employees.

Services management

• Full list of services and groups of services, their cost and cost price.
• Ability to change current data, delete obsolete or add new items.

Finance

• Interactive table of financial operations: receipts, costs, applied discounts, form of payment (cash or non-cash).
• Profitability analysis of each service based on statistical data.

Analytics and statistics

• Calculation of the percentage of customer return, analysis of the popularity of services, evaluation of employee performance.
• Reports are available both for the whole company and in the context of specific branches.

Settings

• Changing the interface language and application theme.
• Setting and changing the password.
• Switching tariff plans, adding new positions and roles, as well as flexible customization for the specifics of the salon.

Unique features and benefits of the mobile version

The new mobile version of Helper includes special features focused on making the salon process easier and creating a better user experience:

Push notifications

• The most effective tool for prompt communication with clients.
• Instant reminders about an upcoming visit, schedule changes or new promotions.
• Promote loyalty programs by sending personalized offers.

Native calling capability

• An administrator can call a customer or a technician in one click.
• The app automatically invokes the standard calling interface on the user’s device, increasing speed and convenience.

Native widgets in UI

• Integrated UI elements that are familiar to iOS and Android users.
• Uniform design that reflects the specifics of each platform and increases customer trust and loyalty.

Helper mobile app opens up new effective tools for users, including push notifications and instant calls, which tangibly simplifies workflows and increases the speed of communication.

Development and testing process

When working on the Helper app, we followed agile methodologies (agile approach), which allowed us to:

• Quickly respond to emerging changes: if a new need was identified during the project or requirements suddenly changed, we could quickly adjust the development process.
• Regularly demonstrate intermediate results: the customer received working builds and could evaluate the application on a real device.
• Efficient resource planning: each iteration had clear tasks and deadlines, which allowed us to meet deadlines without losing quality.

Key steps:

1. Analytics and planning: gathering information about the user experience, defining the structure of the app and its main screens.
2. Interface design: creating mock-ups, discussing UX solutions, harmonizing the design.
3. Application core development: integration with the server side, implementation of authorization, basic modules (management of branches, clients, records).
4. Implementation of additional functionality: finance, analytics, settings, push notifications.
5. Testing: identification and elimination of bugs, performance optimization, checking stability under load.
6. Preparation for release: building release versions, tests on real iOS and Android devices, adaptation to App Store and Google Play requirements.

As a result, we got a stable cross-platform application that meets all quality and performance criteria.

The implementation of the Flutter-based Helper mobile application, in close connection with the web version, has brought a number of significant benefits to the customer and end users:

1. Increased customer satisfaction: the majority of salons and beauty studios switched to the app and appreciated its convenience. Online appointments, alerts and instant calls give flexibility and save time.
2. Cost optimization: single development for two operating systems avoided double development and maintenance costs.
3. Increased conversion: having the mobile app on the App Store and Google Play makes the product more visible and accessible to a wide range of potential users.
4. Scalability: thanks to a common server side and centralized admin panel, new features can be easily integrated into both web and mobile versions simultaneously.
5. Accelerated market launch: AVADA-MEDIA team accomplished the tasks in a short period of time, which made it possible to launch marketing campaigns and attract new users faster.

Conclusion

The result is a solution that incorporates automation best practices for beauty and grooming services, providing a seamless web and mobile experience that is accessible to a wide range of beauty companies. CRM Helper not only simplifies business processes, but also enables them to attract more customers, work faster and more efficiently, which ultimately translates into quality of service and revenue for companies.

We expect that the mobile application for CRM Helper will become a new standard of convenience and efficiency for all those who want to bring their business to a fundamentally new level.