Up-And-Coming Apps

UP-AND-COMING APPS

By Kenneth Robeson
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More petroleum marketers and c-store operators are benefiting from cutting-edge technology in the form of innovative apps that handle everything from geo-location, on-site promotions, safety inspections, Sales improvements, marketing automation to instant proposals and invoices.

Hardly a week goes by without some new app rolling into the marketplace to help make business more profitable and efficient than ever before.

“Newest and Most Interesting”
Propane Quarterback a fuel delivery Consulting firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, called the TankSpotter app (tankspotter.com) “the newest and most interesting app in our industry.” It is actually a combination of four apps, which they described as follows:

1.TankFinder. “A very popular and super easy-to-use app for documenting all your safety/maintenance issues in the field, with a plus that it allows you to document all your competitor’s tank locations and addresses. It is a nice way to make a targeted marketing list.”

2.Estimator. “A shortcut way for salespeople and non salespeople to do easy estimates, proposals and invoices, with your custom parts list already in it. The sales reps and managers I spoke with love it, as it helps them close more deals.”

3.TankDocs. “A cool app that has all the industry forms and documents needed for installing fuel tanks — trenching release, tank inspection, DOT tank pickup, etc. I’m told they are customizable.”

4.Safety Check. “Safety is paramount in the fuel industry, and this app has the safety inspections important to the industry, like their version of the

gas check, leak check, spill reporting, bulk tank [and] inspections.” Customizable forms are available.

The 5-Star Rating app, which Propane Quarterback called “so cool,” is also included inside the TankSpotter app and ​“allows you to capture real customer feedback and get their 5-star rating. It then sends it to management so they can instantly post it to the company website, Facebook page or Twitter,” he said. “This is the marketing tool for getting known on the internet with great ratings. This four-in-one app is connected to a cloud application ‘command center,’ so all the data is filed instantly, and the management can see issues instantly. This seems to be one of the most useful apps in the industry, and it is a four-in-one combo deal.”

With competition heating up, innovative apps are becoming less an option than a requirement. Not using technology may cost more than using it, Propane Quarterback warned. “Investing in safety is a good investment, but investing in safety that leverages technology, like the safety app in TankSpotter. This new app, is a very smart way to improve safety at a much lower cost with higher benefits than the old way of doing business,”.