PetIQ teamed up with ZEAL to develop an efficient queue management during COVID-19
PetIQ, a client of ZEAL specialized in pet healthcare, strive to provide a safe and friendly experience for pets and their owners. The challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic was serving pets and their owners in an adapted safe environment. To address this issue, PetIQ connected with ZEAL to develop a line management tool which would allow clients to virtually save a spot in line at their chosen veterinary clinic while maintaining a distance.
Create an app allowing pet owners to virtually ‘stand in line’ from a safe distance for veterinary clinics and notifying staff when pet owners arrive, enhancing safety during the pandemic.
We began this project with a clear problem to solve, for users and Pet IQ to interact in safe circumstances. For the build process, various tools were researched to solve this unique goal.
To achieve this goal we leveraged the technology of a Javascript app that saved data to Firebase. Firebase was incorporated as a tool to include real-time location information into the app. The existing iPad application for the managing clinics was enhanced to read check-in data from the same Firebase database and allow Vet Techs to notify the next customer in line when it was their turn. The resulting app allowed users to scan a qr code upon arrival, then receive a text notification about their turn all while maintaining a safe distance.
App feature introduction reduced physical wait time, increased user engagement within the app, and overall increased Pet IQ staff and user satisfaction.
Collaborating with Pet IQ, we adapted in times of change. We focused on how technology can aid in transforming how businesses operate. The success of the Pet IQ app shows the importance of innovation in addressing unexpected challenges. This shows how essential it is to refine and update solutions to keep projects relevant to changing circumstances.
