How complex an app can be built with AppSheet?

As one of the first AppSheet users (since 2015!), I’ve seen the platform evolve from a fledgling tool to a powerful business app builder. This post explores my experiences building complex apps and dives into my latest project, AppSheetWay Connect. Get ready for automated task creation, streamlined workflows, and a sneak peek at how barcode scanning can revolutionize equipment maintenance!

AppSheet - An Oldie But a Goodie: A Pioneer’s Journey

For many, AppSheet is a new frontier, empowering teams to build business applications at lightning speed. But for me, a true pioneer in the AppSheet world (having joined in 2015!), it’s an oldie but a goodie. Back then, I was among a select group of less than 500 premium AppSheet users – a far cry from the bustling community it is today.

Recently, I revisited one of the most complex AppSheet applications I built and deployed back in 2018. Back then, the AppSheet team wasn’t offering the wealth of sample apps and resources available today. My mission? Building an AppSheet app to manage the entire operation of a multi-city English education center.

This app catered to a diverse user base across three locations/cities, including teachers, accounting staff, class assistants, salespeople of various levels (director, manager, executive), and more. It encompassed a vast array of business processes, including CRM, student attendance, course management, facility and access control, reporting, and much more.

Many aspects of this project excited me, particularly the way I designed the app architecture and the functionalities I implemented. One example: I created a custom view within the CRM app to display all the daily and relevant tasks required by salespeople and class assistants within a +/- 2-day window. This ensured that every time someone logged in, they were immediately directed to their most pressing tasks. Similarly, class assistants could easily navigate to their active classes and handle tasks like student attendance, checking on trial students, and notifying the salesperson responsible for the trial.

Back in those days, AppSheet had many limitations, particularly around functionalities like LINKTOVIEW() and LINKTOFILTER(). However, I was able to push the boundaries through innovative design and architectural choices.

Another interesting feature I implemented was a custom action button. When salespeople clicked this button, it would change the status of a student, and the app would also log the number of times it was changed. Looking back, it brings a smile to my face – the process for creating custom action buttons is much simpler today.

The landscape of no-code development has exploded, and as a Google AppSheet partner, I have access to a plethora of impressive resources. New users now have a wealth of information at their fingertips – from high-demand business use cases for AppSheet to best practices for approaching clients and building demo apps. Back in my day, there wasn’t nearly as much readily available support. In that sense, AppSheet has undergone a dramatic and positive transformation.

AppSheetWay Connect - New challenge. Qne question: How complex an app can be built with AppSheet?

Now, I’m facing a new challenge: developing a suite of AppSheet apps called AppSheetWay Connect. Here, I’ve set myself the goal of achieving functionalities entirely within AppSheet itself, without resorting to Apps Script.

AppSheetWay Connect envisions a suite/collection of apps encompassing the entire business operation spectrum, from frontline users like technical maintainers and salespeople to back-office users like project managers and inventory managers.

Imagine this: a salesperson changes a potential client’s status, and an automated task list is instantly generated for the next steps. Upon successful contract signing, an entire project workflow is automatically created! The project operation team can then leverage these pre-defined tasks as templates or add new tasks as needed. They can even manage task statuses in a familiar Kanban board methodology, similar to Trello.

The launch of AppSheetWay Connect is on the horizon, so stay tuned!

The screenshots showcasing the AppSheet projects I’ve built over 7 years ago.

This journey with AppSheet has been incredibly rewarding. I’m excited to see how AppSheetWay Connect empowers businesses to streamline their operations and take their efficiency to the next level.

Envisioning the Future: Barcode Scanning and Automated Task Creation

Imagine this scenario:

Your company has installed technical equipment at the client’s manufacturing. During the operation, the worker in the factory had an error and support’s issue. With AppSheetWay Connect, they can simply scan a barcode directly on the equipment using their mobile device. This scan will trigger an automated workflow within the app.

• A new task will be automatically created within a project/tasks management app (like Trello).

• The task will be assigned to the technical team, ensuring prompt attention to the equipment issue.

• The task details will include relevant information captured during the barcode scan, expediting troubleshooting and repair.

This functionality exemplifies the power of AppSheetWay Connect to bridge the gap between frontline operations and back-office systems. By streamlining communication and automating task creation, AppSheetWay Connect can revolutionize the way businesses manage their equipment maintenance and service requests.