Askporter
Creating an AI-powered assistant to streamline customer service for real estate
Developing an innovative AI assistant for property management
Location:
London, UK
Cooperation model:
Industry:
Partnership period:
April, 2018 – June, 2019
Improvements plan:
Team size:
3 Full stack developers, 1 team lead
Technologies:
About the client
Askporter specializes in building and selling software products, and managing real-world assets. Their main fields of expertise include real estate, facilities management, and AI technologies. The company’s founders and chief officers - Sam Tassell, Till Eichenauer, and Tom Carter - formulate Askporters’ mission as enabling people to interact with real-world environments and manage processes with AI.
About the product
Askporter’s AI assistant is a web app that connects property managers and property service providers.
On the one hand, it helps address daily maintenance and repair problems typically faced by property managers, like water or gas leaks and waste disposal. With an Askporter subscription, a manager has access to the AI assistant that quickly finds relevant services upon the manager’s requests.
On the other hand, the app streamlines the workflow for various property service providers, from plumbing companies to electrical systems engineers. Both parties can manage requests through their personal accounts and track progress.
Challenges overview
The client approached DigitalSuits with just an idea for their AI assistant. They were looking for developers who would help them build an MVP to secure funding for their startup. The idea behind the project was quite simple and straightforward — to solve property issues more quickly and easily. Previously, addressing housing problems was a time-consuming process managed over the phone. The win-win solution for property owners and service providers was to create a service that instantly takes orders and finds the required specialists through online status tracking.
We began our collaboration with the Askporter team under the outstaffing model, excited about the new project. Our primary goals were to develop an AI chatbot that efficiently handles requests in the property service area, create user-friendly app interfaces for various roles, and integrate the bot with the app.
Our solutions
- Dashboard for an end-user: Based on the client’s design, we created the end-user dashboard for sending and managing requests. We used ReactJS to ensure interactivity and high performance.
- REST API implementation: Along with content implementation, we integrated the REST API to process input and output data. In other words, the REST API was intended to exchange information between different servers and devices.
- Azure AI bot integration: As part of the AI app development process, our team built an AI chatbot connected to AWS Aurora database to handle requests. Once the chatbot understood requests and made the right decisions regarding desired services, we integrated it with the app infrastructure.
- Roles for request management: We enabled three different roles for order management: end-user, service provider, and super admin. The end-user can send requests, get information, and place orders; the service provider can approve orders, assign them to their staff, and track progress; the super admin can see the complete information regarding both parties.
Results
After completing all the AI development stages, we delivered an MVP that met the client’s requirements and expectations. However, the best indication of the product's success was the funding the client got from investors. The Askporter company secured roughly $5 million for further development.
Today, Askporter offers multiple services for the social housing and facilities management sectors to enhance outbound communication, compliance management, customer experience enhancement, and more. And DigitalSuits continues to help startups and companies of all sizes fulfill their ideas, attract investments, generate income, and hire AI engineers when they need a reliable technical partner.
Henna Mehta
Operations Associate, askporter
5.0
"DigitalSuits proved themselves to be specialists in their field."
The successful launch of the first demo has generated positive feedback and interest. DigitalSuits seeks constant product improvement through continuous communication and proactive team integration. Their industry expertise contributes to intuitive, efficient project management.