The Knack team on web applications, online databases, and beautifully designed products.
For years, Knack users have been leveraging our no-code/low-code platform to rapidly adapt to evolving business needs. As Coronavirus changes the world as we know it, the Knack community has been quick to use our tool to respond to new challenges in their companies and communities.
Continue reading...What happens when you throw a pile of Knacksters into a room full of our most avid customers? A new appreciation for just how many ways Knack can be used to make life better.
Continue reading...Last month, Team Knack convened for our 7th ever company retreat, in sunny-but-not-as-warm-as-some-of-us-were-expecting Las Vegas!
Continue reading...Earlier this month, a small group of jetlagged Americans descended upon London for a historic event: our first ever user conference. One small step for these Knacksters, one giant leap for Knackkind. Years of hard work, countless hours of planning, and gallons of coffee had led to this moment.
Continue reading...Holy moly, does that say Retreat #6?!
Team Knack gathered in upstate Wisconsin in July 2018 for another round of quality time, long-term planning, product brainstorming, coffee overindulging, and some good old-fashioned competition.
Continue reading...For most of us here at Knack, remote work is more than just a facet of our company culture — it’s a lifestyle we feel lucky to take part in, one that we treasure and that’s become integral to how we operate. (That being said, we do get together twice a year to bond as a team, hash out big ideas, plan next steps, and compete to see who can drink the most coffee).
Continue reading...A few weeks ago we had our 4th retreat in Salt Lake City, Utah. We caught up as a team, hashed out ideas in work sessions, and hosted our first “KnackCon” for our customers. Now that we have another successful retreat in the books, we wanted to share some of the highlights with you!
Team Knack! We are getting better at group pictures!
We also actually took individual pictures!
We couldn’t get enough of the sunset views.
Or the post sunset views, equally as beautiful.
Oh nothing to see here, just giant mountains and rainbows.
Retreats are always perfect for big picture strategy sessions. Some of us are paying more attention than others.
Success team making things successful on the front lawn.
We had such a great time visiting customers in Miami we decided to host our first “KnackCon” at our house with customers from the area. It was invaluable to hear more about how they use Knack and talk through what future updates might bring!
Retreats are perfect for the engineering team to go deep on challenging issues. This year’s focus was on database performance. Steve decided to join because we were being loud outside of his bedroom.
Exploring downtown SLC.
It wouldn’t be a Knack retreat without game night! It may have taken us longer to agree on what rules to play by than actually play the game. What does it say when the founders are picked last in playground-style team selections?
The front lawn was the perfect setting for a somersault race.
Somehow Lime-a-rita cheers have now become an official retreat thing.
Leaving our mark on Salt Lake City!
A few years from now when “KnackCon” is hosting thousands of users at a major convention center, we’ll look back at our 4th retreat in Salt Lake City as the humble starting point.
Organizing events for our customers is something we’ve always wanted to do more of. We had our first taste of how impactful these could be during a customer visit with the Miami Dolphins during our 3rd retreat.
When we noticed that quite a few Knack customers were located in the Utah area, we decided to set aside a night and invite them all to visit us at our retreat house for snacks, swag, and conversation. It was time for KnackCon to become a reality!
Continue reading...Better Together
Hunched over a laptop painstakingly entering records line by line into a database—we've all been there. When the data you need to run to your business is scattered across a number of different apps—email marketing platforms, CRMs, invoicing tools—getting that info into your database can feel like an uphill battle.
Zapier is an app automation tool that connects Knack to the other apps you use throughout your day. With Zapier, you build “Zaps”—simple automations that don't require any code—that move your data from one app to another automatically. Need to attach a paid invoice to an existing record? No sweat, there's a Zap for that. You can even move data out of your Knack database and share it elsewhere. For example, get a heads up via a Twilio SMS whenever a record is updated.
Need some inspiration to get started? Here's how three companies are automating their database workflows using Knack and Zapier.
Maintain accurate records
Rows and rows of detailed records are only helpful if they're easy to access. Business consulting company Intrabellus, Inc. deals with multiple Knack databases across many different clients. Their clients need to be able to dive into the details without disrupting the layout of the data.
Their simple solution? An automation between Knack and Google Drive.
“I use Zapier to create an extra copy of all Knack records,” says CEO Nichole Carpenter. “This gives my clients reassurance about accessing or moving their files with no extra work needed on my part.”
Grow client relationships
You can have the most powerful tools at your disposal, but they’re useless if your team isn't using them. The data in your CRM is only as helpful as it is current. And without up-to-date information on your prospects and customers, clients can fall through the cracks and relationships suffer.
Startup fundraising advisory Capital Pilot knows this frustration all too well and started looking for new ways to ease this pain.
“I’ve never worked in a place where people actually used the CRM properly,” explains co-founder and COO Matt Johnson. “Automating certain tasks through Zapier and adding reminders and triggers make it so people actually use the CRM.”
Before setting up this automation, Capital Pilot wasn't confident in the funding status of companies logged in their CRM. Was the data current or wildly out of date? A few missing zeros here and there could negatively impact a budding relationship.
Matt fixed this issue by setting up a Zap that updates their CRM of choice, Pipedrive, every time a new form is submitted in Knack. Updating a startup's information in the CRM automatically, rather than relying on the team to remember to log in themselves, improves efficiency and allows them to grow relationships effectively.
“I spend way less time doing data entry, or copying something from one app into another,” adds Matt. “Plus, with simple automations, we avoided spending time and money on software development at a time when we couldn't afford it.”
Make customers happier
It's easy to get tunnel vision on your most important tasks of the day. But letting little things slide can disappoint customers and impact repeat business. Before setting up a few handy automations, repair company PhoneAxiom Express Device Repair found it difficult to keep up with customer notifications.
“In the rush of business, you sometimes forget the basics,” says owner Mark Pauley. “We haven't always been so great at calling customers to notify them that their device is ready for pickup.”
Now, Mark relies on Knack and Zapier to automatically send alerts to customers and has since seen a boost in the quality of his company's customer service. He uses a Knack database to track service requests, including details like the type of phone needing repair, the cost of repair, and payment info. Whenever a device's status changes to “ready for pick up” in Knack, a Zap automatically texts the customer via the messaging app, DialMyCalls. The result? Happier customers and no more forgotten messages.
Setting up your Zapier integration
To use Knack with Zapier, you’ll first need to connect your Knack account. You’ll get a pop-up prompting you to sign in to your Knack account. This lets Zapier link your Knack account to the other apps you choose.
Now you'll see your Knack account connected to Zapier.
That’s it! You’re connected and ready to create some Zaps! Get started with one of the pre-built Zap templates for our most popular automations, or build your own workflow from scratch using the “Make a Zap” button.
Your Turn
Want to try out a few automations for yourself? Here are a few ideas to get started, or let us know your own favorite Zaps!
-Kim at Zapier
Click here for a full list of what's possible when you combine Knack and Zapier!
Here at Team Knack we really value our remote culture. In fact, we see it as more of a lifestyle choice than a working condition. Increased time with family and pets is a huge draw, and proximity to our refrigerators doesn’t hurt, either.
For Walk to Work Day 2017, we decided to quantify another positive byproduct of working remotely: shorter commutes. Some of us work a few steps away from where we sleep, while others (Steve) are overachievers who actually drive to a coworking space.
Differences aside, one thing is clear: none of us is likely to win a Fitbit challenge anytime soon.
Take a look at the breakdown below, and if you’re looking to shorten your own commute, be sure to check out our jobs page, since we’re always on the lookout for new Knacksters!
Continue reading...