We recently connected with Joe & Rose Duemig and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Joe & Rose thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

When we created our company in 2017, we were working to bridge a gap in communication in the campground and RV resort industry. We wanted to bring technology in an affordable and applicable platform to enhance the guest experience in an innovative way. It was commonplace in many outdoor hospitality venues to rely on multiple handouts, corkboards of local business information, costly text messaging tools and (if necessary) to go from site to site to communicate information once guests were onsite. We experienced this and realized that we could provide this growing industry a tool that could elevate the guest experience by creating a centralized place for property and local information. They could promote their branding by having a singular branded mobile app. This platform will also enable properties to send their guests real time information such as weather alerts, promotions and current information happening such as events or specials.
In order to keep our customer benefits in mind, we created multiple sponsorship opportunities throughout the app. These spots could be sold to local businesses and the revenue is retained by the campground or resort to not only offset the cost of the app, but to become a revenue generator as well.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

We had actually been exploring entrepreneurial business ideas few months prior to forming Armstrong Software. While on vacation in 2017, we stayed at our first RV Resort. The facilities were beautiful and they offered many amenities to their guests. However, as first time guests, we were unaware of many of these items and did not receive the handouts of information. As our week-long stay progressed, we began talking about ways our experience could have been enhanced. Joe has a background in computer programming and customer service support tools. I have a career in the hospitality industry. Together (on the 14 hour drive home) we began brainstorming and doing the initial coding for a customized mobile app designed for campgrounds and RV resorts.
This tool has enabled our clients to better anticipate guest needs and provide real-time communication via push notifications. Imagine a storm coming and the resort is able to notify guests in advance. We have helped eliminate outdated handouts. Our customers have also been able to better promote their outlets and other revenue-generating amenities. Booking has been simplified by keeping everything within out mobile app.
Over the last 5 years, we have also found that our model fits any type of “community”. We have now expanding our portfolio to include cities and schools.
We are most proud of the customer service we provide to our clients. We both know the value of meeting the needs of our customers so they can meet the needs of their own customers. Many of them work weekends, so we work weekends.
We also believe in sharing best practices and resources to our clients. We want to give them the tools to set them up for success from start to finish.
In order to truly stay engaged with our Clients, we try to see their “communities” ourselves. In the fall of 2021, we spent 4 months traveling through 25 states and visiting many clients along with way. We were able to stay at their resort or visit their city. We then sat down with our clients and discussed our observations, what enhancements we’d recommend, and hear firsthand what features they’d like to see.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

We have created a variety of ways to stay in contact with our guests. ENewsletters and a Client Facebook group are two key areas. It is important for us to share best practices and provide resources to them in order to maximize their uses of the app. The app is extremely flexible to fit the needs of any community. We do regular reviews of our Client’s apps and provide feedback on how to implement new features. Our best advertisements are sharing the many ways our clients utilize their mobile apps. We also often solicit feedback for new features. We know the features that a user would find valuable, but what features would the community value from an Administrator’s perspective? We value this collaboration and have an extensive roadmap of upcoming features!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Our social media presence has greatly increased as we have grown as a business. We found that many decision makers are active on social media and therefore it is a great tool to show the many features we offer by showing the variety of ways our clients utilize their mobile apps to engage with their users. Our advice would be to connect with other professionals in your industry. Make connections with other suppliers and follow industry news to stay engaged with what the current trends are.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.appmycommunity.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/appmycommunity
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/appmycommunity

Image Credits
Photos by: Rose Duemig