Blankmile aims to make remote diagnostics in the service and trade sector simple and practical for both sides with its application.
Almost everyone has probably experienced it: often, service technicians or tradespeople arrive only to find that they have to come back a second time with different tools or the right spare parts to fix the problem. This is time-consuming for the companies and therefore also costly for the customers, who have to pay for the diagnostic work in terms of working hours and travel expenses. This is where the Upper Austrian start-up blankmile comes in - and is supported by the Upper Austrian incubator tech2b.
"As barrier-free and low-threshold as possible"
"The question was: How can experts recognize a problem immediately, even from a distance? We want to make this as accessible and low-threshold as possible," explains blankmile co-founder and CEO Martin Schneglberger in an interview with brutkasten. Customers only need to provide their cell phone number for remote diagnosis - even for complaints, for example. The tradesperson enters this into the application. The customer receives a text message with a link and is connected directly.
Via blankmile directly in the multifunctional video call
This starts a multifunctional video call between expert and customer. "The expert can instruct the customer exactly where to hold the smartphone camera. Both sides can make markings directly in the image to make things easier. Photos or videos can then be taken, which is also very useful for acoustic diagnoses, for example," says the founder of blankmile. Notes can also be made during the process. At the end of the process, the report is output as a PDF, which can also be attached to a cost estimate, for example.
No additional hardware required
"It was important to us to use devices that everyone already has. Neither the company nor the customers need any additional hardware. The companies also don't need an IT department to set up the application for them. They receive a pdf from us and can get started straight away," says Schneglberger, alluding to other remote diagnostics solutions that use smart glasses, for example.
An average of 70 km saved per order via blankmile
And that's not the only area where the use saves money - also and above all in the travel times mentioned above. "We track the distance saved per call with our pilot customers. On average, it's 70 kilometers. That corresponds to around 25 kilograms ofCO2," says the founder. Of course, this also has to do with the fact that they are currently working with companies in rural areas, but even in cities, the journey should not be underestimated. In other companies, they would deal with the "last mile". In many cases, this would be eliminated with the solution - it would simply be the "blank mile".
"With us, you save costs by doing it sustainably"
"This is sustainability practiced economically. You often have to decide whether you want it cheap or sustainable. With us, you save costs by making it sustainable," says Schneglberger. This is how blankmile recently won the Sustainability Award of the Economy for the Common Good Landshut. "The jury was made up of people from the business world, some of whom have the problem of too many empty runs themselves. They gave us further confirmation of what we are doing," says the founder.
Founder trio made HTL and FH together
Incidentally, the name of the company behind blankmile, MAD Tech Gmbh, is derived from the initials of the first names of the three founders Martin Schneglberger, Andreas Holzapfel and Dominik Reichinger. However, the ambiguity is not entirely unintentional. "We make crazy technology instead of technology that makes you crazy," jokes the CEO. The trio got to know each other at the HTL in Braunau. However, they only worked more closely together during their time together at Hagenberg University of Applied Sciences, says Schneglberger.
blankmile: From Master's thesis to full-time job for three founders
The idea for blankmile was also born there - and became the founder's master's thesis. "The topic gave me no peace and the two of them supported me. At some point, we got to the point where we realized All three of us have to do this full-time to make it work," says the CEO.
tech2b became a game changer in the development process
Blankmile was accepted into the FFG basic program with its research project. The Upper Austrian incubator tech2b then became a game changer in the development process. "Back then, we applied to tech2b's Edison ideas competition and came third in the innovation category. This made it clear to us that external experts also found our concept exciting. That was a decisive confirmation," says Schneglberger.
"Benefit above all from the mentors and the network that tech2b offers us"
Since then, the journey with tech2b has continued. The startup was accepted into the incubation program. "In addition to the specialist input in all areas of company development, we benefit above all from the mentors and the network that tech2b offers us," says Schneglberger. "These are people, some of whom have founded their own companies and have a lot of experience. They support us and their opinion and help is very important to us".
Learning 1: Don't become too perfectionist
And what have been the most important lessons learned so far in setting up blankmile? "Firstly, that you can't become too perfectionist," says Schneglberger. "You have a vision in your head that you pursue with extreme passion. But you actually already have a really good product to work with along the way, even if the ten-year vision has not yet been fulfilled."
Learning 2: Get opinions from the market quickly
This brings him to the second major learning, says the founder: "You have to get opinions from the market quickly - tech2b has been extremely supportive here. But you have to be careful not to let every piece of input throw your entire plan out the window". Because every customer has different needs, but you can't build a separate feature for each one, you have to focus on what they all have in common.
Learning 3: Building resilience and emotional stability
Which leads to the third major learning: "You shouldn't get so carried away by positive and negative feedback. Some weeks things go well, others go badly. You should celebrate successes, but not feel like the king of the world when you receive three good emails. And don't get depressed if you get three rejections either. It is important to build resilience and emotional stability.
tech2b offers advice and funding for GreenTechs
The incubator supports start-ups and start-up projects with a direct or indirect contribution to environmental and climate goals in Upper Austria. It primarily supports ecologically, economically and socially sustainable business models. The funding program includes internal coaching, further training on the topics of sustainable vision, mission and business modelling as well as infrastructure (office & equipment). Depending on their start-up status, the best sustainability projects also receive financial grants worth between 1,000 and 10,000 euros.
(c) MAD Tech
