Jamaican businesses can now quickly spot and fix problems in their operations with just a few clicks. This has been made possible with the Gapp App, launched by the Honey Bun Foundation in partnership with Digicel Foundation and others.
The diagnostic tool aims to help businesses identify gaps in their operations and seek support to improve on those gaps.
CEO of Honey Bun and Founder of Honey Bun Foundation, Michelle Chong, said they are looking to market the product as a national tool for Jamaican businesses.
Speaking on #MoneyMovesJa, she said the app promotes accountability which is critical for any business. She said the idea for the app came during her tenure as President of the Jamaica Exporters Association when she recognized the need for a quicker solution to help companies, including hers, build their capacities.
“I worked with a group and I wanted to identify, first to myself, what are my gaps in my company and so they did a diagnostic but it took about 3 hours of questions and then it went back to the office to get the report typed up and I was like no, this is not what we need because we wanted to do things in a mass scale. We needed a technology-driven solution and something to give a quick diagnostic,” she said.
The app, powered by Niritech Digital, took about nine months to build, as Chung had already conceptualized the format of the app. Niritech previously worked with Honey Bun to develop the company’s website.
Chong said the app targets all business segments as it’s free.
“Gapp App is a model that can help you if you’re in St. Thomas, Westmoreland or no matter what industry you’re in because it’s tech-driven and it’s there for anybody that wants to do the evaluation of their company,” she said.
She added that the survey on the app will also be updated over time. She has urged companies to revisit the app to keep track of their progress.
“At least this way you can measure your current situation now and in another 2-3 months you can do the survey again and see if you’ve improved,” she said.
The other partners on the app are: EXIM Bank, the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) and Jamaica Promotions Agency (JAMPRO).
“We’ve been working together on similar projects, all of us are developing capacity, all of us want to see export in Jamaica grow, all of us have a national interest, everybody is brought in on the same vision but we’re all doing it in different lanes so I knew that we needed to have been collaborating more,” said Chong.
Meanwhile, despite the uncertainties lingering from the COVID-19 pandemic, the CEO still wants businesses to focus on growing their operations at a “massive level”. In addition to thinking big, she said businesses must also incorporate more technology into their operations and make them attractive to the global marketplace.
“We all in Jamaica need to be exporting something, earn that US dollar, find a way because that’s the only way we’re going to improve Jamaica,” she said.
Chong said Honey Bun remains a nationalistic company, primarily supporting businesses that can be grown to sell their products outside the nation’s borders.
