How Arch was Formed
-By Micah Bongberg Google+ | @annuvia
SAN FRANSISCO, CA – With the evolution and explosive development of the Information Age and Internet Era, many individuals and organizations are finding creative ways to toe the water with website programming and development. The safety industry, specifically Automated External Defibrillator (AED) distributors and resellers, is no exception. Often times, however, the development and rollout of these cobbled together “do-it-yourself” AED management programs come with the problems and limitations inherent in any new skill. In the case of AED Oversight (also called AED Medical Direction), prior efforts to develop improved services failed to take full advantage of the ability to marry the technological advances in software development to the specific needs of the end user to an extent unimagined just a few years ago.
Properly developed and built AED Medical Direction and Oversight systems accurately keep track of vital AED information. At a minimum, AED Oversight solutions should document the AED unit’s type, serial number, and expiration dates. More robust systems enable expiration dates to be monitored and send automatic reminders via email. For instance, automatic emails might be sent when the AED unit is due for a monthly maintenance check and log entry, and even maintain the log as required by many jurisdictions. Or alert the user when the electrode pads or batteries are nearing their expiration date, or when CPR/AED training needs to be renewed.
“We noticed a critical gap in customers’ expectations and current market offerings,” states Micah Bongberg, President of Annuvia, a national CPR AED training organization. “Our customers were used to logging in to reliable and easy-to-use sites like Google and Facebook – so when they encountered an online database similar to Excel – and realized they were paying a lot of money for it – they got frustrated.”
Bongberg’s comment not only relates to the user-interface and presentation of AED Oversight and Medical Direction websites, but to back-end functionality used to run older programs. “Google and Facebook rarely crash or make mistakes. If users set a reminder or send an email, they have no doubt that their task will be carried out as intended. Unfortunately, in the AED industry, the same level of confidence does not exist. Users, often times paying hundreds of dollars for a subscription service, commonly experience problems with their website’s functionality, limitations and reliability,” says Bongberg.
Annuvia saw the frustrations and challenges experienced by AED owners across the country and sought to mitigate them entirely. “We elected to make an investment in technology to meet our customers’ high expectations, not to ignore them or allow them to be limited by historical practices,” says Bongberg.
Arch, Annuvia’s revolutionary AED Oversight and Medical Direction program, was built on a foundation of engagement. First, Annuvia obtained frank and honest feedback from AED owners, distributors, and AED manufacturers. Next, once all comments and expectations were clearly understood, Annuvia hired the brightest minds in the Silicon Valley to roll up their sleeves to build a platform that would re-shape the way AED owners and Arch’s channel partners (AED distributors) expected their programs to operate.
“In today’s internet age, web-based programs are expected to perform perfectly, while being fun and easy to use. What better way to accomplish this goal than to utilize the engineers who were responsible for re-shaping the way we use the internet in the first place?” asks Bongberg, referring to Annuvia’s Chief Technical Officer, Jan Gerritsen. Mr. Gerritsen has developed some of the world’s most used websites and technologies. “By applying the same level of attention and detail to the AED industry as he has done with other popular websites, Jan has developed a platform that we feel will provide the innovation to not only meet, but exceed customer expectations and expand the services we are able to provide many times over.”
