Automate Quick Base Tasks with the Click of a Button

For some, the term API may sound like a cute way of referring to an application or slang for an appetizer.

The fact is, APIs are a powerful Quick Base feature that every builder should be familiar with.

They're like mini-programs that you can tap into to do your bidding!

Let me give you a scenario

Say you have a Quick Base app that your engineers (or other personnel) use to track time against specific projects. Your app has two related tables, Projects & Time.

Without APIs

Starting work the engineer opens the Project (parent)

Clicks a standard relationship button to add a new Time record (child)

With the new record open, the engineer:

• Enters the start date
• Enters the start time
• Saves & closes the record

When the work stops, the engineer reopens the Project and:

• Identifies and selects the incomplete Time record
• Enters the stop date
• Enters the stop time
• Saves & closes the record

With APIs

Starting work, the engineer opens the Project (parent) and clicks one button that automatically:

• Creates the new Time record
• Enters the current date in the start date field
• Enters the current time in the start time field
• Saves & closes the record

Stopping work the engineer opens the Project (parent) and clicks one button that automatically:

• Locates the incomplete Time record
• Enters the current date in the stop date field
• Enters the current time in the stop time field
• Saves & closes the record

Comparison

• Without APIs, the steps take 26 seconds
• With APIs, the steps take 6 seconds

A 20 second difference may not seem like a very big deal, but let's do the math of how this adds up over the course of a day and year:

Savings

Let's assume the logging of time is repeated throughout the day for half a dozen projects, by a team of 12 engineers.

A 20 second (or .333 minute) difference x 6 projects x 2 times a day (start & stop) x 12 engineers = 48 minutes/day

Multiply that by 260 working days in a year = 208 hours

At a fully-loaded rate of $50/hr and you get $10,400 in gained productivity!

And that doesn't even include the benefit of removing errors that may arise from manually entering the date and time without the API solution.  

Estimating a 1% error rate, where errors take 5 minutes to resolve (possibly involving multiple departments and back and forth communications), we can add $1,560 to our total.

This brings us to $11,960… in one year for just a single use of an API button in a Quick Base. And there is often a half dozen or more API buttons a single company can benefit from.

Arguments

Now you may be thinking, but my team is smaller or is paid less. Well even when you cut both those numbers in half, the total productivity savings is still $2,990. For one year… with one application!

This is time that can be better spent on value-added activities and work that makes people satisfied with their job.

Solution

This time tracking example is just one of many examples I walk through, step-by-step, in the Secrets of API Buttons Premium Course. Teaching everything you need to know about creating API Buttons and providing ideas and inspiration for your apps.

Scenario

You are using Quick Base to solve two different issues.

1. As a help desk ticket queue (serviced by email)
2. As a self-help repository of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers

Without APIs

When an agent sees on a ticket that the question can be resolved with an FAQ they leave the ticket to:

• Open the FAQ app
  • Identify the FAQ answer
  • Copy the answer
• Open their email
  • Create an email (likely a template)
  • Paste the answer
  • Send the email
• Return to the Ticket app
  • Note the date
  • Note the FAQ sent
  • Update the status
  • Save the ticket

With an API Button

When an agent sees that a question can be resolved with an FAQ they:

• Select the FAQ from dropdown within the ticket
• Click a single button that automatically
  • Populates & sends a Quick Base notification email with the answer
  • Updates the ticket (noting the status, date, and FAQ sent)
  • Saves the ticket

Comparison

• Without APIs, the steps take 87 seconds
• With APIs, the steps take 15 seconds

A difference of 72 seconds (or 1.2 minutes), per ticket.

Savings

If we have 10 agents who handle 5 of these types of questions per day, what can we expect?

10 Agents x 5 tickets x 260 working days in a year  x 1.2 minute savings = 260 hrs/yr

At a fully-loaded rate of $30, we get a $7,800 productivity savings...per year!

And that doesn't even include the benefit of removing errors that may arise from manually copying/pasting, composing, noting, etc.  

Estimating a 1% error rate, where errors take 5 minutes to resolve, we can add an additional $325 to our total.

This brings us to $8,125… in one year for just a single application of an API button in a Quick Base. And there is often a half dozen or more API buttons a single company can utilize.

If your teams are larger, even if the work is different, you can see the impact that adding API buttons has.

Arguments

However, if your team is smaller or paid less, you might be more skeptical.

Even when you cut both the team size and their rate in half, the total productivity savings is still $2,031.25. For one year… with one application!

This is time that can be better spent on value-added activities and work that makes people satisfied with their job.

Solution

This FAQ Emailing example is just one of many examples I walk through, step-by-step, in the Secrets of API Buttons Premium Course. Teaching everything you need to know about creating API buttons and providing ideas and inspiration for your apps.

I want to share one more API scenario. You can probably tell I really think API buttons can be a game changer when it comes to increasing productivity.

But, productivity isn't the only thing they can be useful for.

Gathering insights has been a vital part of my business and many of the roles I've previously held.

Insights assist with good decision making. When you have good insights you make better decisions, it's as simple as that.

Let me give you an example.

You have a Quick Base app that contains frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers to those questions. This is great for your team because questions they used to have to spend time answering are now available self-serve through the Quick Base.

What you don't know is if the answers are helpful or could be improved.

How APIs can help

Using an API button, we can add voting directly on the records that contain the FAQs.

Clicking on the "helpful" button would add to an overall Helpful Score, as would a click on a "not helpful" button.

Also, it is possible to disable multiple votes by the same person and have an audit trail (anonymous or not) of all the votes.

Results

After a period of time having the voting buttons, you can see it will be much easier to target which FAQs need work and which are performing well.

By focusing efforts on those that need work, you save effort and also increase the overall number of people who will be able to self-serve. Win-win!

Implementation

This voting example is just one of many examples I walk through, step-by-step, in the Secrets of API Buttons Premium Course. Teaching everything you need to know about creating API Buttons and providing ideas and inspiration for your apps.