It's 2023 and January came and went. There hasn't been much activity on this blog nor our Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. But it has been everything but quiet for FreshBuzzer!

Features, features, features...

I had many conversations with some of the most active folks using this service and was able to add some features they thought would be a good addition to FreshBuzzer. On top of that I used the Holidays to build some more extensive new features that I had planned for some time.
Here a (not so) little screenshot of the announcements page that keeps track of everything that is happening. So much development in less than 6 weeks!

So the first and most important reason to choose FreshBuzzer over similar services is the exceptional pace of feature development. Every feature is laser focused to make your life easier - everything has to fit nicely together to keep FreshBuzzer easy to use but flexible to adapt.

One perfect example is the new iteration of the Test Call functionality. Previously FreshBuzzer would simply call your number and played a test message - now it is an interactive call screen that allows you to tweak your settings just the way you want it.

It's all about you

I already mentioned it in the previous section, but it deserves more attention - FreshBuzzer is all about you, and only you. There is no point in adding features when something else is broken for you. There is no point keeping the service up and running 24/7 when you are not using it. Too often people and companies build software without thinking enough about the people actually using it. So thank you everyone who talked to me and helped me understand what it is that you need.

Most of us don't have to think back very far to recall an instance where a product or service is unavailable or has inexcusable issues that clearly would have been fixed a long time ago - if anyone working on it actually cared. Even worse, I've personally have been treated unfairly (to put it nicely) by companies more than once, and as a customer you often have little recourse.

FreshBuzzer is different. This is not a faceless company with the sole aim to extract as much profit out of people and nature as possible. FreshBuzzer actually puts you first. Some of you were surprised how quickly and/or detailed I replied to their questions - or that I even replied at all - but that should be the minimum standard of customer support and not an exception.

Quality matters

The first two points lead to the third - quality. Whether you're looking for a new pair of shoes, a home appliance or an online service, it seems harder and harder to find high quality products at a fair price. And even worse, it often seems impossible to judge the quality until it starts falling apart after a few weeks of light use.

I have been a professional Software Developer for over a decade now, working for smaller and larger companies, freelancing and some start-up experience as well. I've seen projects being built like a house of cards rather than the Colosseum. Nobody is perfect, assumptions can be wrong and things will change unexpectedly. But there are proven technologies and best practices that will greatly improve overall quality. Too often corners are cut to meet short-term goals at the expense of longevity.

Building software products is a craft. And just as architecture and construction can give us carefully designed, purposeful and well executed buildings that last way longer than just a single lifetime, FreshBuzzer has the same aspirations for anyone renting, owning or managing an apartment - FreshBuzzer works now and for the time to come.

Cheers,
Axel

PS: Over the next few weeks I will try to highlight some of the new FreshBuzzer features here on this blog.