Today’s generation may laugh at the idea of the Yellow Pages, if they have even heard of them at all, but really, the idea had its merits. In one book, you had listings for every business and its category, so if you wanted to quickly find a dog walker, for example, you just opened the book to “D,” scanned down the page, and found the names of businesses that could help you out. While all copies of the Yellow Pages have either been recycled or are now in a museum, the desire for a simple way to find services and products remains with us. Kronoz, co-founded by entrepreneurs Yasemin Eron and Alexander Gavares, is the creator of an app that was designed to connect companies with people who need their services, and it is helping its users to rethink how business is done in the age of the Internet and fast service.

The Needs of Businesses in the Internet Generation

Yasemin explains that prior to starting Kronoz, she and Alexander did extensive market research. “We wanted to hear from both businesses and customers about what they felt was missing from the purchase experience,” she says. “The results surprised us. Despite all the advancements in business technology, 88% of the 7,361 companies we surveyed told us they did not have a way for customers to book online. That meant, of course, that only 12% did, and out of those, less than 20% listed their services with upfront pricing.”

Additionally, the pair learned that 28% of small businesses did not have a website, further hindering their ability to drive sales. “What we were able to conclude,” says Alexander, “was that businesses were potentially missing out on connections to customers that could lead to higher profits.”

The Desires of Customers Who Are Looking For Services

Yasemin and Alexander also spoke with a large sampling of the public to better understand what they were looking for when in need of services. “We learned that because of the shift to e-commerce and the Internet in general, what potential clients want is very different from only a few years back,” Yasemin says. “35% prefer to schedule their appointments when they are outside of a company’s hours of operation. 25% of customers under the age of 35 will only book appointments online. This last fact is especially crucial, we feel, because future generations will become more dependent on the Internet. That statistic will only continue to grow, we think.”

A New Business Model For Bringing Customers and Businesses Together

The solution, Alexander states, is an app that connects people with businesses that can potentially assist them with their needs. 

“The first goal,” he says, “was to make it accessible at any time of the day or night since so many people wanted that ability. We have achieved that, as the app can be used on a person’s cell phone.”

The second goal was to expand the original idea of the Yellow Pages so that the app could encompass all of the services people might need. “That includes mounting a TV set, weeding a garden, fixing a leaky faucet, and doing pretty much anything else you can think of,” Yasemin states. “We made the business categories as diverse as possible. We went a step further and allow people to browse businesses in their area.”

The third goal was to help small businesses in particular recover from 2021. “That will go down as a particularly brutal year for companies,” Yasemin says, “and we want to use Kronoz to help them to overcome it. That’s why the app is free for businesses. It also empowers them with accurate data, real-time collaboration, and end-to-end integration. We hope that the app and its capabilities will help more companies to recover from the pandemic’s hit and be strong again.”

The last goal, Alexander finishes, was to give customers peace of mind. “We decided to include only businesses that Kronoz have passed background, insurance, and license checks. The result is a new business model for the provision of services.”

What the Kronoz App May Mean For Companies and Customers

As Kronoz did $1M in services during its first nine months after launching the platform, we may be seeing a significant shift in how business is conducted. By seeking to prioritize both companies and potential clients, Kronoz’s app may ultimately mean that the Yellow Pages will, indeed, remain a relic of history.