The Evolution of Docket

History of Docket

Docket was founded six years ago with a clear mission: to help waste companies easily track, bill, and manage their roll-off businesses. From those initial objectives, Docket grew to encompass much more. 

Over time, it began supporting:

• website creation
• online ordering
• even managing junk removal businesses

…ultimately becoming a comprehensive solution for the entire roll-off industry. 

In 2023, Docket reached a pivotal moment in its journey when it was acquired by ServiceCore. This acquisition brought significant new investments that are helping Docket continue to grow, innovate, and serve its clients better than ever before.

 

Future Goals (6 Months to 1 Year)

The focus for the next six to twelve months is on improving the platform in multiple ways:

• backend stability
• reducing bugs
• ensuring a seamless experience for users 

Another crucial part of this evolution is modernizing the frontend interface by:

• revamping parts of the application
• aligning it with modern design and accessibility standards
• simplifying navigation to ensure that users can find what they need quickly and efficiently

By the end of the year, the goal is for Docket to become an extraordinarily powerful and easily used tool for waste management companies of any size, from one-truck operations to those with fleets of 100 trucks.

 

Why We’re Making Changes

At Docket, we’ve always valued the voice of the customer and with your feedback we’ve shaped the future of our product – thank you! 

One of the most common pieces of feedback received is that Docket can feel overwhelming. Docket offers a wide range of features and functions that can be difficult to navigate to in the platform. This results in customers missing out on the full value that Docket offers.

The primary goal of the upcoming design changes is to simplify the interface so customers can easily access everything they need, maximizing efficiency and productivity.

 

What Kinds of Changes We’ll Be Making

Our initial updates will focus on refining the color palette used throughout the Docket platform. These updates will make it more obvious when users are selecting specific items and highlight those elements that need attention. Additionally, there will be adjustments to the look and feel of certain buttons, including their positioning to free up more on-screen space and reduce clutter.

 

 

As we continue to add new features, they will adhere to the new design standards to create a consistent, cohesive experience across the platform. 

Later phases will involve improving the existing workflows; making them easier to follow and helping users reduce errors during daily operations. This phased approach ensures that updates enhance usability without disrupting the work our customers need to do.

 

How We’ll Be Announcing Those Changes

We understand the importance of effective communication when changes are made to the tools people rely on. 

To keep our customers informed, we will announce changes two ways:

• through the notification bar at the top right of the Docket web app
• email communications; providing at least two weeks notice for significant updates

To make onboarding easier for new features, we’re also introducing a new walkthrough process that will feature small pop ups that highlight changes and help guide users through any updates in a clear and concise manner.

 

FAQs

Why are you working on this instead of working on my feature request or bug issue?  

This design work will not replace our commitment to addressing feature requests or resolving bugs. In fact, many of these improvements will enable us to build new features faster and make existing ones more efficient because of the standardized look and feel that is being implemented. This foundational work will ultimately allow for a more streamlined development process moving forward.

 

Will there be any functionality lost with these changes?  

In 95% of cases, there will be no loss of functionality. The majority of the updates are purely visual, aimed at making the platform more intuitive. Occasionally, we might temporarily disable a particular feature during backend work. For example, the badge that indicates the number of leads was hidden temporarily while we improved backend efficiency, but we plan to reintroduce it soon. These changes are intended to improve Docket’s efficiency without long-term loss of functionality.

 

How can I stay up to date with the changes?  

You can stay updated through notifications in the top-right bar of the Docket web app and by checking your email for important announcements. Make sure your company email is up-to-date and actively monitored, as this is where we will send key information about upcoming changes and improvements.

 

How can I provide feedback?  

We highly value feedback from our customers and encourage you to share your thoughts with us. We’ve created this feedback form that provides a direct line to our product and design teams. While we can’t guarantee a response to every individual piece of feedback, rest assured that each one is reviewed and discussed internally. Your input is crucial in helping us make Docket the best it can be.