As consumers shift some of their digital interactions from computers and laptops to smartphones and tablets, the need for apps as a point of contact becomes more obvious. Coming up with a focus for an app can be fairly easy for a lot of businesses, but what kind of app could a consulting firm or agency deploy that would be useful or entertaining, reach a lot of people, and heighten awareness of the brand?

Sure, an agency could (and maybe should) develop apps that facilitate agency-client interactions, but the audience for such an app would represent just a tiny fraction of the population a firm would want to reach.

One answer is to leverage the expertise of the agency for a broader purpose, which is precisely the approach taken by Buck Consultants, one of the large human resources consulting firms that (among other things) helps companies manage employee benefits.

Benefits Genie Lite allows users to enter health and insurance benefit information into the app for both themselves and their dependents. Among the information the app maintains: known allergies, prescribed medications, current vaccinations, health screenings, past and future doctor appointments, appointment reminders, physician contact information, and benefit co-payments and deductibles.

A premium version of the app includes networking capabilities. Using this feature, people can share and receive information with family, friends, and caretakers, among other trusted individuals. The premium app—which sells for $4.99 compared to the 99-cents for the lite version—also includes a benefits dictionary, questions to ask your doctor, health quizzes, healthy recipes, and other content.

Wisely, Buck is also developing the apps for other smartphone platforms.

While the value of the app to users is easy to grasp, some may wonder what Buck gets out of it. After all, this is a consumer-focused app from a business-to-business company. But it positions Buck as a technologically advanced organization that understands the way employees of prospective clients increasingly access information. It makes their name more visible in the benefits space. It generates buzz.

Smart!

Buck has produced a video highlighting the app’s features: