247 Labs Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of Growth, overseeing User Experience and Website Development services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 247 Labs Inc., and what were your goals?

We hire 247 Labs to develop a custom Shopify theme for a key client. The task has a high-degree of technical difficulty with custom menus, subscription options and product specific metafields.

SOLUTION

How did you select 247 Labs Inc. and what were the deciding factors?

I was looking for a partner that demonstrated an understanding of world-class technical processes. I needed them to accurately estimate and execute scope within a specific set of technical restraints.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We first engaged 247 with live Adobe XD wireframes. They estimated scope and timing and executed with regular weekly reviews. They also supported the launch of the new theme and provided comprehensive QA and post-launch support.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

There were four key players on the 247 team: A client rep who handled accounting, customer service and planning. A project manager who handled daily updates and translated requests to the remote developers. A senior front-end developer, who executed most of the complicated responsive tasks and delegated when necessary. A senior back-end developer, who programmed complex script logic for custom subscription service integrations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The new theme helped to significantly increase our client's conversion rate and elevated the overall User Experience. Ultimately the client was pleased on all levels.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

We had daily interactions in Slack, had access to JIRA and managed budgets with shared spreadsheets. We had also weekly product reviews to demo key features.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They were ultimately client-focused and valued the relationship over all other priorities.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I accept partial responsibility for unforeseen timing and scope adjustments - but I believe that a more rigorous discovery process would have benefitted the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My organization is a dental startup. I am co-founders with my wife. We’re filling a space for dental professionals and customers. It’s an industry that hasn’t evolved into the digital world. Our product is an online app that connects professionals and clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 247 Labs Inc.?

My wife runs a dental office, and she needed tools to contact her clients. Every time she was approached by a digital company, they couldn’t do exactly what she was looking for.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The existing code from previous developers was all over the place, so we decided to start fresh from scratch. The app itself is a one-stop shop for any dental office. One important feature is verified reviews Online reviews are very difficult to be confident in, so we solicit reviews by having patients fill them out right there in the office.

The app also keeps track of how a dentist, hygienist, or oral surgeon performs. The industry runs on personal recommendations and word-of-mouth; it very much doesn’t live in the 21st century.

The app also contains communication capabilities. Once a dental professional speaks with a client, the app supports communications beyond email and texts. There are also educational videos that answer people’s frequently asked questions.

What is the team composition?

During our time with 247 Labs Inc., we’ve had one dedicated project manager, one business analyst, and one developer. They aren’t always the same, depending on resource availability.

How did you come to work with 247 Labs Inc.?

Halfway through our scope of work with an independent resource, we realized that they couldn’t produce what we were looking for. As a one-person show, it wasn’t that unexpected. Eventually, we decided to take the plunge with a larger investment with a development shop, doing the work properly.

Once we solidified our idea, we hunted for a development shop. 247 Labs Inc. is based out of Toronto like us, and we were looking for someone local. The reviews on 247 Labs Inc.’s website put them over the edge. We’d had bad experiences with independent developers, so we didn’t want another backroom deal. Their portfolio also impressed me.

How much have you invested with them?

The total is under $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since February 2020. The app is post-implementation right now. Once we get the beta up and running, we’ll revisit with 247 Labs Inc. for either a phase two, a different implementation, or enhancements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We haven’t released the app anywhere, but we’ve had a great stream of people work on the project.

This isn’t our full-time work; it’s a side-project that we’re hoping will take off. As a side-project, there will always be delays and challenges, but we’ve worked through them all.

The app will be targeted toward dental professionals. Eventually, we’re going to look world-wide, but our local area is the focus of the MVP product. My wife is planning on using the app in her office and then offering it to other dental professionals as a closed beta.

How did 247 Labs Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve met most expectations and done pretty well. They're not perfect, but perfect seldom happens. The project has stayed on pace.

We had calls on Google Meet when our goal was to get it out before a convention that we were going to advertise at. When COVID-19 hit, we slowed down moving to weekly or bi-weekly meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our collaboration is great. Me coming from somewhat of the digital industry, they let me lead with what we were looking for rather than overtaking the project. I knew how I wanted the app to work, so I asked for expertise on how to get there. Our collaboration was a great plus. They did well in the advisory role.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could provide more updates on the balance of hours they work. Perhaps this is too demanding, but I would like a countdown of how many hours we have left in our contract after every week. We always work things out, but being proactive with that information would be nice.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very specific with what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a product manager at a nonprofit organization. I work on the data analytics and evidence building side of the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 247 Labs Inc.?

We work internationally, and we get a lot of data from the field that comes in poor quality. We wanted to find a way to score that data in real time to identify the quality of it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

247 Labs helped us build the backend, in terms of structuring the development of various algorithms we requested for data quality. There were both subjective algorithms, where we would define the rules based on our understanding of good and bad data, as well as objective. 

Then, we integrated this with the digital data collection platform for all the data that came in, so it could be automatically evaluated. 247 Labs built out the UX for us so anyone without a technical background can go in and understand how to build the rules themselves for a particular project they want to do.

The team built the platform on Linux and PHP.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a variety of different people, maybe three or four. There were mostly developers, but I also interacted with the CEO.

How did you come to work with 247 Labs Inc.?

We had an internal RFP, and we met with three vendors. We chose 247 Labs based on their price and because they understood the problem we were trying to solve as well as our broader vision beyond that. We felt there was an opportunity to grow with them and strengthen some of our own features.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost was about $50,000 CAD (approximately $40,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

247 Labs delivered a fully functioning platform that provided us with a way to customize how we evaluate surface-level data. That was a huge success for us. 

Generally, they’re a team of high professionals with a strong technical expertise. They’re very engaging and collaborative, and they’re great at communicating their deliverables. 247 Labs is also very patient when it comes to understanding and resolving issues. The bottom line is that they went over and above. 247 Labs committed to providing us with a top-quality service throughout the project.

How did 247 Labs Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a difficult project, and things came up that we hadn’t anticipated, which set some timelines off. For the most part, however, the team was quite good. They were always communicative and responsive to our requests. 

We used a Google spreadsheet to track our progress and issues, and we communicated over video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very good listeners. If they ever completed something that wasn’t right, they worked really hard to correct the mistakes, even if it cost them more money. 247 Labs was committed to making us happy with the end product. That was the most important thing from my experience with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They do have changeover in their staff sometimes, which can create a bit of a knowledge gap. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear in scope and try and get as far into the details as you can.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a SaaS company that specializes in social impact management software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 247 Labs Inc.?

I worked with an independent developer and the experience wasn’t great. I wanted to move to a development team in Canada to work on my client-facing portal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When 247 Labs came on board, we just had a skeleton in place for the portal. They first had to review the code and then work with the previous developer to migrate everything over. Their team worked with the previous developer through the knowledge transfer and then dove into the portal to find out where the code had issues and needed improvements.

We also had to pick a direction, and their team did research. For example, we needed to move to host on AWS, and they researched the best options. We then started a more regular process of figuring out what needs to be fixed and how to best accomplish them.

What is the team composition?

I regularly work with two developers and a project manager. Depending on a project’s phase, I will work with up to three additional people who do testing.

How did you come to work with 247 Labs Inc.?

I found 247 Labs through searching online. Their price transparency was a big factor in my decision to work with them. They wanted to start on a retainer basis to examine my product and ensure that their team could help. Unlike other vendors, they didn’t want to make any promises that they couldn’t keep.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $15,000–$20,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We’re in the beta phase of onboarding clients, so I don’t yet have client feedback. However, we go through a rigorous and responsive workflow. After they come up with wireframes, I review them and the budget for approval. They then test, stage, and produce the products.

Even though I’m not the biggest client, my work is important to them. If a server crashes or a client has an issue, I can be in touch with them right away.

How did 247 Labs Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We share everything in a Google Sheet, so it’s clear what needs to happen and what I can expect from them. I can see what they’re working on each minute, which feeds into our budget. I really appreciate that we’re in touch on a regular basis through Slack. We also have weekly status calls via Google. The product manager who oversees my account is also a great communicator.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their transparency around the budget is one of the greatest parts about working with them. It was clear. When you’re contracting all the development out, it can be difficult to feel like you’re all on the same page. Through our constant communication, I know that 247 Labs is on hand to fix any challenges that arise. Their reliability and transparency are qualities that I value.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As this is their area of expertise, I tell them to come to me with new ideas. However, they’re really respectful of the direction that I give them too.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear plan for how you want to implement your ideas. They can make anything happen.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Contrail Consulting Services. We provide IT research and support. I represent colleagues that are developing a software system. I’m the liaison between the inventors of the platform and any people looking to license and use it.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 247 Labs Inc.?

We have an application that was built using Flash, a legacy technology that we needed to move away from.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

247 Labs Inc. helped us move our application into a more up-to-date stack. We moved everything, from the UI to databases and server software. Security was one of the issues we addressed.

We worked with 247 Labs to redesign the system from start to finish and to migrate everything. We’ve made several improvements along the way, including making the platform mobile-friendly.

To describe it in brief, it’s a medical educational platform offering a series of courses that we’ve developed, and it has several thousands of users.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with about six people from 247 Labs, and Azwar (CTO) has been our main point of contact. He put a team together, and we spoke with different people at different stages. We had a team for the wireframing part, there was one main PHP developer, and there were other people working on the database and the server parts.

How did you come to work with 247 Labs Inc.?

We approached six candidates, looking at what we needed versus their ideas of what it would take to move our platform ahead, in terms of technologies. Cost was one factor, and I was more familiar with the technologies 247 Labs recommended. 

When it came to the coding, I’d be able to lend a hand, whereas, with the other developers, I’d basically have to allow them to do anything, and I wouldn’t have much insight into the work being done. Tech support was also a factor. Some developers didn’t provide it moving forward

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work so far is just under $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We had early negotiations almost two years ago, and the real start of the project was probably June 2019. The full-on development work began in early-2020, and we finished phase one two weeks ago.

Our initial goals were to remove old technologies and maintain existing functionalities under a new framework. We’re currently scaling up the application, and adding more features. It’s going to be a multi-year project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We had an existing platform, and, at minimum, we wanted the new one to perform at the level of the old system, but it’s surpassed that baseline. We have more functionalities for getting things accessed by different stakeholders. 

For example, we work with institutions and have program directors that want to track course participation. The functionalities we’ve added allow them to control more over their experience and have removed some of the load on our side.

How did 247 Labs Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Parts of the system were new, and we knew that there would be challenges with those. We had a firm deadline to have a system in place by the end of 2020, but we knew that we’d be better off launching it sooner. 247 Labs was able to meet our timeline, and we were also able to redesign parts of the system, to make it better moving forward.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were straightforward with expectations, and they focused us on what needed to be done. We had several ideas on where we could go, and 247 Labs made it all manageable. The communication went well, and the team’s enthusiasm for the project was really high. 

They were part and parcel to the creative part, and provided good insights along the way. 247 Labs was a very good fit for what we needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It all depends, because there are two parties working at this. Overall, we couldn’t have asked for a much better partner.

I’ve worked in software, and I’ve seen how people address issues that come up. We’ve had none of those red-flag issues. It may be because we didn’t have that difficult a deployment overall, but the challenges we had were presented and addressed well.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The more information is provided, the quicker 247 Labs can identify requirements and get it going. The fewer unknowns, the lesser the risk, and the more likely we are to be successful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a medical company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 247 Labs Inc.?

We hired 247 Labs to create software mockups and wireframes for a program that we were seeking patent application on.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

247 Labs started to create the software, identifying how it would work, as well as the pathways and decision making process within the program. The solution is a medical clinic scheduling database system. It’s like an electronic health record.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a handful of people, including an account manager and some programmers. Amongst them, they had various areas of expertise, and I interacted with them when needed. It was about five people in total, each with a defined role. 

How did you come to work with 247 Labs Inc.?

I believe we found them through a Google search. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between April–May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We’re very pleased with 247 Labs. Their service was excellent and the final product was great.

How did 247 Labs Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was excellent. They were on top of the project every day, organizing conference calls to make sure we were on the same page and correcting any issues quickly.

We mainly kept in touch through virtual video conferencing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

247 Labs was very responsive to feedback. They were also always scheduling meetings to make sure they were on track to meet our deadlines. We were on a strict timeline, and the team accommodated that. 

When we had meetings, everyone who needed to be involved was present. After, they would follow through with their progress on the project on a regular basis by sending documents online. We even had daily meetings for a period of about two weeks. 247 Labs focused all their energy on helping us meet our goals for the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I had a very brief interaction with them, and I was very satisfied with it. 247 Labs did everything I asked them to do, so from my perspective, I don’t have any criticisms. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Hope, Healing, and Transformation, a nonprofit based in Toronto, Canada. We support sexual assault survivors at all stages in their healing journeys, bringing different tools for them, including an app with many resources, including emotional support and free legal assistance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 247 Labs Inc.?

We wanted to build an app that would bring numerous resources to survivors’ fingertips.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had to come up with a wireframe for the app’s features. It was a creative process from the beginning, bringing all our resources into a format that worked. 

We looked at the wireframe from both a user and an administrator perspective. 247 Labs developed a backend panel that would allow us to modify the app in the future.

The aim was to deliver a positive, friendly, and easy-to-understand UX while providing us a backend panel to work with. The app was built for Android and iOS. It provides libraries and legal assistance to survivors in a safe and secure way.

What is the team composition?

We worked with their main founder when setting up the contract. We worked with his program manager and 6–7 other people during development.

How did you come to work with 247 Labs Inc.?

Before the pandemic started, we wanted to find someone in Toronto in order to have face-to-face conversations about the app. We were also working with a tight budget, and 247 Labs was able to deliver within it.

I was able to see some of the other apps they built, and they seemed to have plenty of experience in the health and wellness field. The app we were building wasn’t complicated, and I felt 247 Labs would deliver on it.

How much have you invested with them?

The investment was $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with 247 Labs in January 2020, and it was done within 4–5 months. There was a bit of a delay during the pandemic.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’re a nonprofit, so we’re offering the product for free as a resource for sexual assault survivors.

We had a deliberate process in making sure that all the colors of our foundation were used. It was important that the app was styled nicely and had an easy-to-follow layout. The app is very user-friendly, guiding the users through all modules and giving easy access to information. Everything is sorted in tabs. Putting the app together was just a great example of teamwork.

We did a lot of beta testing and had several glitches that needed attention in the beginning. Over time, as we implemented those changes, the UX was really enhanced, starting with the sign-in process.

We had to go backward in order to go forward at times, but our users were very happy with the end product. It took some time, but we worked out all the glitches, and 247 Labs delivered the app in time to get it launched. In the end, users thought our app was great.  

How did 247 Labs Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

A couple of people in our organization had weekly meetings with 247 Labs to make sure that all the content was working well. We were very happy with their process. Even if we made little changes, the project manager was communicative and had his team on the same page. If we needed attention or support, 247 Labs was pretty much always there.

Our initial budget was $25,000–$30,000, but we ended up wanting more enhanced features such as dark mode. 247 Labs quickly followed up and made sure to implement our requests in a timely manner. Many apps can get out of control, but they helped us stay within our budget.

We communicated with GoToMeeting, and everything was very visual. 247 Labs would run through their progress, and we’d offer feedback.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing was their follow-up. They tested everything and quickly rectified every situation we encountered.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have their developers be more in contact with us. I spoke with the project manager quite a bit. While the English level of the two developers wasn’t one hundred percent, we were able to work together. More interaction on that level would be great.

Keep the channels of communication open between the developers and the client.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I advise keeping projects simple, simplifying the reason for delivering the app to the public, and getting something out there. We can always build on it later on. It’s also important to understand how the user is going to benefit from the app.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and President. I also use the App that was created as a Medical Doctor

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 247 Labs Inc., and what were your goals?

I had an idea to connect patients to their doctor and pharmacy. As a Family Doctor, I could not find anybody offering a service quite like this.

We needed to create a website from scratch to allow patients to connect with their doctors and pharmacies for the purpose of requesting prescription medication renewal. All the programming and user interface would mainly be dose from scratch and there was ecommerce involved.

SOLUTION

How did you select 247 Labs Inc. and what were the deciding factors?

I mainly used Clutch to compare the different IT companies. The potential list was narrowed down to 3 or 4 which all had good Clutch ratings and reviews. Then I spoke to and got a quote from 3 of the companies. 247 Labs seemed to have the best mix of experience for my project for a reasonable price

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

247 Labs designed the wireframes first. The developers would then be able to follow that logic to build a website with the proper workflows. It was done step by step with Google virtual meetings held weekly.

We used 3 different API's. Stripe was integrated for ecommerce capability. Efax Corporate was integrated to allow for electronic faxing. Adobe Sign was integrated to allow for electronically signed PDF's.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

5 main people worked with me throughout the project. Initially I dealt with the founder Azwar Khalid followed by the designer of the project and wireframes Aboud Dandachi.

Then the development team head was Nilesh Chokhani. The other main programmers in the development team were Fernando and Alex.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

So far the project is working as expected although the COVID-19 pandemic put a twist into the growth trajectory. But opportunities to add an eConsult feature has arisen and we are currently updating the App to allow for this

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

The people involved in my project were a pleasure to work with. Most communication was by email and virtual Google meetings. There were also a couple of phone calls with Azwar. Meetings would be set up weekly at a time that was most convenient to me. Timelines were generally kept but we ran a couple of weeks beyond what was expected on the main project.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Good communication from beginning until the end of the project. Everybody knew their roles and expectations. The team respected each other's time.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Sometimes there were different programmers involved in the development which may have slowed things down a bit and led to more bugs. But overall I was very satisfied with the final result.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the account director at Brooks Creative House, an advertising agency that specializes in the lottery and gaming industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 247 Labs?

During the pandemic lockdown, we decided to rebrand. We’ve been around for almost 27 years. We went from Brooks Marketing Resources to Brooks Creative House, so we wanted a fully new website. We hadn’t had a web presence before.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave 247 Labs the concept that we had, and they recommended what they wanted us to use, which was WordPress. 

What is the team composition?

We had touchpoints with three teammates, including Boris (Senior Client Advisor), Zaid (Business Analyst), and a developer. 

How did you come to work with 247 Labs?

We did a search online, working backward from websites that we liked and trying to figure out who made them. That’s how we reached out to 247 Labs.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our initial contact was in May 2020, and we finished the project in August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We haven’t gone live yet, but we’re really excited to get our name out because we’re proud of our website. We want to use it as a tool to support us and as a way for people to get to know us. We believe it’s going to be a success.

How did 247 Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly check-ins with the team, and there was a lot of collaboration, which was great. We used Google for meetings and communicated via email. There was a lot of open dialogue, and the communication was efficient. 

Their developer worked with our designer. We never missed any timelines. There was one time where they missed a couple of changes, and they admitted to it right away. I really appreciated their openness and honesty. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

If they didn’t know how to do something, they figured out how to make it work instead of saying they couldn’t do it. I liked their flexibility of being able to take what they had and tweaking it to make it specific to what we wanted.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. The project got held up, which had nothing to do with them, and they kept reminding us of the deadline.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We came in with an idea of what we wanted, but if you don’t know what you’re looking for, 247 Labs is knowledgeable enough to support you and get you the best product possible. I liked that the team had strong knowledge and a willingness to deliver the best product. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a not-for-profit organization in the Canadian medical education system.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 247 Labs Inc.?

Our organization offers an in-person training program for our membership. We wanted to supplement this programming with a mobile application that our members could access day-to-day.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with 247 Labs Inc. to define the project’s requirements. My organization provided the content and branding requirements. They created mockups for approval and developed the app for iOS and Android. 247 Labs Inc. deployed the app on the App Store and Google Play, and we’re currently in the support phase.

What is the team composition?

The people we worked with changed, but I was always in communication with Azwar (CTO, 247 Labs Inc.). We also had a graphic designer for the UI, 2–3 developers, and at least two project managers.

How did you come to work with 247 Labs Inc.?

We sent out RFPs to a group of Canadian companies that develop mobile apps, among other things. We narrowed down the shortlist to include 247 Labs Inc. They were responsive and enthusiastic, and their proposal provided the most detail, demonstrating that they knew how to get this project done. They also explained their process in more plain language than some of the other companies did, so we felt like they had a good, straightforward approach and were keen to work with us. 

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in June 2018, and it’s ongoing. The app deployed in October 2019, and we’re wrapping up the support phase now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’re still collecting feedback from users, but based on internal testing we’ve done, the app is intuitive and loads quickly. 247 Labs Inc. kept the app within our brand. It’s pretty much everything we were looking for in terms of a clean and straightforward app that users can access to stay engaged with the material that we provide during in-person workshops. 

How did 247 Labs Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Because we’re such a small organization that had never done a project like this, there was a bit of a learning curve for us. The expectations of what 247 Labs Inc. would do versus what we would do were not always clear, which was challenging. Sometimes, this resulted in starting a phase of the project where I thought we were going to get a lot more detailed support on how to do something, when it was really up to us. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their enthusiasm, which came across in a lot of our early calls, set them apart. It was nice to know that they were invested in this project and excited to work on it. They were open to receiving feedback. They also worked with us and accommodated our organizational constraints and limited experience in this area.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As I mentioned before, some of the expectations could’ve been clearer. We also would’ve appreciated having a better idea of what the four phases were: requirements, design, development, and support. We didn’t know what those phases were going to look like until they were happening. There were sometimes deadlines that we didn’t know about until we were already in the middle of a process, so I think that outlining those steps for organizations who have never done this kind of project would be helpful. 

They could’ve also maintained more consistent communication. We went through periods of lots of communication to times when we didn’t hear much of anything. With the expectations not being fully clear, we didn’t know whether we were supposed to be reaching out, or if we were waiting for them.  

Any advice for potential customers?

Have a really good idea of what you want to build, and they’ll be a great team to help you work through that. We started with an idea that wasn’t very clearly defined, and I think that played a factor in having such a steep learning curve.