Accubits Technologies Inc

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of Chance River. We do IT projects, mostly blockchain, artificial intelligence linked to an app development, project management, and all that relates to that.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accubits?

We needed knowledgeable people and to get them quickly at a good price.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They get the requirements from us and deliver the work according to our spec. Sometimes we explain things over the phone and sometimes we send them a document saying what we want. They suggest process improvements because they know the subject really well.

There have been multiple projects. We were making an ID platform and a user provisioning platform for a big client of ours. They did all the development work for that in a quick turnaround. They helped us make multi-signature wallets and smart contracts for our clients and distribute our apps. We also wanted to make a wagering app as a distributor app. This was done on Solidity. They did the whole thing, the frontend, the website, the apps, and published it. They’re building multi-signature wallets for multiple projects. There are many other things that are in scope. We’re in project discussions with our clients.

What is the team dynamic?

There are close to 35 people are on the team. We have project managers, and sometimes I do project management myself. For some of the clients, I’m personally involved. For some of the clients, we don’t have project managers; we get the requirements and get the work done because they don’t want to waste time and cost on project managers.

How did you come to work with Accubits?

A friend of mine suggested them. We gave them an initial project and they delivered. We gave them the next one and continued giving them projects. They have the knowledge of the subject, which is key for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested $320,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of work is really good. They do a good job. They have a good attitude. They’re willing to work. They go over and above what we have specified. Their founder is really good because he keeps them on their toes. They delivered within budget. If they go above budget, they don’t charge us.

How did Accubits perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re responsive to our communication. Accubits employees work within their company, not our company. My clients are located across the U.S. I have my people at the client locations, and then we outsource to Accubits at their location. We communicate via phone and Skype. Phone is the best means of communication so we know what they’re talking about. It’s pretty technical. There are no language barriers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a really good attitude and have the technical knowledge we need. They get the work done. They always return my calls.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re doing a good job. They have delivered all of our projects on time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They know their field. They’ve got multiple clientele. I recommend them to my friends. All of my friends who have used them are happy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Tinggal is a virtual brand of budget hotels. We identify hotels that meet our minimum criteria, rebrand them as Tinggal properties, and then market them. I’m the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accubits?

We needed a strong technology partner to create a platform that would be scalable for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our old platform was good but not scalable—many business requirements couldn’t be accommodated. We did full brainstorming sessions with their team and some of our marketing and business people. We created a high-level roadmap of what we wanted from a product perspective. They gave us suggestions from a UI design perspective and from a user experience. They also did mockups and industry share outs.  

They developed the backend system, which included the admin panels, the websites, and the mobile-optimized sites. When they created modules, we started migrating our existing activities onto the newer platform, which was fairly seamless.

When the entire platform was developed and delivered, they helped enhance it, introducing us to machine learning, how we can capitalize on all the data we have as a business, where the customers are coming in, if there are any particular cycles we’re seeing, etc. They did a great deal of analytics and started proposing newer functionalities that could provide enormous value.

They are now creating a machine-learning platform for us, which captures many variables online, such as the past data of a specific hotel and what the trends are. We can then predict what the pricing would be at a certain point. It’s basically a revenue optimizer or a price prediction tool, which uses machine learning and big data at the backend.

What is the team dynamic?

The team has fluctuated because this is an ongoing process. When we were developing the platform, the focus was more on backend developers, architects, QAs, and design. At the peak, we had 8–9 people directly involved. Everyone also has many shared responsibilities. QA is primarily a shared pool of resources, and so is user experience and design. As we've moved onto machine learning, the number of people has reduced, as it’s not as labor intensive as software development.

How did you come to work with Accubits?

We needed a strong technology partner that could think as a business, not as a software development house, and particularly one that had many resources.

How much have you invested with them?

$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April last year, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Even though the project took a little longer due to changing requirements, they've performed well. They've created a minimum viable product that can expand into a full-blown one. It's a very modernized solution and can be scaled up according to the business need. Unused aspects can be removed without impacting other pieces within the platform.

Jithin [CEO/Co-Founder, Accubits] and a colleague took the time to understand the business first. They also do total analyses of the competitive landscape, including new things coming in from a travel perspective. This is valuable for us as a startup because we don’t have our own in-house development teams.

How did Accubits perform from a project management standpoint?

We use a project management tool and have a dedicated project manager, who also has a strong technical background. He can manage the task force, allocate resources, and do quick fixes himself.

They’re extremely approachable, responsive, and proactive. They reach out and give you multiple touchpoints. There are weekly catchups and daily standup calls. The communication is ongoing and continuous, which I like. We do face-to-face interactions once a quarter.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like having a partner that will deep dive into the industry to propose the best solution that can be scaled. Their resources are pretty up to date, based on new technology. They have a great, high-energy team. They sit with you to create that product roadmap. They also challenge your assumptions—not like a typical vendor, who will just take a job and execute it. They think through their challenge, and once they understand, they get started.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They're scaling up fast, which brings its own challenges of growing the teams at the same pace. But that’s something all growing companies face.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company provides enterprise solutions to startups and small-to-medium businesses in Hong Kong. We build websites and software, provide IT support, and handle advanced tech projects like augmented reality.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accubits?

We were looking for a technical development partner for multiple projects. Our customers have different marketing styles.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve provided technical consultants and developers for our products and solutions. The work includes creating banners for different campaigns, UI/UX [user interface/user experience design], and backend programming. They’ve also built an e-commerce website for a startup travel agency similar to Airbnb. Aside from website analytics, they’ve also done machine learning development for face- and image-recognition systems.

What is the team dynamic?

We’ve worked with 5–6 people from their team, depending on the skills needed. Smaller projects would include 2–3 people.

How did you come to work with Accubits?

We first got in touch with them 3 years ago. I had a meeting with their CEO and discussed potential projects on which we could work together.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been $40,000—$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

So far, they’ve been involved in multiple projects, with the first one starting in March 2017. A few larger projects started in June, which are still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They provide very good support for fixing issues, with a full team for anything relating to IT.

How did Accubits perform from a project management standpoint?

I took the role of project manager for larger projects, while the smaller ones were handled by my colleagues, who collaborated with the Accubits team. They have internal project managers for each of the teams, but our own staff handled communication as well.

They are our closest partner in the region, and we communicate frequently. We’ve met in person, and their CEO has become my friend. They visited us most recently in July.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Accubits is not limited to a single, specialized area; they have full-spectrum capabilities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Accubits could offer more consistency in terms of training and quality since the experience has varied across different project managers and designers from their team. The UI [user interface] standards in my region are a bit different from Western ones, so it took longer for them to understand our customers’ preferences.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They provide full services for startups looking to build e-commerce websites, enterprise customers working with backend analytics, etc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a blockchain promotional system.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Accubits Technologies Inc, and what were your goals?

We needed more quality developers - QUICK - Initially accubits help us handle wallet builds, token sales, and various API integrations. Since then we expanded the team at Accubits and they have managed multiple projects for us.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Initially, we were seeking outsourced development teams with specific expertise. The deciding factors were the project managers allocated to us, who were very professional.

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

Multiple projects from basic websites to much more complex blockchain solutions.

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

8 I believe including project managers, backend developers and app developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Get to market faster.

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

Organised and clear paths to completion with easy communication.

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

Their client-oriented approach is impressive.

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

I am happy with them.