Aimprosoft

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a digital marketing software and reputation score provider. We produce technologies which make it easy for small and mid-range businesses to manage their online presence.

I am the director of product and customer experience for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aimprosoft?

We had been working with another development house in order to launch the initial version of our technology. The communication was difficult, and what was produced was not what we expected to receive. We didn't have a good fit in general. We were looking to build a product that would be an asset to small and medium businesses, but we ended up with a dated software.

When we reached out to Aimprosoft, we were looking for a savvy team with a multitude of skill sets, one which wouldn't simply do what we said, but would also come up with smarter, better ways to do what we were asking for.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Aimprosoft has primarily provided web development for our mobile-responsive platform. Aimprosoft has worked on the backend and server configuration, built handling for our data (in terms of getting data from our provider into the system, after it had been scrubbed). We have a directory handling numerous pages; the website, not counting its backend dashboard, has about 6 million live pages. Aimprosoft helped us get setup and handle that scale.

Before working with Aimprosoft, our servers were constantly going down. One of the first tasks we gave them was to figure out what was causing the issue and fix it. Aimprosoft was able to do this with nominal resources, reconfiguring our platform in a way that lasted. This needed to be achieved on top of the poor code written by our previous company.

How did you come to work with Aimprosoft?

Our chief technology officer at the time had worked with Aimprosoft in the past.

How much have you invested with Aimprosoft?

The total cost of our project with Aimprosoft was between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Aimprosoft in January 2015. We transitioned away from Aimprosoft at one point because of a business deal, but we ended up going to them again. It proved to be a good decision. We currently have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

My responsibility is to ensure that what Aimprosoft builds is functional and that it's compatible with our business model. From what I've seen, the collaboration has worked just like any other project. We created specs and had conversations about the best ways to build things. Given that I'm not an engineer, I can't evaluate Aimprosoft's work; I can only state that the software produced by Aimprosoft has functioned well.

How did Aimprosoft perform from a project management standpoint?

Being a huge directory, we receive a lot of attention from bots, which sometimes bring our site down. Our project manager from Aimprosoft was always quick to respond, which is great, considering the time difference. He has done a great job of not only identifying the problem but also recommending solutions and fixing things fast enough to not impact our clients. I was always given the opportunity to make a final call before implementing final solutions.

What did you find most impressive about Aimprosoft?

Aimprosoft's communication is phenomenal. From my experience in working with web developers, this is often the biggest issue. As a customer, we're always looking for the teams to meet deadlines and provide quality work. This doesn't always happen, but we have to understand that there can be roadblocks getting in the way. Aimprosoft has been exceptional at communicating in time and providing an explanation for the reason behind an issue, as well as solutions for it. This has made my job a lot easier.

Are there any areas Aimprosoft could improve?

The biggest challenge on our end is the time difference. It would be great if there was a little more flexibility in working US hours, even at an additional cost. Aimprosoft has been available after hours if need be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

‎ECI Systems is a consulting company providing application development services, mostly document collaboration systems with a focus on the pharmaceutical and legal verticals, as well as financial ones, in a previous iteration of the company. Our activity is an extension of the work that I've been doing over the past 20 years, and some of our products have spun off to versions which have been sold to other companies. We work both on our own applications, as well as subcontracting to partners which require our services.

I am the owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aimprosoft?

My general challenge, when using subcontract programming services, is trying to create an organization of developers which lasts over time, with minimal turnover. I don't want a body-shop relationship and have built teams of programmers which have typically lasted for multiple years. I needed to find an organization able to offer talented developers who would become an extension of our organization, and share the same goals, working with us to service our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Aimprosoft has provided Java-based open-source development through a content repository and various tools for integration, single sign-on, and so on. Aimprosoft has also performed front-end work but the bulk of my utilization is on the back tier, which amounts to 90% of the effort. We're currently working with 20-25 people from Aimprosoft's team.

How did you come to work with Aimprosoft?

I've had experience in the past with companies in India, which was my first foray into offshore development. I didn't like the type of organization offered by those groups and was looking for a smaller company with talented developers. For better or worse, Eastern Europe produces great computer minds, so I was gravitating towards that area. I was specifically looking for open-source developers familiar with our software package. I came across Aimprosoft 3 years ago and started conversations about a project. When I became comfortable with the company, the selection process was down to my experience and a small test project.

How much have you invested with Aimprosoft?

The cost of Aimprosoft's services is between $500,000 and $1,000,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Aimprosoft 3 years ago, and have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Aimprosoft has a deep expertise in the platform we're using. We utilize an open-source platform which is available as an enterprise solution or community addition, and are self-supporting it, which requires a deep understanding of the technology. It's used for critical enterprise applications in the regulated pharmaceutical space.

I rate Aimprosoft's development skills highly, and also rate their ability to take a junior programmer out of college, and train them to become an expert in the field. Having a good training regimen is key to having a distribution between senior and junior developers, from both growth and cost perspectives. Aimprosoft has a good process for this.

How did Aimprosoft perform from a project management standpoint?

We've expanded the size of the team over time, and turnover has been minimal. The team leaders I've worked with have been with our project from the beginning, which is important.

What did you find most impressive about Aimprosoft?

I wouldn't have worked with Aimprosoft or involved them in key projects if I didn't think they were great. Aimprosoft is a small organization, but they're growing, and have acquired more office space. The most important factor is that I've been able to partner with Aimprosoft when the opportunity came up, discussing ideas and quickly obtaining the resources for a proof-of-concept. The work may turn into a larger project or not, but Aimprosoft has been flexible in meeting my needs.

Are there any areas Aimprosoft could improve?

I don't have any specific constructive feedback for the moment. Aimprosoft has accomplished everything I've asked for and adapted to every one of our policies. From a professional side, Aimprosoft is struggling a bit in terms of marketing, so they should focus more on how to grow the business. There are many consulting companies out there, and there's also a lot of competition.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a small software and services company working primarily with the automotive industry. Our customers are top-shelf companies like Ford and Daimler. We have been in business for 8 and a half years, and are increasingly moving towards a software-as-a-service model.

I am a co-founder and co-owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aimprosoft?

We had a software concept and contracts which were paying us professional services rates. We needed to start building software using those proceeds, after paying ourselves some level of salary. Our company didn't raise outside capital and didn't take money from friends and family. Building products based on our own fees meant that the development needed to be economical.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Aimprosoft has built most of our software.

How did you come to work with Aimprosoft?

We chose the Liferay platform and started looking for outsourced developers with the right experience. We interviewed a variety of companies, some in the US, able to work with us locally, but ultimately selected Aimprosoft.

How much have you invested with Aimprosoft?

The cost of Aimprosoft's services has been $8,000 per month. We have allocated additional resources for a current project and are trying some different approaches, so we expect the cost for this month to be around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with Aimprosoft since 2009.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

There have been ups and downs in our relationship, but generally speaking, Aimprosoft has built the product that we wanted.

Aimprosoft has pluses and minuses but they make an effort, care about the work, and make suggestions.

How did Aimprosoft perform from a project management standpoint?

We've been moving towards an Agile methodology. It has been a bumpy process both internally and with the Aimprosoft team, but we increasingly work with them as if they were a part of our team. As our business has succeeded and grown, we've come to invest more in this area and ask more of Aimprosoft.

Early on, we were working in a much more limited way, only using one developer from Aimprosoft's team for most of our collaboration. When that developer understood what we were doing and had good skills, things were good, but we've also used developers who were not as good. We now have a team on Aimprosoft's side, which spreads the risk, and also use an architect who performs code reviews and ensures adherence to a set of standards. We will see how that impacts the velocity of their performance as well as our bug rates. I see Aimprosoft as being on our team, and I will try to help them succeed. It would be hard to replace Aimprosoft, and we haven't seen a reason to do it until this point.

What did you find most impressive about Aimprosoft?

One of the things I've appreciated most is that Aimprosoft is reliable. If there is an urgent situation, I can get my contact on the phone and have Aimprosoft's team work all night, if necessary. I consider this to be a valuable quality.

Are there any areas Aimprosoft could improve?

Aimprosoft needs to perform better unit testing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Virtual1 is a telecommunications company based in London, England. We were founded 10 years ago, and work as a startup even though we've become a medium-sized business. We sell internet to businesses which then sell it further to other London-based companies. Our footprint is quite big in the region, and have started offering backup and cloud services. I am the head of software development for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aimprosoft?

Our company offers a portal for business customers, which had been built through another consultancy in the UK. Aimprosoft was a partner for that company. We came to buy the portal along with its business rights, which came with a contract for the developers working on the product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Aimprosoft has provided backend web development for our portal, as well as development for APIs used for our interactions with suppliers. Aimprosoft was also used for CRM work.

How did you come to work with Aimprosoft?

Aimprosoft was already in place when I started working for the company.

How much have you invested with Aimprosoft?

We spend between $19,000 and $21,000 for Aimprosoft's services, on a monthly basis.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our portal was developed 5-6 years ago. We have an ongoing relationship with Aimprosoft.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Aimprosoft has come up with new ideas which we've considered and chewed over, which has encouraged our different ideas of working towards a solution. We have a very good working relationship with Aimprosoft.

How did Aimprosoft perform from a project management standpoint?

I have a technical background and have worked directly with Aimprosoft's team. We have weekly scrum meetings via Skype with the whole team, and Aimprosoft's developers have visited our company in the UK in September 2016. We were running many complex projects, and collaborating over Skype can be difficult at times so we arranged a London visit.

What did you find most impressive about Aimprosoft?

Aimprosoft is a very reliable group. I can come to my job every day with full confidence knowing that they will be there.

Are there any areas Aimprosoft could improve?

On a technical basis, there have been items which suddenly stopped working without any intervention from us. Issues can occur in the backend, which we have to accept and correct. We have set good working practices with Aimprosoft, and do review the work.

In the UK, we would typically have an account manager looking over our service and inquiring about how it could be enhanced. We usually have to approach our contact from Aimprosoft ourselves on this matter.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a startup company focusing on business-to-business services, including employee vacation management. I am the Chief Technology Officer of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aimprosoft?

We were trying to develop our software-as-a-service solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Aimprosoft provided both backend and frontend development for our company. We have a microservices-based architecture, with many backend workflow elements.

How did you come to work with Aimprosoft?

I have worked with Aimprosoft on-and-off for other companies, over the last 10 years. I knew that they could provide high-quality work, with top-notch developers. When we came to need some resources, I approached Aimprosoft.

How much have you invested with Aimprosoft?

The total cost of Aimprosoft's services has been below $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with Aimprosoft for 10 months. Our project is expected to go live at the end of August 2016. After that, we will continue to work with Aimprosoft on improvements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I don't have any metrics, but I can say that Aimprosoft's quality has been very high. I'm a technical person myself, and had been involved directly in the project initially. We've come to use Aimprosoft exclusively. They have a very high knowledge of best practices, and provide excellent quality.

What did you find most impressive about Aimprosoft?

Aimprosoft follows best practices, and they always came up with suggestions proactively, instead of simply following our requirements.

Are there any areas Aimprosoft could improve?

Not at the moment. We're very satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company has built a series of telecom portals which integrated between wholesale suppliers and resellers in the UK and Europe. We built APIs between the wholesale and resale markets, packaging them into a wide network portal which our clients could use.

I am the managing director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aimprosoft?

I was working with a number of onshore developers, but we didn’t have enough to be able to handle all of our work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our work with Aimprosoft extended beyond web development. There have been two sides to our portals, including a backend which handles the actual workflow, billing elements, and so on.

How did you come to work with Aimprosoft?

We started looking for offshore partners, and initially used Upwork, which was called oDesk at the time, in order to hire individual developers. One of them recommended someone from Aimprosoft. I got in touch with that person, and he put together a team that could work with us.

How much have you invested with Aimprosoft?

I’d rather keep the cost of their services confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Aimprosoft 3 or 4 years ago. Our relationship lasted for about 3 years, and the work is now completed. That part of our business has been sold.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Aimprosoft assigned an automated software tester as part of their team. We also worked with a senior developer who acted as project manager, doing code review for each release made by Aimprosoft. We had a proper software development workflow, so there were no issues. When we first started, there were a few language issues because of the technical nature of our work, which was very specific to the UK telecommunications industry. Some terms needed more explaining, but once Aimprosoft gained experience with them, the same team stayed in place for most of our project, with the exception of 1-2 changes. Aimprosoft had an internal training process, so any new members would be instructed by the old resources. We had continuity in terms of senior developers throughout the engagement.

How did Aimprosoft perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is a key strength of Aimprosoft. The fact that they were able to work as a defined development team was important. We didn't simply receive individual developers whom we'd have to control, but rather a packaged IT team, including a project manager, developers, and testers.

What did you find most impressive about Aimprosoft?

Aimprosoft only needed the requirements to work through, after which they managed the development. This was unique, compared to what we'd seen from previous partners. We either had individual developers, or companies who gathered requirements through a lengthy back-and-forth process. Aimprosoft was effectively an offshore development team, and they became a part of our own company. Developer continuity was also critical to us, simply because of the level of experience which was needed in order to understand what we were doing.

Are there any areas Aimprosoft could improve?

Aimprosoft was growing as a company at the same time as us. We fine-tuned the team a bit during the collaboration, and I gave them specific requirements for our developers. Within the final years of our work together, Aimprosoft got up to speed on everything. The only thing which would have been more useful is more technical expertise within our team. We had 1-2 developers who weren't quite up to speed, but it's important to note that we were working with 10-12 developers at any given time. Aimprosoft was happy to shift the makeup of the team, whenever we requested it. Considering that I've worked with a number of firms over time, Aimprosoft was by far the best.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the CMO of an it services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company offers a web-based service to enhance customer engagement by utilizing personalized AI-based voicemail systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Aimprosoft to accomplish?

Develop a Google Chrome extension

SOLUTION

How did you find Aimprosoft?

Referral

Why did you select Aimprosoft over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Aimprosoft were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Aimprosoft developed the Chrome extension to seamlessly integrate the core functionalities of our main product into any web page. The solution allows users to parse phone numbers, US addresses, and selected text context. The extension integrates with the core functionality of our main product by passing parsed data into the main web application, streamlining user input, and improving workflow efficiency

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Seamless integration of product’s AI features
• Real-time detection and processing using AI services
• Optimized performance and memory usage
• Built with scalability in mind

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The project was delivered on time, and the developer ensured excellent communication. She was very engaged, shared updates, and suggested improvements. 

What was your primary form of communication with Aimprosoft?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Aimprosoft staffed immediately, which was impressive and rather unique for the IT outsourcing industry. The developer was highly motivated and skilled, so I believe they did their part of the job well. 

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

Nothing to suggest.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the executive of Reekolect

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Software development / Social media platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Aimprosoft to accomplish?

• software development
• developing a new social media platform

SOLUTION

How did you find Aimprosoft?

Online Search

Why did you select Aimprosoft over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from Aimprosoft were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Social media platform development and weekly meeting plus guidance through the work done explaining the platform

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The meetings were always very correct and clear, everything was explained and discussed very carefully during the meetings

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Everything was delivered on time and what was needed was immediately adjusted or added.

What was your primary form of communication with Aimprosoft?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They form a whole with us and saw themselves as a team. they come up with proposals and ideas that we had not thought of

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

No. everything went great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

eWave is the leading global independent commerce innovator, founded in 2009 with over 280 professionals. As an award-winning partner of enterprise-class platforms: Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Adobe Magento Commerce, and other API first, Headless Commerce surround solutions, eWave helps clients create a competitive advantage with commerce core.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Aimprosoft, and what were your goals?

At eWave, we face different challenges every day, and we were looking for a partner who might help us to augment our team with qualified resources. AimProSoft cover our needs.

SOLUTION

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

In the selection process, we were paying a lot of attention to technical capabilities, and experience in our field. We are definitely looking forward to continuing our cooperation.

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

We have different projects, and the scope may be warry.

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

Salesforce Commerce Cloud engineer, and React engineers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Engineers are working on our current projects, which include support of the released, and the development of new ones. Our clients are fully satisfied with the outcomes.

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

For this particular engagement, we provide a full management circle from ours side.

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

The qualifications of enginners.

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

There are no so far.