AlignMinds Technologies

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the VP of technology and innovation for BaltonCP. We provide project management services and technology solutions in multiple sectors, including agriculture.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire AlignMinds Technologies?

We engaged AlignMinds Technologies to help us find a new ERP solution.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to find the most reliable and secure solution that serves our subsidiaries at the lowest cost.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We came across AlignMinds through introductions made by other partners. We had previously spoken to them about several customer application and web development requirements.

Describe the project in detail.

We initially considered a hosting solution using standard servers—a solution suggested by a previous vendor. AlignMinds Technologies advised against this due to its cost and security issues. Their team convinced us to host our ERP tool—with its associated data stores and application frontends—on a public cloud provider.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a systems administrator and developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

AlignMinds Technologies showed us how quickly we could get our ERP services online while keeping our costs to a minimum.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was very efficient and collaborative. They responded quickly to all queries we raised.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

AlignMinds Technologies offered an honest and highly skilled team that supported a range of software needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re happy with AlignMinds Technologies’ work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of the Referr app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire AlignMinds Technologies?

We hired AlignMinds Technologies to create the iOS and Android versions of our app.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a seamless app that people can use for their daily networking needs.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After talking to several app development teams that were recommended to me, I felt only three fully understood the project’s needs. AlignMinds Technologies demonstrated they were a topnotch team and we chose them for the engagement.

Describe the project in detail.

Using an initial framework I created, AlignMind Technologies built our app for Android and iOS devices. They tested the app and fixed any issues before launching it to the app store.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a team leader, who I mainly interacted with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The app has hundreds of users shortly after being launched. With every upgrade, the app continues to get better, and our users enjoy the platform, so far.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We’ve had a very effective workflow between our teams. They’ve been wonderful communicators and I’m always kept updated on their progress. When issues arise, their team handles them in a timely fashion.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their problem-solving skills and accuracy are valuable assets to us. The work they produce is always done right the first time around, and the design work has been top notch.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Overall, the project has taken slightly longer than expected, but this could be due to changing plans and designs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner of a company called Plexus Consulting. We do turnarounds for companies, building new companies and managing bigger organizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AlignMinds?

When doing optimizations, we often find integration problems in software or issues on the IT side due to improperly analyzed business decisions. We were looking for a software company that could fill that gap and write sophisticated processes, applications, and portal management tools. After failing multiple times to find a reliable company, we came across AlignMinds.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve worked on many different projects for us. One of the more complicated ones was a complete inventory management stack for a fast food company, using AI prediction software for stock drawdowns and HR planning. The frontend is a full POS system written for one of the larger franchisees of the company. It’s performing flawlessly on very cheap hardware.

At the moment, we’re working on a complicated derivative of this POS system, with certain restaurants doing central accounting with a complicated revenue and stock share.

For a few clients, we developed an open-source-based and highly customized ERP system that can rival solutions like SAP. We also ran a larger-scope project for app-based scheduling, dispatching, and tracking. The platform ensures that the mechanics being dispatched have the proper qualifications and tools. Customers can track the engineers and vice versa, for them to meet.

We also have some projects in the pipeline. We’ve done the scoping for one project that’s not yet contracted, for a national water company to do automatic meter readings, and we’ve quoted an anti-corruption application to a few municipalities. Finally, there’s a project for a blockchain-managed trading platform that includes microfinance, giving in kind, and returning goods.

What is the team composition?

I speak with Devanarayanan (CEO, AlignMinds) when there are any issues or new opportunities, as well as another member of their team, who understands workflow processes intrinsically. I dealt with the two allocated project managers for two different projects and have gone to one of their hardware specialists for integrations.

They have a department that conducts server moves for us as we don’t have the workforce to do it. We scope out the projects then hand them over to AlignMinds; we then do the quality control.

How did you come to work with AlignMinds?

I’d previously wasted a lot of money on people who cheated me, especially with companies based abroad. One of my friends told me that AlignMinds had done all the web applications and a data presentation for a large media conglomerate. I was interested, so I reached out to them and had a few meetings. The work they delivered for us—especially in the very complicated areas of process management and optimization—blew me away in terms of cost and performance.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $2 million–$2.5 million, and what’s currently in the pipeline will cost just as much. We have a shared license model.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2015, and our first project was delivered within six months. Since then, we’ve done at least 25–30 projects, all of which were completed on or under budget.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work helps make us unique. We work on optimizing process, and now we have affordable tools that are guaranteed to work. I believe the work they’ve done will add another $30–$40 million annually to our revenue, in the next 3–4 years.

AlignMinds has some very good designers that produce excellent marketing materials. It’s had a massive impact on our company because it makes everything look more professional, including web page design, banner design, pull-ups, posters, and billboards. All of this in no time, for a very affordable price.

How did AlignMinds perform from a project management standpoint?

They work around the clock because of the time difference between us. I have teams in the US and Africa, while they are in India. They’ve worked 24 hours a day for us, and their responsiveness is sometimes a bit overwhelming—it’s hard for me to motivate my teams to work the same number of hours.

I fly to their location every quarter or six months, to sit with the whole team and talk about my long-term, bigger strategy. That means they know what to do in the hiring process and to bring the right experts into the team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They look at the long term, which isn’t for us to see. Their team is made up of seasoned people, and they have no turnover in the top positions. Their people are loyal and happy with what they’re doing. They care that the software works and makes the customer happy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could grow faster if they employed a few more salespeople, but their owner doesn’t want the company to grow too quickly because he’s afraid it might impact on the quality.

They could also look for a customer who could serve as a cultural bridge. I’m able to do that in some of their markets, so I’ve explained to their CEO what they could do differently.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Be honest from day one because their team will also be honest and push back if necessary. They won’t develop something just because the client asked for it—if it doesn’t make sense, they’ll make sure first.

If you know what you want, it’s very easy to communicate with AlignMinds. Be straight-forward, put your facts on the table, and you’ll get a speedy turnaround. If you don’t know what you want, AlignMinds will either bridge that gap with their own experience or bring in someone with the right expertise.