AllianceTek

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a startup. I have a co-founder, and we’re currently in the process of developing our product, a mobile app for private security and e-commerce. We have recently launched our app to the market, so we now need to market it to be more relevant and generate income for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AllianceTek?

We had an idea for an app where users could send an SOS message to our recipients and people nearby so that, in case of an incident, people in the same area could help. Additionally, we wanted users to leverage this app to buy and sell products from each other within the same neighborhood. Therefore, we’ve been working with AllianceTek to develop this app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AllianceTek has helped us develop our mobile app from scratch based on the ideas we had. They’ve built this app to work on both iOS and Android without having to build different apps for each platform.

Initially, AllianceTek was in charge of the entire development process. Since then, they’ve been helping us add functionality and different features over the years. For example, they recently completed and added a chat feature.

What is the team composition?

We work with three teammates from AllianceTek: a project manager, a developer, and a general manager. However, the project manager has changed throughout the engagement.

How did you come to work with AllianceTek?

I found them on Upwork. On there, we posted a job offer for the project, and we ultimately selected AllianceTek. One of the reasons we chose them was that we wanted to work with a company and not an individual developer because I thought that we would have a more stable partnership this way.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around February 2020, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thus far, I’ve had a very stable experience working with AllianceTek, which is what we were looking for. Still, given that they strictly focus on mobile app development, I can’t directly tie their work to the performance of the app marketing-wise.

How did AllianceTek perform from a project management standpoint?

Although AllianceTek hasn’t always delivered on time, they’ve stayed within budget, and we have very good communication. Whenever we need changes, they’re very available and communicative. We usually communicate via WhatsApp and Microsoft (MS) Teams.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As mentioned above, AllianceTek doesn’t always delivers on time. Although some delays have been on our end, it would be great if they could think more about the milestones we set.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Partner of ESGI

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Provide consulting and training services to public safety organizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Develop a dynamic mobile application and corresponding database

SOLUTION

How did you find AllianceTek?

Online Search

Why did you select AllianceTek over others?

• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Other

What was the size of AllianceTek’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Develop a dynamic iOS application to be used by any organization to track assets via a secure, cloud-based database with various levels of access and permission levels to manage and analyze data received.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Completed mobile app
• Completed database website

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

AllianceTek had superb project management skills throughout the project. Tasks were tracked and completed on time allowing us adequate time to review various stages of the project and provide feedback for updates. The team was very responsive, efficiently answering our questions, needs and requests including going above and beyond to address concerns and provide assistance on items outside the scope of work.

What was your primary form of communication with AllianceTek?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Most impressive was their responsiveness to our needs and their ability to provide subject matter expertise on a wide variety of topics related to the project. Whenever we need something, the team was able to either address it themselves or walk us through the solution via email or a virtual session. Even when requests seemed out of the scope of the project, we never received any pushback.

It felt like the team truly cared about our project and ensuring the product was not only completed but the best it could be for our customers.

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

More detailed information on the various phases of a project to allow clients to track progress and anticipate needs/requests required to complete each stage.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing of a food franchise.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AllianceTek?

We needed help with our website needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AllianceTek does design and development for our WordPress site. They also do geotagging on the site’s backend. In terms of features, the site allows users to order food online from their nearest locations, pay for e-gift cards, send resumes to look for employment opportunities, and give feedback on their experiences with us.

In addition, AllianceTek’s team helps us to incorporate any limited-time offerings or new creative assets into our site.

What is the team composition?

We only work with one member of their team.

How did you come to work with AllianceTek?

They were already working with us when I took my current position.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

So far, we’ve spent $50,000–$199,999 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been fabulous, efficient, and fast. Moreover, we feel comfortable reaching out to their team whenever we need something for our site.

How did AllianceTek perform from a project management standpoint?

They stay within deadlines and budgets. In addition, my main point of contact has been efficient, swift, responsive, and communicative. Regarding tools, we use email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I never have to worry about delays, and they put together everything for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

So far, I don’t think they can improve anything,

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’m pleased with their work, so I highly recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of Combat Sales LLC, a sales boot camp with an online training portion partnered with a door-to-door apprenticeship in the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AllianceTek?

We hired them to develop our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AllianceTek developed our website from scratch using ReactJS.NET core. We had another company design everything on Figma, and then we took those files to AllianceTek to build everything. They added capabilities for lessons, quizzes, and video uploading through Vimeo. 

The website’s software is split into four users; a student, a super admin role, a trainer, and a reviewer, and all of the roles are synced together. Students can post pictures or videos, and they’re assigned to trainers. The super admin reviews everything through a unique system. 

We missed a couple of features in the original design, and AllianceTek designed them for us; these constituted about 5% of the site’s design. They also helped us integrate the site’s tools and figure out a domain name. Once they’d finished developing it, the team ran extensive tests on the website. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with 10–12 teammates from AllianceTek and had two main contact points.

How did you come to work with AllianceTek?

I found them through a ‘best companies’ list online. After we got all the designs, we contacted about eight different agencies. AllianceTek came back with an incredible proposal; it was highly professional, and their price was really good. They beat out all the competitors, so we chose them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent roughly $80,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from February–September 2022. We had a seven-week engagement, a few extra weeks to add a few things, and AllianceTek gave us 30 days of free support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After reviewing the training site, we found a minimal amount of bugs. Moreover, most of the issues AllianceTek helped us with came from errors on our side, such as logical sequencing for the training platform or grammar. For the most part, the team developed everything to a T according to what we provided them. We haven’t officially launched our website, and we’ll be testing the site until launch in January 2023. 

AllianceTek went above and beyond; they were highly prudent with every meeting and responded to us quickly. The team was more than willing to work with us and help us go the extra mile by providing suggestions. Overall they did an incredible job; they did everything they were supposed to do. 

How did AllianceTek perform from a project management standpoint?

They were incredible at project management — it was smooth as butter. We met every Wednesday, and their entire team was there on time. They were also extremely responsive; when we had an issue we needed to discuss in-between meetings, they would hop on a call with us the next day. Regarding deadlines, they walked me through what they would complete that week and what was on the schedule. 

We typically communicated via email. They used a Google Sheets document with a tracker, where they would show me completed and upcoming tasks. They also showed me their progress on the site during our meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were some of the most professional people I’ve ever worked with. AllianceTek was a class act from top to bottom in how they carried themselves, conducted business, handled the project, and answered our queries. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of a single thing they did that I wasn’t super happy with. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come to AllianceTek with your idea fully cooked. Give them everything on a Figma file, and let them do what they do best; no one can compete with them in development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of Traq.ai. We develop conversation intelligence technology, so we record and analyze sales conversations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AllianceTek?

Our technology has to record conversations, and we needed a method for recording calls on Mac computers. This was a difficult challenge because when Apple released iTunes, they told musicians that they wouldn’t allow people to record from their computers. We had to figure out a way to record conversations in a computer designed not to let users do that. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AllianceTek helped us develop an audio driver compatible with macOS. They built the solution from scratch using C++. The team built the product, and we cleaned up the UI. The technology identifies that a call is happening and launches an application that records inbound and outbound channels separately. Then, it uploads those audio files to our cloud server. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Sunil (President & CTO), a project manager, and another person. They also had a team behind them. 

How did you come to work with AllianceTek?

Someone recommended them to us. When we met with the AllianceTek team, we found they had the skill set and the desire to figure out a cost-effective solution for us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $70,000–$100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from February–December 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The technology AllianceTek built is in use, it’s successful, and it has solved a really big problem for us. The solution provided us with a link in our chain that was missing. I appreciated that the team figured out how to make it work, as there are very few people in the world with this expertise, and most of the ones we could find were already working for large companies. 

How did AllianceTek perform from a project management standpoint?

I was pleased with their project management. They were straight shooters; when I asked for explanations about their timelines, they described what they had to do. The team delivered on time and at the cost they promised. 

Most of the team was in India, and we really appreciated that they made sure their hours overlapped our time zone a lot to make it easy to communicate. Sunil was in the US, which was nice because it made things easier. As for tools, we had a Slack channel, and they provided their own project management portal, which worked fine. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We had gone through five other providers before we found AllianceTek. Companies would say they could do it, we would pay for a proof of concept, and then they said it couldn’t be done. However, we knew it was possible because there are technologies like that in the market we didn’t use — we wanted to own the technology. I’m a fan of AllianceTek because they could do what we asked for. Moreover, they were cost-effective, did the job well, and delivered on their promises. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no complaints about them at all. This was a challenging problem, and they were upfront about never having done this. They said they could figure it out, and they did. 

The only thing I wish was different was that they had macOS audio talent on their staff. However, I haven’t found anyone with that particular skill set, so I can’t fault them for that. Additionally, their UI team wasn’t as good as my internal UI team, but that wasn’t a big deal. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We were very thorough in our project requirements, both technically and from a UI perspective, which made a difference. We understood that the project was challenging, so we were very thorough. If you’re using AllianceTek or any other service provider, the more comprehensive your requirements, the more likely it is that you’ll have success.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a kitchens, cabinets, and vanities company. We’re located in Toronto, Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AllianceTek?

We wanted to create an e-commerce website for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we had a video meeting with AllianceTek. We were just starting the business, and they wanted to provide us with the best service and product. We took our time to collect information to see if they understood our vision. We had some designs, but there was a lot of room for customization.

They’ve built the website using WordPress. Since it’s an e-commerce website, they’ve added a payment solution and similar features. Also, they’ve helped with the logo and provided consulting. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked directly with a consultant. They connect us with a team of web developers and designers.

How did you come to work with AllianceTek?

I found them through a website; I looked at reviews for web development companies, and there was a list. We trusted them because they were from the US. We talked to a couple of companies before them, but their main priority was building the website; they didn’t have any kind of consulting. On the other hand, AllianceTek provided that consultation, made sure our ideas were heard, and added their own ideas. They were just very professional and knowledgeable about their work. They knew what we needed and explained everything well.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $11,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2021, and our relationship is ongoing. We’ll soon have to take a break from our side, but they’ve been understanding about it.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The consulting side has been a bonus. Moreover, our engagement has been a partnership all the way. They understand us on our level, which is essential.

How did AllianceTek perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done really well. We have someone working closely with us. They always respond timely, so we don’t have any issues.

We mainly communicate via emails or Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They care about our business. AllianceTek wants to grow with us and provides that extra level of expertise. They’ve provided a lot of information we weren’t even aware of, so they’ve taught and helped us along the way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything right now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be sure of what you want. You’ll be investing a lot of money, so you have to be 100% sure of what you’re doing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a consulting company. I’m on the NFL assignment as the project manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AllianceTek?

We had a legacy web application that needed a lot of investigation and bug repair. Also, we wanted to add new modules to manage the master data.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we came up with a problem statement for what we were trying to solve. We mapped out the scope of the work and did the requirements for design, development, and QA testing. AllianceTek did their QA testing, and we also did QA and user testing. We handled all the rollouts, but they did a lot of the investigation work, especially on the bugs and issues to find the root causes. Then, we’d prioritize the work and schedule it.

They worked on an existing application, so they did bug fixes to existing pages. However, they did custom development for a new module with a complete set of new pages. The framework for those pages was different than the one for the legacy portion of the application. Additionally, we used the standard database store procedures, MySQL server, and a PROGRESS framework for many custom modules.

What is the team composition?

The number of team members fluctuated throughout the project. At its peak, we had a client partner, a project manager, two developers, and two QA people.

How did you come to work with AllianceTek?

The person who sat on my floor had done work with them; they’d developed other applications for the NFL. AllianceTek had a good reputation for that project, so we wanted to use them and take over the vendor.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from March 2021–March 2022. We continue working with them on secondary projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They met the requirements, and users were happy with the application. It automated a lot of processes and significantly reduced our annual activities. Moreover, users are now actively engaged in using the software.

How did AllianceTek perform from a project management standpoint?

I was the overall project manager; their project manager was in charge of their development and staff. They stayed on budget and schedule, so management was excellent. Although they didn’t participate in the requirements gathering, they assisted with some specifications. We did prototypes and gave them the opportunity to standard UX suggestions. In general, they specked the project out, came up with a schedule and the staffing levels required, and stuck to that for the engagement.

We used Microsoft Excel to track and schedule the project. They didn’t have access to it, but we also used DevOps to track tasks on our side. On the other hand, communication was through Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They stood out for their integrity. After the initial development phases, we moved into the legacy bug fixes and application support. AllianceTek came back and told us that the resource staffing was too high for that support, so they cut it in half. It was an honorable thing to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could better document the QA test plan and results. The software came to us in good condition, but some issues made it through. Perhaps some additional testing controls would be an improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

One thing that worked really well for us was our standard project management structure. We published issues, action items, and project schedules that we kicked off. Every time we met with them, we went to those open items and viewed how we were pacing to the plan to ensure that everything was delivered on time. It helped put the project on track, and open communication kept everything moving well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder and sales head of a company that sells toners, printers, and other office equipment online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AllianceTek?

I needed help with building and maintaining our website, so I hired AllianceTek.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have a lot of SKUs, and it was crucial for us to be able to upload products and change their prices, so AllianceTek and I looked into what platform we could build on to easily manage that. We ended up selecting BigCommerce because this would also address our issue with the cost of hosting. From there, the team proceeded to build the site from scratch. They had a template, but we ended up modifying that according to our needs. They eventually helped us with SEO as well.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of four people, which included the developers and a project manager. Gaurang (Head of Production) was the person that I was in contact with most of the time.

How did you come to work with AllianceTek?

A friend of mine recommended that I talk to them. I found AllianceTek to be very reasonable, and they came up with good options for me should I decide to maintain things myself in the future. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $12,000–$15,000 CAD (approximately $9,00–$12,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from June–December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Apart from building our website, AllianceTek made us searchable. Within two months of its launch, our site was pretty much at the top of search results. They really helped me a lot. 

How did AllianceTek perform from a project management standpoint?

We coordinated well on the timelines, and AllianceTek mostly delivered on the dot. Design is an area where I’m a bit choosy, so we had to go back and forth on that a little. We communicated through Zoom and sometimes via WhatsApp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by their interest in the business. AllianceTek came up with very sensible solutions and suggestions, all of which ended up being very convenient for me. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. Everything was better and more cost-effective than I had anticipated. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be patient with their team. Sometimes things don’t happen on time or as planned, but if you give them the confidence that you are putting in 100%, you will achieve your goals together. Approaching issues as a team will help make things work out for the better. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Co-Founder of a Cannabis Software a a Service Technology Platform

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired AllianceTek to help build a software platform for the regulated cannabis market. We wanted to platform to be multi-tenanted, secure and scalable to support chain of custody challenges goals across state lines.

SOLUTION

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

We found AllianceTek through a referral. The main deciding factors were their extensive experience building custom projects and of course favorable pricing model which was best suited for our startup budget

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

AllianceTek recommended a .NET framework for our project which allowed us a faster speed to market. The UX Team designed prototypes inside of Invisionapp which allowed us to gain insight early on and make decisions prior to committing to code.

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

They were 7 core team members which made up the AllianceTek development Unit. Team Leader, Project Manager, Technical Analyst, UX/UI, QA Tester, Full Stack, & Front End Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our solution is now in beta and currently in use with target customers. Because of the dynamic & scalable design we have reduced onboarding time by 50%.

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

Weekly scrum meetings over Teams. Email communication for day to day requirements. Team chats wherever needed.

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

They provide stable product releases with very little to no bugs. Again kudos to a great QA process

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

Perhaps monthly reporting for resources currently in use as we scale up or down.