The APP Solutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Partner of sparkChief & Co.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Management Consulting

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The APP Solutions to accomplish?

• To create an app
• Maintain the app

SOLUTION

How did you find The APP Solutions?

Already worked with them in the past

Why did you select The APP Solutions over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from The APP Solutions were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We studied the options on how we could enhance our IOS App. Discussions took place in terms of several options of improvement, technical requirements, and budget with a timeline. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We can't recommend the APP Solutions team highly enough. From the very beginning, they impressed us with their responsiveness. Whether it was a quick question or a complex issue, their team was always available and helpful.

Their expertise truly domestarted throughout the project. The team's knowledge covered all aspects of app development, and they were able to translate our vision into a technically sound solution. They offered a strategic view, suggesting improvements and functionalities that would enhance the user experience and achieve our business goals.

We were particularly impressed with their commitment to staying within budget. They provided clear cost breakdowns and worked with us to find cost-effective solutions without sacrificing quality. This focus on our financial constraints showed they were truly invested in our success.

The project management was outstanding. The team kept us informed throughout the development process, hitting every milestone on time. Their clear communication and proactive approach ensured a smooth experience for us.

Overall, our experience with the APP Solutions was exceptional. Their responsiveness, knowledge, technical capabilities, strategic thinking, budget focus, and excellent management resulted in the timely delivery of expected scope definition that exceeded our expectations. 

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

Yes. Every step of the project was delivered on time and withing budget. Very responsive team. Always available. 

What was your primary form of communication with The APP Solutions?

Email or Messaging App

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

Expertise and knowledge. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something The APP Solutions could have done differently?

Not really. They are really good. 

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on August 23, 2017.
Founder, sparkChief
Information technology

Switzerland

1-10 Employees

May 2017 - Ongoing

$10,000 to $49,999

Project summary
A fully functioning proof of concept mobile app was built to collect and aggregate survey responses into management reports.

Feedback summary
Fast responses and an accommodating approach led to a successful first engagement. While there was unexpected turnover on the team during the short project, the transition was handled well and there wasn't any negative impact.
BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a consulting firm and we have a methodology that we implement in our clients' organizations to help them assess what percentage of the client's employees are aligned with the business strategy. We created a model with diagnostic and multiple assessment methods.

I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The App Solutions?

One of the diagnostic tools we use was developed with the help of The App Solutions. It's a data collection tool where, once a month, users log in and input their data. We use that data to produce certain reports for individuals as well as for organizations. The tool facilitates the methodology that we implement in our clients' organizations.

How did you come to work with The App Solutions?

I researched a lot of companies all around the world online, including in Europe, in the U.S., and even in emerging markets as well as locally. I contacted three of them and one of the criteria for actually selecting The App Solutions is that they were very responsive when we first connected with them. They responded very quickly. The others responded in a week or two on average. Maybe our application or our project was limited in terms of budget. Others were not interested. The App Solutions didn't really care about you know how much money we were going to spend with them in the initial phase. We quickly became comfortable with them through our discussions which led to this project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We're in the first phase of our development. Our first objective is to put something in a simplified form out into the market so that we could get users to engage with the first version. At the same time; however, at a minimum we would use this version to start collecting data from inside our clients' organizations from the employees that we work with directly. The main purpose of the app was to try to collect this information through a series of questions and create something nice looking and user friendly so that people feel at ease using the tool. We reached out to The App Solutions and asked if they could produce something like that for us.

We set up very precise objectives for the first version, including log ins, how to sign up, information about our company, how to contact us, etc. From there, we built the core of the application based on a 14 question form that I'll refer to as a questionnaire. Users answer these questions and are returned a radar-like chart and it tells you where you stand in terms of the four dimensions of our model. We collect that data across all users in an organization and produce a 20 page report for the company using our web-based backend functionality.

What is the team dynamic?

We had an account manager, a project manager, and then we had 2-3 developers that we were in direct contact with. They were very responsive. Whenever we send feedback, they would respond in the same day. Whenever we wanted changes, they were making changes in an acceptable time frame, usually 2-3 days. It was very good.

Our first project manager was very good and when they left, the replacement project management leader was very good, too. She was briefed well. The developers that we had contact with were very responsive. I was pleasantly surprised.

The account manager followed up on the development and made sure that what we were received was what we agreed to. Early on, there was an instance where they created a draft of something and I said this isn't what we agreed to and they very quickly cleared it up. Our coordination was good.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $12,600 on the first version.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking to them in early April. They started the development in May and worked 3.5-4 months total.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did The App Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

I think they've performed very well. We didn't have any major delays. We had maybe two misunderstandings between our team and their team, but if you look back now in hindsight, it was probably caused more by us than them. You have to be precise with developers - if you're not, they'll do whatever they think is the right thing to do. They were very good from a deadline and project management perspective.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm very happy with the way the app is running. I was afraid it would be clunky and not responsive but its architecture is good. The design is very good. I took the lead on the because as a founder I wanted to have it look a certain way as much as I can within the budget I have. They helped and came up quite nice graphics and designs. The backend/admin part is okay - it's good. We have more we want to do there. The design and the running of the app are exactly what we wanted.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They changed people PMs while we were doing the project. Three months is a very short period so we just may not have been lucky in that sense. When you work on a project, you don't want to just change people in the middle of the project but they reacted very quickly. They put in people who were very good but we were apprehensive when we heard that our account manager and project manager left. I would say they should try to keep their team stable. That is not a confidence building moment when you are working with them remotely. Luckily, it didn't impact us very much but it could have.

We have an admin backend that is good, but I think they could use something much better than that - it's pretty basic. It is good and provides the information we agreed to, but they could make it more robust.
Star Ratings
Overall rating: 5
We were very satisfied.

Quality: 5
I'm super happy with the quality.

Cost: 5
It's not a bad thing, I'm just more demanding.

Schedule: 5

Willing to refer: 5
I would definitely recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive of Mondo Marketing.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Inbound Marketing

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The APP Solutions to accomplish?

• Build an App for iOS and Android

SOLUTION

How did you find The APP Solutions?

Clutch Site

Why did you select The APP Solutions over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from The APP Solutions were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Create an iOS and Android app that takes photos and videos with a text description and uploads them to Google Drive.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The App was almost completed in a record time but it was a very weak system made in a cross-platform mobile app development framework (not code), in different parts and by different people.

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

Everything was flawless at first, but then we learned that their 'team' consisted of freelancers who came and went one after another, leaving their duties to other newcomers. By the end, it was so messed up, no one understood what was happening to the point where the last person in charge asked us for a job.

What was your primary form of communication with The APP Solutions?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The ability to lie to us while keeping a straight face.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The APP Solutions could have done differently?

It was an absolute rip-off. Basically, they conned us into believing they would deliver a good product when in reality, all they had was a bunch of patched data made in different formats by different people. The company that took over after them told us that it would be better to just start the app from the beginning but we had already spent about US$20,000. Due to this incident, our company has lost credibility. I am convinced that the reviews on Clutch were fake and so I do not trust this platform after this.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on March 6, 2024.
Dear Valued Customer,

We've recently noted a review from a project completed in 2020 that has raised some concerns. This review, now prominently featured on our profile, unfortunately, contains inaccuracies and presents a narrative that we feel does not accurately reflect the situation or our company values.

We acknowledge there were delays in the project delivery, attributed partly to unforeseen challenges, including changes on the client side related to the crucial product owner role. In response, we engaged in a collaborative effort to rectify these issues, offering a fair compromise that included a discount and no additional charges to ensure the project's completion to the best of our ability.

At TheAppSolutions, our core values include integrity, transparency, and a commitment to our clients' satisfaction. We are disheartened by the personal attacks and baseless claims within the review, which misrepresent our company and the efforts we put into every project, even when faced with unexpected hurdles.

We want to reassure you that despite the challenges, we fulfilled all our contractual obligations, including the successful delivery and acceptance of the completed app and source code. Our dedication to providing quality service and maintaining positive client relationships remains strong, and we are committed to upholding these standards in every project we undertake.

The emergence of this review, especially given the amicable resolution reached at the project's conclusion 3 years ago, is perplexing and concerning to us. We are committed to transparency and open dialogue and would welcome the opportunity to discuss any concerns directly.

Thank you for your understanding and continued trust in TheAppSolutions. We are here to address any questions or further clarify our position on this matter.

Warm regards,

The Team at TheAppSolutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Vice President of Engineering of Qured

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Qured is the preventative healthcare platform that supports your employees through their unique health journeys

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The APP Solutions to accomplish?

• Augment our organization's current development team
• Bring Senior Engineers with deep
• Help provide product ownership for the mobile engineering team

SOLUTION

How did you find The APP Solutions?

Referral

Why did you select The APP Solutions over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• Other

What was the size of The APP Solutions’s team?

6-10 Employees

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

In August of 2022 we had shifted our business model to align around a B2B2C product framework. This meant we needed to have a excellent mobile consumer experience. At the time our development team was familiar with react native but had more experience as full stack developers. We quickly realized we needed a different skill set on the team and we also needed to determine a more modern technology stack. 

The App Solutions provided us the following: 

• Multiple Senior Engineers who were already familiar with Flutter and Firebase 
• A UX Designer with vast experience in both mobile platforms and Healthcare 
• Two product owners who could help us translate the design, usability testing, road map into stories the mobile team could quickly consume 

Key Deliverables: 

• Mobile end to end prototype in 3 months 
• Delivery of design models/component guides around both IOS and Android 
• Delivery of first mobile production application use and publication to both stores in 6 months 
• End to End mobile analytics 
• Understanding of our collective vision and goals

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• 81% onboarding rate download to activation 
• 6 engaged sessions per month 
• 88% order rate on a target of 70% 
• 95% journey completion rate 
• 0.7:6 inbound support tickets

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

The philosophy here at Qured is as you go into a project you treat everyone including external resources as part of the team. What was unique about The App Solutions team is they were willing to work within our frameworks when it came to project management. For example they adopted our technology for roadmap, sprints,CI/CD which allowed us to report and progress as if they were a FTE on our teams.

What was your primary form of communication with The APP Solutions?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The leadership of the organization is impressive. I can't say enough about how aligned they have been with both of us achieving our business goals. Secondly the willingness to adapt to our Product and Engineering practices instead of forcing their own us. The transparency of the engineering teams they push us hard on what is going right and wrong.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The APP Solutions could have done differently?

Change the contract to allow me to hire everyone of their engineers :-) The one thing retrospectively I wish they would have done is taken their collective experience around CI/CD been more of an advisor on setting up our pipelines. We go there in the end but agency experience on multiple ways to do it and what paths not to go down would have helped tremendously. I'm a believer that it should be a free evaluation they give all clients after 2-3 months of development.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO/Founder of an online ordering platform for restaurants in the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The APP Solutions, and what were your goals?

We hired The App Solutions to build our web app from the ground up. Our goal was to launch a competitive product that we could bring to market within a year.

SOLUTION

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

We looked for price, flexibility to scale, and a demonstrated track record of developing similar applications. As a startup we also needed help in forming a team and lines of communications that The App Solutions proactively supported.

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

One of aspects of working with The App Solutions that I liked the best was that our initial, detailed work plan did not collapse when we needed to change course. The team had an understanding of how to manage changes on the fly without losing organization. We worked collaboratively to decide which tools and technologies would work best for us both and never felt that we had to acquiesce to a certain tech product because of the team's limitations.

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

We had half a dozen team members work with us on project management, front end dev, backend dev, systems architecture, QA and dev ops.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to launch our MVP in 9 months and start our growth cycle. We had expected that this would have taken 12 months.

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

Our company preferred to drive accountability from our end, but the times where we had lapses, our Apps Solutions PM picked up the Slack. Occasionally, agreed-upon timelines were not met but this was rare. We found no issues of language barriers or problems with unavailability.

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

What we loved best was the responsiveness. Beyond that, we were also struck by the quality and speed of the backend development - they were able to create complex solutions with ease.

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

At times we were looking for more pushback if our ideas were bad. The team was great about proposing alternate solutions but it could take time to get there.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an on-demand delivery app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The APP Solutions?

We needed help with app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed the entire app for us. The team developed in React and also completed the entire UI/UX.

What is the team composition?

I work with one project manager and there are seven other developers and designers on the team.

How did you come to work with The APP Solutions?

They were suggested by a friend of mine.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2020, and we wrapped up in December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m very happy with the quality of service.

How did The APP Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We use monday.com to manage the project. We also use email, text, WhatsApp, and Slack to communicate. The team met all the deadlines and were quite professional.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very responsive and reactive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we had zero issues.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Operating Officer of a Software Company that provides a cloud-based solution for casino operators.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The APP Solutions, and what were your goals?

We hired App Solutions to assist us with the development of our mobile application. The mobile application is a mirror of our web application which was pretty far along by the time we brought on The App Solutions. Our goal was to get a Mobile App to our clients quickly.

SOLUTION

How did you select The APP Solutions and what were the deciding factors?

We chose The App Solutions after an extensive RFP process. Our development team felt they had the strongest approach to development and felt confident in their competency of our web application.

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

We had a kick off meeting to discuss the project deliverables in detail, from there we set up weekly status calls to monitor progress and ask questions. The App Solutions team work with our technologies including Dev Ops and Microsoft teams to track the progress of the deliverables, ask questions and communicate updates.

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

The project manager was our main point of contact, she was excellent. We also worked with 3 mobile app developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The mobile application development was successfully transferred to our in-house team and it is now functional with our clients.

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

The App Solutions did a great job adapting to the way we do business. Weekly Calls, thorough status updates via phone and email, constant questions. It was truly a pleasure.

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

The App Solutions did a great job adapting to the way we did our business. They were incredibly organized.

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

The App Solutions did a great job, to better estimate time and money more work could have been put in up front during the RFP process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m an investment associate for a venture capital firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The APP Solutions?

We engaged The APP Solutions to upgrade our analytics system.

What were your goals for this project?

We collect and analyze a great deal of data for future investments and portfolio companies. We needed a unified and improved analytics system to show a cohesive image of our many leads and investment products. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for an experienced team with in-depth expertise in our field. The APP Solutions had a history of building high-load system architectures. They also demonstrated technical skills and a penchant for out-of-the-box solutions.

Describe the project in detail.

The APP Solutions built a custom data analytics platform that draws data from multiple sources to create a single cohesive picture. The picture gives insight into how target audiences for specific products overlap and where future opportunities may lay for us. The team built it to process large amounts of data and provide custom reports on specific criteria within a short time.

What was the team composition?

We work with a project manager, a system architect, and two backend developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The system is complete and now gives us a fuller understanding of how our target audiences for our products intersect. We can optimize internal and external processes as a result.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The collaboration is tightly knit. Our key analysts work closely with The APP Solutions’ team to identify solutions to our needs. They helped us quickly define the project’s requirement and to get going on development. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The APP Solutions has developed a complex system from scratch and integrated it seamlessly into our pipeline. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

As the project unfolded, we found that more workshops were needed to improve communication and interaction. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of a global, outsourced customer service company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The APP Solutions?

We needed to develop a big data, text-search solution to make our system more efficient and cost-effective.

What were your goals for this project?

Initially, we wanted to examine the plausibility of our theories regarding the improvement of our customer service. After that, we wanted to develop a solution that would drastically improve the system and make room for further developments.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Before choosing a vendor, we worked out several project paths and decided an outsourced team would be more helpful than handling everything in-house. Many people referenced The APP Solutions as a trustworthy partner with expertise in machine learning.

Describe the project in detail.

They proposed a solution that optimized costs by using machine learning algorithms. Once the technical documentation was ready, they started working on an MVP. They’re now developing the full solution with semantic search and sentiment analysis features.

What was the team composition?

We’re working with backend specialists, a senior system architect, and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We investigated all of our initial theories and are now moving forward with new ideas and features. We have published an MVP, and it’s easy to see the potential of our product. The system has become much easier for us to understand.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We mainly communicate with their project manager, but we often consult with the system architect as well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re very engaged and have become a dedicated part of our team. Thanks to The APP Solutions, we’ve optimized our workflow and made the system cost-effective.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not at this point. Everything is going very well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of an international e-commerce product company. We offer solutions in the fields of career-building and educational projects. I'm responsible for developing our business strategies over short- and long-term objectives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The APP Solutions?

We already had a website where customers could purchase our products. In order to retain and perpetuate growth, we needed a mobile application for iOS. We had a backend and a design scheme ready to go but to develop the rest, we hired The APP Solutions.

What were your goals for this project?

Since more and more users are switching to mobile devices, it was critical for us to leverage that trend and expand our target market. We also wanted the app to be minimal and user-friendly.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The APP Solutions was recommended to us by our partner. After initial discussions, we received a project estimate from their business analyst and decided to move forward with that budget and scope.

Describe the project in detail.

Over several meetings with their development team, we provided them with the documentation for the application so that they could fully comply with our existing backend. Initially, they also led the QA and testing. But right before the release, we conducted joint testing before putting the app in full use.

What was the team composition?

The APP Solutions team consisted of an iOS developer, a QA engineer, and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don't have download numbers yet because we are currently in the App Store release stage of the project. However, we are highly satisfied with the outcome. The APP Solutions team delivered an app with almost no bugs. We are planning to reengage them for further refinement of the app and the addition of new features.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The development process went at a reasonable pace. Despite both of our teams working closely together on different parts of the project, there were no problems across all the communication channels. They consistently kept us informed and had their deliverables done on time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The APP Solutions exceeded our expectations— we're extremely impressed by the quality of the end result. Due to the complexity of the system, we were afraid that non-internal personnel wouldn't understand the processes but The APP Solutions team comprehended the goal of the app effortlessly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

In general, we are delighted. The project took a little more time than originally estimated, but that was expected due to the peculiarity of our system and the fact that the company couldn't know all the aspects ahead of time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of PassportScan Ltd., a hospitality company that specializes in international travel.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The APP Solutions?

We wanted to build a mobile app that streamlines the hotel check-in process, but we didn’t have enough resources to create the platform internally. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The APP Solutions was brought in to build the MVP version of our app concept for Android. They spent two weeks reviewing our tech data before moving on to create wireframe models with user stories that represent our target audience. Once the documentation was confirmed, their team produced three UI/UX design concepts for us to approve. After finalizing our decision, they developed the app per our requirements. An SDK from a third-party vendor was integrated, so extensive testing QA testing was necessary.

What is the team composition?

Our account was assigned to one of their project managers, who oversaw a business analyst, designer, Android developer, and QA engineer.

How did you come to work with The APP Solutions?

We reached out to them after seeing their company mentioned on a B2B service list. Their impressive portfolio had a significant influence on our hiring decision.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent less than $50,000 for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

They began working on the app since December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has helped us shorten the exhaustive check-in process down to 20 seconds. We are very pleased with The APP Solutions’ work. Several tech professionals have praised the platform’s speed and accuracy, while users are enjoying the seamless navigation.

How did The APP Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They were highly responsive and agile throughout the engagement. We established a timeline, but they managed to produce the final deliverables before the deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The APP Solutions truly understood our business goals, so they were able to offer creative ideas that enhanced our original vision.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At the beginning of the project, we experienced a few problems regarding the timeline and budget estimations. Fortunately, increased communication was enough to rectify those issues.