Applandeo

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of fairDogs GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

About fairDogs

fair-dogs.com is a unique DogSharing platform that connects dog lovers with dogs based on personality and character, not just looks. We have over 7000 registered users today. Through our innovative personality test and matching method, we help dog owners better understand their pets and provide dog lovers the opportunity to spend time with dogs without the long-term commitment of ownership.

DogSharing is about promoting shared care for dogs to ensure they lead happy, well-cared-for lives, while avoiding rushed online purchases. Our platform makes it easy for anyone who loves dogs to connect with them, whether they’re looking for part-time care for their own dog or want to experience the joys of having a dog without the 15-year responsibility.

We also support responsible dog ownership by offering practical tools to manage everything in one place—from memories, health- and training documentation to photos and videos. fairDogs is active in the DACH region, currently available in German, and committed to protecting animals and helping dog owners navigate challenges so they can stay together also in difficult times.

At fairDogs, we’re passionate about building meaningful partnerships that benefit both people and dogs. Join us to discover how our community can make life with dogs more joyful and fulfilling.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Code Review
• AWS Architecture
• Cybersecurity
• Preproduction Environment
• Developer Workflow Optimization

SOLUTION

How did you find Applandeo?

Referral

Why did you select Applandeo over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Applandeo were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Code Review of entire Application and new features
Shared Server and AWS Architecture set-up 
Cybersecurity
Preproduction Environment Set-Up for Wordpress and Angular Application
Developer Workflow Optimization

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since working with Applandeo, our application has been running stably, and long downtimes are no longer an issue. We now have a proper staging environment for our Angular and WordPress applications, which allows us to test features, notifications, and emails before pushing them live. The well-structured architecture they implemented ensures a secure and efficient workflow for our development, staging, and live environments, making it easier to deploy changes safely.

We've also optimized costs because Applandeo delivers work in about 20% of the time our previous developers in India needed for the same tasks. They are highly skilled, work efficiently, and consistently deliver high-quality results.

About a year ago, we faced a hacker attack, and Applandeo successfully resolved it within hours. They provided a detailed report on how it happened, what actions were taken, and what improvements were necessary to prevent future incidents.

I fully trust them.

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

Applandeo consistently delivers work on time and within the agreed budget. Their communication is clear and transparent—if they don’t have availability, they inform me in advance, which allows for better planning. They provide realistic timelines and stick to them, ensuring that there are no unexpected delays.

They are highly organized and responsive to our needs. Whenever I have a question or require guidance, they offer clear and professional advice. Their structured approach to development, testing, and deployment has significantly improved our workflow, making collaboration smooth and efficient. Everything is handled fairly and transparently, which builds trust and makes working with them a great experience.

What was your primary form of communication with Applandeo?

Virtual Meeting

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

Working with Applandeo has been an outstanding experience, thanks to the expertise and dedication of their server specialist and team lead, Zbigniew Jamorzek. His professionalism, deep technical knowledge, and clear communication have been pivotal to the success of our projects.

Zbigniew was instrumental in designing and implementing a secure, scalable architecture on AWS and a shared server to meet our business needs. He ensured that our database, application, and data storage comply with stringent EU security standards, all while creating a robust preproduction environment for both our Angular application and WordPress website.

His attention to detail extended to verifying and optimizing our Google setup for our domain, ensuring everything was configured correctly for seamless and secure operations. Additionally, Zbigniew successfully integrated Amazon SES for email services, safeguarded our application against potential hacker attacks, and provided invaluable consultancy on maintaining application stability.

Zbigniew’s holistic approach to cybersecurity and system optimization has been unmatched. Beyond technical implementation, Zbigniew provided comprehensive consultancy on achieving application stability, prepared local access for our freelance team, and crafted detailed technical documentation that has been indispensable for our operations. His patient and supportive communication style made complex technical challenges manageable and ensured that we could make informed decisions.

For the past three months, I've also been working with front-end and back-end developers who review code for our freelancers, as well as a WordPress expert advising us on our project. My experience with them has been great so far, though we haven't collaborated extensively yet for me to provide a detailed assessment.

Without Zbigniew's expertise and unwavering support, I doubt we would have achieved the level of success we enjoy today. Applandeo is fortunate to have such an exceptional professional on their team. I highly recommend Applandeo to anyone seeking top-notch IT consulting and secure system architecture solutions.

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

I wish they could fully take over my application.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Technical Lead of GoCatch, a tech business working in the Fishing industry. We are building software for fishery owners to help aid the day-to-day running of a Fishery business and providing Web & Mobile App's to improve the customer experience of booking and participating in Fishing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our websites and App had been built by a previous 3rd party company and as we transitioned away from them, we partnered with Applandeo to provide us a full development team.

Our aims we're to continue to build new functionality across Web & Mobile App, improve existing processes and ensure the infrastructure scaled in-line with the business.

SOLUTION

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

We were recommended Applandeo from a previous colleague and in comparison with other agencies we interviewed and spoke to, they seemed the most transparent, proactive and best value for money.

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

The initial feature was introduced prior to the official start date of the project, Applandeo provided a detailed and in-depth estimation and timeline before we began any work. Following a 1 week "Sprint 0", the team were onboarded and had provided some initial thoughts and technical debt observation.

We jumped straight into the build of our first big feature, settling into an Agile sprint cycle with daily stand-ups, regular demo's, sprint planning calls & retrospectives. We have been following this general pattern since the beginning of the project and have tweaked processes where required to make more efficient as highlighted from Retro's.

We are using Azure DevOps as our code & task management platform, tech stack consists of C#, .NET Core services, Angular Web App's & React Native Mobile App. All Web app's & services hosted in AKS and all infrastructure hosted in Azure. We use Slack for our regular communication and Google Meet for all meetings.

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

We started with a team of 8 consisting of a project manager, 6 developers (2x Angular, 2x .NET & 2x React Native) and 1 QA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching some of our initial features, we saw a huge decrease in the number of support tickets, Users were impressed with the UI/UX of the Calendar which took away majority of uncertainty and allowed 99% of Users to book tickets without queries.

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

We had daily stand-ups with the entire team to ensure there were no outstanding queries or blockers, weekly Demo's to show stakeholders what progress had been made and to give regular opportunity for review and discussion. Planning sessions allowed us to structure Sprints effectively and Restrospective sessions allowed all team members to give honest feedback on things that were going well and what we needed to improve.

Slack was the main source of updates and general discussion, which allowed constant contact between the dev team and project manager and to us.

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

They were very transparent in the development cycle, giving us early feedback a chance to see and test the product at each interval and worked very proactively to find creative solutions and suggest new, innovative ideas on top or to challenge those of our own.

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

We have some ongoing concerns with estimation, effort tracking and timeline management, where we always feel we are missing deadlines and underestimating. This is something the project manager is working hard to correct.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a PO for mobile apps at PONS Langenscheidt GmbH, one of the leading language publishers in Germany.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to extend the MVP of our new vocabulary trainer to a full stack product and publish it under a new brand. As it's about a cross platform solution we required skills in backend (Ruby on Rails) and frontend (Flutter for mobile and for web) development.

SOLUTION

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

We hired Applandeo at it was a recommendation of another partner we work with.

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

We had a series of discovery meetings to discuss our objectives. We provided their team with wireframes, designs and detailed user stories. In a scrum based agile development mode, they delivered shippable increments and are continuously working on optimizations.

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

A project manager as assigned to us by our main point of contact throughout the project. Additionally, I mostly interaced with two lead frontend developers and one backend developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've seen a big increase of in-app purchase of vocabulary content. Ratings are positive, but we are still in a phase of transition between the preceding product and the new one.

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

The project manager was easy to communicate with and provided frequent updates. We had phone calls and video meetings and shared feedback via our ticket system. We received regular updates about the progress and got warnings if a deadline wasn't going to be met.

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

They have profound development skills and gave valuable feedback contributing to a smooth UX.

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

More regular phone calls with the developers could have been helpful to prevent any misunderstandings.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of engineering at a payment service provider. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applandeo?

Applandeo provided us with software development services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Applandeo has helped us develop our platform; they’ve made additions to our existing platform. We’ve provided them with our business requirements and documentation, which they’ve used to deliver five microservices for our platform. Since the software has been delivered in stages, we’ve gone through several rounds of feedback before starting production. 

The software they’re developing using JAVA and related frameworks are components of our payment platform; they’ve developed new payment methods with more robust UI. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with eight teammates. 

How did you come to work with Applandeo?

We found them online. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested over €400,000 (approximately $420,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement began in March 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are happy with the five microservices that Applandeo delivered; they’ve delivered them faster than we could’ve. They cut the development in half. 

We’re regularly gathering feedback from our team on the cooperation with Applandeo — overall, we’re all very happy with the partnership. Applandeo is a collaborative, experienced, and professional partner who is committed to our project. 

How did Applandeo perform from a project management standpoint?

Applandeo has followed scrum methodologies. Everything has been delivered on time; the project is going as planned without delays. We have a very close collaboration with them — we’re in contact with their entire team. They’re very responsive and communicate with their team daily through Microsoft Teams. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical skills are excellent, but their team spirit is also fantastic. They collaborate really well with us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There is always room for improvement — their team could expand their business knowledge of our industry. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you start working with Applandeo, be sure to clarify your processes and business requirements upfront. We had some communication issues at the start of the project that were due to a lack of clarity from our team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am head of people operations for a startup. We are series A company that builds creativity-focused software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applandeo?

We had some issues recruiting full-time team members so we reached out to a bunch of outsourcing providers. Applandeo was brought on to extend our internal team for projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Applandeo's work with us was in the realm of iOS development, primarily on our consumer-focused products. It wasn’t necessarily a single project but more of them joining our internal iOS team to work on different things. They got assigned certain features to either build on existing code or from scratch.

The team helped us with our flagship application, a photo editor, which is available on iOS, as well as on Android and the web. It’s similar to Photoshop but with AI-powered features. 

Applandeo was also involved in the prototyping and classified building of another iOS and Android app that we recently launched. This app is going through multiple iterations and targets fan-based communities for TV shows and different topics. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with an iOS developer and the project manager, who was my main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Applandeo?

I found them and reached out through a site that ranks outsourcing firms. We started talking and they were able to deliver an above-average evaluation mark. They met our needs from a pricing standpoint, as well. Those were some of the big factors — they had the talent that met our software engineering standards and provided good value for the cost.

How much have you invested with them?

We paid about $33,000 over the course of the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership ran between October 2020–February 2021. The work wrapped up so their contractors transitioned out of the company, which was the natural course of the engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We gave them a task and it was done appropriately, which is a measurement of their success.

Their iOS developer was one of the strongest contractors we’d ever worked with. Though we don’t need additional resources at the moment, they would be one of the first companies we’d bring back on board.

How did Applandeo perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they had a pretty good relationship with the manager, who thought the developer was doing great work. I didn’t hear any complaints. 

We used Asana as our company-wide project management tool. Slack and Zoom were also used for communication. Not a lot of emails were exchanged outside of talking with their handler.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think the engagement could have gone in different ways because the relationship with Applandeo was contingent on the individual that was provided. However, the developer we worked with checked all the boxes and exceeded expectations. Our team was always a little bit wary about bringing in outsourced resources but he was able to shatter that stereotype. 

Applandeo was generally responsive. They always addressed any concerns and provided updates in a timely manner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

From a logistical standpoint, they tended to be a bit inflexible with payment. They were very adamant that we manually wire the money to their foreign account, which was not ideal. If they’re going to continue doing business with entities in the US, they should create a US account and send invoices in US currency. That way, we could easily settle the payment through our bill-paying system.

Also, there was a bit more upselling than I would’ve liked, but that’s a personal preference. I’m sure the handler was just doing their job but it came off a little bit pushy to me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As long as you’re okay with some of the logistical hiccups, Applandeo is a good development partner to work with. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a a product manager for a software company based in California. We have roughly 200 people and create SaaS products used by people around the world. As one of the product managers I help oversee everything related to our platform and product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Applandeo?

We decided to rebuild our mobile apps using Flutter. While we had developers internally to work on it, it was an extremely urgent project so we needed more experience Flutter developers.

Ultimately, we decided to supplement out existing teams with outside help to quickly get this project off the ground.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create a brand new 5 start mobile app that people would love. It needed to be incredibly fast and easy to use.

SOLUTION

How did you select Applandeo?

Applandeo reached out to us at the right time. After chatting with them we decided to move forward and try them out!

Describe the project in detail.

From our side it was pretty simple - we already had all of the requirements and designs needed to build it. All we needed was help getting those designs built. We were able to bring the developer into our team and have him act as an extension working alongside our in house devs.

What was the team composition?

Initially we were assigned a project manager and developer, but we handle all the project management in house so we ended up just utilizing the developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Applandeo's help we were able to complete the project on time meeting all of our goals! We could not have done it without them.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely effective. It was like they worked for our company directly instead of being an outside contractor.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their friendliness and willingness to work with us to figure out a structure that fit with out company. They are super responsive and delivered exactly as they promised!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nope! Would definitely recommend to someone else looking for help with a software project!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CIO at International Package Shipping located in the US. We ship consumer packages from the US to 183 locations around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We have a custom shipping application that enables our customers, agents and foreign distributors to ship, track and distribute packages around the world. We are a fast growing company constantly expanding our capabilities. We were looking for a design/development company to grow with us. It was imperative the company could quickly learn our business, our systems and start adding value from day one.

SOLUTION

How did you select Applandeo and what were the deciding factors?

We had narrowed down our search to three very competent firms. We chose Applandeo because they were by far the most flexible, adaptive, and easiest to work with, all very important attributes for a long-term relationship.

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

The scope of work extends beyond a single project, but initially, we needed to get our systems secured and ready for anything. Applandeo's DevOps team was quick to act and helped us set clear objectives for business continuity, defined the right team members, detailed the right network infrastructure, and then implemented the plan using AWS and a suite of new tools.

As the infrastructure team was working through the plan, the Applandeo developers were learning and documenting our custom code while keeping the application running with day-to-day maintenance, new API integrations, and optimizing our code base to be more elegant and extensible. This is certainly an on-going project and Applandeo's project management is critical in making things more clear and efficient. We are now in the process of planning new development projects for the coming year and the team continues to impress with their skill, knowledge, and agile development processes.

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

We worked with a Project Manager, DevOps and Development Leads.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since working with Applandeo we have seen fewer bugs and fewer customer service calls relating to our shipping system. They certainly have enabled us to rest more easily knowing we have their support.

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

Applandeo manages our projects through Jira and Github. They use Slack for seamless communication by making all PM tools work together for fantastic visibility into all aspects of the work.

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

Applandeo moved very quickly and was able to come up to speed much earlier than I had hoped.

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

I do not have any areas for improvement as Applandeo has surpassed my expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-CEO of a leading hospitality company in Switzerland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Applandeo?

We wanted to relaunch our company's website and apps.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a modern, scalable and easily maintained platform that allowed for further development and software integration.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed them following a recommendation from a third party.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Applandeo rebuilt the frontend and backend of our three apps and company website from scratch with understandable coding techniques. The team prioritized performance and responsiveness when designing the various interfaces. Additionality, they digitized our in-house workflow and operative processes.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and a team of developers, which varied in size and composition according to project needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The relaunch was critical to the continued success of our company.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We replaced the first project manager with a different representative that could handle the workflow. The second project manager paid close attention to detail and completed the website to our company's standards. The project benefitted from their open communication and honest feedback.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Applandeo had never worked on a project of this volume before. There was a steep learning curve, but their team compensated with a dedicated work ethic and a desire to improve.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

We made necessary improvements several times throughout the engagement and the team was able to adapt very well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a recruitment manager for an outsourcing company that is focused on the IT industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Applandeo?

We worked closely together with Applandeo to integrate all recruitment-related data into one application tracking system (ATS).

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve our business processes and the daily activities of our HR team. The main challenge was to integrate several HR systems that we were using.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We’ve had good experiences working with the Applandeo team on previous projects.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Applandeo created a stable alpha version application within eight months, taking into consideration all factors that matter to us. They put all of our important data in one place, including key information about processes, candidates, and appointments. The ATS would also allow us to publish job offers on advertising portals directly from the application panel.

What was the team composition?

Applandeo provided us with a team of software development experts.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The ATS has replaced all of our tools, making our work faster and improving our business processes. Thanks to the new system, we’ve shortened our search time for candidates by 75%.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Applandeo’s project management was highly satisfying. They were very helpful at all stages of product development.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed with their deep understanding of customer needs and perfect communication. Applandeo is a solid and trustworthy partner in software development.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of an art and music startup that is based in Zurich, Switzerland and has been operating since 2011. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Applandeo?

We wanted to create the first live online teaching portal that exclusively incorporates all fields of art. We came to Applandeo with an unfinished version of the code that needed to be polished, fixed, and further developed.

What were your goals for this project?

Through the app, we want to connect students, teachers, and art lovers instantly. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We used our prior experiences, personal contacts, and online searches including Clutch to get in touch with several companies. Applandeo offered the best services and has met our needs so far.

Describe the project in detail.

The app needed to have the best audio/video quality, a user-friendly interface, and a secure payment system. Since we want to expand the platform in the future, we used the most flexible and scalable tools and technologies.

Explain how the solution addressed your business challenge.

The app is easy to use, and the payment system is quick and safe, offering security for teachers and flexibility for students.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of 6 people, including an exceptionally talented developer who acted as the team leader. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

Throughout the process, Applandeo was capable and flexible. They reacted quickly and possessed the competence and skills to accomplish our requests, even under extremely difficult circumstances. Their assistance allowed us to improve the code continuously.

How effective was the project management?

Their team is helpful and pleasant, and they have a great company culture. This observation was confirmed when we visited their headquarters in Krakow. We communicate and work with flexible tools and technologies.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their lead developer's skills are the most impressive. So far, he’s always come up with a satisfying solution, no matter how complicated our requests have been.

They are flexible, so they react quickly, which allows mistakes to be corrected swiftly and avoided in the future.