ARKA Softwares

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an IT project manager at a government organization working for the empowerment of women.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

As a response to the pandemic, we decided to start an e-learning project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ARKA developed our platform in WordPress, so we can add and edit courses ourselves at any given time. It’s a great platform for content editing and it saved us a lot of time during the development. It also has a registration process and it hosts videos where we discuss women’s rights — we recorded the material and prepared the courses and quizzes ourselves. 

We sometimes had 20–30 videos per course, and a small exam for every collection or module, as well as a survey at the end.

What is the team composition?

I worked with about 10 people from ARKA, including Rahul (Managing Director), a project manager, a business analyst, and three developers.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

We didn’t have a development team in-house, and we wanted to find an organization with a reasonable price. Based on my online research, I found that India would be a good place to start looking. I made a comparison between a lot of companies, including ARKA Softwares, and they seemed to be a very good choice based on the quality of their work, reviews, and their cost.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost was around $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June–October 2020. The project took more time than expected because the scope wasn’t very clear.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I give them an 80% score. In general, they were very good, but there were leaks sometimes. The outcome was close to perfect. Hosting has been a small problem, so we’re working with another party to make workarounds — we usually solve the problem.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

The scope wasn’t very clear, so we employed Agile project management. We worked incrementally, in small parts, and we connected with each other after each sprint. ARKA was very good in terms of project management. They took the requirements,  made the necessary changes, and built prototypes and documentation before implementing the project — the initial proposal they gave me was also a good start.

ARKA made us an account on JIRA for us to follow up on tasks and issues on the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their follow-up. They respected the client and gave us their full attention and support during the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As I mentioned, our hosting could use some improvement.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Starting with a clear scope will make things easier. The scope from our side wasn’t very clear in the beginning, so I depended on ARKA to give me full solutions, but they expected the scope to come from my side. We then took the time between myself, the users, and the organization, in order to collect the whole idea.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO OF Puloogi Technology LTD. Our project EKO PLUG ia a mobile application based service providing network. A company that provides a mobile platform for skilled and talented people who are willing to commercialize their skills. We aim at creating an Application, where artificers or service providers are connected to consumers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We employed ARKA SOFTWARES or ARKAS SOFTWARES with the objective to develop an application to facilitate users with a platform which will allow them request for the required services , user will be able to search for the services, according to the service searched service provider listing will be done user will chose service provider and send booking request (user can send request to multiple service providers)

After that one of the service provider will accept that request after the acceptance of the request that request will no longer be available for the other service providers, a notification will go to the user and admin that this service provider has accepted the request.

SOLUTION

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

We found Arka Software or Arkas Software on Upwork and fiver with similar projects and positive reviews. They had offices in London and other major cities and we engaged them and after the interview we hired them.

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

We provided them with details and text description we also had templates and several design and pre approval meetings. The deadline was over shot but they still requested full payment even after failing to meet milestones. They abandoned our project half way refused to pick calls. We found out that the whole work was a sham with no record and scrambled source code.

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

PROJECT MANAGEMENT Nitin S. Vishal S. DEVELOPERS, UI/UX Nitin Kapil R. Dey S. Chatterjee S. Verma B. Paliwal H. Upadhyaya M. Bhardway RESOURCE Ajay B.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had to contact another company and the work they did was thrown out. Our money was never refunded. We lost all $11,000

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

Very poor and Fraudulent please avoid this company at all cost. They had three project managers on one project over the span of project. No continuity and all thier developers allegedly absconded.

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

It was a disaster guys. Im currently pursuing legal efforts.

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

Just avoid them

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an education technology (EdTech) company that provides tools for children to have engaging and effective online classes. We also provide tools for teachers to host live interactive classes based on our platform. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We wanted to develop a marketplace on top of our core product. Our team required someone with more expertise and experience in the marketplace, and ARKA was supposed to serve that role. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before signing a contract, we already provided ARKA with the project scope, design documents, and outline of the work. I also gave them a video walkthrough of what we already had. In fact, we showed them the XD screens we’d done on Adobe. From there, ARKA provided us with a quote based on how they could help us develop those parts. After showing the quote, we signed a contract, and everything was supposed to proceed from there.

After three weeks, they told me they didn’t have a clear development plan. They said my design documents weren’t aligned with what I was showing. In other words, they claimed I misled them. As a result, the contract on the project scope changed, which resulted in a highly different quote for the project.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was the project manager. During the analysis period, I also had to talk to designers and other teammates, but I didn’t work closely with them. 

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

I knew about ARKA based on a friend’s recommendation. Then, I verified their work on Clutch, in which they had a number of good reviews. As a result, I thought the engagement would be reasonable. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around £3,000 (approximately $4,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from August–September 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

Things started going downhill when it took four days for ARKA’s project manager to talk to me about how to move the project forward. Back then, there were already a lot of red flags; it seemed that he wasn’t truly aware of what was exactly going on in our project. For instance, he asked some odd questions and looked flustered. He didn’t ask for additional information, so I had to provide them voluntarily to him; I was managing him instead of him managing the project.

When ARKA was supposed to review the project’s source code, they chose to analyze the master branch from 3–4 versions ago on BitBucket. Even worse, we were working on the development branch, and they didn’t consult or ask us before they moved on with the full analysis. In my limited experience in this field, I never had this problem until I met ARKA. Usually, developers would first ask us which repository to use. After pointing them to the correct repository, I had a meeting with them and my team. During that meeting, they showed us the same problems from the old versions. Frankly, it was embarrassing for me because I had to introduce them to my existing team as marketplace experts. 

After a lot of back and forth, I contacted the project manager to make sure the Adobe XD designs were fine. I found out that their other contact didn’t share all the information with them. I pressed on, but I already escalated the issue with their higher manager. That manager came back to me with a defensive reply, saying that everything was my fault. He said I wasn’t clear about the project — all of this was happening in just the second week of our engagement. 

How did ARKA Softwares address the challenges that arose?

ARKA’s project manager wasn’t 100% on the ball in terms of communication, though the scope stayed the same. When challenges arose, they claimed that we only shared 28 screens from Adobe XD. However, my records showed that I didn’t change the screen drastically; the XD link confirmed that I shared a total of 68 screens. On the flip side, they also shared a screenshot to show they only saw 28 screens. 

What made it truly worse was that they informed me about it a week after they looked into the wrong repository. We also had a huge meeting where we clearly showed a total of 30–40 screens. In other words, if we truly had the wrong link, I couldn’t understand why they didn’t tell it to me right away. They chose to tell us about it when we were already finalizing everything.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

Based on the resources and the number of screens that they quoted us for the scope, the project should take around two months from its beginning. Given that, we were supposed to fully launch in October 2021. In the end, though, we were behind schedule by five weeks because they only told me about the missing screens at the eleventh hour.

Even stranger, ARKA didn’t stop the development in the third week even if they couldn’t tell me a complete timeline. I asked them about the end of sprint zero — the analysis phase —  but they couldn’t tell. I said it was fine, but they should at least tell me a rough timeline of the project or the time of their sprints. However, every time I asked for this, their management claimed I was escalating things for no reason. I found it strange because they were the first vendor ever to scold me for raising issues they didn’t answer clearly. 

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

For now, I can’t see anything good about their service. In fact, I’m hoping their customer service team provides me proof of termination. It will show what they’ve done and what information I’ve shown them. However, they still haven’t responded to me; I’m holding my breath until that happens. 

In what specific areas can they improve?

Their communication was truly poor.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

If you’re in the middle of your project, don’t engage ARKA. If you’re starting the project from scratch, perhaps you can engage them. Even then, be careful about their communication skills. As far as I can see, a lot of other people have had good experiences with them; it seems that I’m the only one with a terrible one. It’s probably because I’ve gone to them with an existing project. 

Company Responses

The vendor responded on September 15, 2021.

Since day 1, their CEO was trying to put the blame for everything on us and there was a clear intention to get more work done in a lesser cost. He didn’t share correct repo details with us and due to this, we had set up wrong code. It was his mistake only but he put blame on us and reached to customer support continuously in a very unprofessional manner.

We had to work on the existing system of the project as the CEO shared initial 28 screens on XD link. When our team started working, his partner came to explain the screens and suddenly they showed us 67 screens on call and it was surely going to increase our work. We showed him proof of 28 screens in a screenshot as well from our desktime tracking software which the Sales reviewed before providing an estimate to client. He didn’t agree with it and showed us own random screenshot of XD software with 67 screens, When he saw the clear proof from our end and couldn’t explain it much then he started asking for refund as that cost was already used for team tasks for 2 week sprint tasks. He breached the contract terms. To move further, we proposed him new plan with updated timeline and cost because more than twice new design screens effectively increased the work. It is clear evidence that just to avoid his false statements, he posted a negative review for us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a Fantasy Football platform based in the UK

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to develop a mobile application, that could also be played on the web, for a new fantast football concept. We have created many unique features within the fantasy football game and the challenge for ARKA was to find a way to make these function when they haven't had to create them before. Our goal was to have a solution ready to test during our BETA season starting in August.

SOLUTION

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

After researching other vendors in this space and getting multiple quotations we chose ARKA based on viewing previous projects that had completed and acknowledging the value for money they offered.

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

We had a series of discovery meetings prior to formalising a full project breakdown with completion dates and milestones. Over the course of the process ARKA provided information based on what was being developed in each sprint ready for testing and feedback to ensure deliverable targets were achieved. This involved web development as well as app development for both android and IOS.

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

A project manager was provided to manage the relationship as well as having direct access to lead developers that were involved in the project. There were two lead developers that understood the full scope of the project and were able to communicate this to the rest of the development team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our app is only now coming to the end of development and will go through a period of BETA testing before any feedback can be confirmed. We are happy with the solution and it meets our initial vision.

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

The project manager was easy to deal with and kept us up to date on developments using basecamp, slack and skype. We had various group messaging options to enable us to communicate with the project manager as well as different development teams with eash staff member only being a skype call away. Most of our interaction was via messaging and calls which worked great for us.

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

Their knowledge of developing mobile applications for both android and IOS was immensely beneficial. They were patient with us and explained each step to help us get an understanding of what they are doing as well as how to manage in the future. They were also very adaptable with the many new features we have requested.

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

There were times where certain updates and project requirements could have been communicated better and where certain dates were delayed but this is to be expected.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

KiDS t1d is a diabetes management system for children and parents.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

To develop a custom diabetes management system to help parents, teachers, doctors, friends and family manage the condition optimally.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Custom development of a webapp and mobile app.

What is the team dynamic?

1 project manager and 2 developers.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

Searching online reviews.

How much have you invested with them?

$8 500

What is the status of this engagement?

ARKA has resumed the development 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

AREKA has since resumed the development and committed to delivering the project in 45 days.

How did ARKA Softwares address the challenges that arose?

It was a challenging experience due to COVID and communications.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

KiDS t1d is yet to launch. We await the completion of the development.

How was project management handled?

This will be updated upon completion of the project.

In what specific areas can they improve?

Prompter client response

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on July 26, 2021.

Herman Plessis

Owner, KiDS t1d

Other Industry

1-10 Employees

South Africa

$10,000 to $49,999

Jan 2019 - Ongoing

Project summary

ARKA Softwares was hired to develop a SaaS platform for a diabetes management system.  The platform was expected to allow parents to keep track of their diabetic children. 

Feedback summary

Even after two years into their partnership, ARKA Softwares hasn't finished the platform yet. The client was forced to pay the project in full despite the stop in development, as well. The vendor also refused to offer refunds when they were demanded. Most of all, they lack technical ability. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of KiDS t1d. a Father who wanted to develop a type 1 diabetes management system for my daughter.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

As my 6 year old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. To make life easier for friends and friends and family I wanted to develop my own management system.

SOLUTION

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

It was between Arka softwares and another vendor. Anuj, the salesmen from ARKA informed me that they knew the other company and informed me that they do not even have their own inhouse developers. In Anuj's words "you will never see your project completed". 21 January 2019 I gave Arka Softwares the go-ahead. I have also read their online reviews, but I think it was mostly written by themselves.

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

Scope of work as per ARKA's features document: We are scoping “KIDSt1d“for Android & iOS with Website. The Application will facilitate the users which will allow the parents to keep a track on their Kids diabetic health. Parents will register themselves by putting the basic details for the signup. Parents will have to choose a monthly payment plan out of two plans; each plan will have certain features. Once parents sign up to the system they will have to fill in all the details about their children which will include the kid’s information, diabetes information, school information and other necessary details.

Parents will be able to provide the access of the App to the teacher and grandparents and time limitation to access the App can be provided by them. Parents will input the food intake information in the Application which will include date, time, sugar reading, carbs, meal type etc. Teachers will be able to manage the kids health.

They will have to enter the diabetes information using the device and enter the details about that in the App. If they find that the diabetic counts is high or low then the normal then they will be provided an access to the Hyper or Hypo button. Once they press this button, they will be shown a message about what needs to be done in that situation. Same feature will be provided to the grandparents in their App. Every time a kid eats anything, the assigned person will have to make entry about that.

Based on the entries done reports will be generated that can download by parents anytime. Doctors will be assigned to every kid using his unique id or patient id and based on the assigned patients, doctors can check the details about any patient any time from the records.

Mobile Apps: Language

• React Native JS Platform
• Android & IOS
• Backend & API
• PHP Database
• MYSQLApplication Server – Apache
• Website: Laravel Framework Backend
• API’s: PHP
• Complete Backend, Users registration. Mobile and Website (26th April 2019)
• Subscription and Logbook part (Mobile and Website) (15th May 2019)
• Final Completion (Mobile and Website) (28th May 2019) 

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

4 people. the only constant person was Sukhbir Singh (Project manager) Further there was issues where the developers kept on changing and the project had to be handed over all the time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As of today 26 July 2021 the website has not been completed. It is riddled with errors and spelling mistakes. No website development has been done. I was forced to pay the project in full otherwise they would stop development. They was supposed to be paid as they completed milestones, this did not happen as they are not even 40% complete with the project, it is paid in full, and they have not responded to my e-mail and communication requests.

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

They have no management style. Sukhbir is supposed to be a project manager. I kept on insisting on any form of gant charts or timelines to try and further this project. Accept for a simple word document they have no tools or keep to any timelines. When I questioned their ability and insisted on a refund, I was told they have no refund policy. This is an outright lie as they have a refund policy on their website. I have complied with each and every term in the police and they refuse to refund my money and they are technically incapable of completing my project. This classifies as fraud and theft, but being from South Africa I have no legal recourse.

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

In all honestly when we started I was impressed. But as the lack of their technical ability became clear, that is where it changed. I cannot in good conscience recommend this company.

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

ARKS Software should not oversell their services. Due to the way I have been swindled out of my money, I would think twice before outsourcing anything to an Indian company ever again.

Star Ratings

Overall rating: 0.1 – STAY AWAY!!! Project is paid in full and abandoned after being developed lees than 40%, full of errors. Code is completely useless.

Quality: 0.5 – Very poor. They do not have the technical expertise or tools to complete the development.

Cost: 0.5 – As I was forced to pay the full price and sit with unusable product, you will lose money working with ARKA.

Schedule: 0.5 – After you question their capabilities, they start ignoring you.

Willing to refer: 0.5 – ARKA is a scam company who is unable to complete their developments. I will NEVER refer them

Company Responses

The vendor responded on July 27, 2021

We accepted the project in February, 2019 at low cost considering the project was related to diabetic control and a tool for parents to keep a track on their Kids diabetic health. We have to create a log book entry system to intake the food information in the application which will include date, time, sugar reading, carbs, meal type etc.

Herman never gave us a clear picture of calculation and algorithm during the initial requirements and as result of the same, the cost and timeline effort was not accurate and it was not even covering the 50% of work estimate. Even though the design was approved by the client he started changing designs and actual requirements in the development phase.

Due to his change request we had to stop app work. During COVID19 pandemic we were forced to change developers. Herman was expecting a HIPAA compliant website, Android and iOS app within a small budget.

When we asked to revise the cost, he declined abruptly. We never asked him to pay in advance but in his review, he lied and accused us of advance payment.

His review doesn’t show a real picture of all the scenarios. The website work was completed and approved by him but he didn’t want to go live.

We have good reviews and that reflects the happy customers we have. There was a problem with Herman’s scope of work and he always tried to force us to do extra work with each feedback.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is Go Gaming online Pvt Ltd I work as jr. Technical officer

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We want to develop a mobile app which is easy to use and have a user-friendly platform that was easy to Update from an update perspective.

SOLUTION

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

we chose this vendor based on their past projects.

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

We had a meeting to discuss out objectives we provided their team with the designs we want and they delivered the way we want within 1 month.

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

mostly interacted with Two lead front and back-end developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Mostly the people have commented on how easy it is to use.

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

We had both in-person meetings and phone calls everything was delivered on time.

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

Their mobile app development skills they know everything about UX and execution since this was our first Mobile app, they were also patient and nice to us

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

They worked extremely well. No improvement is required.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of a real estate company that focuses on mid- to long-term rentals. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We needed to build a fully functional MVP.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ARKA provided us with end-to-end development services. Their team built our promotional website, which was hosted on AWS. They used PHP, Laravel, and a MySQL database.

Their team also developed a web app. It houses portals for tenants and landlords and enables users to list and book properties and message each other. We’re finalizing the integration before deploying the platform.

What is the team composition?

We directly deal with two project managers who oversee their developers, designers, and business analysts. About eight people from ARKA work with us.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

We spoke with many vendors that we found through Clutch. ARKA stood out because they provided a detailed proposal, which showed their willingness to invest in our solution. Other factors that contributed to our decision to work with them included cost, timeline, and experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $55,000 on their services so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership around December 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We split the project into 10 milestones and reviewed each one upon completion. Their team finished the final milestone, and we launched the promotional website. They built a fully comprehensive solution within the budget. It has been a success.

Our engagement’s pleasant, and their team accomplishes all of our requests. As they do an exceptional job, we couldn’t ask for a better partner.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

ARKA documented the project and shared the documentation with us, which was well done. We have weekly meetings and hold additional meetings when necessary. We use Basecamp and message via social media. Communication’s great, and everything is done in an efficient manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by their initiative. From the start of the project, ARKA has exceeded my expectations. They put themselves in my shoes and think through ideas to propose various solutions, asking a lot of questions along the way. Their team’s open, so it’s easy to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be nice to have direct communication with developers on occasion. However, it’s not necessary.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

ARKA’s extremely engaged and works to provide comprehensive solutions. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of Aner. We’re a startup that connects students who need tutoring with a tutor. We’re using smart technology to help the tutor and student make the class proposition easier and more convenient. The tutoring sessions are virtual, so they can both stay at home.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We needed a partner who had good past experience in developing web platforms. As a startup, naturally, we were also looking for a partner that could fit our budget.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we discussed our vision and objectives for the platform with them. ARKA Softwares came up with wireframes and designs. They focused on each of our users — students, tutors, and parents. Their team built the UI for students’ and tutors’  profiles. Features for the profiles included classes, subjects, quizzes, and reviews. The platform was built using PHP Laravel for the backend and JavaScript for the frontend.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Sukhbir (Project Manager) and his manager.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

My partner conducted research to find the right agency. ARKA Softwares was the best option for us. They had good knowledge and experience. Additionally, their prices were affordable.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around 1300 Saudi riyals (approximately $350 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement was from March 2019–March 2021. Now, the source code is in our hands and we'll upload it to our system.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform is of good quality. We liked ARKA Softwares’s process of executing the project. There were some minor bugs here and there. We had an issue related to a third-party API integrated with our virtual classroom. ARKA Softwares was very responsible in contacting the third party and handling all of the work. Everything was fixed.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

They broke the project down into milestones. If we decided to change something in the middle of a milestone, they were open to making those changes. As a startup, changes happen often. I reviewed each of the milestones as we went along to make sure everything was working. Everything was always completed to good quality.

We used Trello for project management. Deliverables and submissions from the milestones were submitted through email. If we had minor questions, we would hop on Skype. One of my original fears was the six-hour time difference. However, I was pleased and impressed to see that they worked in our time zone. Whenever I sent a message they always responded, even late into our evening time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ARKA Softwares was very understanding and always went the extra mile. As a startup, we didn’t come into the engagement knowing every exact detail. Their team worked with us during every milestone to implement the established specifications but also pivot if we needed to. At the end of the project, they even offered to upload the source code to our server.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our website is in both English and Arabic. The translations were done through Google Translate, so they weren’t completely clear. They did their best, and I stepped in to do the translations with them. The only area for improvement is this. It would be beneficial if they had someone who could handle translating Arabic pages.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand that changes will add time to your project. Make sure when you split the milestones, that you have everything laid out.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a self-employed web developer, providing mainly backend services such as SQL server database development and maintenances. Basically, I develop websites for local small businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

I reached a stage where I secured too much work and had to turn down projects because I was committed to my small number of clients. I needed to onboard additional people to work on projects when I had additional work that I couldn’t handle.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I work on a range of different solutions with them as I ramp up my skills. Their team essentially performs certain work for my clients under my name while I manage the projects. Throughout our projects, I give them my requirements on a daily or weekly basis.

During one project, they built an online store based in nopCommerce for a local client. Making sure their work met the client’s business requirements, I reviewed all of their work.

Their team also helped develop an online childcare resource in Australia. They helped with the platform's new design and release. Their team also developed a Windows desktop application. ARKA also dedicated a PHP developer to work on another project. More recently, their team has worked on WordPress sites. As I’m new to WordPress, I pass the projects to them.

What is the team composition?

I deal with a business manager who tells me whether or not there are resources available. Although I have a business manager, I essentially engage them for developers.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

I originally found ARKA on Upwork when they were a different company. We worked together but the engagement phased out as work dried up. Their team branched out and contacted me after setting themselves up as a new company and the timing was right.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the past two years, I’ve spent about €40,000 each year  ($48,000 USD) on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started giving them a decent amount of work in 2018. However, it’s overall a 6–8 years long relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m able to offer services that I was never able to previously offer. I trust them and essentially seek work knowing that their team can backfill positions with developers. ARKA basically does exactly what the project dictates. Clients are happy and come back asking for more.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

ARKA offers a range of project management solutions but I like to manage projects with my clients. I like to keep a tight rein, so project management is done in house. I tell them when a task needs to be delivered, and it’s delivered by that time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ARKA is willing to do absolutely anything I ask of them. Nothing is a problem for their team. If AKRA doesn’t know something, they’ll learn about it. Their team will research exactly what needs to be done based on how I want it done. They will get up to speed on whatever technology I’m looking to use.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t pinpoint any specific challenge areas. I keep an eye on them and ensure that everything’s done when it needs to be done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that what you asked from them is on track. Be engaged with them through daily or weekly meetings and code reviews. I never had any problems with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a lab inspection subsidiary.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We needed a new firm to handle our website maintenance after our internal person retired.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They primarily maintain the website. They have cleaned up some poor practice elements from our previous developer.
They’ve added new features, mainly on the statistical analysis side. 
The website traffic is probably 90% related to supporting the proficiency sample. We order commercially available material, blend, mix, or break it down and recombine it. Each lab gets six boxes of material that they mix and test, sending the results to us. We do statistical analysis and grade all the labs based on how well they did with each individual test.

What is the team composition?

We have a technical lead as our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

We spoke to several vendors. This team was familiar with the work we were doing, and we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000–$50,000. It is $1,200 per week.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Things are working as they should. We don’t try to work at a fast pace, but rather at a more steady pace; it’s tried and true. 

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is good; generally, it happens at the start of our day, or the end of their day since they’re offshore. They have stayed on track, and are available to work different hours to meet deadlines when necessary.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are consistent and provide the services we need.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be mindful of the time difference in order to keep your timeline moving well.