Atmosphere Apps

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Charlene Leonard. I'm a nurse practitioner in the pediatric critical care division at University of Florida’s College of Medicine.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Atmosphere Apps?

To create an educational resource app for the pediatric department’s rotating residents, fellows, and trainees. Must be functional on iOS and Android, and user-friendly on both phones and tablets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I initially spoke with Eric Poirier [CEO, Atmosphere Apps] by phone to pitch the idea. A second call was held with a larger group from the team to discuss additional details about functionality. We agreed on a price and signed a contract.

They created the look and feel of the app, and converted existing content from an iBook. Post launch, the team made any necessary adjustments.

What is the team dynamic?

I primarily worked with Eric and Max Jones [Project Manager, Atmosphere Apps].

How did you come to work with Atmosphere Apps?

Several other developers weren't able to fulfill the vision for the app. Online research revealed that Atmosphere creates similar handbook-style apps. I liked their work so I contacted them to see if they would be interested in the project.

I simultaneously requested a bid from the University’s in-house app development team. While they would be able to deliver the functionality of the app, the timeframe was twice as long and the costs were twice as expensive as Atmosphere.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began around January 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app launched in July of 2017 and has 2000 current users; 1500 on iOS and 500 on Android.

The feedback has been very positive about the appearance and function of the app. Results from a post-use survey revealed several residents believe that using the app led to improved patient care in the children's hospital.

How did Atmosphere Apps perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very consistent with all of their deadlines, and the process was very transparent. We communicate via email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They never say no, which is quite impressive. They’re receptive to anything I proposed, with the flexibility to make changes even after launch.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come to the table with a strong project concept, and let the team guide you on how the app should look and function.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a commercial construction company. I also independently own another construction company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Atmosphere Apps?

My brain is good at coming up with ideas, but facilitating them is not my strong suit. We wanted to build an application strictly as a new entity separate from my other businesses. The app is for a system that’s never been built or developed before in the construction industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Whenever I had the initial idea, I met with them to discuss and verify that is could be accomplished. After that initial meeting, they left their proposal, then returned with a set of wireframes. We went on to build the app for iOS, Android, and Microsoft devices.

The long-haul industry is currently using many apps, like ones for semis that are transporting packages for many different companies. I realized that there was nobody tracking short-haul loads like dump trucks, concrete trucks, etc. The companies that own these vehicles had no way to properly bill or keep records of their trucks and materials they delivered.

Most of these companies’ records determine whether they’ll make a profit or loss in a job, and it all comes down to accuracy. There’s nobody out there right now building anything other than paper tickets, and it’s the driver’s responsibility to make sure they return all of them.

This process was inefficient because tickets would come back completely wrong, or they’d be forgotten, which all requires a huge amount of time on the part of the office staff to backtrack, figure out, facilitate with the quarry, then try to get the actual numbers. The app will eliminate all of this completely.

Paper tickets will still be usable, but they will be retroactive after the load is delivered or picked up. The app provides real-time information to the owners of either the trucks, or the other construction company, so that they can instantaneously look and see how many loads of material have been delivered to each job, provide rerouting, etc. It’s like a ticketing and dispatch service all at the same time.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked with a total of 2 developers and 2 project managers.

How did you come to work with Atmosphere Apps?

I had heard of Atmosphere Apps, and knew they were a local company. I’d heard some really good things about some of the technology they’d already developed based upon other companies along the same lines. I thought they would integrate really well with what I was trying to accomplish with GPS tracking, as well as with a lot of the material handling and solutions.

A lot of their developers also graduated from the local university, and I’d heard good things from local people who had used them for a range of services. I contacted them, and they were more than receptive. They were extremely fast to respond, got in and started developing the app, and really showcased that they could actually facilitate my ideas into something tangible. They lived up to my expectations.

How much have you invested with them?

As of right now, we've spent $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with them from September 2016 to March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is built and ready-to-go, and I could release it right now, but I’m electing not to because my main objective it to make everything simplified. Currently, I have 2–3 different companies testing it so I can acquire quantifiable results that I can associate with the app as far as marketing goes.

All of the companies testing the app have been completely blown away. I’ve been in the construction company for 16 years now, and the same system I hated is still being used by everyone. The technology hasn’t caught up, even though it’s available.

For companies that do a fixed contract on site work, it's important for them to be able to keep up with how accurate their job estimates are. This app gives a backend to how accurate their estimation is, whether they're above or below, and if need to modify their system.

The app will eliminate a lot of arguments between contractors and subcontractors that result from inaccurate or faulty ticketing systems. It would also greatly reduce personnel hours of both subcontractors and site work contractors because they won’t have to go through all the tickets. It’s a monotonous process, and this app provides a more efficient, streamlined way to go about it. Atmosphere delivered a better product than I thought was possible.

How did Atmosphere Apps perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive, and they actually provided much greater insight than I anticipated they would. I know what the materials are and what I’m dealing with, but I had to translate that to someone who has no knowledge about my industry in order to formulate an app. I was very impressed with their ability to look at the process, analyze it, keep things simplified, and provide great suggestions on how to make things better. They were very good in their process.

As far as timelines go, they met every deadline they said they would. We communicated with them through email. Due to them being a local company, we were able to have 3–4 face-to-face meetings as well. They were also very capable of holding these meetings via Skype or WebEx if needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very flexible in handling my idea, and believed in it as much as I did. There were parts of it that I thought would be great, only to realize that it would be a waste of effort. Their comments were very responsive, and I was very pleased with how they reacted to everything calmly. They also presented a very good package at the end to help with marketing, delivering, and maintaining the package as a whole.

It was more than just delivering an app, because there were many features they were willing to facilitate and help out with. They’re currently helping me refine and reach the target market, and I believe they will do a fantastic job.

Do you have any advice for potential clients of Atmosphere Apps?

Be flexible with the developers and allow them to have a voice. They know their business, and if they suggest anything at all, try and listen to them and approach things with an open mind. A lot of people view their project as personal, so they become very attached to it. Pull the emotion out of it and approach the situation analytically instead. This method will take clients very far with Atmosphere.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Rienzi & Rienzi Communications is a healthcare marketing and advertising communications company. I am the president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Atmosphere Apps?

The first project that we collaborated with Atmosphere Apps (AA) was to have them adapt a medical print reference to a digital format. For the second project, we needed a proprietary physical mail program adapting to a digital format suitable for mobile.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

About 5 years ago, AA developed an iOS, Android, and Blackberry app for a medical print reference guide that we had developed for a pharmaceutical client in 2005. For this project, AA was responsible for all phases of development and deployment.

The second project involved our proprietary print communication program that presents information to physicians.  AA’s task was to create a digital version of this program.  Before we began, AA provided us with a series of questions that dealt with our needs and the expectation of the experience that we wanted physicians to have as they participated in this program. The development process was extremely smooth and thorough in terms of the steps that took us from wireframes to development to execution to deployment.

The big difference in dealing with AA on this second project was the simplicity of the mobile user experience that they created, which was really important.

What is the team dynamic?

We dealt with Eric Poirier [CEO], who was the primary contact that we interfaced with throughout the project.  He was hands-on, always accessible and easy to work with.

How did you come to work with Atmosphere Apps?

They were referred by another company that we do business with.

How much have you invested with them?

The investment in the first project was approximately $100,000 and the second project is close to $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement ?

We started working with AA on the second project in March 2017, and it was completed in May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The user traffic for the first project increased dramatically over a very short period of time, which we attributed to the fact that the information was available digitally and was easy to use.

Throughout the development of the second project, we had a very good idea of how the program would function. AA was very detailed from the beginning in terms of what specific needs they had to accomplish the project. They asked very intuitive questions related to how the end user would actually access the information and what the goal was. During the creative process, there were a number of iterations that we commented on which led to the development of an app and website that are easy to use and provide all the information in a very simple format.

How did Atmosphere Apps perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, AA was terrific and are a pleasure to work with. They were thorough in everything they do. No question that we asked was off limits and we were never made to feel that we were asking something inappropriate.

We used a combination of email, digital tools and conference calls to communicate. We had weekly follow-up status calls during which we reviewed new work that had been done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

AA has a deep knowledge and understanding of digital media…and they are very easy to work with. We’ve been so pleased with what they’ve done for us that we expanded our working relationship to include a third project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Konica Minolta is a global company that offers a lot of things. We sell digital equipment as well as ultrasound and healthcare information technology that includes software to support radiology and other practices in terms of capturing images, storing images and managing patient data, and registration data.

What is your position?

I’m a Senior Product Manager in Healthcare IT, specifically, I’m in the imaging division.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Atmosphere Apps?

We acquired a company called Viztek last year and that’s where we got our healthcare IT platform. One of the reasons for the acquisition was to grow the company. That platform offered an additional sales channel and we wanted a way to leverage synergies with our existing sales channel at the time, which is used to sell radiology equipment to then generate leads for the platform.

It’s the same market but it’s a different sales process and timeframe. We needed to bring two sales teams together to collaborate. We went to Atmosphere Apps to create an app for tablet and phone devices to facilitate that collaboration. We wanted iOS and Android and both phone and tablet form factors.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

There are multiple modules but four basic areas within the app. The first are the probing questions. For our sales team members who aren’t experienced selling the equipment, they are provided a whole set of questions to ask the buyer. The next category is the ability to show content like brochures and PowerPoint presentations so our sales reps are able to engage the potential buyer. It’s nice to have it on a smaller device. The third functionality category is the ability to send information. Reps can email the brochure and presentation directly to the people that they just showed it to. The fourth is the ability to share the lead’s contact information with the marketing and sales team so that we can continue to follow up.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

Our apps cost is in the range of $10,000 to $50,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We just launched our app a couple weeks ago at our national sales meeting. At this point, we have one lead. I don’t think that’s a good indicator because it’s possible that leads are generated outside this device. I think that 60% of our representatives downloaded the app and are using it. I’d like to have that be 100%. The feedback has been nothing but positive. That’s from the users and the management team, who are very excited about the possibilities of what this tool will do to help the collaboration with the sales team.

What distinguishes Atmosphere Apps from other providers?

They’re tremendous. I highly recommend Atmosphere Apps. I think that for what we’re getting, the cost certainly seemed reasonable. But more importantly, the platform is very flexible. We had a list of requirements, and then I gave more detailed specs. What was really important was that they were always flexible. Sometimes we had to change directions. Between the technology they use and the skills they have, it was never an issue. They never said “No, we can’t do that.”

Is there anything Atmosphere Apps could have improved or done differently?

I can’t think of anything. They were very responsive. Whether it was by email or phone, and working through the weekend, they were very flexible and accommodating.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization:

We are a publishing and multi-media company of print magazines with a large online presence and multiple community events.

What is your position?

I am the Director of Operations. I oversee all employees and monitor the progress of each department to ensure efficiency and progress.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Atmosphere Apps?

Atmosphere Apps was brought in to develop a one-of-a-kind events app that would enable users to customize their experience selecting those event categories of interest to them in addition to searching for events in the community by topic.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail:

Atmosphere Apps took an extremely hands-on approach from idea inception through the present day, where I speak to a representative nearly daily (minimally a few times a week) to discuss updates, ideas, edits, etc. The project involved the development of a regional “events” application that corresponds to the two regional magazine publications, and which would enable users to search from a live stream of local events customized based on their interests. Users can share events, add events to their list of favorites, and import events to their working calendars.

How did you come to work with Atmosphere Apps?

Our publisher had a prior relationship with a member of the Atmosphere Apps team, and the two of them decided that it would be a perfect partnership.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

This was an extensive project as Atmosphere Apps had to develop an entire backend system.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Our app is featured as one of the top hits when searching Gainesville for Apple and Android users. It is usually in the top three. We have had nothing but positive feedback from our community of users and have had many larger organizations ask to partner with us on the application so that their events can also be a part of the project, a clear indicator of the usability and reach of the application, thanks to the developers at Atmosphere Apps.

What distinguishes Atmosphere Apps from other providers?

The communication between the team at Atmosphere Apps and my team at API has blown me away. I never intended on having a company develop something for us and then stay on with almost daily interaction (through in-person meetings, Slack, email, phone calls, etc.). The team at Atmosphere has gone above and beyond, to not only meet, but exceed our expectations. They are constantly working to develop updates that will streamline the user experience as well as our experience on the backend, and have gone so far as to offer timely suggestions that will only increase the worth of the product. We have been thrilled with our working relationship with the team at Atmosphere Apps. We highly recommend Atmosphere Apps as a development partner for any organization looking to create elite, mobile applications that are not only user-friendly, but have a back-end system that enables the owner of the application to easily update, edit, and monitor all application activities.

Is there anything Atmosphere Apps could have done differently or improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a publisher of textbooks and health resources, both in print and digital. 

What is your position?

I'm the executive editor for medicine. I manage the group that does the medicine list and series of books that's been around for nearly 30 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Atmosphere Apps?

Atmosphere Apps was brought in to create and build an in-depth pharmaceutical drug guide application.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Originally, Atmosphere Apps was building a PDA [personal digital assistant] version and has since transitioned into our mobile application development team.

How did you come to work with Atmosphere Apps?

Atmosphere Apps was a development partner of a company that we acquired in 2008. We never considered looking for a replacement.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

This was an extensive project – more than $200,000. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Our app is featured as one of the top apps on the medical list in Apple on a regular basis. It's usually in the top three. Much of that has to do with the way the app is developed, the way Atmosphere Apps organized it, and the regular updates that we're able to give people. The app is updated once a week. That is attributed to how they developed the app. 

What distinguishes Atmosphere Apps from other providers?

I've been working with the CEO, Eric Poirier, since the beginning. They are very easy to work with – very willing to hear new ideas and to incorporate them. Atmosphere Apps is very enthusiastic about updating things and staying current, and I enjoy working with them personally and professionally. They're great partners.

Is there anything Atmosphere Apps could have improved or done differently?

I think this is just a result of their not being a huge company. Sometimes, the turnaround time could be improved. Part of that could be because they're not getting what they need from us. But, I think sometimes my bosses would like to see things happen more quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our company is a nonprofit. We are a health care organization with more than 6,500 professional members. We're a membership organization, and we're dedicated to improving the health care of older adults.

What is your position?

I am the vice president for product development and membership management. I oversee all the development of our various products. That goes for all of the print as well as our online products and app development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Atmosphere Apps?

We have historically always developed products for our members. Traditionally, they were all print products. At the time we first started working with Atmosphere Apps, we were in the era of PDAs [personal digital assistants]. We were looking for ways to keep up with times and make our products more accessible to the public in terms of how they're using technology and education. That's still our goal and that's still why we continue to work with them and try to keep up with online development and apps.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They have been our main app developers.

How did you come to work with Atmosphere Apps?

It's been a long time. Our usual process – and I'm sure this was the same then – we put an RFP [request for proposal] out and solicit bids and proposals from various companies. We interview the top companies that we're interested in and make our selection. I've been here for 12 years and that's always been my process so I'm pretty sure that's what I used when choosing them as well.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

They've been with us a long time and do some of our smaller apps as well as our larger ones. We have a monthly agreement with Atmosphere to sustain our apps. In terms of new product development, they've ranged from $10,000 to $40,000 apiece.

What is the status of this engagement?

It's been close to eight or nine years. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What distinguishes Atmosphere Apps from other providers?

We're a small nonprofit. When it comes to product development, it's me and another staffer. We're a busy staff, but we had to learn our way through this technology and how to keep up with the times. What I've always admired when working with Atmosphere Apps  is their flexibility, their personal touch, and their ability to guide me through the process. I'd ask them for something, and I wasn't sure what I was asking. They helped clarify and walk me through the process. They have always been very patient and flexible.

Is there anything Atmosphere Apps could have improved or done differently?

I think things are good now. When they were first starting up, albeit years and years ago, it was a small team that was juggling a lot of projects. The time for them to complete something was longer than I was hoping for. But I think they squared that away. I don't have that issue any longer. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a media and information company in the United States. We focus primarily on B2B [business-to-business] markets with a major focus in health care, information security, and marketing communications.

What is your position?

I'm the senior vice president of strategy and product development, and I oversee our web development and software development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Atmosphere Apps?

Atmosphere Apps built a custom database for us that met our needs for many years. We've only just recently migrated from the database. We used it for five years and decided to bring development in house. We have also worked with Atmosphere Apps to build many custom apps for our various titles. We now have something like 15 apps in the app stores.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Atmosphere advises us on mobile strategy and helps steer us in the right direction. They have built several apps that are quite customized for us as well as apps that are more traditional media apps. We've been able build very tight integrations via APIs [application programming interfaces] between our content management system and the systems at Atmosphere Apps. When one of our editors publishes a piece of content with a click they can indicate if it's for the web only, for mobile only or for both. Once they click publish, the content is published within minutes to all platforms including the apps on Android and iOS.

How did you come to work with Atmosphere Apps?

We started with Atmosphere six years ago. When we started working with them, we had another vendor that was hosting a database that supported one of our key products. It was fairly customized and that vendor went out of business, so we needed to scramble to find another solution provider. Atmosphere stepped in and got us out of a tight spot. From there, we worked with them to start building apps.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We have done projects that are in the $50,000 to $100,000 range, but they're typically in the $10,000 to $25,000 range. We've spent a lot of time and money on both sides building these integrations. We're able to build a new app. We launch new websites all the time, and we're able to launch an app on both iOS and Android – tablet and phone within a week start to finish – by leveraging the platform and the integration that have already been built. At this point, our costs are small dollars because of all the work that was done upfront to make that possible. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We have a web-based medical education product. Our target audience is increasingly mobile – much more than other markets. This particular market has a higher percentage of users accessing the information on mobile. We've been able to keep that audience engaged by building a custom education platform for those users.

What distinguishes Atmosphere Apps from other providers?

We found Atmosphere Apps to be very technically adept, and our senior technical folks worked very well with the technical folks at Atmosphere Apps. Even though they're a vendor, we work well together with them and treat them as if they were an extension of our internal team.

Is there anything Atmosphere Apps could have improved or done differently?

Not really. It's been a good relationship.