Chicago Software Solutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner and developer of CMS Pro, which is a software for contractors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chicago Software Solutions?

I needed a way for my people in the field to upload information to our office.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had a desktop platform about 80% built and I hired them to create a cross-platform mobile app that would link to it. I did the design work and they built the app for me.

I wanted my field contractors to be able to send notes, documents, and images back to the office without too much hassle, and since many of them weren’t good with computers, I decided a mobile app was the best way to go. CSS built the app to deliver the key functions I needed, including the ability to convert a photo of a document into a PDF and the ability to compress photos for upload.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked with three people: the project manager, the head of the company, and one other staff member.

How did you come to work with CSS?

I found them via web search and made an initial call to set up an in-person meeting. I liked what I saw, so we moved forward from there.

How much have you invested with them?

About $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

CSS worked with me from June 2016–May 2017. I had them do a couple of tweaks for me 1–2 months ago, but the project itself is finished.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I'm still in the development phase, not on the app itself but on the desktop portion I'm building, and then I'm still working on the website so I can market everything. The feedback from my users has been good so far, but the end goal is to take what I built for my business and make it available for other businesses as well.

How did CSS perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well and were good to work with. I prefer to communicate more through email, so I'd just contact them with ideas and the main project manager would usually schedule a call for us to talk through the details.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very good with timelines and getting work completed quickly. They also gave good projections and collaborated well to understand what I needed. I've worked with a lot of other people who aren't anywhere near as organized, so I was impressed by that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Any hold-ups on this project were on my end, so I don't have any critiques.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be ready to nail down timelines, because that's how they like to work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the office manager of Plummer’s Waste Group, which is a waste hauling company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chicago Software Solutions?

Our workflow from beginning to end was spanned across four different programs. We were faced with the issue of trying to find something that would get us from start to finish in one interface.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created an Android app and a web-based platform, which is a custom development. Our business starts from when the phone rings for service. Once the phone rings, we can see if there is a history, and we then schedule a call. We had developed a dispatch portion of the program which gets the information to our technicians, and this has been really convenient. I had already gone digital using an application called GoCanvas, but it could only go so far with what I wanted, which is when I brought in Chicago Software Solutions [CSS] as I needed something a little more custom. From the dispatch, the information goes to the techs. They work on tablets and use the mobile application Pendragon. They can fill out their paperwork that way, including receipts. They are also able to draw sitemaps and attach those to the property, and an email is sent out to the customer right away.

CSS also built up the credit card processing portion of the program for us. This has been really great as we were previously having a lot of issues with our other system with liability on credit cards. They were able to implement a custom API with Intuit, who I already used for credit card processing, but customized it to a way where it was a lot safer and was all uploaded into the same program. There are a few reporting options included, which allow you to see how many jobs were done, the days they were done, and it is really nice that it is all in the same place.

We have several different divisions in the business. There are 4 divisions that do different things, and we started out by making 3 of the 4 in this program, which were completed in April or May 2017. We had waited to tackle the biggest component, which is grease trap service. That division works on routing, which is a recurring service that we offer statewide for commercial restaurants. Because of the in-depth nature of that division, we wanted to wait as I knew it would be a huge project to take on. CSS provided the estimate for that earlier this year, and we have been working on that for the last few months. It is in progress, but most of it is completed.

What is the team dynamic?

There were around 5 people working on this project. We worked with Dan [Founder, Chicago Software Solutions], and Chris [Director of IT, Chicago Software Solutions], who heads up most of the upfront stuff, and there at least two or three developers that work on the backend side.

How did you come to work with Chicago Software Solutions?

A Google search led me to a few companies that I had called. Right off the bat, Dan showed interest in the project. The first time I called there, we were on the phone for about an hour, he kept asking me more questions about how the business works. He put together a proposal, which was nice, and had asked me what my budget was. The other companies I had called had mentioned their minimum is $50,000 to spend, which turned me off. They are trying to filter out people who may not be as serious; however, from a customer service standpoint, it didn’t make me want to use their business.

Dan made me feel comfortable with the company and made me decide to go with them.

How much have you invested in them?

At least $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with CSS in September 2016, and the work is ongoing. They do everything on the backend.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My office staff is very thankful for the app. There was an initial learning curve, but the problems it fixed made it worth it, as there were too many instances before where the ball was dropped, jumping between the programs. The field technicians have adapted well to the technology. If they found an issue, they would let me know, and they have been working really well with it.

My father-in-law is the owner of the business, and it took me a while to convince him of the value in this as it was a lot of money. I explained to him to look at the investment like a piece of equipment, and rather than depreciating over time, it only gains value. We had paid a yearly subscription fee for the 4 programs we were using, as well as a monthly fee for support. If we decided to leave those companies, we were out the money, and they keep our data. Here, we can only build on this program, and once it is paid for, it’s paid for. There is minimal upkeep, the backups are important, and all-in-all it is an ongoing investment which isn’t going to depreciate.

From when we started our business relationship with CSS a year ago, I thought we would only work on so much, but as we were going along, I saw a need for other projects and reached out to them to fix other problems. Once they started to understand our business needs, they were able to bring ideas to the table to help make it even better than I ever imagined.

How did Chicago Software Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They have been very good, and their communication is excellent. Most of our communication is via email and phone. If there was something that had been brought up a few weeks ago, and I had forgotten to email them, they would get a hold of me and follow up on it. There has never been anything left in the dust, nor anything left unfinished.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What I like the most is I am not afraid to present an idea to them. They are not going to shoot me down and tell me that it won’t work, but instead, give me suggestions based on them knowing what our business needs are. Anything they couldn’t do, they had found another way to do it, and I was never left disappointed. Their friendliness and willingness to come to a solution really makes them stand out from any of the other companies I had talked to.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a principal electrical engineer at a research laboratory.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chicago Software Solutions?

I research plug-in electric vehicles and how they integrate into the grid. One of our main focuses over the last couple of years has been creating open-source software packages that enable vehicle grid integration, smart charging, and smart energy management.

We are a small group, and in order to maximize our output, I looked for outside developers to aid me in developing open-source software modules to perform specific tasks.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first project we worked with Chicago Software Solutions [CSS] on was for an Open Charge Point Protocol node, which is essentially the protocol between a charge station, known as an EVSE [Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment]. It is basically a central system; the station operator. We wanted an open-source approach that we could not only integrate with our OCPP [Open Charge Point Protocol] stations here on Campus, but also open-source that and apply it to the larger community for EVSE [Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment] network operators to do in-house testing or be able to develop other OCPP specific functions within the standard itself.

An association known as the OCA [Open Charge Alliance], published guidelines on how the OCPP is supposed to be implemented. There is the central system side and the charge point side. CSS was given the protocol, and from there within the Node-RED and Node.js environment, created a central system that is basically compliant with the standard on the OCA website.

When they started out, the framed contract was for OCPP 1.5, only the central server side. We had OCPP 1.5 specific EVSE here at that lab that they were able to then test and integrate into their central system implementation.

Following that, we opened up two more projects with CSS. One was an OpenADR node, and we had them upgrade to OCPP 1.6, both JSON and SOAP versions on the central server side. We also had them implement the charge point side, for OCPP 1.5, OCPP 1.6 JSON and SOAP as well, which they are currently working on.

What is the team dynamic?

We had one developer, as well as a project manager, Chris.

How did you come to work with Chicago Software Solutions?

I went through a whole round of interviews and really couldn’t find anyone that was technically advanced enough with the experience needed to work on a project like this. I did a random Google search and found CSS. They were local to us and downtown. I emailed them and gave them the overview of what I was looking for. They had developers with Node.js experience and thought they could handle the project, so I went with them and it was a good decision. Bryan [Senior Consultant, Chicago Software Solutions], is very confident and a really good developer. I am glad I chose them.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent $120,000—$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2017, and the work is ongoing

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have been running the OCPP server since April or May and it has been working great. Internal feedback has been good because they did great work, and we went back to them for more projects

As a research lab, we meet with industry representatives and provide tours. I showcase how we are integrating our charge stations, and there have been questions regarding how we do that. Larger manufacturers, as well as charge point manufacturers, are interested in this and I will give them more information when I publish it on GitHub. There is definitely a need for it, and I am sure the feedback will be very good once it is published because I find it very good as well.

How did Chicago Software Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

I have been at my company for six years and have dealt with a lot of contractors. I can say that Chris, the project manager, is very much on top of things. I would get an email update every week on exactly what his developer had accomplished, as well as updates on where they were with respect to their initial Gantt chart and schedule. I have had contractors where I was the one that had to email them for updates or ask if they were going to meet their deadline. This experience has been refreshing and definitely a plus.

We had a lot of different ways of interfacing with them. We mostly communicated over email and would have weekly phone calls, if needed, for specific technical questions. We used Skype a lot, and Bryan came out to our office and we worked face-to-face. He went above and beyond. Bryan delivered the OCPP node, integrated some of the stations, and we ordered a new station that was supposed to be OCPP 1.5 compliant; however, we were having issues in trying to get it to integrate with the system. As a result, Bryan came out for three or four hours one day and was troubleshooting it on-site, and we finally figured it out.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Bryan was very knowledgeable, super nice, works fast and is efficient. CSS were competitive cost wise, and it made sense.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any complaints. They have been stellar.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a 501(c)(3) association of independent colleges and universities. We received a grant for our investment project. I am the coordinator.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chicago Software Solutions?

Our grant was to produce a mobile-friendly website and application to inform young people and recent graduates about how to save and invest.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chicago Software Solutions helped us develop an idea of what we needed and determine what we were able to do within the grant parameters.

We wanted users to have the ability to choose when and for what reason they want to receive notifications on a scheduled basis. We also wanted to have a monthly reminder for people to open and read their bank statements. There also needed to be a yearly reminder for users to go to their HR departments or employers, and find out if there were any profit sharing, deferred-compensation or other benefits that they may not have been utilizing, which could help them with their savings goals. There were three reminder levels that Chicago Software developed, along with a calculator which enabled users to set savings goals for the year. After putting in a total amount, they received weekly reminders of their progress.

We utilize Microsoft Azure, TechSoup, and Pendragon Forms. They also helped us secure hosting grants for the app.

What is the team dynamic?

Dan, their principal, was instrumental in giving us a timeline so that we’d know when we needed to produce content. We had in-person meetings in the beginning. Following that, almost all communication was done through phone and email. Tasks were assigned to each of our teams in our teleconferences every Friday. I’ve been in contact with five of their members.

How did you come to work with Chicago Software Solutions?

I initially found them on Google and contacted them when we were designing our grant proposal. We sent Chicago Software Solutions and two other companies a bid form; they were the first ones who called us back and were also able to produce both our website and app, whereas other bidders could only do one or the other. The process wasn’t required for our grant, but it was something my partner and I felt would be best, based on my experience with the state government. Dan called us directly, instead of sending a standard menu of costs. Dan put it in layman's terms for us so we could understand what was required for building an app or responsive site.

How much have you invested with them?

The amount of the grant was $60,000, but I don’t know if we’ve used up all of it.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Chicago Software Solutions in October 2016 and finished in July 2017. The app is live on both iOS and Android. The project is finished, but we’re still tweaking some things after the soft launch.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A couple of people have seen the website and were pleased with it. One school is very interested in advertising it, and we’re figuring this out. So far, it’s been positive.

How did Chicago Software Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive. When I called or emailed them during business hours, I’d have an answer within an hour.

There were times when we came up with unique ideas like a rotating screen showing pictures from each of the private colleges, but Dan advised against them, when they couldn’t fit in our budget, but did it in a diplomatic way.

At one point, we had an issue with Apple. We paid to get the app on the App Store but needed to undo that payment since it was paid on my personal credit card, signifying that it was my personal app, not the institute’s app. Dan and Chris, their IT director, were both on the phone with me all afternoon, helping us work through the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had very personal customer service.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We got a lot done in the period of time, and I was satisfied with everything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of technology for Centurion Services Group, a used medical equipment auction house. We consolidate retired or surplus assets at three different warehouse locations each week. We have a live auction sale wherein we liquidate those assets and send them to equipment dealers, including overseas. We also have timed auctions for higher ticket items like radiology pieces.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chicago Software Solutions?

We had a web application, which was in dire need of care. I was brought on to address it since hourly consultants from a staffing firm were handling it. There was no progress being made on the project, so I needed a partner who would be invested in tuning and tweaking our app to make it prettier and more stable.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

There was some database optimization involved. They changed some CSS files in order to improve the web page look and removed some vestigial features from the system. It was a hands-off process for me in terms of technical involvement. I engaged Chicago Software, gave them an idea of what we needed to get done, and they handled everything. I provided wireframes, and we had a couple of brief kick-off calls. It was not a complicated app (fewer than 12 screens), but they came back with a designer and reworked my wireframe making it look better before we got started on the project. The web system was built using ASP.NET and Microsoft SQL server.

We’re nearing the end of our second engagement with them. We had the team build us hybrid Android and iOS apps from scratch. Those integrate with the web application that they worked on a couple of months ago.

What is the team dynamic?

The last project involved one developer exclusively. I had interactions with their IT manager as well. On the current project, I’ve been in touch with the IT manager, the same developer, another database person and a designer who worked on the prettier mockups.

How did you come to work with Chicago Software Solutions?

I searched online and called around for local shops that could handle this kind of work. I didn’t get a gut feeling before talking to Chicago Software’s CEO, Dan. We gave them a go, and it’s been a good experience.

How much have you invested with them?

The overall cost was $50,000–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Chicago Software Solutions in September 2016. We finished the first project for the web app in six weeks. The mobile app development started three months ago, and we’re pretty much finished.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The fact that I haven’t heard any feedback is feedback in and of itself. An ongoing joke started in the company about how the web app was never going to be right, but no one is making those jokes anymore.

How did Chicago Software Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They have been very good. We were in a bad place when Chicago Software Solutions engaged with us, so I requested daily communication from the developer, which they provided. We have been in touch almost daily for the mobile app development as well. Our IT manager started the project with a Gantt chart and stuck to it. I’m satisfied as far as project management goes.

The communication is almost 100% email-based.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were paying a slightly lower rate when working with the consultants from the staffing firm. Something that Dan said to me when I initially engaged him was that it’s expensive to do a project cheaply. On an hourly basis, they are well worth the money.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.