Eleviant Tech

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner and founder of Map & Fire which is a brand and marketing consultancy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We've been developing a product that will provide insights to businesses around how to best position their brand. To power this, we needed help automating processes to collect and organize sets of business data.

The goal was to make that process as easy as possible so that we could increase the volume of data used to power our analysis and insights.

SOLUTION

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

We had collaborated with the team previously on some brand strategy work and got to learn first hand how talented, thoughtful, and attentive they were as an organization. It was an obvious and easy decision to hire them after that experience.

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

Our team had worked to develop a scope and initial examples of the type of data we were aiming to collect. We then worked with their development team to analyze which pieces could be automated and which would need to be managed manually.

From there, they developed an initial MVP of the data collection process which helped uncover additional data points they were able to help extract that we hadn't even considered – and that which added significant value to our overall efforts.

They also developed an intuitive dashboard to house and manage the data for us so that our team could review and contribute additional elements to it.

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

My primary points of contact included:

• Hema Shankar - VP Client Partners
• Lokesh Natarajan - Senior Director of Development
• Prasan Vishnuram - Project Lead
• Balakumar Gopalakrishnan - Associate Architect

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work they've done is allowing us to collect and organize tens of thousands of data points within a very short amount of time.

This data and the analysis we extract from it will be playing a major role in augmenting our core brand strategy services, creating new thought leadership content, and fueling a new product offering in the coming year.

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

The team has been fantastic to work with throughout the entire experience. They're always on top of keeping us informed of progress, listening to our needs carefully, and going above and beyond to assist with the development work as well as providing instructions and documentation on how to use the tools they built.

We collaborated through a weekly check-in call using Microsoft Teams, and then via email for any questions or check-ins in between.

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

From a technical perspective, they not only listened to the needs we had they brought additional insights and ideas to the table to enhance the work. And on the relationship side, they were incredibly consistent and thoughtful in how they engaged with us.

There was even a point where I had a personal family matter come up that pulled me away and they handled it with great care and offered up genuine kind thoughts during a challenging stretch. It truly felt like we had an extended team looking out for us and guiding the work.

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

No, I was (and continue to be) extremely happy with the experience working together.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of CellGate. We use cellular technology for security applications. We have a web portal that runs the system. It’s also an administrative and end-user interface. We also have a smartphone app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Impiger Technologies?

We have an extremely complex system because it interfaces with cellular carriers to send and receive data from devices in the field. It’s also the user interface. Our vendor dropped the ball on the development work, so we needed another company to pick up the pieces.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Impiger manages the development of our portal, which is based in Microsoft Azure. Their team supports an ongoing string of projects.

Their team developed our iOS and Android apps as well as led a major migration from a legacy server facility to blend the system into the Azure infrastructure. They also helped to launch quite a few new devices and features, which were separate projects.

What is the team composition?

We communicate an individual who manages the business relationship, a project manager based in the US, and a project manager based in India. There are four developers permanently assigned to our project and technical experts who work on our apps. We've also worked with an architect and two more infrastructure experts.

How did you come to work with Impiger Technologies?

I searched online and then had phone interviews with several companies. Their background in telephony, cloud, and mobile development was important to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve certainly spent over $2 million on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started a conversation around March 2016, and our partnership’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their team led several new integrations with third-party services. They had to understand our technology and the third-party’s technology. Their team keeps scope creep to a minimum.

How did Impiger Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Jira to manage projects and tasks. One of my team leads has conference calls with their lead developer every morning. We also have a weekly status call with their key leadership. They’ve done an excellent job meeting deadlines and forecasting quotes. We’ve hit the majority of their deadlines even when it required their team to work weekends.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by their flexibility. When we had to change technologies, they brought in various team members and quickly ramped up. Their team’s also able to scale up resources as we need them. When I bring up issues, they also respond well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had issues related to testing. That was partially an evolution of the relationship and expectations for our teams. That greatly improved. Their team now focuses resources on testing before handing off code to us. There will always be bugs, especially with systems as complex as ours. However, that’s still an area for improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with any development company, be clear with the scope of the project. Define individuals’ roles and manage those expectations. It’s also important to be candid with them about the positive and negative aspects of the engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a software company that provides professional services to local companies and incubates ideas into industry products.  We currently have a few home-grown products in production, and are expanding them based on industry need.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Impiger Technologies?

We had a requirement to develop a mobile app within a short deadline, using with React Native, which was a new technology to us so our staff wasn’t very familiar with the technology. We were looked for outside help to get us up and running quickly as we had a pretty aggressive deadline.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We approached the project in a pseudo-waterfall-type project design. We wrote a requirements specification and developed detailed mock-ups of the screens to show the user experience we needed.  

In development we coordinated our efforts as the mobile app is part of a larger system. We developed the database schema, and business objects internally but depended on Impiger to develop the API and the complete mobile app.

The app was developed to be available on iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 8­–9 different people. Two were project managers that managed sprints and oversaw the development process. One was on the mobile app team and another was on an API team. Occasionally we interfaced with the development and testing teams.

How did you come to work with Impiger Technologies?

We released an RFP that included requirements, use cases, and graphical mock-ups.  All the screens were detailed so we had a good idea what we were looking for upfront.  The app has some complicated processes and legal requirements we had to follow.

We chose Impiger because they were the most thorough in the review and planning of the companies we talked to. They asked questions and understood the objective and requirements of the project. Other companies that bid didn’t ask as many questions, which seemed like a red flag.  We had the most confidence the project would be successful with Impiger Technologies. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in February 2020 and is ongoing. We finished the first part of the project in June, and we’re in phase two of development, and I’m considering hiring them again for testing. We have an ongoing agreement so we can leverage them for support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were able to follow our specifications down to the letter. It works exactly as we want it to in both iOS and Android. They were able to implement our designs and UX. They provided some feedback throughout the process.

How did Impiger Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very successful. They depended on us for some aspects of the project’s success, and as we made changes, it affected their ability to move forward. Nevertheless, they were still able to work really well.

In some cases, we were able to open up our internal toolset so they could communicate with s directly through Microsoft Teams. That way they could reach our developers as needed. It made collaborating with an outside agency smoother than it would have been if we just held regular meetings.

As a result, they did a good job hitting deadlines. They took the schedule very seriously. They kept their commitments to us and got things done by the deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their dedication to the project impressed me. They have the bandwidth to pull things together, but they were committed to meeting our needs and being responsive as things came up. Resources were always available and they covered things if people were sick. They often checked in with us to make sure we were okay with how things were going throughout the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only issue we had was towards the end of the project. As thing were winding down, it wasn’t very climactic. They did a good job pushing things forward until the end. I think having a more formal project closure, it would be clear that everything is completed rather than petering out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The biggest advice I can give would be to stay involved. There are a lot of decisions that need to be made and questions that need to be answered, so you should be readily available. Otherwise, the developer will make the decision that they think is best, and that might not align with the business roles you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-owner of Good Deal Magazine, a coupon magazine.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Impiger Technologies?

Couponing is changing. We have direct mail and racks, but it’s turning quite heavily to digital. With an expected jump of over 274% in the next two years, we had to have a bigger online presence. We approached Impiger Technologies to create an app for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Impiger Technologies developed and iOS and Android mobile app. It’s free, and users can flip through the app just like a magazine.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with four teammates, including a project director, a lead app developer, and an assistant.

How did you come to work with Impiger Technologies?

We researched for three months because the price was important and we’re a smaller company. We came across Impiger Technologies and looked at their reviews and the apps they had launched. We turned down over a dozen development companies before deciding on them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in September 2019. If we have things that need changes, or we see something that’s not working quite right, we reach out to them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is an add-on for our advertisers who are really happy with it. It’s user-friendly, and the people who are using it are extremely heavy shoppers. 

How did Impiger Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very responsive, and they met every deadline. We scheduled weekly meetings, and they did some of the work faster than expected. The slowest turnaround time was 48 hours, which is likely because our app is not very complicated. We communicated via email and had a weekly conference call.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Impiger Technologies’ response time is impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes their accents were very strong. Even though their English was good, I sometimes had to ask them to slow down when they were explaining things.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open and clear about what you’re looking for because the team is very good at following instructions. What we needed, they got done.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of IT at a leisure benefits company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Impiger Technologies?

We partnered with Impiger Technologies to build our first mobile application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The engagement started with their team gathering all of the requirements. After we discussed those, one of their team members architected a solution, bringing us the cost & time estimate and the required technologies. The team at Impiger Technologies built it on Microsoft Azure, going over small details before presenting us with a project plan.

After signing off, the project began with a series of onsite and offsite meetings. A majority of the development was done offshore. The native application is for iOS and Android. The app gives benefit information to users. We sell in the insurance space but sell non-insured benefits.

What is the team composition?

Lokesh (Director, Impiger Technologies) and Kabila (Director-Client Partner, Impiger Technologies) were my main points of contact. While Lokesh planned the solution, they had a team of 5–7 working on the product.

How did you come to work with Impiger Technologies?

When we decided that we wanted to build an app for the company, the first vendor we engaged with gave us terrible results. Impiger Technologies had successfully created a mobile app for one of our clients. We received a reference from them.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on the app from 2017–July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our engagement working on the mobile app was very positive. Since then, we’ve worked with them on three additional projects that involved them creating web portals for our team. We’ve had such a great response from the app that our user community wants their own copy. We’re working with Impiger Technologies to modify the architecture of our current mobile app and portals for our clients to use their copies.

How did Impiger Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Kabila acted as our project manager, keeping us up to date. We had conference calls every Monday. The weekly calls allowed us to discuss the progress of the app and any changes. Lokesh and Kabila were on site with our team, while we spoke to the off-site team members.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re pretty happy with their team. They do an excellent job of architecting a project, bringing a lot to the table. The team at Impiger Technologies brought recommendations of newer technologies and techniques that we weren’t aware of. They integrated those pretty easily.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Early on, there was a communication gap. A large majority of that is on us because our requirements weren’t clearly defined when we passed them off to their team. We got unexpected results. From their side, they should’ve asked for more detailed instructions, but we also could’ve taken the time to give it to them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Dedicate your internal resources to work with them. If you’re not detailed in your requirements before handing them off, there could be unexpected results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a solutions company.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Impiger Technologies?

We needed to leverage software development expertise to build in-house solutions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Impiger Technologies has worked on a couple of projects for us. Although most of their resources are in India, we’ve followed the tenants of an Agile methodology. We set up an infrastructure to review code and profiling mechanisms. Every two weeks, Impiger Technologies has demonstrated the technology and its functional aspects. Then, their team has built the next iteration.

As the main project, their team moved our applications to cloud-based technology on Microsoft Azure. As part of that, we leveraged all the Cloud service components to not only demonstrate the technology but also move our internal applications to put into production.

Currently, they’re working on mobile development for the digitalization of our products. The application has been built using Java technology and Microsoft Azure has provided the cloud infrastructure. Their team has leveraged Angular for the frontend of the application and API services for the middle layer. Then, they implemented an Azure SQL database for the backend. Their team has integrated queuing and caching mechanisms into the platform.

What is the team composition?

At the peak of our engagement, we worked with about 12–15 teammates. Usually, we’ve worked with 4–6 people.

How did you come to work with Impiger Technologies?

Our data brokers recommended them. Our president and CEO interviewed Impiger Technologies and selected them as our partner.

How much have you invested with them?

Since 2017, we’ve spent at least $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2017 and it’s an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Initially, when we were establishing an architecture, our cycles were longer, which was expected. As we built reusable components and implemented the applications, we saw a 50% reduction in the effort required.

How did Impiger Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Impiger Technologies has been really responsive in how they’ve worked. We’ve had regular stand-ups in the morning and a testing phase every two weeks. We’ve also had daily calls to clarify and address any questions on the requirements provided to them. Our teams have worked through iteration plans, so the project management methodology has catered to that. We’ve had the ability to change or modify requirements to make use of the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have good technical skill sets. Their resources are knowledgeable especially about Java and Microsoft Azure cloud technologies. Even if they’ve lacked certain insight, they’ve pulled people from other teams to supplement that. Their team has aligned on timelines more or less consistently. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They—like any company—have gone over deadlines. We’ve had discussions and have come to a happy medium. Their team has kept their commitment and put in more effort to meet those timelines because we have our own obligations. They’ve realized that and have worked with us to fulfill them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If the requirements are clear, they work really well. Their team also spends a lot of time trying to understand a project. Know your goals and then work with them to enable it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Cherry Coatings, which is a commercial painting contracting company in Dallas, Austin, and Houston.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Impiger Technologies?

When we hired them, we needed to upgrade our payroll system that was accumulating time for our field workers. We wanted some more features and functionality in addition to maintenance. Our idea was to transfer timekeeping responsibilities to a new partner as part of this effort.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We met up a few times early on to discuss a few scenarios. Our team had to decide whether we wanted to update our timekeeper or completely revamp and construct a new one. Through our talks, we decided to develop a new one. Their team led a design phase and created several mockups.

Once that wrapped up, we signed a contract to proceed with the development of the timekeeping portal and app. We just wrapped up the build and are looking to go live in a few weeks. After that, they’ll continue to support and provide maintenance to the app as needed. They will also be responsible for implementing updates every once in a while. 

What is the team composition?

Most of the time, we had 2–3 of their team members focused on the project in-house with our team. There was also a team of at least three developers working on it offshore. 

How did you come to work with Impiger Technologies?

I was referred to them by one of my good friends. At the time, we had another quote from a different company that was quite a bit more expensive. I personally enjoyed my early conversations with Impiger Technologies and felt that they could provide a great product affordably.

Our reference had a positive experience with them, and they seemed like a good fit for us. Because they have a good resume on top of it, we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $90,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from May–October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t gone live yet, so not too many people have used the product. Even so, everyone’s been happy with the web portal’s functionality. The app also seems very user-friendly. Our team believes that the design has come out well, so we’re excited for it to launch. 

How did Impiger Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

The only thing that could’ve gone more smoothly would be communication. Our project lead and main contact were in India, which caused communication problems that lost us both money. They took care of those issues on their end, but it would’ve been better if our main contact was someone that we could meet with in-person. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They follow through on their promises, which matters a lot to our company. Their attitude, professionalism, knowledge, and willingness to help were commendable. They stand behind their statements and show fairness in their work. I intend to do more projects with them because of the good relationship we’ve built. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

This was partially on our end, but we went about 20% over our budget because there were several areas that we thought they would cover given the scope of work we settled on. There could’ve been better communication on both sides to iron that out earlier. We made many changes and could’ve tightened things up a bit.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensure that somebody working directly with you has the full details on building the app. That was our biggest challenge, but if you make sure communication goes well, you’ll be successful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Acero Crowns. We’re a medical device company that manufactures pediatric dental crowns used by dentists.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Impiger Technologies?

We wanted to establish an online portal where our customers can log in and place orders. The primary goal of the project was to automate our entire order fulfillment process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Impiger Technologies began the project by working from a blank slate. We held a few initial meetings where we talked over my goals for the portal. Considering they’re an experienced development firm, I left a lot of ideation up to them. They presented an outline of what they could do while emphasizing the importance of building a product that can grow alongside my business. Once I agreed to their pitch, they developed the ordering portal. That process required them to integrate the platform with our existing website. They used Microsoft Azure to connect and secure the portal’s automation functionalities.

What is the team composition?

I interacted with three people working from their office in Texas. They also have a team of developers working in India, but I never spoke with them.

How did you come to work with Impiger Technologies?

I met Jude (CEO, Impiger Technologies) through a CEO peer study group. Once I started looking to automate some of my company’s process, I reached out to Jude for his expertise. What sold me on them was their team’s approach to identifying our needs. Instead of trying to sell me on a grandiose idea or promising me a perfect project, they simply listened to what I wanted to accomplish and asked follow-up questions. As a result, hiring them was an easy decision.

How much have you invested with them?

I requested additional features as the project progressed, so I’d estimate the overall cost to be roughly $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our involvement with Impiger Technologies took place from January­–June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I haven’t directly analyzed how much we’ve saved on labor since the portal’s implementation. Considering how labor intensive and inefficient our previous processes were, I knew that any contributions would be an improvement. Thanks to Impiger Technologies, processing errors have drastically decreased. The time it takes us to invoice, fulfill, and ship orders have improved by 50%. They successfully eliminated 6–7 steps of our order fulfillment process.

How did Impiger Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re satisfied with their level of responsiveness and documentation. I’ve never had a problem reaching them. Whether by phone or email, they’d often get back to me within the same day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve partnered with similar vendors in the past who have excellent technical skills but lack the communication abilities needed to deliver a transparent experience. Impiger Technologies consists of a well-rounded staff that can accomplish difficult tasks while communicating effectively. They understood the business and customized their solutions to address my needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They accomplished everything I asked. As a result, I wish they could provide other services as well. I’d hire them to handle our digital marketing effort if they had a dedicated creative team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a non-insurance benefit company. We provide savings on healthcare for employers and employees and we do it with non-insurance services. We bundle things like being able to call a doctor 24/7, get a prescription over the phone, email a doctor for issues, get help with medical bills, or save on prescriptions.

I’m the Cofounder and Chief Operating Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Impiger?

For many years we delivered the benefit in a card form. People would receive a card and/or an information booklet in their home that walked them through the benefits - how to use them, who to call - that sort of thing. We really wanted to build something that made life easier for our members, so we built an app. We had a member portal that we totally redesigned for it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought the expertise on how our members use the services and all the copy and compliance. Impiger came alongside us and came up with ideas on the technology. They really brought their expertise on building apps and building websites, and added it to what we knew about our members. The applications are available on iOS, Android, and the web.

How did you come to work with Impiger?

We interviewed three companies. We have never built an app before and we wanted to understand who would be the best fit. My husband, Reed Rasmussen, is the other cofounder. Reed is in an entrepreneur learning group with Jude Ramayya, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Impiger. When we were doing our research, we said we were going to look outside of people we know. When we came down to it, we really liked how the company operated. They were on top of the details and they had systems in place to make sure that you weren’t going to wait for weeks for an answer on something that didn’t work or that you wanted to make better. We liked that they had different systems in place to make things move faster. We liked their pricing and we liked the people in general.

How much have you invested with Impiger?

In total, our project with Impiger was between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It’s ongoing. We got started in March and launched it today [July 28th, 2016] to our 70,000 members. We did a soft launch at the beginning of July to some of our clients.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We had a lot of great feedback from people. People say it is great looking and cool. They say it’s clean and easy to use. We did a beta test in the very beginning to see if there were any glitches. For the most part, people gave us outstanding results on the product.

What did you find most impressive about Impiger?

Impiger has a presence in the US but they also have a great presence in India with some really experienced people who know what they’re doing. This is my first experience with an app but I’ve built multiple websites. It hasn’t been my experience in the past to move as fast as we did and get the response times that we get from them. They’re on top of their business and they know what you’re trying to accomplish. Impiger knows how to accomplish it and if they don’t know, they figure it out. I’m not the only person that’s thinking how the portal and the app should work. They actually take the time to learn your business and learn how your end user is going to use the product so they can build it to make it useful for them.

Are there any areas Impiger could improve?

There were a few deadlines at the very end that it feels like they fell through the cracks on. I told them about it. It was disappointing. I think there was a lot happening at one time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Mobiquity is a mobile solutions provider. Essentially, what we do is we provide customized mobile solutions to enterprise-based clients across all industries, markets, and verticals.

What is your position?

My role is as Recruiting Director. I own the global recruiting process for Mobiquity. I manage both the internal recruitment team across the US, Europe, and India.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Impiger Technologies?

As a professional services organization, there’s always going to be a percentage of our business from a recruiting perspective that’s going to be supplemental or contractor-based versus hiring full time employees for every single role that comes through. As we grow and get bigger, the contractor and the supplemental number is going to get bigger as well, so whatever that percentage is, that percentage will just continue to grow.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Impiger is one of our strategic partners that helps us in providing technical support and technical resources to Mobiquity to help fulfill project deadlines and fill in gaps with specific skill sets that we might otherwise not hire on a permanent basis. That’s what Impiger provides Mobiquity.

How did you come to work with Impiger Technologies?

Impiger has been with Mobiquity for three years or so, maybe even longer. I’ve been with the company for a little over a year and a half, so it was a preexisting relationship when I joined. I did reevaluate the partners that we had been utilizing, and there were partners that we no longer do business with. Impiger quickly showed their value from both supplying us with adequate resources and being a true partner. The way they manage Mobiquity as a client has been extremely beneficial.

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

I unfortunately don’t know. I think it really varies year to year. We do have a number of resources with them on a retainer basis that we continue using on a year-over-year basis, and then of course there’s the project-based in and out resources that we use for shorter periods of time. That number can fluctuate year-over-year, and I’m not entirely sure which bucket Impiger would fall into today.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership with Impiger is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Impiger is a household name at Mobiquity. The folks that run our development organization will ask for Impiger by name. Impiger has been able to create a name for themselves here at Mobiquity, where when resources are needed, they will be asked for by name. In addition to that, we know what we’re getting from Impiger, so when we actually interview these candidates that Impiger provides us, there’s a level of comfort. We’re able to get through our process rather quickly because of the fact that Impiger generally provides high quality resources to us whether they’re needed in a day’s turnaround or three weeks. They’re very responsive and are always there for us should we need to engage them at any particular time.

Last year, I needed some help. We ran into a scenario with some billing issues on our side. It was as simple as calling Impiger and saying, “Hey, we ran into a little bit of a snag. Would it be okay if we delayed payment to this date?”, and it was a 30-second phone call. Impiger was more than happy to do it and allowed us to delay payment till we were able to rectify our internal accounting issue. It has been things like that that add value in a long term relationship with a partner. They’ve done great by us.

What distinguishes Impiger Technologies from other providers?

Mobiquity is a young business. We’re five years old. With partnerships, we’re not just looking for resources; that’s a big part of it, but we’re also looking for select abilities. We may think we have an opportunity for a technical role and we may be three weeks into it, and it turns out we didn’t win the business and the role goes away. It’s how the partner reacts to those scenarios that is important.

Impiger has been able to continue to provide us with resources when we needed them, knowing that there’s a risk that the project may go away or we may not win the business. They still provide the same level of effort regardless.

There may be scenarios where financially, we’re going to be a little bit tight on a particular project and we may not be making the margins that we need to make. Impiger has always been willing to be flexible on a case by case basis in terms of rates and cost. Through handshakes and other means, we’ve been able to build a great relationship that allows us to partner with them, and regardless of the circumstance, there’s a way to work it out. Not all partners are like that, and those are the partners that are unfortunately not working with us today.

Is there anything Impiger Technologies could have improved or done differently?

I’ve had no issues with any dealings with Impiger. They’ve always been responsive. They’ve never said no. I’ve got nothing really negative or any criticism that I could share about Impiger. I could about other partners, but the relationship that I have with our account manager at Impiger has been great. All resources that they’ve provided have all worked out really well. They’re very accommodating to us, so there isn’t really anything that I’ve experienced that I would say is a deficiency, fault, or criticism.