Empeek

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of EdTech Foundry, an education technology company. We develop a chat environment for students, especially first-year students, with the aim to give them a safe place to meet up and get connected with other students to help with the social aspect of getting started at the university. We have a social chatbot that helps facilitate conversation and have ice-breaking games in place.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Empeek?

We had some personal changes in our resources and were in the need of further maintenance. Additionally, we wanted to add new features to our mobile apps. I added all the stuff to the desktop application, but I needed someone to replicate that on mobile and make it a feature parity.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave Empeek the source code of the application and had them replicate what was on the desktop version into React Native to be available for iOS and Android. They initially started with just adding a few features to our mobile app.

They’ve since taken over the entire development for the mobile and desktop versions. I provide wireframes and we have conversations to make sure they understand what I want.

What is the team composition?

I collaborated with three developers, two project managers, and two business executive management people from Empeek. They also have QA people that are sometimes involved and coders who do peer review to make sure the code quality is good.

How did you come to work with Empeek?

We looked on Upwork and found a few candidates including Empeek. The conversation with them was the most professional and most straightforward. They were also the most reasonable in terms of what they were promising for the cost. We eventually moved away from working with them through Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested €4,000–€5,000 euros per month (approximately $5,000–$6,000 USD)

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2020 and it's ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They developed what they promised and they’re always on time. Empeek is flexible when we need new arrangements or need help with another project. They were able to come up with resources within a reasonable amount of time.

Since they didn’t design the product, product KPIs would be unfair to give for them because they replicated our previous work. They developed features like we wanted them to do and the application has been very stable. When it comes to their professionalism, I have no complaints. 

How did Empeek perform from a project management standpoint?

I do most of the project management myself. The project manager on their side could do much more but I don’t need it. I’m a software developer myself and can talk in tech directly to the developers and advise them. They always have an open ear.

I asked them to report every two weeks about the current budget and they’re always on time with that as well. If there are any problems, they communicate them with us. Our teams use Slack to communicate and Jira and Notion to manage the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality is as expected. One thing that stands out about Empeek is they’re not arrogant. Being good often comes with arrogance and attitudes. None of the people I’ve worked with are like that. Empeek's team is always nice and friendly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I suggested that there should be a process in place where there are still code reviews and planning meetings where multiple developers can collaborate, instead of one person deciding on everything. We discussed this, found a process, and are adapting to it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about what you need, how long you need it, and the type of relationship you’re looking for with them. Empeek works on a per monthly basis, so you’re renting your resources.

There’s a possibility that QA and project management are just a few hours and you can potentially even ask for a part-time developer. Usually, the ideal scenario is not just five hours per week of development.

They’re looking for longer-term projects. When you go into the project with them, you need to have a certain amount of workload that needs to be done in order to have a fruitful engagement. That’s a general suggestion for working with anyone.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and founder of a telehealth consulting services company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Empeek?

We were building an MVP that will eventually serve as a full personal health record (PHR) solutions platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They implemented frontend designs, which are generally static pages with animation. We also had them work on our counselor listing page, connecting that with the electronic health record software. They were key in making those resources live together a bit more effectively. The final solution is a web application, but we’ll be working toward creating a mobile app as well.  

What is the team composition?

There were two supporting developers and one senior developer on the team.

How did you come to work with Empeek?

I found them on Upwork. We followed a very thorough interview process and found that they had strong experience and communication skills. I felt very comfortable working with them.   

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $12,000 on the first phase.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We started with them in January 2021. The first phase has wrapped up, but we’ll be moving into more phases together soon.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their work was excellent. They’re a very smart, informed company that understands how to create a functionally-sound platform. They provide accurate cost estimates and timelines, which is very helpful as well. I enjoyed working with them. 

How did Empeek perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive and easy to get in touch with. We communicated through phone calls, email, and Skype. They were excellent communicators.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their adherence to budget and time was very impressive. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it was a pleasure to work with them.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very clear about your project goals. That can be difficult in situations like ours; I was hiring a technical team as a non-technical person. It’s important to learn enough about the technical requirements and processes as possible, so you can clearly communicate goals to them. Otherwise, you can’t expect their team to figure it out for you.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the COO of the IT Managed Services Provider, Server@Work. For the iPQF project, I served as internal project manager to coordinate client subject manager experts and project scoping. I worked closely with Empeek project management to execute the vision of our shared clients web application need.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Empeek was hired as our contract software development company. Empeek has an expertise in complex projects and understanding the intricacies of new industries. The project we worked on was light on initial scope but Empeek brought project management and resources to the discovery and scoping process to help bring an excellent product to the market.

SOLUTION

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

Empeek was selected because of their experience with Microsoft Azure application deployment as well as their diverse development resources capable of working with multiple programming languages and technologies.

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

Empeek assisted during the scoping process by interviewing our subject matter experts to help create a comprehensive scope of work document. They then worked closely with our internal project manager to create attainable milestones and for a quick initial deployment of a base system which we were able to quickly begin testing and expanding scope.

Empeek helped manage the project with frequent meetings, project management resources, and a personable project manager who was eager to bring new ideas to the table.

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

During our peak development, Empeek used ten resources on our project. In addition to the project manager, we also had a quality control person, a tester, and a combination of seven front-end and back-end developers.

Additional resources were brought in for special needs during the project. This spanned several months. Empeek was able to scale up the project team from a small initial proof of concept crew to full development with no letup in attention to detail or communication.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The resulting project was a new client-facing management system that is replacing a ten year-old legacy application. The new system will allow our client to continue a valuable line of service with their clients and provide them with a competitive edge by leveraging the latest in application features and security measures.

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

We met with our project manager a couple of times a week throughout the project. This was generally over Gotomeeting as well as Microsoft Teams. We also traded email throughout the day for quick answers. We used Google Docs and storage for a common documentation repository.

This was highly effective for collaboration and to maintain a single source of all project documentation. Source code was managed in Bitbucket. Empeek has their own project management and billing system which tracks all work items and time. This system was used for billing and I had access to the project and time management at all times.

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

Empeek operates with great honesty and integrity. While they are eager to bring the clients vision to fruition, they are quick to point out obstacles and impacts upon cost or development time. The quality of the code output was exception with few bugs or issues found during our internal user testing.

The testing was very organized and issue tracking was efficient. We often found that reported bugs were fixed within minutes. Empeek management and project management is very engaged with client projects.

As our main point of contact, the project manager was exceptional at communicating and bringing creative problem solving to overcome workflow and development obstacles.

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

I will continue to use Empeek as my development company of choice. I can think of nothing about them that I would change.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is a startup providing digital health solutions for patients with chronic conditions, especially those who may suffer from visual and cognitive challenges. I serve as the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Empeek?

Empeek was hired to build on and improve upon an existing mobile app prototype designed to enhance medication safety and adherence among certain patient population groups. The team also created a separate mobile app as testing platform for one of the application's modules.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to create prototypes that could be tested amongst our selected test groups.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Much time was spent reviewing candidates both locally and internationally through online matching services. Empeek proved to have relevant experience with a core group of developers that matched our needs, and showed very good communication and effort from early stages onward.

Describe the project in detail.

Full application development in React Native, including page development, integration of back end services and APIs, implementation of limited voice interaction, database connectivity, integration of a 3D animated character intro, scheduling functionality, numerous iterations, and preparation for -- and submission to -- Google Play for publishing.

What was the team composition?

Initial communication with business development manager, and day-to-day communication with a dedicated project manager, and 1-2 developers at any given time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We outlined a list of criteria for completing "phase 1" of our project, compared that project list to completed items, and all were completed. We also added additional specifications and an applet, which were completed within or close to the budgeted amounts.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow is very good. Our day-to-day project manager was very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their communication and responsiveness were impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

App versions sometimes had bugs or other needed fixes that slowed development on occasion and added some cost, but these were typically corrected within 24 hours.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the COO of a full-service market research company, based in Toronto.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Empeek?

We needed a software application for drawing large scale samples.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built an application from scratch for automating our back-office processes, using the Firebase platform.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager and 2-3 developers in the background.

How did you come to work with Empeek?

Empeek was referred to us by another Toronto based company, who had worked with them several times before. While we were considering several other firms, we chose them based on their reliability, speed, and cost-effectiveness. We knew their previous track record was good, so that was a strong motivator.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested $10,000 – $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in July 2019 and wrapped up in August 2019. They completed the work ahead of schedule.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were on a budget, and the app was delivered in a timely fashion. In terms of usage, the application's interface was clean, extremely user-friendly, and very fast. They delivered on all of our performance metrics. As with any software, there were bugs, but they resolved them very quickly.

How did Empeek perform from a project management standpoint?

They provided an effective project management tool that we used. In terms of communication, their response time was extremely fast.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We found the quality of the interface, lack of bugs, and speed of the solution to be quite impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, things were a-ok.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director at Praxis Cloud Solutions Limited, a financial software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the scope of their involvement?

Empeek provides IT development services. We do the business analysis and requirements gathering, and then we pass that onto Empeek. They develop cloud-based and mobile-enabled software using ASP.net, C#, and SQL server. We’re looking at working with Empeek in the areas of machine learning and Enterprise Modular Library (EML) as well. 

What is the team composition?

We work with seven full-time team members; over the years, we’ve worked with 12–14 people.

How did you come to work with Empeek?

I found Empeek on Upwork four years ago, and I hired them to do a six-week project. They did a good job. My client was happy with me and wanted more work, so I continued my engagement with Empeek.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

SOLUTION

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

They continue doing a good job. Every month, we review whether there’s a better approach to what we’re working on, and they usually come up with one. I don’t need to worry about software development; I give them the requirements, and it just happens. They freed me up to grow my business.

How did Empeek perform from a project management standpoint?

We use their internal tool, and it’s working well. They’re not native English speakers. Sometimes there’s a spelling mistake in the spec, and then the mistake comes out in the software. However, we pick it up in testing and fix it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do everything very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m happy with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the product manager for a tech startup. We're developing a white label platform for marketplaces to line up buyers with delivery people.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Empeek?

We needed a good development firm. We had all our requirements laid out, but we needed someone to build our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They came up with good solutions and were proactive with new features and ways to use the platform. We had specifications, but they were very good at suggesting alternatives that would function properly. They used .NET, React, Ubuntu Core, and Linux to build the product.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager and a team of five or six.

How did you come to work with Empeek?

Communication was always very good, and the price was good. I knew from the beginning that they were a good firm. They understood the project and had useful recommendations from the very beginning.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent roughly $50,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2018. The project is complete, but we have a second phase planned. If we need to outsource more development work, we will probably use them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They built a product we're very happy with, but we still need to do market testing to see how well the business model will work. We don't have any usage metrics or other data to support the results, but they developed very good deliverables.

How did Empeek perform from a project management standpoint?

They have an in-house bug tracker that they could improve. I've made some suggestions on that. The project manager was very fastidious and meticulous, and communication was very good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were honest about hours and the volume of work. The most important thing in this collaboration was communication, and the code is very well organized. As we take it over, I'm glad the layout is intuitive. It makes learning new systems much easier for me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have any areas of improvement for them, aside from the tracker I've already mentioned.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the IT manager at Applicant Information. We are in the business of background screening and drug testing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Empeek?

Our internal system for managing our drug testing results was about 10 years old and Windows-based, which didn’t make it very accessible to mobile devices. We engaged Empeek to develop an enterprise system with similar functionality that could also be accessed on various devices or while we travel.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I designed much of the product myself, and Empeek’s primary responsibility was leading the development and assisting in project management. Empeek built an Azure platform using C# and Angular as the frontend and Middleware and SQL Server on the backend. The project took a couple of years to develop, and at the height of our project, we had four developers working on the system. Empeek coordinated the tasks of all of those developers, while my role was to oversee that the project was in line with our requirements.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and, at most, four developers.

How did you come to work with Empeek?

After reviewing a few different firms on Upwork, we narrowed our search to three companies and had each develop a sample software. Through an evaluation of that sample, along with each team’s background and price point, we felt the most confident selecting Empeek.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $170,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in March 2017, and the product officially replaced the existing system in January 2019. We still work with Empeek on updates and new features, though.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The speed at which we receive and process results and send them to our customers has significantly improved as a result of having this new system. There’s a learning curve with any new product, but it’s been relatively small. They built the system in such a way that most screens and areas of the application are pretty intuitive. We're certainly happy with the solution we have going forward. We are afforded much more remote and mobile flexibility with the new system.

How did Empeek perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was acceptable for the way that we wanted the development process to unfold. In hindsight, I wish that they had offered more guidance from a design perspective given that I managed the design by myself, but their lack of input may be due to their unfamiliarity with our business. But overall, they communicated well and kept their developers focused.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were confident in Empeek’s technical ability from the start, and they delivered on our expectations. We relied on them to determine what technology we should use in certain areas of the development, and they made well-reasoned decisions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ll reiterate that I wish they had taken more creative liberties when implementing the product’s design. They did not provide as many recommendations as I had hoped for. Early on, the screen mock-ups and the UI design were quite bland, and I hoped that they would apply some visual improvements instead of creating the system exactly as the plans detailed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an IT director at Northern Physicians Organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Empeek?

We were looking for a vendor to help us with custom development for some of our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were working on an application that would help us track social determinants of health care, such as homelessness, transportation, and employment. Empeek helped us develop an app for Android as well as a web-based version. The app allows us to screen patients in waiting rooms and then route the information to the appropriate public health care department. The health care department can reach out to patients and use the app to stay in the loop on whether the patients received the assistance they needed. Empeek used Windows server and .NET MVC for development. They also helped us build a few iOS apps.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager and we worked directly with their developers.

How did you come to work with Empeek?

They asked a lot of questions about our product and made recommendations on how we could improve it, so we felt they were really engaged in the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent under $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2017, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Empeek met all of our needs. We were able to screen thousands of people and we got excellent feedback from our users. We even created demos for other groups that might want to use the app later.

How did Empeek perform from a project management standpoint?

They're great communicators and work well as a team. Also, they're very organized and met their deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their feedback on how we could improve the product, especially the UI design, was very helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We haven't had any issues and I've already recommended them to other people.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We supply wholesale hotel rooms to companies throughout the world. I am the chief technology officer of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Empeek?

We had taken over a very old, poorly-supported site from a previous company, and needed to turn it into a modern, functional site, at a reasonable cost. Empeek has provided very good options for doing this.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our site was built using the Microsoft stack, and we've worked with 1 developer and 1 UI [user interface] designer from Empeek for this work.

How did you come to work with Empeek?

I found Empeek a few years ago, while I was the director of engineering for another company. I was looking for an outsourced group that could perform some UI work and found Empeek through the web. They did a phenomenal job, and I've been working with Empeek ever since, on multiple projects.

How much have you invested with Empeek?

The cost of Empeek's services is in the range of $20,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the current project with Empeek 5 months ago. We plan to continue our work with Empeek for the long-term.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I work with another group located in South Africa, who has also used Empeek. They've given them glowing reviews, just like anyone else who's worked with Empeek. The team is easy to work with, communication is great, and I appreciate their friendliness. I've not had an issue yet.

How did Empeek perform from a project management standpoint?

Empeek was assigned with direct project management on my behalf for another project. With very little input from me or my business team, Empeek did an excellent job. They provided a nice interface for us, allowing our team to see the current status, and also gave us updates on issues. For the current project, I've handled more of the project management work.

What did you find most impressive about Empeek?

Empeek's English communication skills have been very good. I've outsourced to other locations, including India, but the personal dynamics with Empeek have stood out. The communication was always clear and direct, which is the main reason I continue to use Empeek.

Are there any areas Empeek could improve?

No. I've been very pleased with Empeek. They're a young, nice, and experienced team. I've worked with them for close to 2 years overall and would recommend Empeek to other friends in the industry.