Fingent

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a small nonprofit. We work with a marine sanctuary to ensure its conservation mission.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent?

We’re part of a network of organizations that hired Fingent to do database work. We needed a data management system that was user-friendly for sixth graders and up. 

We also wanted it to be able to display data trends and allow for the exporting and entering of citizen science data. We take students out to ecosystems on the coast and give them hands-on experiences.

They count and measure organisms, and they enter that data into an online database. We then analyze and report the data. We had an antiquated data management system that had some limitations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I wasn’t a part of this process, but from what I’ve learned, our goal was to have a more userfriendly interface. We shared our old system with Fingent and they maintained all of the functionalities of that old system while incorporating new features. 

They added functionality that allows students to enter, visualize, and export their data into a format that can be used by other external programs for graphing and data analysis, such as a CFC file.

What is the team composition?

We’re on the third team with them since I was brought onto the project in August 2018. Stephen (SVP Sales & Marketing) manages the teams.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent approximately between $20,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in about September 2016, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had increased functionality, which is great. We can export files and play around with them like we wanted to, and students can enter data. We have the ability to track a lot more information than before.

There have been some bugs and issues that we’re still trying to fix in order to maintain the functionalities that we had with our old database. With such a complex database, it’s hard to locate all of the issues that are created when a new development project ends.

How did Fingent perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s been a learning process for both of us, especially working with different teams. With the turnover of the teams, it’s been difficult because we didn’t realize how much investment we would need to put in to get teammates up to speed.

This has often led to the user-testing being longer than expected. It’s hard when we find elements that are broken that weren’t broken before every time we go through development projects. However, Fingent is responsive when we bring up issues, and they’re willing to work on them. 

There’s been a lot of improvement in terms of project management. We started working on OpenProject where we upload information and track conversations and feedback.

This will also be helpful when team turnover because they will have all the information in one place. Receiving access to that and being able to provide Fingent with that information has already been useful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness and interest in helping us are impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While they’re very responsive and they want to get going with projects, sometimes we get meeting invites less than 24 hours before the meeting or on weekends. This has improved recently, however more lead time before scheduling meetings would be helpful. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Use a lot of visuals and provide them with mockups and detailed visual explanations on how to recreate issues. This is important in order to get the results you want and reduce the back and forth explanations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a healthcare software company. We develop applications for health insurance companies in order to monitor their utilization management, disease management, and care management memberships. It’s their documentation and workflow system. In my role, I run our advanced solutions group and am responsible for same-store sales for new product innovation and partnership. I’m the VP of advanced solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent?

We have a large staff of developers that work on our core product exclusively. What I needed was a development team to work on some ancillary product projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a web app with Java and Angular. It’s a dashboard application and it gives users a chart and table view of a bunch of aggregate data. They’ve built out the API in order to pull that data from our database of our core application. They built the UI for it. There's a whole bunch of different features that allow you to kind of slice and dice and group that data in a self-service fashion. There's also the ability to either single or bulk make changes to some of that data and push those changes back into the core application.

What is the team composition?

They have a couple of front- and backend developers, a QA team, a team lead, and architects.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It started in March of 2019, and the initial project lasted for 6 months, and they completed on time. We then extended our project for them to work on phases two and three. They continue to work on it now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The end result has been extremely well-received by our customer base, and it had generated a lot of excitement. The product functions well and is reliable.

The same team continues to work with us in phase three and provides support for bugs. The team continues to act as the escalation point for any bugs that can’t be resolved by our internal team.

How did Fingent perform from a project management standpoint?

Early on, they did a great job delivering features on schedule. We made several changes along the way in regards to how we wanted them to report on their progress, and they were very receptive.

They’ve been great. They’re easy to work with and they’ve taken direction very well. They’re accommodating and have made all the changes we’ve needed. Since the first phase of development ended, and they began working on bugs, the transition into maintenance has been very smooth.

Now everything is operating in a more agile mode, because we don’t have a fixed scope and things change on a weekly, or even daily, basis.

Over the course of the project, we’ve used Atlassian Suite, Confluence, and Jira. We also have daily phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to adapt and willingness to learn and change stands out as one of their biggest strengths. We have internal code reviewers that go over all of their code, and when our team provides suggestions, they’re open to making those changes. They never make the same mistake twice.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always room for improvement, but it’s always individual feedback, and they always fix it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have appropriate expectations going into the project. If you have a fixed-fee project, you need to have your requirements well-scoped out. I have every confidence that they can deliver on time and on budget.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner at Sapra & Navarra, LLP, a law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent?

We needed someone to develop an AI machine learning program for the legal industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fingent is developing our AI machine learning program. It’s web-based, not for mobile. I call it an infinity project because it really doesn’t have an end; it’s the type of thing that you can continually add functionality to. We’re currently several months into user testing. They’re solving technological problems; on our end, we’re testing. It’s a joint effort.

What is the team composition?

I’d say there are more than 12 people on the project. Our main contact in this country is Stephen (Senior VP, Sales & Marketing, Fingent). Our main point of contact in India is Sachin (Project Coordinator & Business Analyst, Fingent).

How did you come to work with Fingent?

I did a Google search for IT companies that develop AI programs. A blog came up that listed the top 20 global tech companies that do software development; however, most of them didn’t even mention AI. We narrowed it down to 2–3 companies in our due diligence. We sent Fingent some information about our project. We had was a 1–2-hour conversation over the phone, during which we told them what we were trying to do. It’s an extremely ambitious project. Weeks went by, and we didn’t hear from them. Meanwhile, a couple of other companies we were interviewing said they could help us, and they even visited us. I wanted to hear from Fingent, though, because I liked the person I spoke with, Stephen.

Six weeks after the initial phone call, Stephen contacted me. They had prepared a slide presentation of what they would try to do. I was immediately impressed because they took that relatively brief phone call and understood completely what we were trying to do. They put it into words and pictures so that we could see it and visualize it. That was the first good sign, from my standpoint.

Another thing that impressed me was that they were the only company that said they couldn’t guarantee the project would be successful. I was impressed with their honesty and transparency. We had to pick a company that we could feel comfortable having a long-term relationship with.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2018, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re wonderful people. The idea was exciting, but to actually see it being developed and being able to use the product has gotten our team very excited. We like how it’s going. The feedback from users is really good. We’ve done a lot of work, but there’s a lot of work still to be done. The scope of this project is so big and is coming along well.

How did Fingent perform from a project management standpoint?

I thoroughly enjoy working with them. They use project management software. We have weekly calls, and they’re always available. They’re also open to conference calls and meetings. They have an agenda for every meeting. Everything is transparent. They deliver on time and budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve never wondered if somebody else could have done it better, faster, or cheaper. They’re really intelligent. They also learned our industry pretty quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are no hiccups or complaints whatsoever.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As the client, you have to do your part, too. You can’t expect the software company to do everything, know everything, and to figure everything out. You need to be available and provide whatever information they need; it’s a team effort.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the principal of an education and software design company. Our products align with federal regulations, accreditation, licensure, as well as best practices for teaching, learning, and assessment. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent?

Our greatest challenge was taking complex problems and put them into a format that an end-user can understand and take some type of action with. In our case, we’re working within the realm of education.

We’re challenged to look universally at how courses are designed and how instructors, designers, and administrators are looking at content in terms of content and workload. In response to this issue, we wanted to create a platform that allows all users to look into courses and data from a similar lens. That way, they’d be empowered to discuss these issues. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we reached out, we’d developed a basic application that partially answered the problem we were trying to solve. It looked at data analytics regarding course development and interaction. The issue was that it wasn’t as robust as we needed. Even though we had users that could functionally work the app, we wanted a more user-friendly experience that was customized toward any individual, company, or school district. 

They were able to audit the app, discussing its strengths and opportunities for expansion. From there, they began to bring our vision to life. We started with an initial team that helped us with developing concepts, ideas, and opportunities. From there, they brought in other content experts that could work with us for the remainder of the engagement.

What is the team composition?

We collaborated with the project managers, designers, and senior members of their management team. 

How did you come to work with Fingent?

We interviewed seven different businesses that we similar to theirs. However, their entire team met with us for the interview. That included designers, senior management, a project manager. Being able to have that conversation with so many key players was a key differential. They came prepared and could answer all of our questions. We started initially with them based on that. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration started around January 2019 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The ability to go to conferences and speak about how the app is solving issues related to course alignment while abiding by regulations is incredible. It’s great to be able to visually show would users can look at courses with a different lens is tremendous.

The app also enables us to work with clients on a greater level. I can’t put a price on the value of being able to present a demo to potential clients in early meetings. Our app can truly answer everyone’s questions because we’re able to go through it step by step.  

How did Fingent perform from a project management standpoint?

They were exceptional. We met weekly and always had a notice on what would be covered. Everything we were supposed to be working on was taken care of through an open project system, which was very transparent. As they were developing, we could be answering questions they had in each meeting.

That helped us pin down what would be executable and in the best interests of the app. The entire engagement was completely transparent and very systematic. It’s been an exceptional working experience. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We went into this with a grand vision of a dynamic UX with interactive, customizable dashboards. The end product is so robust. Their team approach and ROI that they’ve provided have made them stand out.

They’re not in it for the contract. Instead, they’re working with us as part of our team. They’re making sure the product is as strong as it can be while ensuring that it’s successful as we move it into the market with branding. Their team is completely committed to our success as a client, and they do that with their dynamic team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve been incredible. I have not areas for development, growth, or improvement. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You have to be engaged and look at yourself as part of the development. It’s also important to listen to their suggestions. They explain their decisions with great rationale and detail, so it’s helpful to recognize that you’re part of that effort.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the community education & pro se coordinator at Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, a statewide nonprofit law firm. We receive funding from Legal Services Corporation (LSC), a federal agency that oversees funding and management for nonprofit law firms. Our primary goal is to serve individuals living in poverty, as well as senior citizens aged 60 and above, by providing civil legal services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent?

We hired Fingent to develop a web-based interface for a triage project that we’d received funding for. Our team was looking to create a questionnaire that could determine the right legal aid agency for any user with as little questions as possible. 

We wanted to model a website after two products that had been developed in New Mexico and Western New York. There was an additional need for a resource database that includes articles, self-help forms, and information about other organizations to support our users.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It’s a website that features an online interview with questions to determine if a user is the right fit for our specific legal aid services, as opposed to another organization in the state. Fingent developed the entire platform using the process from the site that was created in New Mexico. Legal aid agencies can access the platform to see applications and evaluate potential clients based on the information they provided.

We originally had a development team from Fingent working with a separate team to develop the agency portal. The two teams met, in the beginning, to make sure that everyone was on the same page, and we spent a lengthy period of time on the discovery. Part of that was because we needed to nail down our needs as an organization before creating the project scope. 

What is the team composition?

It was a team of developers from Fingent working with external partners.

How did you come to work with Fingent?

Because we were dealing with federal dollars, we used an open bid process, and Fingent came highly recommended from people in our community. They had also done work with another LSC-funded organization.

What is the status of this engagement?

We hired Fingent in September 2017 and the project was completed in September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have much data from users because we just launched the product, but we’re seeing that the platform can solve issues for people. I think the standardization that the product will bring is going to help our end clients.

How did Fingent perform from a project management standpoint?

We faced some difficulties with a personnel change at Fingent, but overall, we were pleased with their developers and our contact here in the US. 

Once we moved from the first team to the second team, we saw a noticeable uptick in terms of the organization from a project management perspective. Communication was consistent; we were always able to get in touch with their team quickly, despite the time difference.

We created punch lists and test logs as a way to communicate outside of weekly meetings, and that proved to be a very efficient process. They were far superior to others in terms of delivering excellent project management while also retaining an element of creativity.

Another aspect that made the engagement interesting was the involvement of our external partners. We often had to go to them for design requirements and then update the developers based on what they told us. Overall, we’re satisfied with how that process was handled.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with how much they were able to accomplish, given the various issues that arose. They regularly offered innovative solutions that allowed us to stay within our budget.

It’s also been incredible to see how flexible the platform is, which gives us the leeway to quickly adjust—sometimes without the help of the developers—based on the fluctuating requirements of our partner agencies. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Once we were able to move forward with the second team, everything was very efficient and easy. I don’t have any complaints or suggestions for improvements for that group.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Like any technology project, spend as much time as you can listening and developing the process at the beginning. The discovery phase is your chance to thoroughly map out the goals and desired outcomes of the project. Don’t make up your mind about functionality and other details before listening to what Fingent has to say.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO & founder of Wage CALC. Our product CALC performs wage analysis for the legal industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent?

I needed custom software development done with a team that I could trust. After a previous experience with another team that didn’t work well, I needed a company that was trustworthy and well-known in their field.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CALC is primarily a cloud-based software application. I created the prototype in Microsoft Excel, which I handed off to their team. Since it was a large program, they had to search to find what would work and what they could create. Once they said it was doable, Fingent’s team built the app from the ground up.

What is the team composition?

In total, we’ve worked with eight people. We have one project manager. Some of their team works with UI, QA, and development.

How did you come to work with Fingent?

We found Fingent on Clutch. After interviewing three other teams, Fingent came off as the most prepared, professional, and sought-out team. Their presentation was also perfect.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent $110,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the analysis and research phase with them in March 2019. The work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The development started in May, and we expect it to launch at the beginning of November. The team at Fingent was able to take something that they weren’t familiar with and break it down. The prototype was complex and formula-heavy. They were able to break it into a manageable process.

Their team was helpful, acting as another set of eyes for me. Since I’m the sole founder, they could ask me questions and clarifications. Their professional team has been on-time, communicates frequently, and acts responsively. If there’s a delay, their team gives me a heads-up.

How did Fingent perform from a project management standpoint?

My project manager has been fantastic. It was great to work with another woman who was leading the project. We’ve used OpenProject to track everything. It’s easy for me to use and understand. Even through email, they’re responsive. Overall, it’s worked out very well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate having Stephen (SVP of Sales & Marketing, Fingent) sitting in on our weekly calls. In the beginning, he was helpful with streamlining communication between our team in California and their team in India. California is a bit more complicated when it comes to things like overtime. Stephen was fantastic at translating those concepts. He could look at it from a different angle.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There has been a bit of turnover, but I’ve been in software for over 30 years. Since I’ve been on the human resources side, I know that’s difficult to retain talent. Engineers sometimes don’t even show up for the first day of work because another company is willing to pay them more.

During the process, they lost one person, but this wasn’t visible to me. I wouldn’t have known if they hadn’t brought it up. The team is excellent at transparency, making sure all the bases are covered regardless of what’s going on their end.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’ve had such an excellent experience with them. Fingent exceeded my expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of IT at large transportation and logistics company. We focus on pickup and delivery, mostly for oil and gas equipment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent?

There’s a significant technology gap in our industry, particularly around order processing, invoicing, and workflow management.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fingent has developed an end-to-end transportation management solution. Customer service representatives can take orders through dispatch, who then uses the solution to assign vehicles for pickup and delivery of the cargo. The system has a web version for in-house employees and a mobile version for drivers. The latter can confirm and send documentation, as well as process tickets and billing. Our accounting team also uses the system to do invoicing, collect money from the customer, and ultimately close out the order.

What is the team composition?

The team includes one project manager, one business development resource, three web developers, one mobile developer, and one tester.

How did you come to work with Fingent?

I joined the company a year after the partnership with Fingent started. After some consideration, our leadership decided to build new management software. The company started a vetting processed and narrowed the selection down to two vendors—Fingent and one agency based in New York. We hired Fingent based on price and their ability to execute on the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We expect to spend around $500,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in summer 2016 and the partnership is ongoing. The team currently provides app support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The management system is light years ahead of anything else in our industry. Internal stakeholders love the new features. While the implementation is not yet completed, we’ve already been able to retire a significant number of user stories. The development team’s consistent performance enables us to anticipate the effort needed for each sprint.

How did Fingent perform from a project management standpoint?

We couldn’t ask for better consistency or availability. We have daily standup meetings at 7 am to go through the backlog and sprints. That timing allows us to plan our day and give Fingent direction for their next workday.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is talented and continually upgrades their expertise by bringing on knowledgeable resources. The newer employees’ impressive skills have surprised us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re still working on our professional relationship. Fingent has solid testing protocols, especially regression testing. The team ensures long-term success as well as quality development and delivery.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients should schedule regular meetings and have at least one daily touch point. Inconsistent communications can lead to an unfocused partnership. Maintaining the frequency for touch points makes the engagement more effective.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of a firm that provides localized safety metrics for travelers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Fingent?

We originally needed a native Android app based on our existing iOS app, with a focus on UX development. We also wanted help with digital marketing.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted an Android app that could handle data processing and configuring that data onto a map. We hoped to improve our consumer outreach with marketing assistance.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have continued to work with them based on the quality of previous engagements.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They incorporated Google Maps into our Android app and helped us solve data processing issues. Following app development, they did digital marketing. They contacted bloggers and other websites where links to the app could be listed.

What was the team composition?

We worked with their CEO and head of strategy.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Several industry bloggers have reviewed or published links to the app on their blogs, which has driven web traffic and increased the number of downloads.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We found their project management solid.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were highly responsive to our needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Be Strong, a national nonprofit organization focused on preventing bullying. We use a comprehensive student-led approach to encourage all students to reveal the challenges they’re facing. We’re training and equipping students to become more resilient, providing them access to local services and organizations that can help, as well as uniting them with friends and family, schools, and communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent Corp?

Several years ago, we had a plan to create what we called a “digital bridge” for students, parents, teachers, and communities. We wanted to make sure that our website had certain capabilities, including broadcasting live events, push notifications, interactive quizzes, surveys, and polls. We also wanted it to exist as a mobile app for both iOS and Android so that we could ensure content, resources, and engagement for anyone using either platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began by discussing ideas and the status of our initial desktop app as well as the challenges we’d had with live events and interacting with students on a website or mobile platform. Together, we created a list of requirements and made sure that it could all be done seamlessly. We mainly wanted to guarantee that all assets from the website could be passed onto the mobile app. Some of these requirements really needed to be specifically customized in order to ensure student security and the trust of the teachers and organizations.

Fingent Corp presented a scope of work and began the build-out once we did some tweaks to it. An important part of the app was the ability to gather feedback through the polling feature during events. The team completely handled backend development and built the APIs that would interact with the app.

The app was developed and released for both iOS and Android, as we wanted to make sure that all users could engage. The app receives several types of data, such as feedback, interaction with live events, and updated reports on where kids and parents are. All this information is relayed back to the web backend interface. Right now, we’re on the fourth iteration of the app and have just started to work on a small update.

What is the team composition?

I primarily interact with two people, one of whom is my main point of contact; the other one is an overall project manager. My main contact handles all the day-to-day interactions and is responsible for answering all our questions.

How did you come to work with Fingent Corp?

We were working with another organization, which sponsored our initial build with some of the interfacing, social media, etc. They recommended working with Fingent Corp based on the things we were looking to accomplish.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Fingent Corp in June 2015, and continue working with them on some updates and tweaks to the next iteration of the mobile app, as well as updating some of the APIs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t really have any statistics, but I can say that everything they’ve done works really well. Fingent Corp really cares about how we feel and has an incredible work ethic, which is valuable for our organization. They go above and beyond what the typical developer interaction would be.

I’ve worked with a lot of developers who did an okay job, but it was just another job to them. They didn’t seem to care much, whereas Fingent Corp cares a great deal about not only the process but also about the end result. They’re incredibly sensitive to our culture and what’s happening within our team and organization.

How did Fingent Corp perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really well organized. We’ve used several interfaces for project management over the years and it’s just been a joy to engage with them. Everything’s in one place; interactions are logged and approvals are maintained. While asset management can get pretty unruly, their process is excellent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to meet us at our location really stood out as we’re in the US and they’re in India. They’ve also been great at meeting the needs of our timeframe versus theirs. Overall, they do a stellar job at making sure our requirements are covered and that everything is working seamlessly in terms of UX.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Up until recently, whatever microphones they were using in their conference room made it very difficult to understand everyone, as there was so much reverberation. They’ve fixed that and it’s now much more pleasant to interact with them.

Furthermore, while they’re really good at meeting our time considerations, there have been some delays due to the time difference. Tight deadlines are difficult, especially since we’re working during the day, which is nighttime in their zone. Getting a US presence that could engage with the Indian team would allow us to communicate better during regular business hours, especially during time-critical or emergency issues.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If clients know what they want to accomplish, Fingent Corp’s team will come up with a plan to achieve those requests. It’s important to have a real understanding of the goal, even if the best way to solve that task isn’t known. Just knowing in detail what you want to accomplish will provide them with enough information.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Trade Alliance Group, an organization that helps small builders coordinate to increase their buying power to purchase materials at competitive rates.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent Corp.?

We hired another vendor to build a CRM system and had a terrible experience. We then engaged Fingent to create a replacement solution because off-the-shelf products couldn’t accommodate our multi-party customer relations model.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they built a test application for a premixed concrete ordering system. After its successful completion, we expanded the scope to the larger CRM. Our team supplied specifications for interactions and workflows. Fingent Corp. then built the solution while suggesting ideas to maximize efficiency. The team built the database in SQL Server and hosted the virtual machine in Azure.

Next, their team implemented the CRM, which supports our builder and supplier customers. The solution tracks interactions for both sides, which is essential to our business model because we get commissions for sales we put to a supplier. To streamline billing, Fingent Corp. added payment integrations for credit card charges and automated invoices via our internal accounting software. Once the CRM is fully-operational, we’ll use another integration to draft membership fees directly from bank accounts.

What is the team composition?

We interact with about four resources including a project manager and graphic artists. We don’t interface with the QA team.

How did you come to work with Fingent Corp.?

I advertised the purchase ordering system on a staffing site and interviewed a few different companies. Fingent Corp. was the most expensive, but also the most professional. After the bad experience, we were willing to invest in quality development work, using the ordering system in a risk-averse way to assess their capabilities for the CRM project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent nearly 500,000 AUD ($369,631 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2016 and the partnership is ongoing. Although the team implemented the CRM system, we still have a year’s worth of work scheduled. I plan to halt the partnership for about six months to save money for the next projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new CRM has increased billing efficiency and is a vast improvement over our older system. Our team refused to use the previous vendor’s solution, but happily transitioned to Fingent Corp.’s product.

How did Fingent Corp. perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re in constant contact for fixes and best practices. The team resolves issues in quick turnarounds without charging an hourly rate; they provide estimates upfront and wears the final cost, which works well for our financial situation. We communicate primarily via emails, but also phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They honor price estimates and take responsibility for all mistakes. Their communicative and proactive approach has created a seamless partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We haven’t worked with multiple development companies, but they were excellent compared to our previous vendors. Overall, there’s nothing to fault them on.

Any advice for potential customers?

Fingent Corp. knows what they’re doing, but make sure to provide clear instructions. We have complete confidence in the team and plan to use them for years to come.