Kellton

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm the senior director of software engineering for a FinTech company. We provide unsecured personal loans to US consumers. I support all the product teams that represent our apply and origination domains. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tivix? 

We began a relationship with Tivix at the time our company was founded. Tivix helped us launch our company by creating our original loan application web funnel where nothing existed before.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Tivix provides ongoing professional services and software development. Originally, we provided wireframes for our initial website, but it was pretty lean, serving only a single marketing channel. It's evolved quite a bit to cover multiple channels with numerous funnel formats and elaborate conversion functionality such as AB testing frameworks.

Tivix utilizes Angular 7 for our front end and Django on the backend. They also complete a fair amount of WordPress PHP development on our marketing website. Additionally, Tivix supplements our internal capacity to cover larger UX design initiatives. Generally speaking, Tivix is very integrated into our organization. We have ideas and they help us execute on them using whatever skills and capacity make sense to do so.

What is the team composition? 

The team size ebbs and flows, but generally averages around 12 people. 

How did you come to work with Tivix? 

We knew of them from existing relationships with our founders of the company. Having the referral was good enough for when we were trying to rapidly start the company. Plus, they were open to the risks associated with working with a startup company. They continue to be strong in their ability to deal with changing requirements as our business grows.

How much have you invested with them?

It's between 1–2 million per year. I would say in total that we've spent approximately $7.5 million dollars.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began in January 2014 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The bottom line is that we are still in business and doing well. We're both profitable and growing in terms of the number of loans that we’ve provided, which sets us apart from a fair number of our competitors. We feel quite accomplished that we've lent over seven billion dollars since our inception. 

Tivix is definitely a key contributor to our success. They provide a lot of consultative value. They’re a very strong addition to our cross-functional team of developers. They’re well integrated with our business stakeholders and engineering staff. They’re part of a collective force that helps push our agenda forward. 

How did Tivix perform from a project management standpoint? 

We manage a lot of the project ourselves in terms of backlogs, feature development, prioritization, and timing. We make those decisions internally with feedback and insights from Tivix on scoping and effort. I interact with some of their leaders more frequently, but generally, all their developers are part of our cross-functional team.

For communication, we use Slack, Pivotal, Confluence, and email. Slack is probably what we use most often. It has its strengths and weaknesses. Both our teams are geographically distributed across time zones in the US and Canada. As a result, we need a digital communication method that is relatively fast in order for it to be useful. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Their individual talent is most impressive. We've always had strong engineers working on our account. Their ability to retain and hire good talent makes us quite happy. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No. There are always opportunities to improve, but it’s generally more about the circumstances at the time as opposed to the organization as a whole. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I don’t think it would work well if your organization has strict lines between internal and external teams, where engineers are managed at the administrative level. Tivix is fully integrated into our business. Having continuous interaction and communication at all levels is much more collaborative. I can only imagine that would be useful to others as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior product manager at an alternative investment firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tivix?

We hired Tivix to make one of our asset acquisition processes more efficient. Specifically, we wanted them to build an application that would consolidate available information and predict returns on individual assets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a product that compiles and displays information about our assets. The application gathers this data from various websites and through several integrations.

The product also calculates the potential yield for each asset based on this information. We’ve now extended the scope to include building more tools in the application that will support our business.

What is the team composition?

There’s a backend person who writes most of the code and an integrations specialist who writes code around each data source. There’s also a frontend person who makes the data accessible and the interface user-friendly. Also, there’s a project manager who oversees the development and conducts testing on the product. I communicate primarily with the project manager and Sumit (CTO, Tivix), who runs point on certain things. Sumit isn’t involved on a daily basis but will clarify issues and jump in when tasks become urgent.

How did you come to work with Tivix?

We have worked with them in the past on separate ventures and knew they could help with the new project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in December 2018 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s too early to quantify the impact that their work has had on our revenue. That being said, we've seen an increase in efficiency. Our data gathering process used to take us anywhere between eight hours to four days to accomplish. Through utilizing the application that Tivix built, we’ve reduced that time down to five minutes.

The whole process is streamlined, and everything now resides in the application. We can also easily and quickly find out our potential yield from assets across each market. Their work has reduced our analysts’ information gathering workload from 10 hours to two hours a week.

How did Tivix perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been extremely flexible and accommodating. Our investment team changes their minds fairly quickly, and Tivix has been able to keep up with our fluctuating requirements. They’ve also been upfront about the effects of these changes. They let me know whenever they expect delays.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tivix strives to fully understand our business. We’ve had experiences with other teams where they’ve pretended to know our company and don’t understand our needs. Tivix is communicative and empathetic, and their team dedicated time to become familiar with our processes. Their team is also realistic and hardworking. It’s hard to find people like them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not at this moment. I’ve had a very good experience with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Explain your business to them. We learned from our last project that, if you describe your services to them, they’ll be much more able to meet your business needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at The Macerich Company. We're a national mall and shopping center operator. We have 47 shopping centers and malls around the country, which are mainly concentrated on the west and east coasts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tivix?

We needed additional development resources and we decided it’d be more efficient to outsource a development team. We were looking for a vendor that had both experience and the insight into technology innovation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They've helped me with a number of different projects. First, they developed a platform that enables retailers to look at data and analytics concerning the activity in their physical stores. They also handled the data visualization project for us, helping us use third-party data to sell the value of our properties.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with a product manager, who was our main of contact, a lead architect, and an engineering lead.

How did you come to work with Tivix?

We interviewed a few different firms and we chose Tivix based on the quality of their work, their experience, and the pricing.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tivix in June 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered everything they had promised. We had a specific request in our RFP, but they helped us discover new approaches and new opportunities during our development process.

How did Tivix perform from a project management standpoint?

They did an excellent job. They used Jira for project management and we had daily stand-ups. I was overseeing the project myself and I was happy with their process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very focused, efficient, and proactive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you're looking for a well-rounded development team, reach out to them. They're a great partner and they'll become part of your team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Curate With Me. We’re a consumer-facing website that connects shoppers with expert recommendations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tivix?

They took over revamping our website from a vendor that couldn’t finish the project on time due to scheduling conflicts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tivix continued the work started by another agency and saw it through to completion. When they started, we were redesigning the existing website. After doing a code review and resolving several outstanding bugs, they started developing new features, allowing users to follow trusted curators and interacting with lists in different ways. Their work concluded with user testing and more bug fixing.

Fixing frontend bugs required them to work transition some our HTML, CSS, and JavaScript pages to React.js. They also addressed a few backend issues. The backend system is written in Django and runs on AWS with an RDS database.

How did you come to work with Tivix?

A friend recommended them to us. We interviewed 3–4 different agencies but Tivix had the right ramp-up capacity. I spoke with Sumit (CEO, Tivix), their project manager, and one of their New York-based developers and had a conference call with a designer and senior backend engineer. During that call, I presented our problems and plans for new features and listened to their initial approach. This gave me confidence in their abilities.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $100,000–$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2018 until February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product is stable, and the few bugs we have aren’t critical or significant enough to need to resolve. The codebase is easy to maintain moving forward, so we’re well positioned to develop new features.

I’ve worked with four agencies in the last two years, and my experience with Tivix has been the best by far. Part of it is because they’re a smaller team and used a lot of collaborative tools. Additionally, their Python expertise and DevOps teams were a great match for our AWS system.

How did Tivix perform from a project management standpoint?

While other companies I’ve worked with use internal tools or tools that came as part of software packages, Tivix used open-source solutions that were well-integrated into our process. This allowed me always to see what they were working on, where they were blocked, and what questions they had. We used Waffle.io to track progress and GitHub as a code repository. We communicated via Slack and had biweekly, in-person meetings or conference calls. InVision was sufficient for discussing and agreeing on mockups.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Though we had a singular project manager, it didn't cause communication bottlenecks. If someone left a ticket in Waffle.io, they could tag me and I could address their issue on my phone or computer. Additionally, I enjoyed how much they brought me into the process and empowered me to collaborate in real-time. Their adherence to timelines and budgets was also outstanding.

Ultimately, however, it’s all about the people. Tivix is full of attentive people that were genuinely interested in helping with our project. Personnel is what I look at first when I consider a company and Tivix ranks highly. They were simply a pleasure to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Though this isn’t unique to Tivix, and it’s only a minor issue, it’s all I can think of. Our final milestone dragged past the timeline, so some of our resources were pulled onto another project. Therefore, their responsiveness decreased (15–30 to a day). I’m not sure how to solve the problem, but I wish it could have been improved.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the global leader for a pharmaceutical company focused on animal health.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tivix?

We were starting to explore digital applications within our company, but we were unable to use internal IT resources. I hired Tivix to serve as an external development team as we created a lean startup model within a corporate environment.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I’ve built a team with Tivix as the development backbone. I have other resources located in London, San Francisco, New York, and Poland. Together, we’ve built a very complex Platform as a Service, which connects to a care model where we’re collecting patient data and sharing it with the healthcare provider and other key stakeholders.

The web stack includes Python’s Django, and we’re building mobile apps for iOS and Android. Our engagement includes a lot of experimentation. I had to prove to our company that I could introduce a Silicon Valley-style product into the healthcare space and make a difference. To do that, I’ve relied on Tivix’s ability to iterate quickly and develop code with very few defects.

What is the team composition?

I can add additional layers depending on the workload and what we’re trying to build. The team size has exceeded 20 people at times.

How did you come to work with Tivix?

I worked with Tivix at previous stops in my career. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in May 2012 and remains ongoing. They’re a consistent partner that integrates into our team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can’t share any specific numbers, but I can confirm that they build high-quality products. They have a fast delivery time and very few application errors. When compared to other developers, it’s clear that Tivix has a superior standard of how they code.

With their help, I’ve been able to prove to my company that these products can be successful. We now have a number of digital products that are transforming how medicine is delivered.

How did Tivix perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great in every respect. We’re in constant communication—whether that’s in person or through email, texts, or phone calls. Their frontend designers can easily forecast the product from a user perspective. The technical managers help me work with commercial partners. There is always a roadmap to our success.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve always executed for me. They go the distance to make the product the best it can be.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. If they were a larger development firm, I think we’d lose a lot of what makes them unique. I appreciate who they are as a boutique firm with Silicon Valley experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of DoveMed, a healthcare information company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tivix?

We needed more resources to build a mobile-responsive health information platform with a scalable infrastructure and SEO content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tivix was required to develop a Django Python website with a sleek UI/UX design on the frontend and stable infrastructure on the backend. They initiated the process by building a scalable architecture that can host large databases and a tremendous amount of content. We wanted to add an affordable geofencing plugin, so they integrated OpenStreetMap onto the platform. Using Wagtail CMS, their team created healthcare-related content for the platform. Since launching the website, they have helped us build mobile apps and refine our monetization and marketing efforts. 

What is the team composition?

They assigned one point of contact to our account, but their company is comprised of more than 58 employees.

How did you come to work with Tivix?

The other web developers that we evaluated were not as well-versed in Django Python or Wagtail CMS, so we decided to work with Tivix after receiving their reasonable RFP response.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in March 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Despite the numerous challenges that emerged throughout the project, Tivix built an incredibly complex platform. The website is well-structured, stable, and able to accommodate 500,000 users each month. More than 1.2 million physicians and 8,000 are registered on the site, and traffic is increasing by 15% each month.

How did Tivix perform from a project management standpoint?

Their managers, developers, and marketers worked as a holistic team to deliver a fantastic product.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tivix is helpful, transparent, and able to cope with stress. We were pleased to see that their team wasn’t large and inaccessible or small and incompetent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have never experienced any major issues while working with Tivix.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager at a global nonprofit that helps provide food and human resources to communities in need. In my division, we implement technological solutions to encourage partnerships with civil society organizations around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tivix?

We wanted to create two complimentary portals that would help us manage and work with civil society organizations on a global scale. Because this was an inter-organizational effort involving three agencies, we needed a development firm that could work with multiple key stakeholders to execute the project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tivix created two portals, handling the design, development, production, and support. The first portal basically hosted our RFP process. With the solution, our agencies could post calls for expression of interest (EOI) from civil society organizations. These calls would typically seek providers who could supply goods or services for humanitarian purposes. Organizations who wanted to partner with us could then submit proposals before we’d make our selection. By registering with a profile, organizations could also keep up to date on EOI opportunities across our three agencies.

The second portal would manage the documents about the partnerships. Here, civil society organizations could see detailed files on the parameters of their work in addition to reporting and tracking their results.

For both projects, Tivix led the development process, translating high-level business requirements into technical specs and testing the portals. They’ve since deployed the EOI portal and are now providing ongoing support. We’re still pilot testing the reporting portal but expect to go live soon.

What is the team composition?

Their team consists of project managers and developers, though the CEO is also involved. He’s a hands-on person with a strong technical background, so he’s knowledgeable about our project.

How did you come to work with Tivix?

I joined the project midway, so I’m not sure how we first found them. However, I believe we’d already had a long-term agreement with them. They’d performed well on a previous project, so we considered them first when looking at development firms.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work on the portals started in January 2017 and is ongoing. We’ve launched the EOI portal on November 2018 and expect to finish the reporting portal by December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We recently went live with the EOI portal, and our partners have responded positively. Over a thousand organizations have registered on the portal, and we’re already seeing EOIs across multiple countries. We expect to have over 4,000–5,000 participating partners for each of our three agencies.​

​​​​​​How did Tivix perform from a project management standpoint?

Tivix had a strong, full-cycle development process, assigning a dedicated project manager to every project. We had weekly calls to clarify requirements used a ticketing program to keep track of tasks.

I particularly appreciated the team’s collaborative attitude when it came to navigating our three agencies. Since we’re an NGO, we use a different feedback cycle than the private sector, which can be challenging. So, they suggested a hybrid agile approach: during the requirements phase, they followed a waterfall methodology; we’d then transition into sprints for the main development. Every few weeks, they’d showcase their work and incorporate our feedback for the next demo.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Despite the challenge of working with three agencies, Tivix maintained a collaborative environment. There were several instances when we couldn’t agree on anything; we’d often revisit requirements and change the scope halfway through, which delayed the project. As a result, their CEO would fly in and lead sessions to facilitate conversations. It was reassuring to know that we could reach out to him to help work through any issue.

I’d also commend their problem-solving skills. Tivix is a capable firm that’s committed to producing results. They understand how to transform business requirements into technical solutions. Once we explain our needs, they’re able to quickly create a mock-up, which helps us identify solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, they’ve delivered great work, but their testing and QA process could improve. At times, certain parts of the solution weren’t fully tested on their end, so we needed to send them back. Spending more time on in-house testing would help mitigate redundant work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of a technology company that is developing consumer apps. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tivix?

As a startup, we needed a partner to develop our products for us. Tivix created our mobile device-based meeting application from scratch. Most professionals use Outlook or Google to organize their schedule. Our product offers an alternative for people who don't use either platform heavily or prefer not to mix business and social commitments on one calendar. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

As Tivix created our mobile app for iOS and Android from zero to completion, they brainstormed several creative avenues to pursue. We maintained an open dialogue and worked collaboratively to create wireframes. They took a fluid and flexible approach, rather than keeping things set in stone. Occasionally upon reassessment, we’d redo feature sets they'd developed when they found a better option. The team was willing to take chances and experiment to find the best possible solution. 

Tivix built our mobile app for iOS and Android. Rather than being associated with an email address, it's strictly based on a phone number. The core features include a chat component, calendar, and scheduling functions. When a user sends out meeting invitations, the program indicates who can attend based on which parties have accepted, rejected, or haven't replied yet.

Outside all the technical requirements for our app, Tivix also supported our digital marketing and branding efforts. We’d been making some cosmetic changes to our branding at the time. We selected color schemes and designed icons and logos together, including the main one for our company. 

How did you come to work with Tivix?

We searched online for companies that offer app development. Tivix had an impressive client list, so I conducted a one-on-one interview with their CTO that proved fruitful. I went to meet the team in person and liked their set up, which wasn't too big or too small. Their multiple locations provided some latitude for arranging meetings. Along with their office in San Francisco, they have one in New York that's very easy for me to get to.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $400,000 in total. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our collaboration in October 2016, and it's still ongoing. We’ve finished the product, but Tivix is still on board for support with tweaking and troubleshooting. We work with them on a monthly basis, and they charge based on the number of hours they work. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My most significant challenges have related to marketing, not to the product itself. The mobile app Tivix delivered is quite good. We haven't experienced any crashes so far, which would be the worst problem to have.

Now and then, we faced some unexpected challenges. For example, India legally requires SMS messages to be classified as transactional or promotional. Tivix has been very responsive to issues of this kind. They’ve quickly resolved unexpected problems we encountered along the way.

How did Tivix perform from a project management standpoint?

One of our project managers was less flexible than the rest of the team. Tivix eventually replaced him, but this situation hampered development somewhat. When the new project manager came onboard, everything about the process improved from there on out.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I most appreciated the team’s flexibility. Tivix was a team of willing and able partners. They could instantly change direction at any time. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should take a little more care when developing budgets. I understand that the budget for a new product can't be immovable, but I wish they’d made me aware that it could vary a significant percentage from the number they initially provided. That's just the nature of this type of project, though.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of financial products at Tesla.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tivix?

We needed a partner to supplement our engineering team and to work on platform and UI dev for a few different financial technology projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tivix has worked on a range of projects over the past four years. They’ve done smaller pieces of larger projects but also taken responsibility for full platforms and other, more complex assignments. I’ve used Tivix as an extension of my own team, including for design scoping and development.

What is the team composition?

I work with the CEO.

How did you come to work with Tivix?

The CTO at my last job knew them well, so we began working together. We approached them with a large, complex project, which they were able to quickly break down and show a path to completion.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost ranges for each project, but we’ve typically spent between $100,000–$1 million per project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been partners since May 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work is top-quality and always done right and on time. Tivix is so integrated in our process that it’s hard to tell where our team’s role ends and theirs begins.

How did Tivix perform from a project management standpoint?

Tivix is responsive and meets our needs. The frequency of our communication depends on the project, but they’re always willing to adapt to our schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tivix isn’t afraid to take on hard projects. They provide support when needed and get the job down right. Recently, we had a relatively complex project that needed senior experience, and Tivix delivered something in a short time frame.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Give them access to as many of your projects as possible. Be open to them adding value in a variety of ways.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of product development for a medical consulting company that educates patients on their upcoming surgeries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tivix?

We didn’t have the software development talent in-house, or the ability in our rural area to scale that type of project. We needed a turnkey solution for a UX/UI engagement platform. For some patients, our system is only needed once, so the design needed to be user-friendly and have an easily manageable backend.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In a full-stack development effort, Tivix did a clean canvas review that led to user stories for the platform. To complete a minimal viable product (MVP), they developed prototypes, mock-ups, and had a bucket list of features that we wanted to include. The team then coded a multi-tenant open platform solution that allows medical practices to upload, license, or subscribe to content. The solution tailored each patient’s UX to their specific surgical needs. Documentation features helped doctors meet medical standards and enabled patients to track progress. 

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with the owners, and the CEO and founder.

How did you come to work with Tivix?

We interviewed several different vendors and selected Tivix because they were the only ones the only firm interested in a partnership.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent approximately $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them on the MVP between June 2017–February 2018. Currently, Tivix maintains the platform and we handle product-to-product migration in-house.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product was not only functional but also exceptional by today’s standards. We got incredible user feedback because the platform provides patients with information that doctors don’t always convey. We expect to get more results after further testing.

How did Tivix perform from a project management standpoint?

The end product evolved over time because we did something original.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tivix accommodated our needs to make the development process go smoothly. My company tracked the changes they wanted to make, but we collaborated with one another like partners. We maintained a healthy relationship and they gave us a fair price.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We did not have any issues. Constant communication was the most important aspect of our relationship and they excelled at it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tivix is best suited for clients that are looking for a partnership, as opposed to a contract vendor. Their forte is helping customers find creativity and then leveraging it. Let that creativity flow and treat it more as a partnership.