Konstant Infosolutions

BACKGROUND

The client is the founder of what is referred to as the ultimate social calendar. They offer a social networking application where users can discover events happening in their city, see which events their friends are attending, and buy tickets for those events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

The challenge was finding a development and coding partner offshore. American firms had much higher prices so the client looked for firms through Elance. Konstant Infosolutions was selected to work on backend architecture.

SOLUTION

Konstant Infosolutions provided coding services while working remotely. Konstant worked with the client during odd hours to make sure the project was wrapped up smoothly and on schedule. The latest version of the app was completed in June of 2014. The cost of the project ended up being significantly less than the quotes offered by American developers. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

The client is very happy with the results of Konstant's work. They produced a fantastic app with very few bugs. The performance is much better than expected. The client is very pleased with the responsiveness and accessibility that the Konstant team offers.

The Konstant team is very professional, honest, and accountable. They are available to support at all times. The project manager has been excellent and has been great at communicating requirements to the development team.

The client has met Konstant's CEO and has a strong relationship with the whole team. Konstant's honesty and integrity stands out. The project was a learning experience that allowed both Konstant and the client to grow.

There are no complaints to report. The project was wrapped up smoothly and costs were much less than expected. The app was complicated, but Konstant handled all the challenges well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a mobile app development company. We’ve been working with Konstant Infosolutions for about two years. We build mobile applications and businesses around mobile application ideas with custom PHP CMS and Web services connected to different kinds of platforms on the iPhone.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I'm the president and sole proprietor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Konstant Infosolutions?

Our overall business goal was to partner with a company that could deliver a beautifully designed and well-functioning application that could also understand what I needed from the beginning. In time, they were able to start thinking not just like me, but like a U.S. client. We, through our relationship, developed processes that go on every platform we build. There are certain things that need to go everywhere on every system.

We developed processes and procedures where, when a new client comes, we know what to do and when, and how things need to be communicated. It minimized my initial involvement so I could sell new projects.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We are a dedicated developer for individual things. If a family or close friend needs help with a site or some SMS integration, we do that. We work with Konstant because we know that whatever need comes up on our end, we can have direct access to a qualified developer to do coding.

What was your process for selecting Konstant Infosolutions with which to work?

Elance, reviews, viewing their portfolios, and talking to their CEO was the process. We had a thorough understanding of the process and that they would be there for us, no matter what. They are great guys.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

We have about 200 hours per month over several teams working together on all of our projects. They’ve been working with us for about 18 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

There are no metrics for their success because they are work for hire. They design and build what we want, so there is a 100 percent success rate. It is up to our client to champion, market, and sell their product and app. We are very satisfied.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

We have worked with development companies in the past and had a different experience. I like Konstant's process, how they do business and how things look in email communications. Konstant is always willing to listen and make themselves better. That has won me for life.

I get to talk directly to the CEO. I don’t know if that just happens with me or whether that's their usual process. Things get escalated and taken care of when they need to. Everything is a positive experience, all around.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Sometimes I would like more direct access with the specific developer. Using offshore developers and speaking with a project manager can be a little difficult. I always get around it. Eighty percent of the time, they suggest that I talk directly to the developer. Knowing me, I would probably skip the project manager every day and talk directly to the developer. They have their reasons for it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a small software as a service startup.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Konstant Infosolutions?

The primary goal for the work with Konstant was to bring the code to current standards and make it more efficient.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

The app was put together very quickly. It was working fine, but I knew that as we started to grow, we needed to make the code more efficient. That was the primary goal at first. Then, we came up with some ideas to improve the product substantially and incorporated those along with the efficiency as well as some front-end changes. We did an entire front-end and backend redesign.

What was your process for selecting Konstant Infosolutions with which to work?

I used Elance and oDesk to look for suitable contractors. When I used prior contractors, I looked for some dedicated resources as well as a team. That way, if someone had an issue, [that person] could go to another coder or resource and find an answer.

Is the work completed?

The app is completed, and Konstant is the back end developer that I use for the ongoing work. I did most of the front-end work after the launch of our second version. The relationship is definitely ongoing, and we completed the major step in terms of the new version launch.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

Our recent initiative was 100 hours a week for a month. Once the initiative ended, it's in the maintenance phase. Maintenance might be 10 to 20 hours a month until we have our next development cycle. The next development cycle might be back to 100 hours a week. The project will go like that periodically. There will be a large amount of resources punctuated by a development cycle.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I don’t have any metrics. I was looking for the ability to develop the concepts I had in my head efficiently. I wanted some guidance around ideas that were not fully developed.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

Where I wasn’t pleased, they always worked harder so I would be pleased. If something went wrong, they always went the extra mile to try to correct the issue. In my experience with contractors, that has been a very positive distinction. Most people can build things, but when things go wrong, that is when you find out who is truly an expert. They did a better job than my previous vendors did when things went wrong.

I had not worked with any larger companies, but I really appreciated their quality assurance work. When we had the big development project, we had a day-to-day coder, a lead who was supervising the coder and taking on the more challenging project. There was a front-end designer, a front-end developer, and a QA [quality assurance] person who tested the whole thing. The quality and consistency of the QA work made it all come together, because that person was in a position to find things that weren’t working with the front end and the back end, and the two of them together. They had to document it and communicate it in a way so that it was fixed relatively quickly.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

You come to developers with an idea, and the better you flesh that idea out, the more effective and efficient the project will be.

This applies to every developer I’ve worked with. You struggle to find people who can put themselves in the position of your customer. When they are developing, you want them to look at the result the way your customer looks at it. As the owner, you’re struggling to look at it the way the customer does. You need your developer to be as close with you as possible.

Something that might function correctly in terms of coding may not be the best for the user. Ideally, you have a developer who is attuned to that. That has been a challenge with every contractor I’ve worked with. It was a challenge with Konstant as well, to get to that point.

I have two QA people, and both of them did a good job of bringing to my attention the fact that something was good technically, but that it wouldn’t be what the customer would expect. They told me what we should do to accomplish that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

Author's Tea is a social network for authors and their fans.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the president of Author's Tea.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Konstant Infosolutions?

This was our initial launch, so we spent time reviewing the business requirements, getting everything sized, agreeing to terms, designing, developing, and launching the website. It was a big project.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We didn’t do an app. It's purely a website. They worked on designing and developing the website for my new company.

What was your process for selecting Konstant Infosolutions with which to work?

We started the project with another development team. After working with the team for a full year, we came to the conclusion that it was never going to work. We sought many different companies and got input from many of them as to what we should do. I selected 20 companies and interviewed less than that. I worked the shortlist down to three, Konstant being one of them. I went through all of our proposals as to what our next step should be. We selected Konstant.

They came in from a consulting standpoint and gave us several options. They compared and contrasted what we had to choose from. We decided to scrap the old website completely. We did thorough testing on the old website so that everyone would completely understand what worked and what didn’t. Then, we decided to start from scratch.

We brought in designers, who did all the layouts. The HTML team did their work, and we had a testing team that came in behind them. Konstant also provided the testing. Then, I brought in another international consultant to look over their shoulder, to ensure everything they proposed and did was good. It went well.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The project was about $50,000. The scope of the initial launch was completed April 1, 2014, but our work continues. Immediately after that, we went into an enhancement, which was completed within the month. Now, we're doing another enhancement that should be completed by early June. I have enhancements lined up for them that go into the next year. We got the launch out, and now we're enhancing it.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics, metrics, or user feedback to track improvement from the project?

The feedback that I’ve received so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Most of the people that comment on the website say that it is extremely well organized. We launched about seven weeks ago, and I’ve had a total of three customer service inquiries. That is out of more than 15,000 hits to the site since we launched. The site is extremely well laid out, the navigation is intuitive, and people are not having any problems with it. I’m very happy with the design and the functionality that we chose to go with.

How was Konstant Infosolutions's performance?

I’m very happy with the way they held up to the terms. For example, one of the key things that I did during the negotiation process was that I had them do an initial scope and a commitment estimate. We agreed on the number of hours and the cost. If the cost went under the estimate, great. If it goes over, this is all I’m paying. When things started going over, they didn’t balk. They completed the project and we stuck to the terms. You really have to hand it to them for that, because it did cost them a little bit.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I tried to hire a U.S. company. I really wanted to stay local, and I interviewed a lot of local people here in Dallas. I finally branched out and interviewed about 10 different U.S.-based companies. Every single company was sorely disappointing. They underdeliver and overcharge. It was very sad, quite honestly. I could not pick a U.S.-based company; couldn’t do it.

What was unique about Konstant and the deciding factors were, number one, they were well respected within the industry. Number two, they were large. We're starting off as a small website, and we know we're going to grow. We needed a company that could support us from the beginning through our growth stage. They have website designers, developers, testers, and people that support us with apps when we got to that stage. They have SEO [search engine optimization] specialists and project managers. Whatever I need, when I need it, Konstant is there to support me. Because they’re such a big company, it's basically a plug-and-play situation. I get what I need, when I need it. That just wasn’t available with 90 percent of the companies that I talked to.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

The biggest area where we could have improved was the testing. I thought the test scripts were very well defined, but the results coming out of testing were not always conclusive. That was a minor issue, but it is definitely something worth changing going forward.

BACKGROUND

The client is a small, Canadian marketing firm. They have worked with Konstant for several years on many development projects. The client has its own development team, so Konstant is their go-to for overflow work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

The client needed to find an offshore team to handle its extra work when needed. Flexibility and quality were key drivers. The low cost was another bonus.

SOLUTION

The client relies on Konstant for development and coding. Most of the projects are smaller with a quick turnaround, but some are larger.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

The client thinks the relationship is turning out great. The positives far outweigh the negatives of the relationship. The client feels that Konstant is constantly improving their performance and project management. Konstant is very accountable and willing to own mistakes and fix any bugs.

Their main strength is fixing problems, no matter who caused the issue. They quickly find resolutions and take ownership of projects. The client thinks their work is very good and is rapidly adding more projects. The relationship will just grow.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your firm.

We make mobile apps and have a software platform, which we have already implemented for 30 or 40 beta customers. We are working on a virtual mobile help desk kind of a platform. We have been in business for about eight months. We have five employees. We already have some financing. We have a board of directors and advisors.

What is your role and responsibilities

I’m one of the founders and CEO, so I manage the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for the work with Konstant Infosolutions ?

There were two phases to their work, which we have already completed. We did our proof of concept and our initial platform with them, which was even before we raised money. That project’s aim was to demonstrate our product to a few very early customers as well as to the investors. Once we raised some money, the goal was to outsource some part of the engineering to them and enhance our own engineering capabilities.

SOLUTION

Can you describe the scope of their work?

There is program management on their side. There is development. There has been quite a lot of design as well as some QA [Quality Assurance] services.

What was your process for selecting Konstant Infosolutions for the project?

I have actually worked with Konstant Infosolutions on one of my other startups four years ago. I already knew about them. We had drifted apart because I was doing other projects. I don’t even know how I met them initially. I have known them for a long time. I think their info was given to me by a friend.

Can you give a sense of the size of the projects with a general cost range?

I think we have spent about $50,000 on this phase.

Is the work completed or ongoing?

It’s ongoing. We are more in the maintenance and enhancement stage right now rather than in new development mode. We are actively supplementing our own engineering strength with their team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What are the results of their work so far? Do you have any statistics or metrics you can share?

It’s difficult to measure or show statistics. It’s more in terms of the overall satisfaction of my engineers here in the U.S. No one on my team has a problem with the quality of their code and things like that. I really have no idea how I could measure their performance quantifiably.

Are you satisfied with their performance?

Yes. Overall, it has been fine. There are some small problems with the code that had to be rewritten because there was a miscommunication. I have been doing software development for 20 years. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened with Konstant.

What is unique or special about Konstant Infosolutions that is just unique or special compared to other companies?

Their consistency is really the best thing. I usually like consistency with my offshore teams even during vacation periods. They can substitute resources quickly if someone is out of town or sick. I was worried that this would decrease the quality of work. Actually, it worked out pretty well. Their knowledge transfer was very good as was their documentation. It actually worked out almost seamlessly, consistency in delivery, consistency of cross resources, which is a very tricky thing to find in the software industry.

Is there anything that you think Konstant Infosolutions could improve upon or something you may do differently?

The main thing is really the time difference considering that a lot of their clients are in U.S. on Pacific time. Their time flexibility has been an issue. I don’t call it inflexibility, but more like their inability to fix that problem with their resources. They insist on starting work at 10 or 11 a.m. local time but in California that is very late at night. I am usually in bed before they start working so things aren’t always as smooth as possible. If they come in at 11 a.m. in their office, that makes it 10:30 p.m. my time. When I worked for a large corporation my Indian team used to come to the office at 8 a.m. so that it was 7:30 p.m. in California. This is clearly something they could improve on without a ton of effort.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

My company has been developing software applications for a number of years. We sell them directly as well as through affiliate marketing. We research marketplaces where there's a need for a product, and we decide if we should go down that road. We seek out a team that can help us create that product and bring it to the marketplace. We're based in Newfoundland in Canada.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Konstant Infosolutions?

We had several projects with Konstant. One of the first challenges we had was that we had a source code, where we could not reach the developers of source code. We couldn’t get any modifications or additions made to the code. I asked Konstant to look at the code to see if they could make the changes and modifications that we needed. They were quite capable of doing that, which saved me the time of having to create that product from scratch.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Prior to that, the first project we did with them was to create a video app solution where people could easily record video testimonials and recommendations from their smart devices. They could instantly post those to a website. Once the video was approved by the account holder, it would go live on the website. That was the first project that got us involved with Konstant. They had the expertise to create the app for the Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry. They had good knowledge of those platforms, and they were able to follow my instructions clearly. The back-and-forth part of the program was minimized because they clearly understood what I needed. I’m a graphic designer, so I could give a visual of what I wanted. They successfully completed that project within budget. Once that project was completed, we gave them the source code project.

I went down that road a third time because I have another application that the former programmers had created. I asked the team at Konstant if they could go through that code, see how it worked, and make some modifications to help me turn it into a white label project. They were able to do that successfully. Within the past few weeks, they’ve become a very integral part of my business. I had an affiliate script that was purchased in about 2005. The coding of PHP has changed dramatically. It's a program that my business runs on, and I couldn’t afford to switch to something else.

They were able to take that code, figure out how it works, and make a lot of changes that I required, bring it up to standard, and add some new additions. I have two more projects on the table for them to help me create. One is mobile friendly. I had a webinar audio-video conference system that I had created a few years ago. They’re going to help me create a brand new one. I have another project after that.

I speak very highly of Konstant. Their English is very good, and their availability is spot on. They have been integral to my business.

What was your process for selecting Konstant Infosolutions to work with?

I went to Elance and posted a job there. I’ve learned through trial and error to be very careful who I choose. The feedback and ratings that are provided are very important to me, and you get a good understanding of what kind of work they can do.

It was also important to me that they were a team. There wasn’t just one person in the basement doing coding. My projects required time restrictions and deadlines. Knowing that they had multiple people with the talents that I needed, whether it be PHP, Flash, or those sorts of things that can be done together instead of one, then the next as often happens when you have one person. When you have a team, they could complete multiple tasks at the same time, and then bring them all together. That was very important to me.

They have one manager who is online with them every day because he is very important to my business. All of those factors are very important to me, so we could get the job back on time, on budget, and with a good understanding on both sides of the equation.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

One project came in around $30,000. The script that they modified was between $6,000 to $8,000. Some other projects were hourly projects. They are very good. If they say 10 hours, it's 10 hours or less. They’ve never charged me for more, even if they had run into problems and gone over.

The work is ongoing because technology changes so quick. I created a couple of projects, but didn’t consider creating anything for mobile.

They modified our postcard system for website use. Now, we will create a new postcard system from scratch, and it will be for mobile. I’ve spent more than $80,000 on my conference system alone. It's strictly for Mac and PC. They will create a new one for me that will run on mobile devices. I’m expecting to spend another $80,000. I trust that they are more than capable. They have proven themselves with the projects that I’ve had. They’ve given me what I’ve asked for every time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I like to create things that are user friendly, and Konstant offered other suggestions that would make them more user-friendly than the way I envisioned it. I’ve learned from programmers that if you tell them to do something a certain way, that's how they do it. If it comes back on you, that's what you asked for. Not only do they do what you ask them to do, they make suggestions on how it can become better. Their input comes with them getting to know them, and them getting to know me.

I met with them again this morning on another project, and I was trying to convey what I wanted done. The programmer made a suggestion that I wish I had thought of. They have insight that the end-user appreciates. I’ve heard that from my customers, which lets me know that they were right and knew what they were doing.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

No one is perfect, but they haven’t proven me wrong and they have never been over budget. They have been right on target with them.

I like how they handle the time zones, too. I’m in Newfoundland, and they’ve been working with my schedule. They work at 8 p.m. their time, which gives me ample opportunity to talk to them when I get up at 6 a.m. I’m at my desk shortly after that, and I work with them three to five hours later. That has been a real plus for me. A lot of times when you outsource, you go overseas, and they work during their 8 to 5, which is not my 8 to 5. That creates a problem. They have been there when I needed them, and they let you speak directly with their programmers. They have a manager who is a go-to person, and they really understand the project, and have great English. If I can’t communicate what we want to the programmer, the project manager can relay my message clearly.

I can’t say anything negative. No one is perfect. Because of my experiences with them from the top guy down, I have to give them a glowing recommendation.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Looking back on each project, there were things that I wish I had done differently. But, it is no reflection on them. They did what I wanted. I don’t often give out my budget because I don’t want them to spend the maximum. At this point, I feel comfortable enough to tell them what my budget is and ask what we can do with it.

Earlier this year, I had hired one person to do a small project that he told me he could do in 80 hours, which is two weeks. Eight weeks later, he still wasn’t done, and it cost thousands of dollars. This morning, I told the manager that I know we had talked about that project in the past, but it was so small that I didn’t want to involve him. But, at that point, I needed help. Konstant looked at it and fixed it in a few days. I was amazed, and I told him that I was sorry I didn’t give them the project in the first place.

I am lucky that I found them when I did. I was in a bind and was delayed on a project. It cost me tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue because I didn’t launch on time. Konstant took a couple of days to look it over and said they could help me and what they could do. The person they put on the job really knew his stuff and got us out of that bind. We are ready to launch that project now because of their ability to fix what the other guy broke. I can’t say anything negative about them. They’re really good.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I work for a startup in Italy that I began in Milan. We help local businesses make extra money during this tough economic period. We help local shops host business travelers like a bed-and-breakfast situation. Milan has a major business conference soon, so we want to capitalize on this opportunity. We help the visitors save money on hotel costs, and we help local businesses make some money that they desperately need now.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the CEO and founder, so I run the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Konstant Infosolutions?

Our goal is multilayered. It's crisis time, and nobody has money. We want to connect travelers to these struggling local companies, so both sides win in the end. We also plan to profit from this enterprise. Our goal is to earn money and to get through the crisis time.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Konstant Infosolutions developed our website. This is the first time we worked together, but not the last time. I find them to be very responsive to our needs. On this project, I did the graphic design because I used to work in the industry. I found that they were easy to work with and that they responded very well.

What was your process for selecting Konstant Infosolutions with which to work?

A friend of mine who used to work in IT found Konstant for me. They had done a project for them, and they were very happy. The cost was very low as well. We tried them, and it worked out well.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was less than $10,000.

When was the work completed?

The website was finished in mid-April of 2014. We plan to do more work with Konstant for other clients. I continue to work in an advertising company, and I plan to have them do all of my website work in the future. I am perfectly satisfied with their work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

It's too early to tell since we just completed the website.

Is there anything unique about Konstant Infosolutions that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

They have a personalized working style and are very flexible. They always try to do their best on whatever task they are working on, and they are very fast in responding to us. They usually respond within five minutes maximum. We talk on Skype every day. We are not their only client, but they always respond quickly even if they’re working on another project.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

No. I was very happy.

BACKGROUND

Could you give a brief description of your company?

We are a women’s fashion house. We sell accessories, jewelry, shoes, and wedding dresses. We have four full-time employees and one part time. We turn over, approximately, €200,000 [around $270,000] a year at the moment. We’re based in Dublin, Ireland.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the owner and founder, so I’m the managing director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge you were trying to address when you contacted Konstant Infosolutions?

We wanted to revamp our website completely with a lot of design change and functionality change.

What were your company’s business goals for the project?

We have high-end experience in our store, and we wanted to recreate the same thing online. The website was very poorly representing us. After the company had finished, it looked how we wanted it to look.

SOLUTION

In terms of the scope of the project, how long did it take?

I’ve used them twice. The first time, it took approximately three weeks for a full overhaul of the site. The second time was probably 10 days. It was a smaller job.

Did this just include Web design or was there additional development on the website?

There was also development. There had been some existing bug issues with the site, so they fixed those. I had the functionality change as well as the design.

Why did you choose Konstant Infosolutions for your project?

I saw them on a freelance website. For the previous two years before that, we had been using various freelancers around the world. However, they’d all be very disappointing or very expensive when it came to websites. These guys are reasonably priced, and they are very professional and very honest. The project evolved without any issues. I’m happy with them, and I won’t use anybody else now.

Could you give us a brief estimate of the size in dollar or euro terms for the project?

The first one was probably only about €1400 [around $1,900] and the second project might have been €600 [around $800].

When were the projects completed?

The first one would have been approximately July 14, 2013. This latest one was completed approximately around January 14, 2014. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of the results from the project completion, can you give us specific improvements that happen on your website, such as how it’s better overall because of the project?

Specifically, it certainly began to work faster. It was a lot faster, so they must have sorted out coding with my server because it was working slowly before that. There were some bugs and little issues as well with dead ends and 404 pages, and they fixed all those, too. So, the functionality inside became more smooth. There were other issues with image uploads I was having, they fixed that, too. A lot of little things that pop up as well through time, so they would look, and they would just fix it. Overall, the functionality, they just made it much smoother.

How do the rest of the employees in the company feel about the website?

They all love it. We get a lot of comments from other professionals in the business who enjoy our website.

From your customers, do you feel like they’ve given positive feedback as well with the new improvements in the website?

They have. We’ve definitely gotten positive feedback from the customers. They recognize the improvements.

Overall, you feel you selected the right platform and the right direction to go with Konstant Infosolutions?

Yes, I do. When the time comes for me to redo the site, keep it fresh and moving again, we’ll be using Konstant again. One of the things that I really liked about them was that there was nothing that they couldn’t do. With other developers, they were finding problems with everything I was asking them to do. Konstant didn't do that. They find solutions for what you’re looking for. They would make anything happen.

Is there anything special or unique with Konstant Infosolutions compared with other companies you’ve worked with in the past that differentiates them, or puts them a little higher than other companies?

In all fairness, their range. I worked with companies in the past that said they could do this and that, but they couldn’t do certain things. That was very frustrating for us. These guys seem to have a very big team, and each of them specialize in various areas. So, between them all, they have no difficulty executing what I ask them to do.

Looking back on the projects, is there anything that they could have improved on or done differently?

Honestly, none. Their communication was excellent. They were very good to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your firm.

Dolphin Creative is an event company specializing in public festivals across the Middle East.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for the work with Konstant Infosolutions?

Our goal was to create an event application for the public to download free of charge so they could get information on the festivals we were doing.

SOLUTION

Can you describe the scope of their work in more detail?

The work was mostly around the functionality for the mobile apps. We gave the ideas, and we knew how the app should look. They were the development team, so we put some of the ideas on the spec pages and Konstant put the ideas into action.

What was your process for selecting Konstant Infosolutions?

Initially, we found them on Elance for a previous app we did. We found that to be a good source for offshore firms. Because we’re in the Middle East, India is only a three-hour time difference, so it is only a small hindrance regarding project management.

Is the work ongoing?

They finished two app development projects already. They did another personal app for us in the past, and then we did a second app to showcase new content and events. They were the first company we called since the first app was successful.

Do you have plans to do more work with Konstant Infosolutions again in the future?

Yes, I think so. If we can get the communication right and the quality right of the apps to improve, we should work together again.

Can you provide a sense of the size of the average project with Konstant Infosolutions with a general cost range?

I think the cost hours would have been less if they understood the app from the very beginning. The cost of the actual app itself was between $3,000 and $5,000. The amount of work they did was larger than it needed to be, but that’s OK because it ended well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the projects?

We were satisfied. It will be unfair to claim Konstant could do more. They delivered what we asked for. The app didn’t work as well at first. The response from the public wasn’t good, but that was no fault of the app developers. That is more of a design and functionality issue from our side.

Do you have any statistics or metrics you could share about the success of the app?

I haven’t gotten any yet, but it wasn’t great. We probably had under 100 downloads total. We had 500,000 people attend the festival. Obviously, I would hope to get maybe 0.5 percent. I was hoping for maybe 1,000 or 2,000 downloads.

Which platform did you develop on for the apps?

We developed on iOS and Android.

Were the projects wrapped up successfully?

The project turned out fine. If I were to have a constructive criticism, it has to do with making communication too complicated. I had to go through four or five different managers each project, one person to negotiate the fee, another person to negotiate the terms, and then the development team. I think communication channels could be streamlined. We needed one point of contact to be the actual manager for the entire project duration. This improved by the end of the projects. We had a very good resource in the end, but it would have been nice to be working with him from the actual start.

Is anything unique or special about Konstant Infosolutions as a company that stands out as different from other firms?

Their prices are very good.

Looking back on the project, is there anything you think they could improve upon or something you might do differently?

It is tricky. Because they’re on the lower end of the PayScale, it is like any other product. You get what you actually pay for. I could probably have gotten a better company, but they would charge me much more. I think I have to be realistic. For the price that they can deliver an app, the fussing and the pain is worth it.