Left Right Mind

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a home maintenance and remodeling company in Connecticut and New York. I am the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Left Right Mind?

We wanted to create a mobile application that would make it easier for us to communicate with our customers and easier for our customers to be able to order our services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app is on iOS only. As a backend for the application, we wanted to use an existing application that was already in place. That is a cloud based app called QuickBase which has a pretty robust API for exposing the data that’s in the app on a customer-specific basis, and for writing new records into the app from customer accounts. One of our brand promises is that we want a long-term relationship with our customers. This app is one of the ways that we fulfill that promise. They can see a record of all the services that have happened on their property, and they can request new ones. For instance, customers can take a picture of a fence that got knocked down in a windstorm with our application, and then write a description about it and tell us whether it’s urgent or not, and then ask us for an estimate or ask us to come out and fix it. If we do an estimate, they’ll get a notification when it’s ready. They can look at it and ask questions about it or approve it, and then they’ll see notifications about appointments as well.

How did you come to work with Left Right Mind?

When we decided to build the app, I reached out to several companies that I knew through various means. I worked in the advertising industry part-time at that time, so I have a few connections. Left Right Mind was a personal connection. The founder of the company is married to a designer that I worked with.

How much have you invested with Left Right Mind?

We have spent $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in late 2014 and finished the first launch in December 2014. Maintenance and feature additions are ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have metrics. There have been some success stories including a customer finding a gas leak and putting in an emergency request in the app. We had someone at her house in 45 minutes. There have been a few stories like that. For some people, it’s been part of their decision to use us because people are accustomed to using technology in many of parts of their lives. Getting work done on your house is still something that tends to be analog. They like the ability to connect with us, send pictures, and have a record of everything.

How did Left Right Mind perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been pretty good. They’ve had some growing pains and personnel changes, but whenever I say something about things not going well, they’ve been extremely responsive in making changes to improve the process.

What did you find most impressive about Left Right Mind?

They’re pretty forward thinking in terms of design and functionality. They’ll propose things that I think are cool, but I tend to be more conservative in rolling things out to our customers. Regardless, I do want to hear their ideas.

Are there any areas Left Right Mind could improve?

One of the reasons I went with them is that they deliver great value at a good price. The price that I pay for that is that most of the work is done overseas. The time zone difference can be a challenge.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Preemadonna is a technology company building solutions, smart products, and creative platforms, especially for girls and women. I am Co-founder and CEO [Chief Executive Officer].

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Left Right Mind?

We needed some additional support with some of the design and development of the mobile iOS app. We had a very strict deadline. I needed another “co-founder” to get up to speed and help support our team. I was able to find it with this team. They took on this project as their own.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We did iOS app development in Swift. Our team did initial wireframing, and through collaborative iteration, we settled on a design and implantation schedule. We had several projects with them - different versions of our app that included augmented reality functionalities, image processing, and print capabilities. As we’ve expanded and grown, they have grown with us. That’s unusual to find in an external app development company. They’ve taken on each of our challenges and have helped us train our own staff as we’ve hired more people internally.

How did you come to work with Left Right Mind?

It was a personal recommendation. They had worked with someone else on our team and had great reviews. The CEO of Left Right Mind is very personable and also an engineer. He’s built iOS apps from the ground up and has a strong eye for design. If you’re looking for the combination of both, it’s really the right fit, especially with the tight deadline. They really understand how to bring something to market – all the way from an initial minimum viable product to a finished product.

How much have you invested with Left Right Mind?

We have invested $25,000 to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first project was in November 2014. It was a very tight deadline, but it worked and was very functional and impressive for me to show to focus groups and investors.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of our first products is the NailBot and it prints custom nail art with your phone. They helped quite a bit on the design of our mobile app. They really helped solve some of the early implementation issues that we were having. When you tap “print” it actually prints and it’s a great user experience. It was very functional. When you have a smart product, AKA a piece of hardware that’s connected to a mobile app, it needs to be pretty intuitive for the user and it needs to be functional right out of test flight. They’ve been extremely helpful with both of those conditions.

How did Left Right Mind perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m a difficult customer. Sometimes your priorities change. Sometimes you learn things from the market and you need to shift what is being developed. That can be very frustrating when you use an external source. In this instance, for us, it was pretty seamless. They felt like a member of our team. We had a project manager but I also had direct access to the CEO, which helps as a lean team. They have a pretty diverse team. Some folks are extremely versatile and experienced on the design side. Some folks are much better on the coding side. Other folks are great in terms of testing. It’s a unique blend of left and right minds there.

What did you find most impressive about Left Right Mind?

Timing is everything. The faster you can innovate, the faster you can go through different beta versions of your product, and the most successful you’re going to be in the long run. One thing they’re very good at is once they have the input from me, they can turn product very, very quickly. They will go to work early and stay late to get things done.

Are there any areas Left Right Mind could improve?

They’re very focused on iOS which is fantastic. I think that with their skill sets, they’ll be very lucrative if they go further into Android also.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Shriram Life Insurance, a private life insurance company that serves the rural mass and lower middle market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Left Right Mind?

We brought on Left Right Mind to improve our e-commerce and digital marketing capabilities.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop a strong B2C e-commerce channel.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We short-listed three companies and then chose Left Right Mind after a thorough interview and selection process.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They strategized an optimal customer journey and re-developed our website accordingly. They've played a large role in campaign strategies and digital marketing campaign management.

What was the team composition?

The team consists of consultants and developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We have achieved and maintained the top spot in the Likealyzer tool's industry rankings for 12 months in a row. Also, we have been able to convert a significant amount of business from the activity.

Since we are now able to view our conversion funnel, iterative marketing processes will take place. This will facilitate growth in the future.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Left Right Mind had an efficient method of managing the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We've developed a good relationship with the group. They feel like a part of our team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I'm happy with the team's work.