Michigan Software Labs

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a researcher at a university. We train students to be clinical psychologists so they can work with patients in mental and behavioral health practices, hospitals, or other research settings. I also independently research various mental health conditions to try and identify what causes conditions and how to improve them through technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Michigan Software Labs?

We wanted to build a mobile app that we could use for behavioral health intervention. Our goal is for the app to help patients improve their emotional and behavioral health.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Michigan Software Labs has helped us develop the iOS version of our application. The team has used a digital board to map how procedures flow through the application. They’ve also created detailed video demonstrations and mock-ups to show how features will function.

We plan to pilot the app this year to identify faulty features and ensure people see the anticipated benefits. In 2023, we’ll work together to address any issues and create the Android version of the app. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked directly with Pete (Delivery Lead), who has directed the project, and Mark (Co-Founder), who has overseen everything. We also work with six other individuals, including programmers, designers, and interns. 

How did you come to work with Michigan Software Labs?

I searched for development partners on Google, found Michigan Software Labs, and reviewed their website. I thought they’d be a good fit because they looked like they’d worked on educational projects before, so they quickly jumped to the top of my list, and I reached out. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Michigan Software Labs in November 2021, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still in the final stages of building the application, so we don’t have many statistics. However, the quality of their deliverables has been excellent so far. Michigan Software Labs has shown us great mock-ups and video demonstrations of how features should function.

How did Michigan Software Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Michigan Software Labs has been very thorough and attentive throughout the development process. They’ve been faithful to the project timeline and identified solutions quickly, even when we’ve had delays due to unforeseen issues. They’ve also provided us with a very accessible price.

We meet weekly to go through builds and demonstrate the functional features of the app. In between meetings, they routinely engage with us via phone and email to answer our questions. We typically communicate via Zoom and phone. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been impressed with their passion and commitment to the project, which isn’t necessarily a core requirement. Rather than just building the app and being done with it, Michigan Software Labs wants to see it succeed, which we appreciate. 

They’ve been very thorough and shown so much interest in the project, which has made us feel like they believe in the app as much as we do. Due to their interest, they’ve identified many potential issues that we hadn’t thought of, which has been incredibly helpful. 

We’ve really enjoyed working with Michigan Software Labs, and I wish we could collaborate on more projects. If I had the opportunity to work with them on another application, I’d 100% come back.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’d discussed having interns assist with our project, but we weren’t familiar with the process, so I think they could’ve done a better job demystifying it. Now that we know how it works, the process flows well. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I lead the IT Department and Digital Strategy at a leading full service recycling company. We recycle metal, plastics, paper, and more!

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Michigan Software Labs, and what were your goals?

We were looking to develop a mobile app that allowed our material inspectors to be highly mobile with technology in low connectivity scenarios. This app needed to have a great interface that matched the journey of the inspector, allowing them to most efficiency process hundreds of very high-quality inspections per day on their mobile device.

SOLUTION

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

I checked with my network and heard great things about Michigan Labs. We interviewed them along with some other leading vendors in the area and found the MI Labs was the right fit for this project. They were very in tune with the needs of our business and had a high level of mobile app development talent on staff.

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

The project consisted of multiple onsite journey / process maps to understand the flow and needs of our inspection process. We went through multiple wireframe iterations until we agreed on the perfect workflow in the app. We then proceeded with development and had weekly reviews to review and approve progress. We finished with testing and deployment. This final phase went very quickly with very few if any bugs to flush out.

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

We had a project manage as the main point of contact along with 1 of 2 developers depending on the week and the task at hand. The owners were also involved as needed which was a great touch for our first project with MI Labs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Immediately after our project launch we were able to hold our inspectors accountable to extremely high quality inspections of material. This was a big win for our company to have a repeatable trackable process and even a bigger win for our customers, being able to fully trust our quality and grading processes.

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

We communicated frequently via slack with the majority of our time together in weekly review meetings. Timelines and deliverables were made clear in these meetings and were rarely if ever missed.

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

We found zero bugs in v1.0 of the software and didn't need another release until over a year later when we wanted some additional features added. They were in tune with our needs. This project was more about meeting our business needs than just building an app.

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

We had to switch between software developers a couple of times throughout the project. This is totally understandable and we changes scope and extended the timeline, it just required some ramp up time for the new devs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Ambs Call Center, a 24-7 call center that provides telephone answering and virtual receptionist services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Michigan Software Labs?

Our clients were looking for a more robust reporting solution than the one we had on our previous web portal. Hence, we needed someone to develop a brand new reports portal. Our goal was to help our clients conveniently get business analytics based on the data we collect for them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Michigan Software Labs built a web portal for us from scratch using Bootstrap. Along with the team, we decided on the platform we wanted it to be built on, which browsers it would be compatible with, and how it would look on mobile devices.

They continue to update the platform. Although they’re not actively coding right now, we plan to gather some client feedback and have the Michigan Software Labs team add more features.

What is the team composition?

We work with over 10 teammates, but we primarily interact with 4–5 people on calls, including project managers and UI/UX designers. The developers don’t typically join our meetings. 

How did you come to work with Michigan Software Labs?

I found them through a publication called Crain's Detroit Business, which rated software companies. We narrowed it down to two agencies, including Michigan Software Labs. We chose them because they were a local company whose cultures aligned better with ours.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in April 2021, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received some really phenomenal feedback from our users, and since my customers are happy, I’m delighted with the team.

How did Michigan Software Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We work together using an agile approach, and they’re very responsive. Typically, we communicate through Slack, phone calls, and email. They’re accessible, which has been a refreshing experience because I’ve worked with other vendors that were hard to reach. I appreciate that I can call Michigan Software Labs because it’s easier to get my message across. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to capture the user story really stands out. The team has taken our vision and turned it into reality — they understand our business and leverage their expertise to produce fantastic outputs. 

Furthermore, it’s easy to work with them because we share the same values as companies. It’s been a joy to work with Michigan Software Labs — they have the qualities we look for in a long-term partner. The value for money that they provide is very reasonable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind in terms of what they could do better. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared and hold up your end of the bargain when it comes to milestones and things that they require from you. Doing this will prevent you from slowing down the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

ATBS is a business services company. We provide tax and accounting services, mostly to independent contractors in the trucking industries. This includes people who own their own trucks and operate either on their own authority or lease onto a fleet to operate under that fleet’s authority.

We have tens of thousands of clients, and we work with most major fleets across the country. We work with and help manage their independent contractor programs, so it’s all of the back-office work and keeping those clients in business and successful. I’m one of the owners of the company, and my title is VP. I do some of our software sales and marketing, and our IT department reports directly to me.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Michigan Software Labs?

Our clients have been asking for a mobile app as a way to send necessary documents to us in an easier way. We’d been using third-party apps and different tools, and we also allowed clients to send us documents through traditional snail mail.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our first charge with Michigan Software Labs was to create an app that integrates with our internal enterprise document management system to allow clients to use the camera and different apps on their smartphone to photograph or transmit documents. That allows us to bring documents in, tag them to the correct clients, and categorize them appropriately for accounting and tax purposes.

We started at a high-level of just talking about all of the things we eventually wanted to see in the app. Then, we really drilled down to targeting and prioritizing what the highest value to start with was. They helped us figure out what that highest value was, and they turned all of that into a storyboard so that we could look at it from the client and business use case sides. This allowed us to determine where we should start.

We still have a number of items on our storyboard that we want to work through. However, we decided to focus on that document imaging piece, and a lot of the features built around that, as the core piece of the mobile app that we wanted to build out.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with five core people. Then, other people assist them in the background.

How did you come to work with Michigan Software Labs?

We did a nationwide search for different mobile app developers. Michigan Software Labs was referred to us by one of the trucking fleets that we work with. As we put out an RFQ to multiple providers and went through the process, Michigan Software Labs just stood above and beyond everybody else we interviewed.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost is into the six figures.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in August 2019, and we did the first release of the mobile app at the beginning of May 2020. We continue to work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their service is extremely high. They’ve been fabulous to work with. They’re very attentive and respond quickly when we have questions or ideas. If we need help with anything, they jump on it right away. They have always had resources available to get on a project. For instance, if a small bug pops up, they’re able to put resources on it the same day and get it resolved quickly.

How did Michigan Software Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We have video conferences for the majority of our meetings. As issues pop up, we typically resolve them via email back-and-forth. We also communicate through Slack. They’ve been great at hitting all of our deadlines. They’re very flexible and agile at being able to schedule time for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the reasons we picked them is because what we do requires a high level of competence with working and integrating with enterprise-level security and applications. We manage a lot of personal information for our clients, so we need to have a high level of confidence in who we’re working with and their ability to manage information. Michigan Software Labs has been great at figuring out how to integrate with our security systems and various applications.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. The relationship has been great. They set expectations for us up front in terms of time and cost, which are usually the two areas where you do run into hurdles, and we’ve stayed within what our expectations were in both of those areas. I’m very satisfied. 

Any advice for potential customers?

When we went into it, we had a laundry list of things we eventually wanted to see built into a mobile app. Rather than trying to bite off everything at once, they were really good at helping us create a storyboard and figure out what was going to be most important to our clients and the biggest win for us. 

Having that list beforehand was helpful, but so was not having our hearts set on what we wanted to accomplish. Instead, we had them consult and use their experience to let us know where users would see value in understanding our business. They told us what the ‘stickiest’ type of application would be to really get users engaged. Having our minds open to that was really helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’ve written a series of children’s joke books.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Michigan Software Labs?

I hired them to build an application for the books. The solution needed to be fun and interactive for kids.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the app from scratch for iOS devices. We’re currently working on an Android version.

What is the team composition?

Mark (Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Michigan Software Labs) is my main point of contact. He has a team working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Michigan Software Labs?

I used to work in the publishing industry and received a recommendation from that network. My colleague had had a positive experience with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s still early in the partnership, but I’ve already experienced an increased in book sales. That result is due to Michigan Software Labs’ ability to promote my brand via the iOS app.

How did Michigan Software Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They are phenomenal and easy to work with. Creative and collaborative, the team produces high-quality results efficiently. They are communicative via phone and email. Since Michigan Software Labs is local, we have in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their professionalism and quality output stand out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, because they are open to feedback and have strong communication skills.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-directors of IT for an automotive company. We supply aftermarket parts to automotive stores in the Great Lakes region.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Michigan Software Labs?

We wanted to track our parts on their journey from our locations to the installers. We needed a vendor to build a tool that could trace and manage the orders.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Michigan Software Labs helped us create a mobile app and integrate it with our legacy desktop system. We collaborated on the design and wireframes; then they wrote all of the code. They built out each of the key features we requested, including a function that could track vehicle locations and one that could scan UPCs on our parts to verify they were packed in the right delivery. They’re currently helping us with a redesign initiative.

What is the team composition?

Mark (Co-founder, Michigan Software Labs) is our main point of contact, and he leads a team of developers.

How did you come to work with Michigan Software Labs?

I searched online for local mobile app developers. I interviewed Michigan Software Labs and chose to partner with them.

How much have you invested with them?

At this point, we’ve spent a bit over $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2018, and it’s an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t fully rolled out the tool yet, but it’s being used in about 10 stores. We’ve received both praise and constructive feedback from our staff, and Michigan Software Labs is helping us implement those suggestions.

How did Michigan Software Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They manage their workflow well. We’re kept up to date on the status of every task. We communicate over Slack primarily and track our progress on Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m very happy with their collaborative skills. They were flexible and supportive throughout the initial project, from design to development.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d appreciate a bit more transparency regarding price creep.

Any advice for potential customers?

I recommend other clients pay close attention to their costs and budget restrictions. Every other aspect of their services is spot on. It’s been a perfect experience, so far.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a data center maintenance and service company. I’m a business analyst on the IT team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Michigan Software Labs?

We hired Michigan Software Labs to rewrite and improve our customer portal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Michigan Software Labs worked on the frontend of the portal, using Vue.js and JavaScript. We needed their team to replicate our current portal with a modern design. They designed the portal and recreated the equipment list, ticket creation function, wizard processes, and user interfaces on the backend of our API. Their team presented concepts and designed to ours, and we met weekly for a sprint planning session where we discussed what we wanted and if anything needed to be fixed.

What is the team composition?

Mark (Managing Partner, Michigan Software Labs) was our main point of contact, acting as the project manager. We also worked with a developer, but Mark was on every call.

How did you come to work with Michigan Software Labs?

We recently hired a new director of software who had worked with them in the past. Michigan Software Labs came highly rated.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Michigan Software Labs from August 2018–December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform went live in November. We’ve received more business accounts based on the look and feel and usability of the portal. There were a few bugs, but their team worked on them, or it’s part of our backlog if we decide to pick up the project again. We will be working with Michigan Software Labs again when we have another project lined up.

How did Michigan Software Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was excellent. Michigan Software Labs is available at any time, day or night, weekend or weekday. Their team addresses any issues quickly. We met for our planning and review every Friday for half an hour. We used Slack for any other communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated their attention to detail. Michigan Software Labs jumped right in, figuring out our business and asking minimal questions along the way. Their team took the time to understand our business right out the gate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are none that I can think of. Michigan Software Labs went above and beyond what we expected. If it weren’t for budgetary reasons, we would still be working with their team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to be specific at the beginning and set timelines with due dates. That helped make sure everyone was on the same page. All the resources were allocated correctly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a sustainability analyst for Steelcase, the global leader in office furniture manufacturing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Michigan Software Labs?

I was working on a prototype which would require a user to select certain settings before using the product, and it was determined that an iPad app would be the best way to interact with the prototype. We hired Michigan Software Labs to develop the app.

What were your goals for this project?

Our objective was to create a functioning app with a clean, intuitive UI [user interface] to integrate the controlled lights and sounds in the prototype environment. We also wanted to accomplish this within our budget.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We evaluated three different local software developers and Michigan was the most affordable and easiest to work with—they also showed interest in the concept right away. Speed was an important factor for us and they were available to start work faster than other vendors.

Describe the project in detail.

After selecting a vendor, we had a concept meeting where we provided them with a rough sketch of the UI we had in mind and discussed the functionality we needed. They sent back a wireframe within a few days and did some initial coding work.

After that, we presented them with a brand guideline as well as edits to the initial mock-up and wireframe, and within a few more days, we had a working app. After sending over sound files to integrate and offering a few more edits, they came back with a final app. They offered great support throughout the process and even after our contract was up.

What was the team composition?

I was the primary contact for our company. On their side, I interacted with both co-founders, who worked on the concept phase. One of them took care of the business side of things and the other worked on the design/coding, working out the bugs to make sure it was just right.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our Chief Administrative Officer said that it was the most well-developed prototype she had ever seen, including the functioning iPad app. Although it was never developed as a product for Steelcase, the prototype was moved to a location in our headquarters where it has been used daily by employees and customers coming through there.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective—they were quick to turn around their work and were always very responsive via e-mail and phone. Since they were local, it was easy for them to stop over for meetings as well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed with their agility and ability to solve problems quickly and effectively. Their responsiveness was also extraordinary.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We did end up with a slight cost overrun due to additional features that needed to be added, but they were still the most cost-competitive company that I found in the area.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I owned Race Management Systems, a software development company that specializes in solutions for scoring races.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Michigan Software Labs?

We wanted an application for race participants to view their posted results.

What were your goals for this project?

The team needed to develop and host the application.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I founded them via a Google search.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

We created a high-level design and data flow, and then collaborated with Michigan Software Labs on the implementation. Their team developed the web-based server solution and assisted with several rounds of testing. Since then, they’ve done hosting and support on an ongoing basis.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and a developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although I later sold Race Management Systems to a company with proprietary solutions, the new owners still use the tool Michigan Software Labs created. The app continues to be popular for cross country races.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management wasn’t particularly important because we had a well-defined scope–with no aggressive timelines or excessive demands.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Even though they were a small agency, they were adaptable and able to meet our needs.