Moon Technolabs

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for the Nevis Island administration and served as the IT director for a substantial portion of this project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Moon Technolabs Pvt Ltd?

We wanted to improve our annual budgeting process, so we hired them to redevelop an existing app and improve its functionality by adding better data management and software integrations.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to integrate the app with our reporting software so we wouldn’t need to launch it from a separate application. Our other goal was to improve administrative functionality by adding new management features to the app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We posted an announcement to a software development site and selected four companies for consideration. Deciding factors included proposal content, cost, past record delivering similar projects, and performance during our interview process. Our selection committee included members from both the IT department and the Ministry of Finance.

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

At the outset, we provided them with documentation outlining our technical and functional requirements. They handled all of the software development with oversight from us as they moved through each module of the app. One of their main tasks was to integrate it with JasperReports. They also worked on improving functionality to manage users, departments, and staff positions. Features included new abilities to reset user passwords, manage roles, and to create, read, update, and delete individual records. In addition, they enhanced the software to allow data importing and exporting, and to allow budget data to roll over from one period to the next.

What was the team composition?

We worked with our project manager and two or three software developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a result of the enhancements, we were able to complete the Ministry of Finance’s budget with fewer IT interventions. All of our technical and functional requirements were met, ensuring improved productivity for the Ministry, as it was much easier to generate the necessary reports.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They did an excellent job of meeting deadlines even on occasions when we changed the scope and functionality of the project. Their team made good use of Basecamp to manage the project, allowing easy and efficient communication with all project stakeholders. We also used Skype and Teamviewer to keep in touch with the developers. While I had expected the time zone difference (13 hours) to be a challenge, we found that it was actually efficient as the developers were able to work during our off-hours. New developments were ready for testing the next business day, which helped keep things moving smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They delivered all of our requirements and dealt with an expanded project scope while maintaining our original schedule. Additionally, they were accommodating regarding changes and our payment process.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

It took quite a bit of time and oversight to ensure that they fully understood our requirements, so there could be improvements to that aspect of the communication. That said, we didn’t have any issues once the project got underway.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the assistant secretary to the Ministry of Finance in the Nevis Island Administration. I prepare annual budget estimates.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Moon Technolabs Pvt Ltd?

We contracted Moon Technolabs Pvt Ltd to upgrade, expand, and enhance the system that prepares our annual budget estimates. We wanted to make it more user-friendly and allow end users to execute functions previously performed by technicians.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to enhance the functions of our system. It needed a report generation feature that budget officers could use to create reports without depending on IT technicians.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our IT department submitted an RFP and shortlisted three proposals, including one from Moon Technolabs Pvt Ltd. We accepted their proposal based on cost and the initial discussions, during which they provided referrals and proved they could deliver.

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

They expanded our budget information system. It's a web-based application that allows users to work from home. It now produces a rollover of the previous year's budget to commence the current budget.

They also added new departments, transfered departments from one ministry to another, and imported an entire year of data in one function. Previously, we had to individually enter each line item.

What was the team composition?

We had a project coordinator, a technical officer, and a company supervisor. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Preparing and exporting the data used to take a day or two, but now only takes an hour. The presentation has also improved. By placing functions in the hands of budget officials, this product limits down time and reduces our reliance on the IT department. It makes our lives much easier.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their scope of work explained which deliverables would be completed at which times. The project coordinator worked with myself and our IT manager to successfully deliver the project. They kept lines of communication open and completed tasks in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciated their quick responses and follow-ups. 

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I was generally satisfied with the engagement. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Reliyo, a news website where reporters, journalists, and writers upload their content.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Moon Technolabs Pvt Ltd?

We needed help with updating our website. It's a marketplace for reporters, and we needed help updating the monetizing features and solving bugs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They substantially updated our website and added new features. The site was built using PHP, and they added new features. Users can now upload content and receive a share of ad earnings from the site. Their team implemented SEO functionalities and fixed bugs as users reported feedback.

What is the team composition?

They assigned us a dedicated project manager, who served as our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Moon Technolabs Pvt Ltd?

I searched on Clutch for offshore developers.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018 and the site launched in August 2018. They’re available for ongoing support and maintenance, as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re consistently gaining more users, and the site is functioning well. They solved all the bugs users have reported, and we haven’t had any serious issues—I’m pleased with their work.

How did Moon Technolabs Pvt Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated through Skype, and we used a project management tool to keep the project on track. Everything was done professionally, and they were always responsive to our needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were available around the clock—their dedication to the work was valuable. All of the communication was strong and quick.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’d find it beneficial if the work were completed slightly faster.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having a strong outline for your project and overall goals can help the project stay on track with cost and time estimates.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of The Money Club. We are a fintech company that provides financial services via a mobile application, which has over 6,000 downloads.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Moon Technolabs Pvt Ltd?

We needed a partner to help develop and implement features to improve our app’s UI and scalability. Also, we wanted to collect user feedback and make improvements based on that information.

What were your goals for this project?

Our partner needed to be very agile because we wanted to make quality integrations at a reasonable pace.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We reviewed Moon Technolabs’ background and some of their previous work, then set up interviews with their developers. Ultimately, we found them to be a good fit for the project.

Describe the project in detail.

Moon Technolabs developed features to enhance various modules within our Android app. These elements improved our sign up and login processes, onboarding operations, transaction management efforts, payment handling methods, background check processes, chat interface, and bidding operations.

Our app operates as a chit fund system. It was natively built on and AWS Mobile Hub platform using Java and AWS Lambda for the frontend and PostgreSQL for the backend. We continue to optimize the app.

What was the team composition?

Moon Technolabs provided a team of engineers to augment our in-house team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Moon Technolabs stayed on track throughout the project. It is an ongoing engagement and we are satisfied with the quality of work so far.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Moon Technolabs’ shared the project’s workflow with our internal development team and we tracked its progress through Jira. We used a scrum method and their team provided updated through daily calls. They were very responsive and kept us up to date on their status. If there were any roadblocks or delays, we were immediately notified.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The engineers on our project were very knowledgeable in the mobile development and technology space. Also, we appreciated their flexibility and dedication. The team often worked weekends to meet our release dates.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Bend Cloud is a privately owned data center located in central Oregon. We focus on small to medium sized businesses for technology support, cloud hosting, application development, web design, online marketing, and Wi-Fi internet. I am the president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Moon Technolabs?

Create a web app with a small budget.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a web application with databases and PHP tailored for an iPad.

How did you come to work with Moon Technolabs?

I sent emails and had video chats with numerous companies, and I chose this company because of our friendly video chats.

How much have you invested with Moon Technolabs?

We have invested 600 hours.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results of the project were a success, and the client was pleased.

What did you find most impressive about Moon Technolabs?

They are a great team to work with and they work hard towards completing each project.

Are there any areas Moon Technolabs could improve?

Deadlines could improve, as well as following specific instructions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a mobile app developer. We have a variety of different apps that are mainly geared towards children and teenagers, including photo editing apps and games. I am owner and project manager.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed and built a native iOS app that makes looped GIF videos. You can take multiple pictures of something and it’ll loop the video. The user is able to make the loop faster, slower, or longer up to nine seconds.

How did you come to work with Moon Technolabs?

I found them on Upwork, where I saw they had good reviews. I interviewed them and found out their English was good, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with Moon Technolabs?

I spent under $10,000 with them on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

I hired them in June 2016 and they delivered the app in August 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app performed exactly as I wanted it to and it works well. It’s gotten a lot of downloads and continues to do well.

How did Moon Technolabs perform from a project management standpoint?

They understood the scope and they delivered on time. When it was completed, they showed it to me, I gave them my feedback, and they made the necessary corrections. They are very easy to work with and they did a great job.

What did you find most impressive about Moon Technolabs?

They did a good job of creating an app that runs smoothly without bugs.

Are there any areas Moon Technolabs could improve?

Nothing I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I sell mobile phone accessories online. I’m based in Zurich, Switzerland so the website is called Trendkiste. I run the company by myself.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Moon Technolabs?

They handle my digital marketing – mainly managing Google AdWords, my social media, copy on my website, etc.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have provided social media writing and scheduling. I told them what to write. They sent me a copy and I approved it. They worked on my Google AdWords account and customized landing pages on my WordPress e-commerce site. They also integrated some marketing tools with my WordPress site. They built the ability to register an account and create a wish list and shopping cart. They implemented the credit card processor, too. I already had a basic website, so the majority of the work they’ve done has been for marketing. I am happy with their work.

How did you come to work with Moon Technolabs?

I found them on Upwork. I chose them based on price. They are a little bit cheaper than other options. In Switzerland, if I wanted the same work, I would have to pay maybe five times more.

How much have you invested with Moon Technolabs?

It was almost $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in the beginning of January. Our work is almost finished. They first worked for me two months, and then I resumed duties. Then, they worked with me for another two months and so on.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What did you find most impressive about Moon Technolabs?

They did a very good job. We used Freedcamp and Skype to communicate.

Sometimes, we had misunderstandings because of the communication – the text communication in Freedcamp or Skype chat. Sometimes, I would explain something, and it would be a little complicated. Otherwise, everything was nice. Whenever there were miscommunications, they would make the correction and I was happy. The website is very good.

Are there any areas Moon Technolabs could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a management consulting firm and our core services are media marketing, management consulting services, and training development. I’m a partner in the firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Moon Technolabs?

We're still doing another project with Moon Technolabs actually for a job applications app. It's an Upwork model: a freelancer app whereby employers or individuals can post jobs and all the registered freelancers or agencies can bid for the jobs. There's also a CV and cover letter boosting service. That's the last project that we worked with them on.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have a freelance arrangement, so we initially started contact through upwork.com. They had the best proposal out of the bunch that we received. Starting from there, we sent them the project requirements and set up a project plan. The project also is a direct carrier bidding service. Basically, users, app subscribers let's call them, can pay for the services that are available through a credit deduction from their telephone carrier. It's based in the UAE [United Arab Emirates], so we had them integrate with one of the big telecom companies there.

In terms of resources, typically I work directly with the project manager who is assigned to me. I deal with him directly on a day-to-day basis, usually through Skype.

In terms of the team, project management, all the documents, the project files, and discussions are done through a project management system called Freedcamp.

We have only done the Android version and it will be launched on Google Play. We are looking into launching an iOS version for the next release. The website is a WordPress site.

How much have you invested with Moon Technolabs?

We have spent between $5,000 and $6,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As far as the website is concerned, we've had some very good feedback. The app hasn't been launched yet; it should be launched next week. So far everything seems to be good. We've had no issues with the integrations with the telecom’s APIs. Actually, any issues we've had have been from the telecom side.

How did Moon Technolabs perform from a project management standpoint?

The teams have been pretty responsive. They also seem to know what they're doing. The project manager communicates very well. He follows up daily. The team’s use of the project management system is very impressive compared to other freelancers I've worked with. They have a pretty good project management structure as well as the technical resources. We've been happy with them.

What did you find most impressive about Moon Technolabs?

Their communication and project management are impressive.

Are there any areas Moon Technolabs could improve?

The only thing I struggled with personally is the time zone difference. I'm in London; they are about five hours ahead. Sometimes, it's just a bit tricky coordinating all this, and then the carrier is in the UAE. That's really been the main struggle from my end, but it hasn't been too much of a hindrance, to be honest.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The company is called Developer 4 Lease. Sometimes we use the operating name Toronto Professional Services. We do mobile app development for clients in pretty much any English-speaking country, mostly Canada and the US. I’m the principal.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Moon Technolabs?

I’ve been using Moon Technolabs to do most of my development for seven years now.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I’ve been white-labeling apps, except for some rare occasions where I’ve allowed clients to interact directly with the developers. It’s been a little bit of web work, but mostly native app development for iPhone and Android.

How did you come to work with Moon Technolabs?

I had an application that I sold to a client and I needed somebody to build it for me, so I went looking for developers. I think I might’ve found them on Elance. I just had a good experience working with Jayanti [Katariya, Chief Executive Officer] and then with the team in general.

How much have you invested with Moon Technolabs?

The size of each project has been anywhere between $500 and $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It’s ongoing since 2009.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The fact that I’ve done probably 50 mobile apps with them, maybe more, is just a testament to the fact that I keep coming back because it’s just always a good experience. I really like working with them. In fact, they’re the first place I would call.

How did Moon Technolabs perform from a project management standpoint?

Very well. I am really happy with the interaction. I get good updates. I found them really different than other companies I’ve worked with in that part of the world because I get proactive emails. I don’t always have to ask for status updates. They used Basecamp for a period of time, and I really liked being able to have direct access. In fact, they worked in my Basecamp version for quite some time before they ended up building their own Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about Moon Technolabs?

I would say it was two things. One is that communication has been very good. The second thing is that there have been a couple of projects I’ve pitched to them that were beyond their capability, and instead of attempting it, they were straightforward and said, “We don’t think this project is for us.”

Are there any areas Moon Technolabs could improve?

I think sometimes they’re a little heavy on the hour estimates for post-project changes when we’re charging the client for a few last-minute things they want to add. I don’t know if that is because they want to make up for what happened in the project, but that would be my only constructive comment.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Moon Technolabs worked on the development of an iPhone app called PeopleFlasher. I am the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Moon Technolabs?

About five years ago, when there were only about 30,000 apps, I thought of a goofy app and I needed someone to build it for me. It’s called PeopleFlasher. It sounds dirty but it’s not. The app turns the iPhone screen into a bulletin board that flashes messages that can be seen at quite a distance, for instance, across a restaurant. The user can enter his message by typing or dictation. We have a series of categories of messages for dining and traveling. My son even got involved making pickup lines. You can pick from presets or you can make your own on the spot. We developed it so that if you were traveling, you don’t have to speak the local language, you don’t have to understand them and they don’t have to understand English because the message flashes right in front of them. There are other bells and whistles as well. You can go into the app and there is a section of it called “world flash” where you can see who’s flashing in real time anyplace in the world and it’ll show the flashes sequentially.

If it’s a short message, it flashes on and off and if it’s a longer message, the message scrolls across the screen. The user can pick the colors but the font colors are very visible at a distance. I use it a lot to hail a taxi. I spot them half a mile away and they’re so intrigued when it says, “Taxi, Taxi, Taxi” that they sometimes pass other people and pick me up.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with Moon Technolabs?

I found them on Elance. We had proposals from several providers. They seemed qualified to do the job and the price was right.

How much have you invested with Moon Technolabs?

I priced it out here in the States and the cost would have been just under $50,000 to develop the app with all the bells and whistles from beginning to end. Moon Technolabs did it for under $2,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

My first contact with them was in July 2009. We did just the one project with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was picked pretty quickly as an iPhone staff favorite. We have users in 42 countries.

What did you find most impressive about Moon Technolabs?

Jayanti, who was my contact, is just a pleasure to work with. He’s very responsive. I think I’ve only talked to him three times on the phone and we did everything by email very seamlessly. I would describe my work as “fly by the seat of my pants” because I was dreaming up goofy stuff as we went along. He was able to respond to zillions of changes, new ideas, and add-ons as we went along. It was kind of like writing music, you do it as you go along and that’s what we did. We ended up with a symphony.

Are there any areas Moon Technolabs could improve?

Because of the language barrier, the job had to be done 99% by email. There was a time difference, but that was easy for me because I just get up early. I’d get them before they had to go to bed. We got our time schedules together and we communicated very well by email.