Narola Infotech Solutions LLP

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Facetag, a SaaS startup. We offer facial recognition services to the attractions, hospitality, and events verticals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP?

We wanted to produce a facial recognition platform. There was nothing else like it being done, so there were many challenges just to put that together and make it functional.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Narola Infotech Solutions has developed two mobile apps for iOS and Android for end-users and one web platform for the business. We started some time ago as a concept and wanted to build a proof of concept. The whole purpose of the platform is to allow a distribution channel for people who take professional photographs of people’s experiences —whether it’s a theme part, a conference, an expo, a concert, or a nightclub. If somebody wants to take a photograph to monetize it or use it as marketing collateral on social media, the challenge is being able to get the person in the photo. Using facial recognition allows for the images to be delivered directly to the people in them in real-time.

What is the team composition?

We usually speak to 3–4 team leaders, and there are people underneath them doing the coding. There are probably about 10 people on the team.

We have a main point of contact for the app development, a main point of contact for the web platform, and a business manager.

How did you come to work with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP?

We found them on Upwork. We posted a brief, and they were one of about 8–9 companies we shortlisted. What closed it on them was the initial conversation we had about the project brief. They understood what we were trying to do straight away and were able to nail down some of the big potential challenges we’d have.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2017, and our engagement is ongoing. They still work on development, maintenance, and new modules.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We tackle a module at a time, and that’s our key metric. We put the work out to beta test it, and depending on what feedback we get, we ask them to do navigational or logic changes in the software. It’s just an ongoing process.

How did Narola Infotech Solutions LLP perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is fantastic. We’ve worked with a couple of other companies, but they just don’t keep up like them. Narola Infotech Solutions communicates well and gets the job done.

We use Taskworld, Zoom calls, and messages to communicate. We also used Smartsheet for a while. In general, they bend and use whatever project management tool we use.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understood what we were trying to achieve very quickly, which has made all the difference. We don’t have to go backward and forwards. Usually, miscommunication can happen when describing something complicated, but they just seem to understand what we’re doing. 

Also, they provide great feedback. If they think something won’t work, they give us the reasons or the risks involved. It’s a great collaboration.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have anything off the top of my head.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Always make sure that you write a descriptive brief. During the initial meeting, you’ll go through it line by line to see what’s understood and what’s expected on both sides. If you don’t give details, it can cost you time and money in the long run.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of a startup business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP?

They helped me with the backend development of our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We assign tasks to them every week, and they mostly take care of the backend development work using Angular.

What is the team composition?

We work with 2–3 people from their side. We have one assigned developer, and she also has a supervisor whom I’ve also conversed with.

How did you come to work with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP?

I found them through an online search.

How much have you invested in them?

The estimated total is around $25,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in September 2021, and it’s still an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They are working very well, and we are making good progress — the time that it takes to develop things is on par with our expectations. Furthermore, they are easy to work with and always accessible. Overall, I have enjoyed working with them.

How did Narola Infotech Solutions LLP perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve performed very well in this regard. They are very responsive, and it has been very easy to set the work every week. It has also been easy to review the progress because they send reports on a daily basis. In a nutshell, there is transparency between both sides, and we have a good way of working together. We mostly use Slack and Trello to communicate and manage tasks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I find them very reliable — they deliver on their promises and expectations. Also, their transparency in terms of progress makes them easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think they’re doing a fine job, so nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Everything is handled remotely and sometimes across different time zones. That said, I would recommend using platforms, such as Slack and other communication platforms, in setting goals and creating a daily meeting cadence to allow you to have an understanding of how the work is progressing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of a startup, and we are creating a new type of movie database.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP?

I needed someone to provide me with web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re developing the project on an existing platform through Ruby on Rails.

What is the team composition?

I’m mainly in contact with the project manager and developers.

How did you come to work with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP?

I came across Narola Infotech Solutions LLP through Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team has significantly improved the platform’s loading times and overall performance, so I don’t have any complaints.

How did Narola Infotech Solutions LLP perform from a project management standpoint?

They strictly adhere to our budgets and consistently meet our timelines. We typically use Slack and Skype to communicate, and manage the project through JIRA.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re very impressed with their communications and quality of deliverables.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to provide them with the necessary information and documentation to get the most out of your engagement with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is a boutique Product Management firm. I am the co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Narola Infotech Solutions LLP, and what were your goals?

We were in need of a mobile app developing agency to custom develop a mobile app for our client.

SOLUTION

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

Value, reputation and communication.

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

The app needs to be available on both Android and IOS platform. It is a dating app that allows users to set up in-person meetings at selected venues (e.g. restaurants and etc.). It leverages API solutions from Facebook, Yelp, Linkedin and Google to deliver an integrated user experience.

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

There are 2 developers, one for Android and one IOS at any given time during the duration of the project. We also use their UI resources from time to time on as needed basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were able to deliver the product. There were some quality issues in the beginning but they were able to provide fixes.

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

Tool used were primarily Skype, Jira and occasionally Zoom meetings. Our contacts were fluent in English. No issues with communication.

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

I am impressed with the value they provide and their fast turnaround time.

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

Provide more dev. team tests before releasing features for client test.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Copalana; our goal is to get everyone to engage in the development of a better world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP?

I was working at a large Swiss bank and running a nonprofit on the side while I developed a prototype for the platform myself. However, I consider myself a hobbyist coder and was looking for an offshore team to take over. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I sent Narola my prototype for a social impact platform that connects companies and their employees to nonprofit organizations. They then developed the platform in a .NET framework that runs on AWS. Narola also provides AWS Cloud engineering services. 

They’ve developed several platform services, including a volunteering section and Christmas card and crowdfunding capabilities. Now, Narola is maintaining the platform, and we have a lot more development planned going into 2022.

What is the team composition?

We started our engagement with two teammates, and we have expanded the team to 1–2 frontend developers, two QA engineers, and a graphic designer. 

How did you come to work with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP?

We wanted a company that would be big enough for us to scale up and down — we couldn’t use a 1–2 teammate shop. I am the CEO, but I have a technical background and have worked with larger technology organizations. I wanted to personally select developers for a core team and run the project management — I didn’t want to relay requirements through a project manager. 

Narola responded to our request for quotation (RFQ) and I liked that they were a larger firm that specialized in web and mobile technologies — their team was able to offer the full range of services we needed. I then hired Narola based on their expertise and price; they fulfilled all my criteria.  

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent around $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Narola in 2016 and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform went live in 2017, and it has been stable since its launch. I am a developer myself, and I am happy with the quality of their code. Because we work quickly as a team, we’ve been able to do a lot of platform optimization. 

We get some negative feedback from our clients, but it’s usually the result of a poorly defined business process on my end.

How did Narola Infotech Solutions LLP perform from a project management standpoint?

My team handles project management and business analysis. Narola’s team adapted to our agile system — we run weekly sprints, and Narola takes tasks from our Trello board. They then independently develop, test, and deploy the platform changes. 

The downside of working fast is that we sometimes have to revisit and redo different aspects of the code — the Narola developers and testers can fix most bugs. Those issues are primarily due to my ever-changing coding requirements. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed by Narola’s ability to work within my workflow requirements — they accommodate the way I want to run the team and provide the skillsets I need. It’s also powerful that their team can run independently and can help serve the larger banks on our client list.  

Narola also respected the fact that we’re a nonprofit and adapted their cost structure to fit us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only challenge we’ve had with Narola is talent retention. They generally hire newer developers who tend to move on after 3–4 years. However, the market for developers is hot, and any employer would be challenged to keep developers on for a long time. 

Narola makes up for the personnel changes by covering the cost of the knowledge transfers. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I’ve already referred Narola to a few colleagues, including a friend who owns a wine business and a Swiss startup that needed help with their AWS. I’ve already advised them, and would advise any other clients, to give Narola precise specifications to ensure clients get the best results. 

However, I wouldn’t recommend that clients work directly with the development team because of the language barrier — Narola provides a project manager who can relay and interpret requirements to the developers. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO at Yobod, a personal training company. Our app aims to help trainers reach a wider clientele.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP?

We needed their development expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Narola Infotech Solutions LLP has developed our landing website and iOS-friendly mobile app using React Native. Our main app is a platform that allows trainers to perform their fitness classes live, so subscribers can immediately access their preferred training programs and trainers can use a single device to record their sessions.

We’re currently building the app’s Android version, which is scheduled to go live later this year. Additionally, Narola Infotech Solutions LLP continues to maintain our existing platforms and create updates based on our team’s ideas and modification requests.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with four resources from their team, including a project manager, an accountant, a manager, and a developer.

How did you come to work with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP?

We initially hired them as freelancers and transitioned into a full partnership after our development needs expanded.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $25,000–$30,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP in April 2020, and our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re only about to start our promotions, so there are no quantitative metrics to share at this point — however, I can confirm that Narola Infotech Solutions LLP has the capacity to bring our design goals to life. 

They’ve created functionalities that address our customers’ needs, and they’re good at addressing any issues that can potentially impede our progress. We’re currently in the process of refining the app through bug fixing, and their team has owned up to any errors with professionalism and dedication.

How did Narola Infotech Solutions LLP perform from a project management standpoint?

We rely on Trello for project management and conduct bi-weekly Skype meetings to gauge their progress. Narola Infotech Solutions LLP is a budget- and timeline-oriented team. We also appreciate their transparency in defining their abilities and what kind of situations we’re facing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP’s commitment to meeting our needs and delivering high-quality solutions despite any hurdles they encounter.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can benefit from a more structured design approach.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Plan ahead of time and prepare a development template if you can.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Online music streaming and live-music event ticket sales platform. I am the creator/director/owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Narola Infotech Solutions LLP, and what were your goals?

Narola was hired to write the higher-end functions needed for our website.

SOLUTION

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

They fit within our budget and represented a credible firm.

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

Team used javascript, ruby and frontend languages to produce the code required for the functions needed for our website. Tasks involved APIs, mobile app, and frontend work, but majority was focused on backend.

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

Majority of time there was one main developer dedicated to our project, but at times there were as many as 3.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website has launched, and it's success is pending. We've experienced delays due to Covid, but anticipate acquiring a solid user base later this year and next.

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

We communicated mostly through Skype. I experienced a 3 tier management system (super, leader and developer), and mostly dealt with the team leader.

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

They are able to get the work done within my allotted budget.

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

Negative.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an acting coach, and I created the Need A Reader Actor App, which is based in New York City.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP?

I worked with three other companies for five years, but they couldn’t put my vision to life. The main issue with the previous vendors was the fact that they couldn’t put together the self-taping mechanism that I needed. As a result, I reached out to Narola Infotech to develop my app’s code.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The idea of the app was to connect our users 24/7 with fellow actors for their rehearsals, auditions, self-tapes, and more. We wanted it to be similar to a dating app where users could look at the profile of potential actors they could hire. As an example, potential actors could rate their performance on different genres, making it easy for our users to see their strengths.

However, the most important feature of the app was to enable users to use their phones for auditions. Due to COVID-19, a lot of companies receive auditions from actors online. Our platform would allow users to record and rehearse with another person. Then, when the video goes to the library, only the audio of the user would be posted.

Narola Infotech developed the app from scratch in order to ensure that bugs or other technical issues wouldn’t hold us down during the development. On top of that, choosing that path would make it easier for us to add new things. On the design part, they used most of the design I did three years prior to our engagement. The team completed my app’s iOS version and is in the process of creating the Android version. They’ve also recently launched new updates for our iOS app.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with their two main points of contact, but they have a team of developers supporting them.

How did you come to work with Narola Infotech Solutions LLP?

I found them on Upwork, and I interviewed them. I reached out to them through a phone call, and they walked me through their process. After that, I shared all my concerns with them, and they were confident that they could complete what I needed. I felt good that they knew what they were doing, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in October 2019, and we continue to collaborate.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We tried working with other companies before, but only Narola Infotech has been able to accomplish my vision. Our users have been able to connect with fellow actors when they need them. We’ve also received good reviews on the App Store, and they let us know if something needs to be tweaked. The team's recent iOS update gained positive feedback from our users, too.

How did Narola Infotech Solutions LLP perform from a project management standpoint?

Narola Infotech has a clear process, and they explain why certain things need to happen. We have an open line of communication; I send them my notes because they’re based in India, and they come back to me the next day with everything that they’ve accomplished. We typically communicate with them through email or Skype. If they need something right away, they reach out to me through phone calls.

Any updates that we need to implement in the app are done in a timely manner, so we really have a positive experience with the team. More importantly, if they can’t meet our schedule, they inform us ahead of time and let us know when they can complete the deliverables we need.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re true to their word; when they say they’re going to do something, they’ll definitely deliver. They also offer reasonable cost for their services.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d like the timeline to be quicker. However, I’m not a developer so I don’t really know how long each process should take. They could also just give me a definite timeline on when they’d finish tweaking features on our platform since we’re paying them at their hourly rate. A little more clarity on the timeline could help our project, but overall, I’m very pleased with what they’ve done for me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a very clear vision of what you need. The more precise a company is with what they want, the easier and quicker it’s going to get done.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder and CEO of a social network app for football fans, headquartered in Israel.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Narola Infotech Solutions LLP, and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop a custom made social network for football fans, that let the fans to share their professional point of view on their teams through dedicated features. The goal is to give the fans the tools to make their voice heard, and use their opinions to build the first wisdom of the crowed in football on every team and player.

SOLUTION

How did you select Narola Infotech Solutions LLP and what were the deciding factors?

We searched online for app developers, after choosing to do it through Freelancer platform, we made a short list of a few vendors with the best rating and recommendations, then started a pilot, which become permanent after having seen how communicative and professional they are.

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

We sent them the the app specification (wireframe and design). They went through it and came back with questions. After seeing that everything was understood we started with first screens and while working we built a form of communication based on a weekly work plan with priorities of tasks.

At the end of each day we received from them a daily update on the work done, and at the end of each week we received an updated build of the app.

How many resources from the Narola Infotech Solutions LLP team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The development team leader was in charge of the project (project manager) and he received on as weekly basis the requirements from us and transferred them to 3 front and backend developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have not yet launched the app, we have gone through 3 development rounds, each lasting about 8 months. In each round we worked on a different aspect of the app. After each round we did a survey on the app and let people use it and give their feedback.

In each survey we received very positive feedback so we moved on to the next development phase. The app is expected to officially launch in about three months.

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

The basis of communication was in emails and urgent cases in chat conversations. The project manager was very committed to the project and gave a feeling that there was someone to trust. He always kept his word and knew how to set realistic times for the development rounds, and when he did not meet them he warned in advance.

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

They know how to work well according to requirements and how to point out things themselves that we have not done. They helped us understand the stages of development and how to release a version for stores, things we did not know at first.

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

Occasionally I had to remark that they did not follow the design that came from the designer, and I had to send them a rejects list for all tasks not done as shown in the original plan.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

MBBSMB, LLC is a startup company with the purpose of an Entertainment mobile application

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Narola Infotech Solutions LLP, and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop an entertainment mobile application to manage sport events.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online for an app developer and shortlisted a few candidates. After speaking with each we chose Narola based on their past projects, skills and cost estimate.

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

We had an idea for the mobile application but no real direction on how to implement it. Narola helped us take our idea from concept to a fully functional working product.

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

Primarily we have worked with 3 resources, a project manager, an Android developer and and IOS developer. We have also leverage a resource for automated testing at one point in time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We began the project in August of 2019 and really did not launch until December of 2020 largely due to COVID. We currently have 6 or 7 hundred users growing daily.

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

Milan (project manager) was easy to communicate with and provided frequent updates. We have had numerous phone calls and also a lot of communication via skype, email and google documents. Narola has been timely with the work which is much appreciated.

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

Since this was our first mobile app, they were patient and willing to walk us through their process while we learned.

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

They could benefit from more knowledge in database.