OTS Solutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a managing member of The Wedding Game, LLC. We’ve developed a game to play at weddings; it’s a mobile application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OTS Solutions?

We’d played this game at weddings for years, but we didn’t have an app. We played it on the back of an envelope, but it got too complicated. We kicked the idea of making an app for a long time and finally decided we could market it to other people and make money if we did.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

OTS Solutions provided app development services. They built the app for iOS and Android and used AWS and Stripe for the payments.

We called the app Vow Timer; it allows people at the wedding to guess the duration of the service, and the closest person wins. Somebody is the host; they set up the wedding and invite guests through a QR code, text, email, Facebook, or WhatsApp. Then, the guests check-in and guess a time. People at the rehearsal dinner aren’t allowed to play, so typically, somebody who went to the dinner is the timekeeper. Once the guests are in, a chat opens so people can message each other during the ceremony. The time starts when the bride's mother is seated, and the designated timekeeper stops the count when they introduce the married couple. At that point, the chat cuts off so people get off their phones and go to the reception to mingle. The app keeps people interested in what’s happening at the wedding and gives people something to talk about at the reception.

How did you come to work with OTS Solutions?

We searched on Google for application development companies with a local presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We found about four companies and talked to them. We liked that OTS Solutions spent about three hours honing in, asking questions, and defining exactly what we wanted to do before they even gave me a bid. Then, when they came back, they gave us the best price. Overall, we were initially impressed with their attention to detail.

How much have you invested with them?

We paid around $21,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2021, and they completed the app in August 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just launched a week ago and started our marketing efforts, so we only have 37 people signed up until now. Nonetheless, we’ve received positive feedback from wedding planners and other people. We think that if we can get to 1–2 weddings, it’ll take off.

When it first came out, some people didn’t receive their email confirmation after signing in. However, we called OTS Solutions, and they fixed it the next day.

How did OTS Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They stayed on budget. The app took longer than expected, but some of that was because we couldn’t get back to them on time. We had conference calls and a lot of back and forth during development. We probably spent 5–6 months testing the app and getting it where we wanted.

We used Slack as our only communication tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were happy with the outcome. The app did what we wanted it to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since they were mainly in India, we had a few language barriers and communication issues. However, we worked them out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Developing the scope at the beginning is vital. Get your mind around what you want to do, and don’t make changes until you have a working project; avoid scope creep.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Virtual360

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Provides marketing and listing services to Estate Agents and Realtors

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire OTS Solutions to accomplish?

Online Application

SOLUTION

How did you find OTS Solutions?

Referral

Why did you select OTS Solutions over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from OTS Solutions were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

From design of concept to complete delivery and implementation

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The fact that the application worked on Day 1 and apprpriate tweaks were made to fine tune

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They were all very professional and worked in a timely fashion.

What was your primary form of communication with OTS Solutions?

Email or Messaging App

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

Their professional outlook, explanation of their logic used, worked with us as a team, nothing was too much work

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

No, would highly recommend them 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and main shareholder of a social media startup. The company is somewhat similar to Instagram and Facebook, but we’re adding different features to make it stand out.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OTS Solutions?

We needed help creating an iOS and Android mobile app for our startup.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

OTS Solutions is helping us create a mobile app. We’ve given them sketches of what we want it to look like, and they’re bringing those to life for us. They’re responsible for the software and have taken care of any problems we’ve had on that end. They will also be offering us maintenance and a maintenance plan once we go to launch this fall, so whenever we need them for something, they should be right there to help us. 

What is the team composition?

We have a direct line with Hemant (CEO), but our main point of contact is Prashant (Project Manager). We also work with a team of developers and software engineers. 

How did you come to work with OTS Solutions?

We looked online and called a lot of different app developers. OTS Solutions really stood out to us the most when we were interviewing companies. They seemed like they would be there when we needed them, and they have been the whole time. They were also located in our area, and we wanted to work with someone local. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $40,000 at this point. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in March 2021, and it is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall it’s been a great experience, and the quality of work is really coming along.

How did OTS Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

OTS Solutions stays within the budget for the most part. We’ve had to bump it up a few times because there are new features that we want to add, but that isn’t their fault. We didn’t think about a few things at the beginning of the process, and we realized later on that we wanted to add them. 

We have regular updates and weekly meetings with the team. They send us what they’ve done every week, and whenever there is something that we don’t like, they’re quick to fix it. We’ve had little bumps in the timeframe of the app, but a lot of the time it’s been something out of their control. 

We have a direct email with Hemant, but for the most part, we use Slack for our weekly meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The communication stands out. Prashant especially has been really great about communicating with us. We come up with an idea and he really understands what we’re saying. He details every single thing we give him, and he breaks it down so that we always know that we’re on the same page about the concept we’re working on. They’ve really been there for us every step of the way so far.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

We were hoping the timeframe would be a little faster, but that’s the only thing we can think of. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Bring everything to the table and put it in front of them, so they know exactly what they are getting into. If you want to build an app with them, you should have everything drawn up and sketched out so their team can see what you’re trying to come up with.