Raconteur Digital

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of applications for Osborne, a construction and infrastructure business that builds university buildings and maintains roads and railway lines. We also have a sister company that manufactures panels to use as pre-fabricated walls in houses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mubaloo?

We had a manual, in-house, online form to gather opportunities for improvement from our employees, suppliers, customers, and subcontractors, and we wanted to create an app that would allow our construction teams, which are often off-site, to do the same. The app had to be intuitive, available to both internal staff, through our current active directory system, and suppliers, contractors, customers, and members of the general public, who could register by assigning themselves to a current customer or company within our database.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We explained that this was our first foray into the mobile app world and Mubaloo worked with us to flesh out the design. They provided iterations of wireframes that we would narrow down through working groups.

The apps were built for iOS and Android and were primarily designed for phones, but they can also be used on tablets. There’s also a web-interface on the backend. In the app, users see two textual boxes: one for a description of the problem and another for their proposed solution. They then go through several classification screens so we can understand where the best ideas are coming from. All the information is then sent to our database, where we process it through the backend.

What is the team composition?

At the moment, we’re dealing with an account manager and a developer, who’s my main point of contact. There are also other people within the business that know our product and infrastructure that deal with us on a regular basis.

How did you come to work with Mubaloo?

We searched quite a few companies that did this sort of work and put the work out to tender. Our tender document included what we wanted to achieve, our timescale, and approximate cost. Of those that responded, we had a few come in and provide interviews and demonstrations as to why they wanted to work with us and what they could provide for us. Mubaloo proved to be the best option for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June 2016 until May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've processed or captured around 5,000 ideas through the app to date. There’ve been no technical problems, and in terms of feedback, our users think it’s brilliant. In fact, they like using it so much that they want it to include even more functions.

How did Mubaloo perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager wasn’t the best when we started—it was a personnel problem, not a Mubaloo problem—but that was identified and changed. From then on, our project managers, technical staff, and account manager were brilliant. They met our timelines and always resolved problems at the time they were raised. I can’t complain.

Communication was pro-active and fantastic. They controlled everything and kept everyone up to date on what was going on. We had weekly project meetings, generally via video conferences, but we also used phones if we needed to. There were also a few face-to-face meetings when Mubaloo came to our offices to interview staff members about how they judged the app’s usability at certain points in the development cycle.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were proactive in moving our product forward and engage with us on other ideas or aspects or features that they thought could provide value and reduce time, effort, and costs in the long run. They also kept us up to date about the latest movements of their clients that are doing similar things to us. If they thought something would be of interest to us, they let us know, so we could move the product along quickly to be the best that it could be.

Are there any areas they could improve?

That’s difficult. I don’t think so.

Any advice for potential customers?

Listen to what they have to say. They have a lot of knowledge in the market and they have a lot of ideas. As a prospective client, you might have fixed ideas of what you want to achieve but be open-minded and listen to what Mubaloo offers. Engage with them with and get them to help evolve the product even more; they're really good at it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of innovation for a global media and marketing agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mubaloo?

One of our clients tasked us with launching their voice-enabled home technology system. It’s a very innovative device, but at that time there wasn’t much awareness or understanding of its capabilities across the market, specifically in the UK, and there wasn’t a way for the public to test the actual system. We knew it would be hard to convince consumers to buy the product, so we wanted to create a technology solution that could translate the physical system’s experience into an advertising experience that we could launch as a media marketing campaign.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mubaloo deconstructed the voice-enabled home technology’s AI system and separated it from the device’s hardware. They integrated the liberated code into a custom software solution that we could assimilate into an advertising unit to demonstrate the device’s range of voice control capabilities. The team designed the UI strategies and provided all of the reporting, coding, and testing necessary to guarantee that the software met both our technical and advertising requirements.

We used the software in two programmatic advertising campaigns that showcased the device’s potential uses in a kitchen or a living room setting. Participants could test various commands ranging from turning on lights to ordering food. We deployed the ad through a banner with additional editorial content that included embedded coding from Mubaloo and information about the physical home technology system and its benefits.

What is the team composition?

We worked with the CTO, a project manager, UX/UI designer, several developers, and a team of QA specialists.

How did you come to work with Mubaloo?

Initially, we reached out to a number of various service providers, design agencies, vendors, and even coders to come up with a solution, but none of them could help us.

I’m part of IPG Mediabrands, which is a global network of brands and agencies focused on dynamic marketing. We found out that they had recently acquired Mubaloo and sent over a brief of the project. The team was confident that they could create an MVP that could meet all of our needs. They were the only company that was confident enough to take on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this project form July–November 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Mubaloo’s software solution, our advertising campaign drove 1.98 million participants per unit, which corresponded to minimal cost per engagement rates. Each user engaged with an average of 2.5 demos and spent, on average, one minute and 55 seconds on the trial experience. Analytical research after the trial campaign showed a 40% increase in purchase consideration rates, 48% increase in product recommendation rates, and a participant satisfaction rate of 81%.

How did Mubaloo perform from a project management standpoint?

We had an amazing experience with Mubaloo. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate them a ten for their project management skills. We mainly communicated via email and Slack channels and tracked the project on Box.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Mubaloo was willing to go the extra mile to deliver a successful product. We did run into problems when we implemented the software, but that was because a project like this had never been done before. Their technical capabilities and genuine interest in our project were key to our success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, it was a really great experience. I can’t think of any particular aspects they could have better addressed.

Any advice for potential customers?

I recommend clients provide Mubaloo with a set of requirements, then give them enough space and time to plan a strategic approach to each task. They won’t jump directly into development, they want to have a clear and comprehensive approach first. This process will also give them the opportunity to make valuable suggestions and solutions to on improve the original project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior product innovation manager for an industrial gas company. I work for their global innovation team within the healthcare industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mubaloo?

We first came upon them when we needed to explore an app option for a particular part of our U.S. home care health market. The second time we used them was when we were trying to find an innovative way to solve a particular business problem.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, Mubaloo went through a design sprint with us for the iOS mobile app. In the second phase, we worked on a combination of a website for the app, including dashboards and chatbots.

How did you come to work with Mubaloo?

Our normal process involves getting 3 competitive quotes and picking the one we think fills our criteria. Mubaloo wasn’t the cheapest option we could find globally, but they offered more than just development and came with many ideas up front. We could tell that user experience was one of their strengths.

How much have you invested with Mubaloo?

The cost of their work was around £35,000 [$46,000].

What is the status of this engagement?

The first project, for the mobile app, started in March 2016. It was completed relatively quickly, within 3 months. However, the launch was delayed from our end because we didn’t have a process in place for this.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t fully released the app globally, so I can’t mention usage stats. The best result from our point of view was that we didn’t go over budget. Normally, it’s very difficult to stay within the time and cost in development. From that perspective, the results were well-received on our side.

We have tested the app with a few patients. Generally speaking, there were no issues with the user interface or any other bits designed by Mubaloo. There were some additional features that we wanted to change, but it was easy to do so.

How did Mubaloo perform from a project management standpoint?

The collaboration with them was quick. They delivered what they needed to deliver on time and within budget.

What did you find most impressive about Mubaloo?

Mubaloo had the unique ability to come in and conduct a sprint for an unfamiliar company and industry. I haven’t seen this quality in any other partner. Normally, this process is done within a company’s offices, but they were able to come in and do it within a week.

Are there any areas Mubaloo could improve?

It would always be good to have more developers available when we need them.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Mubaloo?

It’s best to do user testing while the project is live. It’s much easier to get changes done while the development is occurring, rather than waiting until the project is over. We would have benefited from doing both in parallel.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

SEI provides outsourced investment processing technology for leading private banks and wealth management firms through the SEI Wealth Platform.

My role as solutions director involves developing new services to support the needs of our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mubaloo?

SEI supports major wealth and investment managers on the SEI Wealth Platform. SEI was looking to enhance their services by offering a white label native mobile app that would allow our clients to deliver a digital service to their end investors.

This provides our clients with a speed to market opportunity and benefit from any investment SEI makes without the overhead of managing the development and maintenance process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The application is primarily read-only at the moment. We do have plans to extend it to transactions, to provide the end customers the ability to transact on their wealth management accounts. The app currently has charting facilities to enable users to see how investments change over time. The customers are able to contact our help desk through email or phone. The app also has our glossary of terms, diagrams and pie charts, and a breakdown of customers’ investments.

We worked with a consultant, who led a lot of the work and then handed it over to a project manager. The project manager had a business analysis do the documentation and created the work order based on the requirements spec that we agreed on between us. They then assigned out to different developers for the iOS and Android platforms. They brought in specific resources for the test phase. I was primarily engaged with the project manager once the project was underway. We did visit their office and met with the development team.

The engagement originally started with the build-out of the mobile app, and they were excellent in the way they delivered it. They understand what a good app looks like and what a good user experience would be. They essentially drove out the designs of the UI for us with their expertise. Since then, we’ve been using them for a wider purpose, as more of a digital consultancy. We’ve been working with them to map out a longer-term vision and digital roadmap. Some of that won’t be delivered by them from a product perspective but will help us shape the direction we’re taking for our web products as well as the mobile app. Our web products are delivered in-house, but they’re helping us to shape the future roadmap for those products. Over the last four months, they’ve become more of a digital consultant partner rather than just a product software specialist.

How did you come to work with Mubaloo?

They’re well-known in the U.K., so we heard about them from the industry. They built a successful app for one of the leading financial services providers in the U.K., which won awards, so we reached out to them to see how they could help us.

What is the status of this engagement?

The mobile project ran from July to December of 2015. We spent 2016 launching and marketing the product. We then engaged with clients about how they can use the app and tried to sell it as a service. In 2017, we started using them as a consultancy and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I think their expertise and knowledge in the mobile space is second to none. Whenever I need insight into what ‘good’ looks like, they’re always able to help, advise, and consult. They’re approachable and always happy to help.

Mubaloo was refreshing to have for this initiative; their insight, approach and knowledge was invaluable to the success of our project.

Once build commenced, we were fully involved and continually invited to sit with their development teams to ensure the product was progressing in line with our expectations.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

Their delivery was excellent, on time and budget and we have continued to use their development services to enhance the product ever since.

We have also leveraged their mobile enterprise consultancy skills to help develop out our thinking across other areas within our business. They provide a unique and successful framework to tease out the pains and gains such that real value can be identified and taken forward.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver on time and on budget. We’re very happy with the product’s design. We got a lot of insight from them on the user experience. They’re not just a software company; they really have good insight into how mobile products should be built and what customers want. They continually try to push us to build new technology into the app. They come to us with what consumers want. They understand the market and trends. They try to help us with our thinking, and having that insight is invaluable.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Unipart is a logistics, manufacturing, and consultancy business across the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world. I am the propositions and innovations director of the company. I am responsible for our knowledge management systems, in relation to our operational system.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mubaloo?

We had an in-house app that wasn't performing well enough. We needed help redesigning it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mubaloo built our new iOS app from scratch. We had developed the initial version through our internal IT department, but they didn't have the skillset for this task. Our app is meant for what we call electronic coaching. It helps provide on-site training for people in support of our consultancy proposition. We use the app internally, but also license it to other parties.

Mubaloo helped us determine what the right platform would be for our app, what direction it should take, and what its design would be. They also helped produce some material for the internal pitching process. It was the first app our company had built, and persuading people to spend money on new ventures can be quite challenging. Mubaloo wasn't involved in external marketing.

We interacted with an account director, a project manager, a lead developer and another, more creative development resource from Mubaloo.

How did you come to work with Mubaloo?

We found Mubaloo through a network provider in the UK with whom we are working. We weren't looking for a proper partner at the time but had talked to a few companies superficially. We were very impressed with Mubaloo, so we got on with it.

How much have you invested with Mubaloo?

The cost of Mubaloo's work was around $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project had a four-month runtime, between September 2015 and January 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app developed by Mubaloo is fantastic. We had already built version one so we had a good idea of what we wanted, but they helped us take it to the next level, particularly around the user experience. Aside from the look and feel, Mubaloo also improved the backend stability and usability. There were hundreds of bugs in the in-house version, but Mubaloo got rid of them for the new one.

How did Mubaloo perform from a project management standpoint?

The experience of dealing with people developing apps, software packages, and so on can be painfully frustrating at times. In contrast, working with Mubaloo was refreshing. They laid out a plan, reported on an ongoing basis, hit deadlines, and stayed within budget. They delivered what they said they would on time. I'm very impressed in this respect.

What did you find most impressive about Mubaloo?

There wasn't one particular thing, but Mubaloo was obviously a professional outfit. They've done this kind of work many times in the past and know what's involved. Beyond the backend system, we have to have a good user experience, look and feel, and so on. They've done a good job with that. Mubaloo has helped us understand where we can go and how we can move forward with app development in general, outside of this particular one. Mubaloo has worked hard to collaborate with us and build a relationship.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a facilities management company. 

What is your position?

I lead the customer facing IT department within the integrated facilities management division.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mubaloo?

We wanted to get data out to our clients and the other people that work on the front line.  We wanted to create a community and interaction around that data that we have. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We had an existing desktop offering which we use for our clients.  Mubaloo’s work was extending that offering - taking data from our data warehouse and creating an API for it to work in the mobile world.

How did you come to work with Mubaloo?

We went to 10 agencies with an RFP.  The real differentiator for Mubaloo was the fact they had a set design provision.  They had a vision of an app that would really be usable by the people we wanted to target.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

This was a $200,000 plus project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We have about 100 users out there.  We’re in the beta phase at the moment, but the app is being used in the way we intended it to.  Some of our large contracts are using the app now so we’re creating a community and interaction around the data as we intended.  We’re seeing improvement in performance on all of those contracts.

What distinguishes Mubaloo from other providers?

Mubaloo very quickly became part of our team.  We integrated well.  They weren’t afraid to tell us that we may not be going down the right route and offer the proper way we should do something.  This was particularly true when it came to user-interface design and understanding how a potential user would interact with our app.

Is there anything Mubaloo could have improved or done differently?

I think they struggled a little bit to understand our industry and what we were trying to achieve in some elements.  I think they got the core requirements, but it was some of the nuances that stuck out.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a global asset management company, with over 300 billion British Pounds worth of assets under management. We invest that money primarily in equity, fixed income property, and alternative investment solutions. We have over 2700 employees based around the globe, and well over 30 offices.

What is your position?

I am head of their corporate applications team, within business systems. We're responsible for various applications used throughout the business, such as Sharepoint production management, business process management, and various other tools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mubaloo?

We work closely with other development teams in-house, and also with external providers. Depending on wherever the project might be, and the problem we're trying to solve, we might build something in-house, where we have the expertise and resource availability, or, ideally, we will take an off-the-shelf product that meets our requirements. Mubaloo supports us when we cannot develop something with our internal resources.

We know that there are massive opportunities in the mobile space, that we really haven’t taken advantage of. We used "Good Technology" to provide access to email whilst on the road. People could have remote access logins, from a home laptop, using a token method to get in; this is fairly clunky and painful a lot of the time.

With the massive migration to mobile devices, we wanted to test the water in that field. The idea that we came up with was an on-the-go application, which would very quickly provide access to key information while on the road. You could technically look up someone's phone number through the old system but it was so painful, that I think anyone would have given up by the time they'd actually gotten to it.

So, our app provides very simple functionality, but is very useful and really effective, as well. You've always got access to anyone's phone number and other contact details, any time that you need them, anywhere in the world. It also caches the information, so there's no need for a persistent connection.

The app also provides office locations. We have quite a lot of offices, and a lot of travel between them. In the old days, you used to have to print off some maps, and navigate your way if you visited another one. You don't need to do that anymore, our app integrates with the native location functionality on the phone.

It has business continuity information as well. In the event of any sort of disaster, all our staff has the key information on whom they need to contact, disaster recovery locations, fire assembly points, etc. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They provided design and development. We had a rough idea; we didn't come to them with a hundred page document of requirements. We came to them with one page of sketched-out ideas, and we were able to turn the ideas for the problems that we had in mind into real designs. They produced a couple of design options for us, and we were able to sign those off with very little difficulty. The steps involved were very clear from the start and any delays in the timeline were certainly on our side, rather than Mubaloo's. They developed and delivered it for us and it's worked really well.

How did you come to work with Mubaloo?

I think it might have been through Clutch. Someone forwarded me a report they’d seen. There might be a Gartner Magic Quadrant for their space as well. That's pretty much our starting point for any software or vendor selection process. We took our research from there, and ended up with a short list of three different vendors. They were all based around Soho, in London, so we then visited all of them, presenting our one page of badly thought-out ideas. We got their ideas, timelines, cost, etc., and, based on those factors, we scored them against each-other. Mubaloo were the winners.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The iOS portion, on its own, would range at the lower limit of 50,000 to 200,000 US dollars. Adding the Android development takes us to above 50,000 US dollars.

What is the status of this engagement?

We originally built the iOS portion, and thought we would see how it goes from there; how popular it would be, what sort of appetite there is for it, etc. We have a dependency of moving out to the new version of Good, which has slowed us down a little from doing a full roll-out as yet, but all our pilot users love it. Just this week, we have commissioned Mubaloo to create an Android version for us as well. We're very much imagining that this is the first of many mobile apps we'll be building in the future. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

At this point, only a handful of users have it while we wait for our Good environment to be upgraded (that is where people are actually going to be accessing the Android app from). It's not out there yet with any meaningful user stats against it. It's in more of a pilot phase, so I don't have any statistics as such. It's rather general feedback.

How did Mubaloo perform from a project management standpoint?

The application works great. Everyone who saw it has given really positive feedback on Mubaloo's work. We've had a very small defect list. Anything bigger, we were able to resolve really quickly.

What distinguishes Mubaloo from other providers?

One example was that if you look up a staff record on the mobile device, you can see who the line manager is, and you can click through to him. In testing, we realized that not all of the names of our staff are unique (which should have been obvious), which caused some conflict.

At the last minute, we decided that the only way to get around it was to produce another unique identifier for people, which was a change to the data model and the code. I've been in situations like that with other vendors, where they said it was fine, but that's a change request, and they would be charging us extra. Mubaloo turned it around really quickly, without any charges, which was refreshing to say the least.

Also, the other week, one of our senior managers wanted to implement a particular promotional video. I asked Mubaloo if that was something they could help us with, and they were on it, without asking for any additional cost. I'm really happy with how it's working, and they could not have been more helpful.

Is there anything Mubaloo could have improved or done differently?

When we presented our data to Mubaloo in the first instance, and set up our web services to make it available to them, perhaps I didn't make it as clear as I should have, that this was just a first stab, and we could change it if necessary. Had we scheduled enough time for initial discussions, we might have made a few efficiencies. It's very minor, and I'm certainly not putting the blame on Mubaloo for that one.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are an American firm with a trading platform that supports many of the major banks in the United States. We also started working with some big clients in the United Kingdom. Our platform was built on old technology, and we were looking to build new software. The platform has developed through the years as a middle and back office fund and trading and custody platform for private banks in the U.K. We have developed the software in the U.K., and then we've taken the software back to the U.S. where we've started launching it to the banks there. We have some big profile bank clients there as well.

What is your position?

I'm one of the product managers. I'm working on the front office solutions, whether they are client-facing, advisor-facing, web-based, or mobile applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mubaloo?

About a year and a half ago, we were looking at a proposition. We had much of the back and middle office covered. What we weren't providing was a solution that would meet the needs of our clients and customers. Our clients are institutions, and they would provide services to individuals. We felt that we needed to do some work here. We felt we needed a firm in the U.K. who understood the market we were in. We wanted someone who had a reputation for development and design, and we were aware of Mubaloo and the work they'd done previously. We didn't have a mobile app before that, but we did have a website.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We created a mobile app for iOS and for Android. They were responsible for end-to-end development. They first came on board and built a prototype for us. That was useful in understanding what the app would look like, how it would operate and help us go through the final design process. What I liked about Mubaloo was that they didn't let us tell them how to design it. They understand the difference between the operating systems and, when we came along with certain preferences, they were quick to step in and point out the difference in operating systems. We found that refreshing and useful.

How did you come to work with Mubaloo?

The key thing for us in selecting Mubaloo was the work they had done on a product for a firm that was providing services in a sector we were targeting. With the onset of RDR [retail distribution review] in the U.K., which is a piece of registry compliance, we're seeing a big move toward the direct client proposition. In the past, Mubaloo had done some great work for a web-based service firm who are market leaders in that area. That was a big driver in the selection for us. We felt they understood the market. They created a similar market-leading application before, both for the iPad and iPhone, and we felt they would be a good match for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

The actual project began with conversations and a prototype. I joined the project toward the end of last year. We then took a more project managed based approach to looking at the functional design and testing. We took the solution to a firm called NMG Research where we received customer feedback and moved forward. They were incredibly helpful in terms of supporting us from a testing point of view. They allowed our team to go down and access the numerous devices they had. The solution worked on iOS, but we needed to make sure it worked on different types of phone and different versions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any feedback from this engagement?

We found their design team to be fantastic. The support afterward was also very good. We went to our clients and there were a couple of changes required. They were happy to accommodate that. It's been a very positive experience. We've maintained good contact with them even after it was completed.

How did Mubaloo perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive, and we were particularly impressed with the way Mubaloo's project manager spent time with us. He was able to answer questions on a technical level as well, which we found incredibly helpful because rather than just taking questions away, he would be able to guide us and indicate whether something was possible or restrictive.

What distinguishes Mubaloo from other providers?

I think the level of support we received from the project manager was above and beyond what we expected. His knowledge of our industry and the technology and his ability to understand our needs and respond was fantastic.

Is there anything Mubaloo could have improved or done differently?

There have been internal learnings from our side. I'm not sure there's anything we would have changed from their side.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I'm working for RAC, which is a breakdown provider company in the United Kingdom, with a history that extends more than 100 years.

What is your position?

I am a project manager. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mubaloo?

Our mobile direct sales team sells some of our products in shopping centers and outside motorway service stations, and outside supermarkets. They use iPads to facilitate that sale and Mubaloo has developed the app that our sales team uses.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Mubaloo provides a mobile application, they service it, and provide updates to it.

How did you come to work with Mubaloo?

I wasn't involved in the selection process. I've been involved with projects that have required changes to the app. They were an incumbent supplier when I came along and started using them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We have an ongoing service agreement with Mubaloo, and I don't know what the value of that is. For the change activity that I do with them, it would be less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It's an ongoing engagement. They've created the app for us and, from time to time, we need to make changes to it. Whenever we need to make changes to it, that's when I re-engage with Mubaloo, and they make those changes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The feedback that I've had, from the group who deals with Mubaloo on a regular basis, is that they like the fact that Mubaloo tend to be quite responsive, they're easy to get a hold of, and when you do get a hold of them, they usually come back with an answer quickly.

We don't really have any KPIs [key performance indicators] that would be applicable to the stuff that Mubaloo is doing. The application itself is a sales tool, but the sales that are generated off the back of it, I wouldn't say that it's necessarily something that I would attribute to Mubaloo. It would be very difficult to track any KPIs to it.

How did Mubaloo perform from a project management standpoint?

They're quite flexible. They don't necessarily adhere to a rigid framework that you then can't bend when you need to. Generally, what they do seems to meet our needs, so we're happy.

What distinguishes Mubaloo from other providers?

What we like is that Mubaloo seems to be quite dynamic. They seem to be innovating, growing, and working with whatever is the latest technology. We just seem to have quite a good working relationship at a project level with them.

They're easy to get a hold of and responsive, and they're prepared bend the rules when you need them to. The work that they do on a whole seems to be decent. I've got absolutely no problem with continuing to use them. I've got no real complaints.

Is there anything Mubaloo could have improved or done differently?

The only very small bit of feedback comes from one isolated incident. One of Mubaloo's key resources who supports us was on holiday, and it just felt like there wasn't necessarily the depth of support throughout their support team.

I know they said they had other people who could support us, but it just felt like there was one resource who was the expert on that specific app that was being developed for us. When that person left, support fell off a lot and we were stuck. Mubaloo should disseminate knowledge throughout their team a little bit more, but other than that, nothing to complain about.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for a leading United Kingdom online retailer delivering fashion, homeware, and electrical goods to U.K. consumers.

What is your position?

I am a project manager working primarily on mobile applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mubaloo?

It was quite clear and quite concise, really. The main business goal or challenge was to lift and shift a copy of an iOS app that we launched before Christmas to the Android platform.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We needed them to lift and shift the application from the Objective C code base and to create a carbon copy of that in Android Java code for the Android platform. Mubaloo literally took our existing app to create an Android equivalent.

How did you come to work with Mubaloo?

The process started with doing some research on who we thought may be the market leaders in app development from an agency side, and who could work alongside us while we delivered some of our updates to the iOS platform.

We effectively found Mubaloo through the web, through Appy Awards, which is a U.K.-based industry recognition award for excellence in delivering apps. Once we found Mubaloo, we took them through a short competitive process, which we call an RFP [request for proposal] process. Through that, we just short-listed Mubaloo and started the project.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It's in the $50,000 to $200,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project has been completed. We have productionized the Android app, and it was released at the start of August 2015. We are doing some follow-up work, some small updates to that, but that is a new engagement and new commission.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We are absolutely satisfied with their performance. We don't have any full stats or metrics yet, it's too early to report back on anything significant. Through the Google Play Store, we're seeing about 50,000 downloads of the app since it was released.

What distinguishes Mubaloo from other providers?

I was very impressed by Mubaloo's technical ability and capabilities, and their speed of delivery into market.

Is there anything Mubaloo could have improved or done differently?

Overall, there's nothing major to report. There's probably just a couple of minor points that I'm sure can be fixed during the test phase. If I could redo this project, I would start the testing phase earlier to avoid bugs after the launch, but that's not Mubaloo's fault.