Rapidsoft Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am Pradeep Anand, Founder, CEO, and Managing Director of MeraGana.com which is based out of New Delhi, India and markets worldwide. I’m in the music industry business, involving karaoke solutions both for online and offline access.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rapidsoft Technologies?

I was looking for a solution which could help budding and aspiring singers to practice singing. I already had a rich library of Hindi and English instrumental music and I wanted to create karaoke apps for mobile devices as well as desktops, which could make use of this library of music and sync it with written lyrics.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Rapidsoft Technologies developed my karaoke solution in every possible mobile platform (iOS, Android, J2ME, BB, Symbian, Brew, Windows Phone) and as a desktop app. Apart from karaoke, Rapidsoft also developed other MeraGana solutions for me including an on-demand music app, IPTV (Karaoke on Television), and online radio apps to stream live radio. They also helped with submission into the respective app stores.

How did you come to work with Rapidsoft Technologies?

Rapidsoft was recommended to me by a friend of mine who was already working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Rapidsoft did a wonderful job with all these applications, which helped boost my business and revenue. Throughout my association with them, the quality of service has been commendable. The applications that were developed perform well and there have been fewer iterations due to bugs. They understood the requirements pretty well and developed a robust architecture which did not pose any problems, even after I got enhancements done in the apps multiple times.

How did Rapidsoft Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Rapidsoft Technologies took complete ownership of developing all the applications from start till end. They were also proactive in giving helpful suggestions for increasing success. I held regular meetings with the Rapidsoft team to give them feedback; they were always open and happy to incorporate the changes or suggestions coming from me anytime.

What did you find most impressive about Rapidsoft Technologies?

What I liked about Rapidsoft was that they welcomed all the changes I requested happily and implemented them at any stage of development. They also gave good suggestions which were beneficial for the applications. The graphics team also did a great job with my applications and did everything to make the apps look professional and user-friendly. They were well aware of the taste and limitations of target audiences and kept that in mind in designing the user interface.

Are there any areas Rapidsoft Technologies could improve?

The only issue I faced was that there were a lot of changes in the team, but I’ve been with them for such a long time that eventually developers change. However, Rapidsoft took every step to make any transition smooth.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Rashad Gaffar. I am the CEO and founder of Shield Report.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RapidSoft Technologies?

They were helping with the coding of an app that I developed and the building of that app. I provided them with the details and the framework, basically the outline for the app. They did the building and coding for it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

There were two separate teams, one worked on the Android version and the other worked on the iOS version. I was in constant contact with three different individuals; the head of the finance/accounting department and the two project team leads for Android and iPhone. We communicated and interacted daily, or whenever necessary, for updates and upgrades to the app. I provided the content of the app, as far as the direction concept and specific wording, and minimal outlines for pages. They assisted with launching the app on Google Play and iTunes Connect.

The concept of the app is that individuals can rate a police officer’s job performance after an interaction. RapidSoft built the survey portion based on a list of qualitative and quantitative data questions I provided. Then they built the reporting tool, which allows users to research all the interactions, then create and customize their own reports on those interactions for specific law enforcement officers, areas, or states. They also built a mapping feature, where you can research all the interactions that occur on a specific route that you input to the map.

The target audience is anyone who’s had an interaction with law enforcement, whether it be a traffic stop or just asking for directions. We want as much balanced and objective feedback as possible, to have a good point of reference for police data.

How did you come to work with RapidSoft Technologies?

A friend of mine had an app designed by them a year or two before I had mine designed. He recommended them to me.

How much have you invested with RapidSoft Technologies?

It will be around $20,000. It was $10,000 for the initial build and design for the survey and homepages, then another $10,000 for the reporting and mapping features, and the integration into iTunes Connect and Google Play.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in mid-December of 2016, and the work is ongoing. The app launched on May 18^th of 2017, so it’s live on Google Play and iTunes. Now they’re doing updates based on user feedback or anything that didn’t translate from testing to live production.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feedback has all been positive on the concept, layout, and design of the app. Initially, there was an intro video at the launch of the app, to give users a walkthrough of the features. That was slightly inconvenient, so we had that taken down just to avoid using people's data and give them the option to view the video on their own. Other than that, everything has been good with the reviews.

The live version of the app is still at the embryotic stages. We don’t yet have the collection of interactions that we need to start the reporting. We can’t fully ascertain how well it is functioning until the reporting starts. It’ll be some time before we gather enough users and data from interactions with police officers to use every aspect of the app. As of now, it’s okay, but it’s not using its full capacity yet.

How did RapidSoft Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform well from the building aspect. Some of the timeliness could be improved, but I think that’s due to location and a bit of a language barrier. There’s a time difference of about eight hours between us. So, if they have issues with my reviews and upgrade suggestions, it can delay the upgrade for another 24 to 48 hours. It can take several hours to get a response, depending on the time of day. Up until 10 or 11 a.m. EST time, which is about 7 p.m. their time, they’re available and I can get a response. If I need anything resolved after that, it won’t be until the following day.

They have a dashboard we use to communicate. All the developers, as well as myself, have access to it, so whenever I send a message on the dashboard, they get it and an email is also sent out to everyone involved. We also Skype. If there’s an emergency, especially after launch when we needed updates, I can Skype one of the lead engineers.

What did you find most impressive about RapidSoft Technologies?

The layout and design of the app is visually impressive. The optics of it are very professional. They were able to clean up the hurdles I found with some of the features. It took time, but they did a good job with layout and design.

Are there any areas RapidSoft Technologies could improve?

The communication gap was the biggest issue. Part of that might not be their fault, but more due to the time difference. There was also a slight language barrier, but the people I communicated with had a pretty good grasp of the English language, so it wasn’t too difficult.

Do you have any advice, or recommendation, for future clients?

For anyone who is initially wanting to build an app, and has a limited amount of experience or revenue, they’re one of the most cost-effective app development companies. They’re very inexpensive and efficient. It’s easy to work with them if you don’t have a lot of technical and app development experience. They’ll help you along the way with getting everything set up for the launch and building the app. They do a good job of communicating back and forth, as far as app design, optics, and the look of everything.

BACKGROUND

Can you give a little background information on your company?

We provide a number of mobile Web services throughout Africa. The particular application that we worked with Microsoft was a BlackBerry application and for, in fact, an existing product that we have. Those involved tracing the app interface and then in tracing with also the API to the content for my system.

What is your position within the company?

I’m the product manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your company’s business goals or reasons for undertaking the project?

BlackBerry is a big portion of the market, and most of the areas to operate in. We just wanted to offer a better user experience by a dedicated mobile app, in addition to the Web app.

What was your process for selecting Rapidsoft?

We had booked a number of other developers in India before and, with Rapidsoft, I think the reason we went with them is because they had the best portfolio and apps. From the get-go, they were very professional and tireless.

SOLUTION

Could tell me about the scope of the project?

Most of the project was actually translating an existing iPhone app and rebuilding it for the BlackBerry platform.

They took care most of the backend development work, and some of the design for the BlackBerry?

Yes. They did develop a lot of the design, and we also did a lot of the design ourselves. All of the work on the server was done by us, so they just did the product.

How long ago was the project completed?

It was middle to end of last year.

Could you give me a general cost estimate of the project?

About $12,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How happy are you with the result of the project?

We're very happy. Of all the development companies we’ve worked with, they're the best.

Is there anything stood out about Rapidsoft compared to other developers with them being special or unique?

They set a project timeline and would stick to their commitments. They are very good at keeping to those. That was the thing that really stood out for me.

The other side of that question is, looking back on the project, is there any area that you think Rapidsoft may be able to improve upon?

I think when it came to testing the app. That’s where they might’ve short a bit.