Shockoe

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of digital marketing and communications for a hospital system.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Shockoe?

We approached Shockoe to develop two apps for us: the first was a customer-facing app that allowed us to move from a paper directory to a digital one; the second was an internal communications app. Although we had an in-house web development team, they didn’t have the time or expertise to build mobile apps, so we outsourced the work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Shockoe created two apps for iOS and Android from scratch. We didn’t have a lot of experience building apps, so they walked us through what we needed to do. Initially, there was a lot of discovery work. We had meetings up front to make sure that we had the necessary information ready for both apps. On our side, we mapped out all the data to the apps. They then went through the typical processes to build them: design, development, testing, and rollout.

They launched the directory app for us in app stores, and we released the second app internally. At the moment, we haven’t decided whether we wanted to continue building the second app out further or keep it as is. It’s likely that we’ll implement further developments, but, for now, it’s in a maintenance mode.

What is the team composition?

We mostly worked with a primary account manager who relayed our questions and information to the rest of their team. We also worked with one of their co-founders. As the project went along, we worked more and more with their designer and would occasionally have a developer on call.

How did you come to work with Shockoe?

We had previously collaborated with a vendor to build a different app. However, they were going through some severe growing pains and couldn’t work with us anymore. I immediately started looking for developers in the D.C. and Richmond area. After speaking to a few firms, I found Shockoe. The fit was good; they were the right size for us, and I liked that they were only an hour away.

How much have you invested with them?

For both projects, including revisions and updates, we spent between $80,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The bulk of their development work lasted from December 2016–June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They met the scope and kept to our timeline and budget. On both projects, we had significant internal delays that impacted all of the schedules in place. However, they stuck with us and developed the apps within a reasonable time frame. When the ball was in their court, they really came through.

I also appreciated that their co-founder kept us in tune with some of the breaking technologies such as AR/VR and machine learning. They informed us of different ways we could use our data with our current internal processes. I only have the utmost respect for them and their expertise.

How did Shockoe perform from a project management standpoint?

I would give their account management exceptionally high marks. There was a lot of close communication. We had weekly meetings as well as activities and milestones that we were trying to hit. They also had some tools to manage the project, but I rarely used them. Instead, I would rely on the account manager to brief me via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a stable organization that always delivers on their promises. In the past, we’ve worked with other agencies where we had to deal with growing pains, disorganization, and people leaving. In contrast, Shockoe hasn’t experienced any of those challenges; they’ve been able to keep their talent and continue growing. Without a doubt, they’re within the top companies I’ve ever worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. When we first started working with them, I felt that the founders could have delegated more tasks to their staff, but they seemed to have worked this out. Because the founders are so busy, now, they naturally divvied more responsibilities to the rest of the team. As a result, we’ve had particularly knowledgeable people working on our projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am senior vice president of products and channels at a credit union.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Shockoe?

We were trying to find a solution that would allow our members to access their credit card information digitally on mobile phones and desktops. The solution needed to have robust features. We already had a mobile app, but our credit card functionality was limited. We were looking to enhance our existing mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We visited Shockoe and pitched the idea of building a credit card portal for our members with very loose wireframes. The portal should allow a member to single sign onto and the portal should be responsive in design, meaning it should work on a mobile device and a desktop.

Shockoe was very attentive and listened to our needs. Several days after our meeting they had very rich, high-quality wireframes and wanted to make sure that they had our vision outlined properly. Their speed was great and it continued throughout the project. We were very shocked when they gave us an eight-week delivery estimate and then hit that deadline.

I really liked that they were agile. We would evaluate the wireframes and tweak them in real time as they designed various phases of the solution. They came on site and took in our feedback in real time. Then, they would come back a couple of days later implementing our feedback.

Our goal was to have a credit card portal that was unique in both user experience and user interface. Shockoe delivered an ability for credit card users to turn their cards on and off, to do balance transfers, to report their card lost or stolen, to see their credit card interest rate, to see their next payment due date, and to see their next payment amount. We're working with them right now in a phase two to add transfers, history, and travel memos.

What is the team dynamic?

We have one project manager, one developer, and one designer.

How did you come to work with Shockoe?

Years ago there was a mobile meet up meeting in Richmond that I went to. I saw the CEO talk about mobile development technologies and since then, I always had them in the back of my mind. Internally, we had some capacity challenges in terms of development. So, our team decided to go see Shockoe’s office since they are local. After we met, it was a perfect fit.

How much have you invested with them?

North of $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working October 2016 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

30 days after our launch, without promotion, we had 1% of our card users adopt the service. We were impressed because we didn’t market the app, so this meant that existing users knew where they could find the new features and then engage with them.

After we launched in April we did a usability study with some members and the app was very well received. When we presented users with future features and functionalities they seemed very excited. So, the app has been well received overall.

How did Shockoe perform from a project management standpoint?

Shockoe is very efficient and very flexible. If we needed to update a wireframe, we worked in real time on a phone call or email. They always respond within 24 hours. They have been very responsible and on time, and they stayed in scope.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They say they're mobile only and they stick to that. Because of that, they’re very strategically focused, which allows them to do more and stay on the cutting edge. They stay on top of the latest trends.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

21st Century Insurance is a $2 billion auto insurance company that sells directly to the consumer; we have no agents. We are also owned by Farmers Insurance, which is an $18 billion insurance carrier, which is an agent company. I’m the web and mobile program manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Shockoe?

The mobile app that we are currently in the process of updating is actually in its sixth year. We've gone through multiple versions, or iterations of it, both for iPhone and Android.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We're currently working with Shockoe as our mobile developer, which has worked out extremely well.

How did you come to work with Shockoe?

We develop on the Appcelerator platform, which basically enables companies to build native apps across devices, to build some commonality so that the app will perform 100%, regardless of current models. We had worked with Appcelerator in the past, for their developers, but we just felt that we needed someone better.

Actually, Appcelerator stopped developing on their end, so they kind of forced the issue where we had to find a third party developer. They had offered three names. I talked to two or three of them and made a decision to go with Shockoe based on the conversations we had, their website, their experience, and the fact that they had been developing for close to six years when we picked them. I think it was a wise decision, and I know we're very happy and very impressed with the work that they do.

How much have you invested with Shockoe?

We have spent between $50,000 and $200,000. We do one to two updates every year; it just depends on the cycle. The updates are based on organic needs. There were improvements that could be made to the app that we opted not to make on a previous version due to cost and to keep the project small enough so that we can get it done. Certainly, the inter-operability and communicating with our back-end systems, create an impact when you make a change on the app, so that helps guide what we can do sometimes with a current release or not.

What is the status of this engagement?

It's an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The releases have been pretty significant in terms of improvement, in terms of look and feel, and user interface. Since the first release that Shockoe did for us, we've had really great feedback from our customers. We haven't had any major issues that I'm aware of with bad user experience, which is what we were experiencing previously before we started utilizing Shockoe.

It's not only the quality of their development effort and their quality assurance but also their industry knowledge and their general expertise in the mobility field that has helped us leapfrog from going to an app that works on, I'll say 80% of the devices and operating systems, to close to 100%.

What did you find most impressive about Shockoe?

Shockoe is very dedicated to mobile and they're very attentive. They're very communicative and have very good project management and development skills. Because they're doing this remotely, we have weekly or bi-weekly meetings, and they have different sprints, where they have a deliverable, we review it, and towards the end, we'll start testing. A couple of us will download the app on our devices or in a test environment and start looking at it.

Shockoe's understanding of mobility is extremely good and very, very strong. They really take the pain and a lot of the challenge out of mobile development because from my experience, mobile is not easy. I should say everything mobile is not easy because of the number of operating systems, the number of devices, number of device models, and the rapid development that exists. You have the smartphones, tablets, and of course you have desktops, so there's that transition from your desktop website to the mobile app.

There's a lot of thinking that goes into the user experience and a lot of transitions that have to be made to make sure that it's a very comfortable and positive user experience.

Are there any areas Shockoe could improve?

If they were located a mile away, that might make it easier. They've done a very good job working remotely; I have no problems really at this point, and I'm a pretty critical person. Things have to be done to perfection. We're in a regulated industry. If there are issues, they're very public. Of course, my team and I have to address them.

To be honest, we really haven't had any significant problems working with them. I think the first project was a little bit of a learning curve but it was just that they didn't know our company, and that would be true for anyone. I really can't say that's a negative; that's really part of learning as two companies start working together. You have to learn each other's business and how you operate.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Pine Cove is one of the largest Christian summer camps in the world. We have around 35,000 guests each summer, plus another 35,000 who come to us during the rest of the year.

What is your position?

I am the Chief Analytics Officer in the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Shockoe?

We needed to create a way for parents to see what was going on in camps and remain involved in the experience of their children, understanding what is happening and receiving daily pictures and videos of them. We wanted to create an app that would allow parents to become a part of the experience. We'd used a contractor prior to Shockoe, and also have an in-house software team who handles much of the backend work. Our scrum team does a lot of the heavy lifting, but we also needed someone who was very good at frontend development for Android and iOS.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We had started developing the app using Appcelerator Titanium. Shockoe helped us take the work done through our previous contractor, making it perform better and cleaning it up. There were many issues with which we needed assistance, so we needed an expert in the field, like Shockoe, who could expand our work.

How did you come to work with Shockoe?

We had been talking to an Appcelerator representative, which was the platform used by us in order to write native applications through a centralized tool. We asked that person about the best developers in the business. He recommended a couple of companies, and we went through an extensive interview process, actually giving $10,000 to $15,000 test projects to both candidates. I liked the work put out by Shockoe. They had a great interaction with us and were easy to work with. We decided to select them for the bigger project after a few months of watching them write code.

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

The development cost with Shockoe for 2016 is within the six-figure area.

What is the status of this engagement?

The version 2.0 of the app has been launched. Our plan is to continue to use Shockoe, unlike our previous contractor. We plan on having them build the iPad version of the app within the next few months, as well as working on improving what we currently have.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We're very satisfied with Shockoe. We've just launched their version of the app. For the version published in 2015, we received 22,000 downloads for both the iOS and Android versions. We're hoping to dramatically improve that number, not just in terms of downloads, but also as high-level interaction. Users are sharing pictures of their children through the app, and receiving letters from camp which were written on physical paper. There is more interaction than what Facebook or Instagram could offer. Users care about almost everything which is delivered to them from the app, instead of being moderately concerned about people from their high school. It's not only a matter of downloads, but it's also a question of engagement. We've had users who kept our app open for as much as 4 days, refreshing it constantly. It was important to make sure that it would work for such extended periods.

We haven't yet gathered significant statistics because, at the moment, the app is quite fresh.

What distinguishes Shockoe from other providers?

Shockoe's developers and their Chief Executive Officer care about the work. When the team is making suggestions based on their personal experience, they become more than a contractor. It's a unique situation to find a contractor that is willing to get in the same boat as the client, instead of simply charging for the work. It was great to hear suggestions from developers that resulted from conversations they had with their wives. They definitely bought into the project with us.

Is there anything Shockoe could have improved or done differently?

No. Shockoe is one of the best contractors we've used over the years. We pay many people for various services, so this is even more significant.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are T-Mobile USA. We are the number three wireless company in the United States, selling products and services, from devices to rate plans.

What is your position?

I'm on the sales and training side of things. My group trains on devices and systems for the retail organic stores. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Shockoe?

Initially, we were put in contact with Edwin Huertas, the CEO of Shockoe, to do some training for us. Being a wireless company, you would assume that a lot of the training and information that we share with our groups would be done through mobile – through phones or tablets. That had not been the case for many years. We wanted to dip a toe into mobile app development. The idea being that we could package a lot of our training in the form of an app, send it out to our field, and they could take that on their personal devices or on demo devices in the store.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We made a partnership by which the Shockoe team would create some of these templates for us so that my team could go into the Appcelerator software and plug and play new content or graphics and produce an app very quickly without needing to know much code. We leaned on Shockoe heavily at that point just to be able to leverage the Appcelerator software.

How did you come to work with Shockoe?

We had done some research and had purchased software through Appcelerator and Edwin happened to be our trainer. They sent him out to teach my team how to leverage the Appcelerator software, and he spent a good week with us. During that week, he realized we didn't know anything about coding and things like that. By the end of the training, I discovered that he owned Shockoe.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative?

Our partnership went through the latter half of 2013 and cost somewhere near $300,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Our relationship has since dissolved because the apps that we were producing and the metrics that we were getting back showed that our associates were not really leveraging them in app format. Our associates were still going to the traditional computer training. We decided that the cost benefit analysis was not matching up. We halted our Appcelerator license and dissolved any of the mobile app stuff we were doing. But, I would say that we did have some initial success when the apps first started going out. I can't put any numbers around that.

What distinguishes Shockoe from other providers?

Many times when you're dealing with a vendor, they have a certain kind of template in that you need to follow their process. With the Shockoe team, it was extremely open and organized. They knew what they needed to get done and by when. They knew what they needed from us and what we needed to learn. They were very structured but they were so incredibly flexible. Edwin Huertas realizing that we were all very novice at all of the coding very quickly had his team tailor their messaging and communications to us. Shockoe was also very flexible in terms of making changes. T-Mobile is renowned for making changes at the last minute. They were very flexible with that. I know there were often times where they worked many hours of which we were never charged. Often with vendors, you can't do maybe more than one or two projects at a time or they lose their bandwidth. With Shockoe, that didn't seem to be the case. There always seemed to be some new programmer that was able to help us out.

As we decided to go from just apps to creating a game on one of the tablets, they were also able to help us with that in parallel with the work they were doing with our training template. Shockoe knows very well how to speak to their clients, either highly technical or no technical expertise at all, and always are very responsive. Never did we have a question that wasn't answered within 24 hours.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

We really didn't run into any issues with Shockoe. They were extremely patient even when it came to payment. T-Mobile is renowned for being very late with their payments and that could have been a point where they may have stepped away from us, but they did not.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our company is in agriculture, in the dairy industry specifically. We service about 75 percent of the dairy farms in Canada.

What is your position?

My position is IT [information technology] manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Shockoe?

We were looking for someone to help us in the development of our first mobile application.

For what platforms were you looking to develop the app?

We wanted to choose a platform for development that would allow us to deploy to Android, iOS, and Windows phone environments. We actually went out and chose a platform for development called Appcelerator, and that was our first phase in our development plan.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with Shockoe?

We first spoke with Appcelerator to find out what firms they have dealt with in the past. They gave us names of a few firms that they were aware of and had worked with. We actually spoke to a few of those firms, and we chose Shockoe because we were very impressed with how quickly they grasped what we were looking for as far as an application goes, and their commitment.

Shockoe seemed to be very interested in working with us, and they were very professional in the way they conducted themselves when we were going through the process. We asked for references, and the references that we got were very high. Those were our main reasons for choosing Shockoe.

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

It was a $50,000 to $200,000 partnership. I should add that we have continued to work on other phases of that application with Shockoe, so they're still with us. We're using a hybrid approach. We have our own developers here working alongside Shockoe on the work we're doing. We're also looking at other major projects, and Shockoe is being seriously considered to be the consulting firm that we work with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The results have been excellent. In the dairy industry in Canada, there are hardly any mobile applications available. We're one of the first companies, with the help of Shockoe, to make an app available to our clients. In Canada, there are roughly 11,000 total dairy clients, of which around 9,000 are with us. From those 9,000 clients, we have 1,600 clients that are using the application. If we compare that to other services that we offer, that's pretty high.

The results, the comments, and the remarks that we got back from our clients have been very positive. I should add that when I mentioned we have 9,000 clients, not all those clients actually are in possession of a smartphone, so they don't even all have the possibility of using the application. If you consider which clients really have the ability to use the application, you're looking at somewhere around 60 percent of our total clientele. So, the percentage of clients that are using our app is pretty high.

What distinguishes Shockoe from other providers?

Shockoe is very easy to work with, and they're very committed. They get back to you right away. They provide a very good service. They meet their commitments as far as the estimations that they give. They've been right on with what they've given us, and there haven't been any surprises in what they've done for us.

Shockoe has gone beyond what we had asked for in the development of the application. They added in features that we didn't even think of, or ask for. They're also very good on the design side. We were coming from a Web central C-#, .NET environment with no mobile expertise at all. Shockoe really helped and guided us in the design process for our application, and I think it's been a success. Our clients are very satisfied with the application.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

I don't think so. They could probably take more advantage of some of the tools that are offered directly from Appcelerator, but that may be because they know better than to do that, I don't know. The other thing – and this could fall with them and us – I would probably like to have a better process as far as testing goes.

Everything else has been excellent. We haven't had any problems with the app. It works very well, but there have been some minor modifications that have been necessary to make. That's due to testing, and that could be from both the Shockoe side and our side, but I'm really grasping at straws to find some things that they need to improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization. What is your role and responsibilities?

I'm the IT [information technology] manager of marketing systems for one of the largest grocery store chains in the Southeast. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Shockoe?

We had a new initiative to have a brand new mobile app to help customers to have an electronic reward card and to implement e-coupons. They can clip e-coupons on the mobile app and download them to their card, and they apply when they go to checkout. Also, if you spend a certain amount of money in the store, you gather fuel perks that you can spend at a Shell station. We wanted to be sure it was easy for them to get their fuel perks balance. 

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Shockoe?

We purchased Appcelerator, which is the mobile application development platform and one of their reps highly recommended Shockoe. The representative put us in touch with Shockoe for help on the mobile application development. We have developers, but none of them had done mobile. We had a tight timeline. We talked to Shockoe and they impressed us. They did great.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?

It was a very large initiative overall. Just the Shockoe portion was $250,000-plus.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics on the project?

There's mixed reviews on the app. The App Store review isn't representative of the actual overall quality and design of the app. We've gotten some bad reviews on the App Store that we didn't have certain functions that our old app had, but it has nothing to do with Shockoe. 

What differentiates Shockoe from other partners?

Shockoe is a relatively small company. Having the owner and the core team members being in on all the calls and really taking the time to make sure we were taken care of was very impressive. They were involved from the beginning and stayed involved throughout the process. The project manager was exceptional. Very professional and able to explain everything and give us good opinions on best practices on lots of different areas. Then, the actual development was quick and concise. We didn't have a lot of bugs. It was a good experience.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Not a lot. We talked about trying to make my team self-sufficient so we could do some development on our own in the future. We came up short on time to do that. That's not all their fault.