Simpalm

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CFO of Midwest Evaluation and Research

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Midwest Evaluation and Research, LLC works to make the lives of the most at-risk people better and do this by working exclusively with not-for-profit entities that serve disempowered and disenfranchised populations across the United States to make them better at what they do.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Simpalm to accomplish?

• Create a user app
• Create a backend database

SOLUTION

How did you find Simpalm?

Referral

Why did you select Simpalm over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Simpalm were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

• Milestone #1A: Understanding of Requirements 
  • Client will share the detailed requirements of the project. 
  • Simpalm will review the provided requirements and will create a Functional Requirement Document (FRD) for the project. 
  • Client will review the FRD document and provide feedback. 
• Milestone #1B: Wireframes 
  • Simpalm will create the wireframes for the mobile apps as per the requirements. 
  • Client will review the wireframes, provide feedback as appropriate and approval to proceed. 
• Milestone #1C: Visual Designing 
  • Simpalm will create all the visual designs and assets for the mobile apps as per the requirements. 
  • Client will review the visual designs, provide feedback as appropriate and approval to proceed. 2.1.2. Task Area 2: Mobile App Development 
• Milestone #2A: UI Coding for Mobile App Following are the high-level requirements of this milestone: 
  • Simpalm will do user interface coding of the mobile app. 
  • Simpalm’s team will do the smoke testing on the user interface and release it to the client. 
  • The client will do the user acceptance testing and provide approval to Simpalm. 
• Milestone #2B: Implementation of Functionality Following are the high-level requirements of this milestone: 
  • Registration: Users can register within the system by taking their basic contact information (name, phone, address, email) and a keycode – an alphanumeric code associated with the project – given to them during their in-person classes. 
  • Link Survey: Users will receive the links for surveys in the app. 
  • Login: Users can log in using email and password. 
  • Reset Password: User ability to reset password and lookup username via associated email or phone. 
  • Survey: Users complete a follow-up survey after project completion. MER confirms that surveys will be created by a third-party tool. MER’s preference is to provide these keys to participants during classes. 
  • Push notifications: Users will receive push notifications from the admin for surveys, payments and other messages. 
  • User will receive messages for payments and gift cards, These payments will be made by an external link to PayPal, Venmo, CashApp into our app. 
  • Contact Page: Contact page with MER contact information 
  • Simpalm’s team will do the smoke testing on the build and release it to the client. 
  • The client will do the user acceptance testing and provide approval to Simpalm. 
• Milestone #2C: Production Deployment Following are the high-level requirements of this milestone: 
  • Prepare Production Build of the App 
  • Client will prepare the content for the App Store and Google Play. 
  • Deploy the App on the Apple Store and Play Store 
  • Go-Live 2.1.3. Task Area 3: Backend Design and Development 
• Milestone #3A: Understanding of Requirements and Server Design Document Following are the high-level requirements of this milestone: 
  • Setting up the server 
  • Table design 
  • API Design 
  • Develop all the Tables 
  • Develop all the APIs 
  • Test the APIs 
• Milestone #3B: Production Deployment Following are the high-level requirements of this milestone: 
  • Client will provide Simpalm access to their cloud backend environment. 
  • Simpalm will deploy the backend database and APIs in the Client’s backend environment. 2.1.4. Task Area 4: Web Admin Panel Development 
• Milestone #4A: UI Coding for Web Admin Panel Following are the high-level requirements of this milestone: 
  • Simpalm will do user interface coding of the Web Admin Panel. 
  • Simpalm’s team will do the smoke testing on the user interface and release it to the client. 
  • The client will do the user acceptance testing and provide approval to Simpalm. 
• Milestone #4B: Implementation of Functionality Following are the high-level requirements of this milestone: 
  • Admin can log in using the username and password. 
  • Admin can add and modify users as requested. 
  • Admin can view users by group. 
  • Admin can send push notifications to users. 
  • Admin will be able to issue survey keys as needed. 
  • MER Staff will add survey links in the admin panel, and will push them to the users based upon the group. Admin will create survey links in the external platform. 
  • Admin can log out from the App. 
  • Simpalm’s team will do the smoke testing on the build and release it to the client.
  • The client will do the user acceptance testing and provide approval to Simpalm 
• Milestone #4C: Production Deployment Following are the high-level requirements of this milestone: 
  • Client will provide Simpalm, access to their cloud backend environment. 
  • Simpalm will deploy the Web Admin Panel in the Client's backend environment.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Successful enrollment of a participant; Successful access to the backend for admins

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

The PM assigned to us was amazing. He was responsive and broke down development to our team with little expereince. Items were delivered on time and scope creep was addressed as it came up, instead of after.

What was your primary form of communication with Simpalm?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The flexibility and transparency of deliverables impressed me.

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

Understanding the project entirely first would be better in the future. Even before planning, another conversation to get a closer quote to the actual work would've been nice.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO & Founder at Gbanga | innovative game development of Gbanga - Mixed-reality game

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Innovative game development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Simpalm to accomplish?

• Custom Mobile App Development

SOLUTION

How did you find Simpalm?

• Online Search

Why did you select Simpalm over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fits our budget
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Simpalm’s team?

10-49

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

We are a game studio company and we needed a reliable partner to build a mobile app for one of our projects. We needed a team who could build native iOS and Android App for our project. We did not have an internal team to build native iOS and Android App, so we decided to hire a team for the project.

We liked Simpalm because they have very good experience in custom app development and they had a global delivery model. We provided them our own UIUX design and specifications. They did a kickoff with a PM/BA, Developers and testers. They provided us weekly updates and delivered the project in around 10 months. We are very happy with their services and will continue to use them for support and maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• They built an iOS App forb us; App is live.
• They built Android App for us which is live.
• They built backend database and API on AWS

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

Simpalm has assigned a very experienced PM on the project, who explained the process very well. PM used basecamp as a project management tool and created all the tasks and timeline in the Basecamp. They were able ton meet all the timelines closely with some delays.

What was your primary form of communication with Simpalm?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They have a team located in three continents, which were helpful to maintain the cost and quality.

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

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Procurement Manager of Insight

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are an enterprise technology company providing IT services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Simpalm to accomplish?

• Build a Custom Mobile App

SOLUTION

How did you find Simpalm?

Clutch Site

Why did you select Simpalm over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost

What was the size of Simpalm’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

We did not have the internal bandwidth to build this App so we decided to outsource it. We needed an educational app for our sales team and Simpalm did the UIUX design, Cross Platform App development and admin web interface development for our project. They delivered the design in around 6 weeks and completed the app in around 3 months. They used Reactnative to build the app on iOS and Android.

They built the backend in NodeJS and admin interface was built using React. We have been very happy with Simpalm and still using them for support and mantenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• The created the clickable designs for the app
• They published app on iOS
• They Published app on Android

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

They assigned a Project Manager to us in USA and the communication from PM was excellent. They used Basecamp for project management. PM understood our requirements and was able to deliver high quality product.

What was your primary form of communication with Simpalm?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They are very mobile app-centric, and they were able to finish the project on time and within the budget. They billed us on milestone basis.

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

I am happy with their work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of tree services firm based in northwest Connecticut.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Simpalm, and what were your goals?

We had been managing our work in multiple platforms (excel, google sheets, handwritten notes, PDF notes, etc) and needed a single custom solution to manage all our services. We needed a system that would be extremely user-friendly and would bring together all our various hodge-podge tracking systems into one intuitive web-based application.

SOLUTION

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

I had no luck finding a vendor through personal contacts, despite my background in computer science. So I did a deep dive on Google and SimPalm made an excellent initial impression based on their many positive client testimonials and reviews, the breadth of their experience, and their team's expertise.

When I reached out, they were immediately responsive to my inquiry, but never pushy. They understood my needs quickly and gave me a very clear proposal detailing what the project would involve, and I felt very confident moving forward with them.

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

This project involved everything from scoping and design, to development, Q/A, and deployment. It ultimately took around a year from design to production, and now we are doing ongoing enhancement work.

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

I worked directly with one project manager, who led a team of a handful of people on the SimPalm side for design and development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I had a very clear idea of my requirements for this project from the start, but it was more complex than I initially anticipated. SimPalm's project manager was able to clearly identify our priorities and keep us on track. We started using the software about a month ago and are absolutely thrilled. It does everything we hoped it would do, and more. We are already seeing that it is going to be a game-changer for our business.

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

SimPalm paired me with a phenomenal project manager from the start, who asked all the right questions, thought deeply about our project needs, and took great care to understand all the ins and outs of our work. His attention to detail has been fantastic. We have had many meetings over Zoom and track all project details on Basecamp. They have been extremely responsive, communicative, and transparent from day one.

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

SimPalm was very clear from the outset about all the various steps that would be involved in this project. They provided me with milestone information at every step of the way, with clear milestone-associated costs and due dates. The entire process felt very collaborative and transparent. I have felt that they were a partner in this project, and that we are both deeply invested in its success.

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

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are one of the largest financial services providers globally, and I am an Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Simpalm, and what were your goals?

We wanted to rebuild our mobile payment apps using latest UIUX design and ReactNative platform. It was difficult to find a company who had experience in payment apps and also could build apps using ReactNative.

SOLUTION

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

We researched vendors using Clutch and GoodFirms and reached out to 4 shortlisted companies. We interviewed them and sent them RFP to submit the proposal. After going through the proposals, talking to team and references, we hired Simpalm.

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

We had the requirements and specifications fully defined. They started with the UIUX design and completed that process in 6 weeks. After approving the designs, they started to build the application UI. They integrated the app with our gateway API and used PCI compliance for data security. Once app was fully developed, they did the automation testing and deployed the apps. They also build the web app with the same functionality.

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

We had one PM, one UIUX designer, two React Native developer and one senior QA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered the fully functional apps and web application and we right now have around 100K users in USA for the apps.

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

They were very communicative, using JIRA for project management. They used Zoom for calls and Bitbucket for source code. They delivered the project before the time and thats why we have hired them for another project.

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

They have been around for 12 years and they have built 6 other payment apps, they fully know the PCI compliance required to build financial apps.

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

Not that I could think of, I wish they had an office in Texas.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO/CTO of PayDent based in Chicago. PayDent is an alternative to dental insurance. It eliminates all of the hassles of dental insurance for docents and their patients. Provides fair compensation for doctors, fair prices for patients Creates cash savings accounts that patients use to pay for dental care.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Simpalm, and what were your goals?

If you think of Uber as passengers looking for drivers with cars, you can think of PayDent as patients looking for dentists with chairs. We needed a HIPAA-compliant, financially secure app that would collect funds from patients, and make ACH payments to dentists.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed several firms. Simpalm was among the most professional, capable, and affordable. Piyush Jain, the owner, is one of the smartest people I have come across. And I have worked in computer and semiconductor engineering for decades.

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

First we developed the flow of data and wireframes for the various menus and functions. Simpalm brought the technical and artistic talent required to make the app functional and secure. From a technical perspective, PayDent is a mobile web app that interfaces to an SQL database, which resides on an AWS server. The database is captured in a HIPAA frame so that all of the patient data is protected. The app then calls Stripe to collect money from patients or to make payments to dentists. It captures all of the treatment history and transaction history and maintains it in the protected database. Oracle NetSuite is used to capture all of the transactions and generate our financial statements.

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

A project manager is assigned to work as our primary contact. We have had some interaction directly with development resources. Piyush, the owner is always available to lend his experience and intelligence as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our app was in development for almost a year. After we launched it, we found several very minor issues which were quickly addressed. There were several times that we required very quick changes. The Simpalm team always delivered.

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

The BaseCamp tools is used to connect all stakeholders on the project. We also had written a detailed requirements document. This helped a great deal to communicate technical details between our teams and unsure that technical issues were completely understood.

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

As I mentioned earlier, Piyush is one of the smartest people that I have worked with.

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

Better, cheaper, faster... We challenged Simpalm with a tough and complicated design. They delivered. We feel that they delivered a great product at a value, in a reasonable time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and Founder of a tech Startup. We are building a digital platform including mobile and web apps to address a financial problem.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Simpalm, and what were your goals?

We were looking for someone to design, develop, and launch our product for both mobile and web platforms.. We only knew about our vision but we were worried about the execution of development. We searched for a team who could do UIUX design and full stack development for us. We found Simpalm to be a perfect match for us.

SOLUTION

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

We found Simpalm online while searching for app development companies for startups. Then we checked their profile on the clutch/goodfirms and reviews of their past projects and clients. We set up a meeting with them. After full research and competitor analysis, we hired Simaplm as they offered a cost effective solution and process driven delivery.

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

We provided a clear idea of what we needed in our product and how the product is useful for people . We did some research on our product and gave Simpalm a detailed document of all the functionality and features we wanted. Simpalm discussed all the functionality and features of the product and suggested that we add some important features that we are missing.

Then they designed the clickable wireframes to make sure everything is covered in the application. They developed the product with their agile development approach and provided a test version of the product. After successful testing, Simpalm handled the publishing of mobile app in apple and play store.

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

I worked with a project manager who worked with several people on their team to get the results they needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are new in the tech industry and Simpalm helped us to develop our product to grow in the market. Our users are very impressed with product features and functionality. Simpalm very well understood our vision for the product and did an excellent job by building it exactly they way we wanted.

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

They had set up everything in a project management tool, all the communication happened in the tool. We had a dedicated PM who we used to meet every week. We also communicated through mail and skype calls. The project manager and developers were very responsive.Their service was impressive and met our deadlines.

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

They have a highly skilled and experienced team of project managers and developers that easily understand your product requirement. The best part is the quality and on time delivery of applications. There were some technical challenges and Simpalm overcame the challenges and got the work done.

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

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Bamboo Rewards, a loyalty software solution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simpalm?

We needed help in software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Simpalm is developing our loyalty app that is available on iOS and the web. Our clients can place iPads at retail locations, and customers who visit those locations can create a profile and earn loyalty points. 

Our clients have an admin platform that allows them to see the location’s visitors and send various types of rewards to the visitors. The rewards include discounts, special offers, raffle events, and other things of that nature. 

We spent a lot of time with Stefano (Project Manager) during the discovery process, laying out the requirements and high-level features that we wanted to capture. After that, we proceed into wireframing, visual design, and product development.

We’ve already launched the app, and we’re currently working on enhancements to the product. We’ve got development plans for the next 14 months.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Stefano, Vikram (Director of IT), and Piyush (CEO).

How did you come to work with Simpalm?

They were referred to me by their past client. I first sat with three developers to see if they could build my app. We ended up using Simpalm because they were the least aggressive. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $160,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2020, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve been caught off guard and surprised at how good Simpalm has developed my app to be. They’ve brought a great product to the market, and I’m highly impressed. I’m delighted to hear about their progress during our check-ins. 

We tested the product before its launch. As a result, we’ve been confident going in the market. 

Additionally, Stefano has captured my exact idea of the product. He helped me stay on track during the development process, which has allowed me to avoid going over budget. His efforts were instrumental in bringing a functional MVP to life.

How did Simpalm perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly meetings where we talk about defects, future enhancements, and customer comments. We follow a product roadmap to add features. Additionally, we use Figma to work on their designs. We also use Monday for project management and feedback. There are open lines of communication between our teams.

I’ve paid about $15,000–$20,000 more than what we originally talked about. However, I’ve received more than I thought I was going to get. Paying a little bit more to get my product out of the gate has been worth it. Their price has been very reasonable. 

I never feel that they are trying to upsell me, which makes me feel comfortable working with them. Since we started, I’ve been working with the same team, and there’s tremendous energy on both sides. The discovery process has been fantastic, and it has been great to work with Simpalm.

It took us about a year and a half to develop the product. However, that has been during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when most people were putting a pause on a lot of their projects. We continued to push forward with Simpalm.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Stefano is an excellent project manager, and Vikram and Piyush always reach out to make sure everything is good. They like my idea, and they also talk about their ideas — they give me additional perspective. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They’ve offered a very fair price for the product that I have. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Start taking a lot of notes, and approach Simpalm once you have several pages of ideas. This will allow them to immerse themselves, try to capture your idea, and bring your vision to fruition. 

Additionally, spend a lot of time working on your scope, so they can understand what’s important for you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager for a retail wholesaler with numerous brand acquisitions. I’m responsible for implementing B2C, B2B, marketing analytics, and content management projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simpalm?

We needed an enterprise solution for all of the data related to our products and marketing analytics. As every company employs different software and agencies, the data was scattered in 15–20 different places. We needed a single, consolidated platform to access the data in a structured format.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Simpalm interacted with our company’s departments to understand the necessary data integrations for the solution. They then created an API integration plan for our internal database.

Simpalm then managed full iOS and Android app development. They created the app’s UI/UX design as well as designed and developed its web dashboard. Their team had to filter information from different database tables to keep the platform as clean as possible.

They connected the solution with our existing backend database and APIs. Their team integrated the platform with SAP, Salesforce, and other B2B and B2C software. Simpalm also integrated our digital asset management and our PIM (product information software) into the solution.

What is the team composition?

Simpalm assigned 5–10 team members to this project, including JavaScript developers, QA analysts, a project manager, and a business analyst.

How did you come to work with Simpalm?

We vet any vendor before hiring them. Every vendor presented their ideas and selected the one that had the best presentation and the greatest number of votes. In this case, Simpalm had the best pitch.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent between $150,000–$190,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in January and completed it by December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Simpalm created an adaptable platform, so people didn’t need weeks of training to learn to use the system. Their team handled the training sessions, which went well. They knew how to ensure the UI/UX would be what it needed to be. Their team ensured the platform provided enough information on a single page and users grew accustomed to it.

Their team clearly had previous experience because they anticipated any problems with the API parameters. As they already knew what we would face, we didn’t have problems with API connectivity.

How did Simpalm perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Monday and Azure DevOps. Their team tracked scrums, and their business executives tracked the project at a higher level. Their project management skills were great. Projects can fall apart during implementation, but Simpalm made sure their team was enthusiastic throughout this project. Our project went smoothly even though it grew more complex than we initially thought it would be.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by their customer management. They went above and beyond to ensure our happiness. That wasn’t purely because their team was bound by an SLA (service-level agreement). Simpalm provided more than enough support to ensure our satisfaction before closing the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Hopefully, Simpalm will continue to work on these types of projects. We would work with them again if we needed another web or mobile app.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront with them about what you want to implement. If you don’t bring up the project’s complexities, it will be harder for them to deeply dive into it. It could also present problems during the implementation.