Simply Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a healthcare technology startup company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simply Technologies?

We needed help developing our website, which consists of a network of doctors for patients to choose from.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Simply Technologies designed and developed a website on .net, incorporating our growing database of doctors and custom features that allow users to register with doctors online. Simply Technologies continues to maintain the site and train our internal development team to eventually take over site maintenance.

What is the team composition?

We work with two developers, both on the frontend and backend.

How did you come to work with Simply Technologies?

A friend of mine who had previously worked with them recommended them to me. I was looking for web developers with expertise in C# and .net platforms. While Simply Technologies is mostly concentrated on JavaScript, they were also able to build in the environments we were requesting.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested about $80,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around June 2016, and the relationship is ongoing. We plan to engage them to help us build a mobile app and implement additional features in the near future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Simply Technologies developed a strong website that's helped us engage more doctors and potential patients. Thanks to their efforts, we're now able to start switching gears towards enhancing our overall business model.

How did Simply Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They manage tasks quite well and don't typically reach out to us with tons of simple questions, which I appreciate. We go over everything all at once during regular meetings over WebEx.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver high-quality work and never break their promises when it comes to meeting deadlines. In addition to being professional, they're also personable and easy to work with and socialize with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just trust their approach and feedback. As with any vendor, before committing to a large project, I'd advise giving them a smaller pilot project to work on first.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of a startup in the Netherlands that is dedicated to developing e-solutions for our healthcare industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simply Technologies?

One of our main product initiatives was to offer virtual consults to patients in partnership with hospitals around the country. The ultimate goal was that a patient could meet with their doctor via our applications. Although we have two developers in-house, we needed people with broader knowledge of the technology to fill out our team’s expertise and make our designs a reality. We needed both an iOS and an Android version of the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Simply Technologies provided us with backend components for both the iOS and Android mobile apps. Our team set up the basic architecture and delineated functional requirements for what we wanted. Then we sent that information to S.T. to have their developers actually create the working applications, as well as separate interfaces for both the physicians and the patients. We gave them fairly broad requirements and they were able to translate those to specific functionalities. Since we are a Microsoft partner, we used Skype as an integral part of the apps. They provided all their work on a fixed budget, which I expect was made more difficult by the nonspecific nature of my initial requirements. Lastly, they provided us fixes while the apps were in testing environments, which comprised of a fair amount of additional work.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager and two developers, one to focus on the apps and the other to focus on the backend.

How did you come to work with Simply Technologies?

I met the two owners about six years ago, when I was working for a different company. They demonstrated their beautifully designed software, and I was impressed by the UI they had constructed. When my current company needed apps to be built, I thought immediately of S.T.’s work.

How much have you invested with them?

In 2017 we have spent between €30,000 – €35,000. I estimate that it will be around the same amount next year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership in February 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are currently in the process of soliciting and receiving feedback from a production environment in the Netherlands hospitals with which we have partnered. So far, we have gotten a few new requirements from different healthcare organizations, and we already have in mind some specific changes for them to make in the second versions of the apps.

How did Simply Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

I was on location at their offices for one week to get to know them and discuss the project, but after that, we did all our work remotely. We had meetings every morning with both developers via Skype to talk through their progress. Our teams also set up requirements on Sprintboard to facilitate our workflow. I was particularly impressed by their communication overall, in terms of both its consistency and their openness to true collaboration. We made business arrangements upfront and they were very willing to do more than we had originally set out in order to make the project a success. The whole team was dedicated to making our final product work as well as possible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really listened to what we said and tried to achieve what we intended. Rather than just accepting our assignments or requests, they worked together alongside us to clarify the pros and cons of any decision, and that really distinguished them from other players in this field. In addition to their technical skills, they make you feel like you are true partners. It felt like we were one team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Because of the focus of the company, they don’t always have the needed resources available, but they fix this by cooperating with other companies, so Simply Technologies is always able to help.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Once you have sat down with them in person for an initial meeting, it is much easier to do the rest of a project remotely.