Surge – a Catalyte company

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a software company that helps insurance agents calculate, project and track their commissions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Surge Software?

Surge was hired to develop and implement our vision.

What were your goals for this project?

Provide a commission tracking solution that was affordable and easy to use for any size insurance agency.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Months of research led me to Surge. I appreciated that they only hired US based software talent. I had tried to use other companies and found them costly and difficult to work with. They were cheaper up front, but more costly in the end.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Surge provided all aspects of building my program. They took my 150 page PowerPoint presentation and build story boards for the application. I had daily calls with the project manager, front end, and back end developers to make sure the project met my expectations.

What was the team composition?

My team composed of a project manager, front end engineer, back end engineer and some time for a UI designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Although the project is still in the works, I've started to grow my business. Most of my customers compliment me on the ease of use of the software. I've had many prospects make recommendations on improvements which I will implement with Surge.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

My project manager did a great job. He was able to communicate in technical terms that I could not do. He also helped to set expectations on cost and time frames for completing my project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were very open to working with a small business. Even though I know they are a large company, I feel like I have a "small business" partner. They were flexible with my pricing and showed that they wanted me to be successful.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wish the software development was cheaper! Unfortunately, it's not. I discovered that Surge was very fair in their rates compared to other companies.

I would like to have had a better understanding of the cost of ongoing maintenance and product updating. At the end of the day, I learned that you get what you pay for. Surge has some incredible talent. I fee that I got a lot of value for my money would highly recommend them for any size project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of engineering for Motor Trend OnDemand, a subscription video service from The Enthusiast Network.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Surge Software?

We needed to increase our in-house development capacity.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a lot of API work. We needed to scale our on-demand product, which ran on a number of internal proprietary APIs and backend services. We lacked the necessary API web service expertise, so Surge provided engineers familiar with our MySQL database cluster and Node.js. Working together, we were able to ramp up our internal engineers, upgrade our APIs, and create a more powerful version of our product.

We then hired Surge to help with frontend web development as we moved to React and server-side rendering. They’ve also assisted with the creation of iOS and Android apps using React Native, backend database work, and QA testing. They’ve also provided input about our AWS infrastructure.

What is the team composition?

We started out with a single resource but have gradually expanded our engagement. We currently work with between 9–13 individuals, including mobile software engineers, QA testers, and frontend developers. They also provide a project manager who works alongside our in-house project lead.

How did you come to work with Surge Software?

My boss discovered them. We decided they were a good fit after conducting a few compatibility meetings and interviewing their developers.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend between $90,000–$110,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together over a year ago and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our streaming service had roughly 30,000 subscribers when we started with Surge. Since upgrading to our second version, our membership has increased to 100,000. Surge was responsible for over 50% of our development efforts, so they played an instrumental role in that growth and retention.

How did Surge Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Their performance across the board has been great. When working with outside vendors, it’s common to experience difficulties at the start of a project or during unexpected staff turnover. This happens with all of our partners, but Surge is very good about anticipating any issues and backfilling quickly to ensure the project moves forward.

We can be a tough client. Our projects move quickly and include a lot of ambiguity, but Surge has a knack for providing engineers who adapt quickly and offer creative, innovative solutions. This is part of the reason we continue to work with them. There are cheaper vendors available, but few capable of dealing with our last-minute changes and strict deadlines. We use Jira for our agile process and Stash for version control.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide a team member who's dedicated exclusively to overseeing our success. This individual doesn't perform specific day-to-day duties, but instead functions as a kind of therapist. We can go to this person if we have any issues and we frequently meet for lunch to discuss long-term strategies. They use our feedback to provide consulting, but this process also helps them prepare internally for any upcoming projects or strategic changes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

All of their engineers do great work, but their personalities can vary. While some are open communicators, others are more introverted and require a bit of coaxing before they’ll open up.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to be clear about the expected outcome when working with any outside vendor. As long as you’re clear about your needs and deadlines, Surge is very good at organizing themselves around your goals. They typically conduct internal meetings to understand the technology stack and priorities prior to the start of any project, so being upfront about your needs puts Surge in a better position to go above and beyond.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the software manager at a medical device company that develops surgeons’ operating room products, particularly for spine surgery. I manage the software development group for the product development of medical devices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Surge Software?

We needed additional full-stack software development resources to work on numerous ongoing projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We request developers with expertise in HTML, CSS, and TypeScript. They interview potential team members before I speak to them. I can request replacements as well through a Surge representative, project manager, or dedicated sourcing specialist. Surge adds resources to projects as needed.

They’re developing several products simultaneously. The developers work remote, but sometimes come onsite because we have specific hardware and workflows that require real-time demonstrations. We also do collaborative code reviews; everyone inspects them because it’s the main part of our business. Codes need to meet our in-house standards before developers can implement them.

What is the team composition?

Currently, there are about 12 full-time staff. We’ve had 20 people in total with turnover.

How did you come to work with Surge Software?

I did an online search and read company reviews. After deciding they looked reasonable, I spoke with a representative and developer to ask technical questions. I felt satisfied with their knowledge and decided to move forward.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a collaborative environment with great people. The developers meet expectations most of the time; Surge will replace any resources that don’t produce satisfactory work.

How did Surge Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We have in-house project management and communicate with them via email. They’re also on our Scrum teams, which requires daily communication between development teams. Surge uses Slack internally.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re easy to work with. Most senior developers are capable; resource replacements maintain high value for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No because everything's working well for me. I think they're doing everything right.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask technical questions and talk to the developers prior to engagement to ensure they can provide the needed skills.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

CompTIA is an IT trade association that advocates for the IT field. We create a suite of class-leading, vendor-neutral certifications that assess competency and job readiness in various parts of the IT world. I contribute to developing those certification exams and partner with stakeholders to ensure their validity, delivery, and security.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Surge Software?

We wanted to migrate from a legacy examination delivery driver to a new browser-based driver. As a result, we needed an outside agency to build the necessary tools and ultimately implement the migration.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Since the exams are legally defensible, there couldn’t be any security breaches. The developers need to appreciate the content’s sensitive nature and adhere to the processes we’d laid out. Additional competency requirements included: HTML5, knowledge of browser-based applications and their capability with other technologies, and how to leverage browser-based driver technologies to bypass potential bottlenecks. We also prefer an agile environment because it’s preferential for communicating with developers. We also need the team to implement our ideas quickly and return in a trackable manner.

We just finished the discovery phase. The proof of concept is nearly complete, and then we plan to do assessment testing with our third-party vendor, who is facilitating the delivery. We expect to finish this stage by the end of February, at which point Surge will buildout the delivery tools through the third quarter of 2018. In the final phase, we’ll build new exam content that Surge will help develop.

Our current development goals include: the ability to parse languages in XML, compile examinations like QTI fragments, and the ability to use JSON code. Our focus on HTML5 and JSON reflects our desire for expert-level knowledge of coding requirements.

What is the team composition?

I have one project manager, but a developer is my main point of contact. The graphic designer and I speak as needed; per Surge’s business model, he’s alternated on and off the team. There’s are also a customer service liaison that ensures things runs smoothly. We currently do QA in-house, but may have them do testing in the future.

How did you come to work with Surge Software?

Although I wasn’t involved in the search, I know why our company hired them. We chose them after a vendor evaluation period because they had quick turnarounds and a preferred business model: their scalable team would include graphic designers, developers, and product managers. We also felt that their grasp of our implementation needs was superior to the other organizations we considered.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent approximately $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in September 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Surge is extremely agile and able to adapt to changing landscapes. The developers and designers make a great team.

There have been two instances when we’ve had to provide applications to our third-party vendor without testing. In both cases, the applications worked as expected in the delivery systems. Even though that was the first time putting them into practice, the applications functioned seamlessly and quickly. That success demonstrated the developers’ ability to understand our vendor’s application programming interfaces (API) and then implement a solution based on those restrictions.

Currently, we’re finishing assessment testing. Results for the delivery platform changes won’t be available until after its completion, but I’m expecting similar results to the previous two times.

How did Surge Software perform from a project management standpoint?

At first, we had difficulty incorporating scheduling projections into their agile environment. I made it clear at the start that they’d need to re-evaluate their process if they missed certain key dates. However, their quick turnarounds exceeded our expectations and met deadlines. The project manager onboards additional resources as needed to stay on schedule.

They use JIRA and I use Smartsheet to share tracking information and dates. We also have a couple proprietary file transfer systems that we use with Surge. Their willingness to use tools outside their company has been very helpful.

The customer service liaisons are great resources; we’ve had a few different ones. They’re an extra layer of support with a long-term outlook on the project. It also helps financially that the position doesn’t bill hourly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The developer we work with understands extremely difficult technical issues across a range of IT scenarios: security, coding, networking, and application development. The development team has likewise found previously unknown issues with our third-party vendors’ API. Those discoveries speak to their level of detail, knowledge, and familiarity with development best practices.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need to improve forecasting delivery dates. That might not be feasible when working in sprints and agile, but more consistent progress updates and adherence to deadline expectations would be helpful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a realistic expectation about the workload because Surge’s agile business model allows resources to be scaled-up. However, Surge may take a person off the team if there isn’t enough work at that moment. Delivery dates are hard to keep if the client doesn’t take an active role in assessing the amount of work and available resources.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of the internal software team at a global strategic consulting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Surge Software?

We needed staff augmentation on various development initiatives.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the first project, we wanted to build a reporting tool to support one of our firm’s training initiatives. We need a software developer with experience in both Microsoft Technologies and standard HTML technologies. Surge recommended an engineer within 48 hours of my request and I decided he was right for the job after a brief 15–30minute interview.

We’re currently engaged in two projects using UX designers provided by Surge. One project is a new initiative for an enterprise search tool for internal use, while the other is the creation of an internal knowledge management system.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Matt Mackay (CEO, Surge Software) who then connected me with an engineer for the initial engagement and one designer for each of the additional projects.

They also took the proactive step of assigning a project manager who only worked as needed to keep our costs down. Another individual conducted internal code reviews to ensure deliverables met their high standards.

How did you come to work with Surge Software?

They worked with another group in our firm on development and prototype projects for our clients. Their information was forwarded to me, so I set up a conversation with Surge’s representatives. An opportunity arose 12 months later, so I decided to give them a try.

How much have you invested with them?

My group alone has spent around $35,000 so far and we anticipate further engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017 and our relationship is ongoing. The initial project took roughly eight weeks to complete and we anticipate the current projects running through April, with possible extensions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our intent with the initial project was to streamline the reporting needed for each training session. The tool built by Surge’s engineer works exactly as needed, saving valuable time. It allows us to efficiently maintain our internal staff.

We ran tests on their deliverables and found them to be of a high quality. The only edits we requested were minor visual changes related to fonts and word placement. Their turnaround time is excellent and I’ve been satisfied with the team members they’ve provided.

How did Surge Software perform from a project management standpoint?

The process works exactly as needed. Their developers and designers work remotely, and even though the project manager had never met the developer prior to our assignment, it went seamlessly. They use JIRA to communicate internally and we had access to those real-time updates during our daily meetings.

Because we have people working in India, Surge’s team is also willing to work with our extreme time zone requirements. They start work early in the morning to accommodate our needs and keep us informed of their progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They produce quality work and have a flexible team. We can be a very demanding client, but they were always responsive and did exactly what we needed in a quick, straightforward fashion. It really was a seamless process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They provide excellent team members who produce quality, glitch-free results. We’ll raise any concerns if they come up.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their team is very responsive and accommodating, so communicate openly. I’m comfortable in the knowledge that if issues arose with any team member, I could talk honestly with Surge and they would remedy the situation. Be open, articulate your goals, and they will work with you to provide solutions.