TangoCode

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We offer a full range of solutions to help a company manage their online reputation: Directories, Business Listings, Reviews, Social, Surveys, Paid Media, and Insights. I provide strategic direction and execution for clients across media channels.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TangoCode?

TangoCode helped lead a strategy and roadmapping session to integrate with the Google Ads API. They helped us identify the business case, implementation process, and differentiating value proposition for our specific platform.

What were your goals for this project?

Create a business case and the initial stages of a go to market strategy for integrating with the Google Ads API to allow us to more effectively scale our paid media offering.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

TangoCode was brought to table by Google specifically, who we had been engaging with thus far. As they were a trusted partner with Google and had helped other companies with similar projects, they were a great fit.

Describe the project in detail.

The project involved a 2 day strategy and planning session. We discussed our short and long term visions for the company and the role this product would play in that, a business opportunity analysis and development for a business case, product offering prioritization, development of our target client persona, risk assessment, and the building of a product roadmap to execute on the vision.

What was the team composition?

We engaged with two individuals, the CTO and Director of Marketing, who developed the agenda, led all elements of the 2 day planning session, compiled all notes and materials, and generated a powerpoint deliverable summarizing the work and takeaways from the session.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were able to generate a tangible plan forward with which we could operate to gain executive buy in. As this was a new product/service offering, it was crucial for us to have a firm understanding of the resources necessary and the opportunity it would unlock for us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The ability to spend two full days with the vendor, in person, was extremely beneficial. We were able to accelerate our progress by a factor of weeks if not months, and they were great to work with. Very organized and informed, and they were able to keep the discussions on track and visualize the progress in real time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their ability to hold us accountable as a company. they challenged us on our assumptions, our speculations, and our differentiators in a productive way that ensured we were developing sound conclusions and a realistic vision of success.

Are there any areas for improvement?

While we spent two days with them, there were areas where we were hung up on a few discussions that made it impossible to cover everything. A few more introductory conversations before the planning sessions may have allowed us to start a few steps ahead and have time to cover everything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m the former VP of research and development for Aprimo. We’re primarily involved in digital marketing for channel solutions. I guide and audit the development teams that produce various products. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TangoCode? 

I've hired TangoCode for two different challenges. The first was to produce a mobile app to help customers who own physical storefronts to run advertising campaigns with just a click of a button. The second was to automate digital ads on a large scale, international basis. Instead of relying on humans to manage the spend and placement of ads, we wanted a computer to do it based on inputs and artificial intelligence. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

TangoCode first developed native apps to help our customers. They started with iOS and then built the Android app in parallel. The Android version was always secondary because iOS had more features. They created an innovative UI with multiple parallax views as users scrolled through the interface. Another interesting feature was that the content provided by our customers drove the UI as opposed to UI having its own content. 

Next they developed a cloud-based solution to automate ads. TangoCode developed a backend solution that interfaces with our digital marketing platform. They built it in .NET as the tech stack, hosted completely in Microsoft Azure. They continue to develop and maintain the solution for us.

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with Jean Pierre (VP of Engineering, TangoCode). He's my usual point of contact but I’ve also worked at least a dozen members of their team, including Dane and Veronica (CEO and CTO, respectively).

How did you come to work with TangoCode?

I believe they were a referral from within my network. I really liked that they’re a local team. 

What is the status of this engagement? 

The mobile app project started in 2013 and launched in Q2 of 2014. The cloud software began in 2014 and then launched its first release in 2015. It’s continued to have multiple releases.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The mobile app helped us to increase our engagement with customers about 500 percent, so that was great for us. TangoCode made it as easy, seamless, and frictionless as possible.

Thanks to the cloud software, we’re able to manage and scale from the hundreds to the hundreds of thousands of ads without adding any staff. We were actually able to reduce our staff by one. TangoCode’s work had tremendous revenue capabilities for us in being able to manage and scale ads while also increased the marketing ROI for our customers. Every dollar they spend on an ad is well-placed and doesn’t result in garbage clicks. In terms of productivity, they helped us bring the product to market about 20%–30% faster than if we tried to do it on our own or using an offshore resource. 

How did TangoCode perform from a project management standpoint? 

Communication is a mix of email, GoToWebinar, and in-person meetings. It’s great that TangoCode is physically so close to us. We can get over to their office in minutes. For daily communication, we also use tracking tools that send email notifications every time there's a new post. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

There's a lot I like about TangoCode. They’re passionate in what they do and they really care. If we're hurting, they hurt. If we're happy, they're happy. They act and behave as though they are part of our business. It's a step beyond partnership, which I really like. If we don't have the ability to fill a role, they'll step in and get it done. They're not a fly-by-night operation. TangoCode is very solid in what they do, and we see that in the retention rate of their employees. That says a lot about how they treat people. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

TangoCode needs to better adapt agile methodology. It's somewhat new to them in the past four years as their chief methodology. Their communication could also be better in terms of being accurate. If they can improve those things, we’ll see fewer bugs, missteps, and sprints that come up short. The good thing is that TangoCode is constantly striving to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

They will communicate more than you anticipate. If you're going to work with TangoCode, you need to step up your own game. It will make you a better product owner and manager if you’re prepared. They’re not ever going to go silent or “ghost” you. On the other hand, they're not the right fit for you if you're not comfortable being available all the time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

RentPath is a digital marketing and solutions provider for the multi-family space and provides internet listing services and multiple other digital marketing solutions for property management companies. I lead our B2B Data Product team, which focuses on delivering search, social, display, email, and other advertising products for our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TangoCode?

We wanted to scale our performance marketing businesses, and a critical part of this was reducing the end-to-end campaign build times. We engaged TangoCode to help automate portions of our fulfillment process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The initial engagement was to automate performance marketing account builds. TangoCode created tools that allowed our analysts to deliver highly sophisticated search and social campaigns significantly quicker.

Since then, we’ve engaged them in multiple other reporting, QA, and sales and marketing projects.

What is the team composition?

We work with a TangoCode scrum team fully dedicated to our initiatives. This includes software/QA engineers, UX/UI designers, business analysts, and a scrum master.

How did you come to work with TangoCode?

My colleague and I moved to RentPath from Google. When we started this program, we reached out to our former associates on their channel marketing team, and they recommended TangoCode as a technology developer that specialized in scaled marketing programs.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have worked with TangoCode since 2017, and we signed up for a full-year retainer in November 2018. The collaboration is ongoing, and they are the primary owner of development efforts. We use them consistently to add features and products as we need.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They allowed us to move at a much quicker pace than we could have had we tackled the work internally. We were able to reduce campaign build times and maintain pace with aggressive selling efforts, which has allowed us to attract over 2,000 clients to the platform in a matter of months.

How did TangoCode perform from a project management standpoint?

TangoCode project management is top-notch. They work in two-week sprints, and they're very closely aligned with our core product managers. They clearly understand our focus, let us reprioritize efforts as needed, and communicate consistently with our team. The process is seamless, easy, and efficient.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impactful parts of our collaboration are in our kickoffs, which they call inception meetings. They join us onsite for two to three days, and they talk to all the departments involved. They map out the entire process, and they're very concise with top issues that they can address to help us scale. They have the forethought that allows them to craft solutions with strong long-term viability.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They deliver exactly what we ask them to develop, but there have been moments where add-on projects limited the functionality of previous projects. Closer collaboration with QA will help us prevent these issues in the future.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of product strategy for a marketing software company. In my role, I oversee the vision and roadmap for a few areas of our product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tangocode?

We wanted to develop technology that facilitates creative ideation, which is an untapped area in our market. We were seeking out a development partner to help design and develop that vision.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first collaborated with them to conceptualize our product, all live in a room. They engaged with our ideas and user stories in an end-to-end flow toward our goals. We ultimately ended up with a design and a map of the program’s functionality.

In building this product, they utilized Microsoft Azure. Its serverless architecture meshed with the seamless UX that we desired. TangoCode constructed a product that was a great part of our demo story and something we can take to market.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4 team members.

How did you come to work with TangoCode?

I wasn't involved with the initial hiring process, but we had a prior relationship with them. They had collaborated with us on another mobile app project 3–4 years ago, and the success there made them a good candidate for this project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We first engaged them in 2017, and the most recent project ended in July of 2019. TangoCode still provides ongoing support as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were successfully able to differentiate ourselves from competitors in the market. They developed a great UX that’s appealing to creative and digital teams. The product will serve as the front of our pre-sales demos, so the project was highly fruitful.

How did TangoCode perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked with them in two-week sprints, following an agile process They hit their commitment in almost every one, and we also collaborated to manage the backlog. They endeavored to ensure that every sprint would produce something of value for our customers, like a new feature or function. We used Slack to communicate, and Jira for work management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very responsive to any concerns or needs we might’ve had. They take their job very seriously, work hard, and were just great to work with all around.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They had done much more work in the past in AWS than on Microsoft Azure. There were some challenges as they had to do a little research on Azure architecture, but this didn’t cause delays. I’m sure that they’ve increased their knowledge over time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief communications officer for Urban Gateways.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TangoCode?

We needed a partner to develop a mobile app that replicated our Teen Arts Pass program (TAP), which interfaces with young Chicagoans to provide day-of $5 access to live performances in Chicago. We wanted to engage young people on their smartphones but required a partner to build the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TangoCode developed a mobile application based on our TAP program for iOS and Android. The app provides users— young Chicagoans, ages 13–19—access to affordable, live entertainment the day of the performance. Their team tested both platforms using TestFlight and Nevercode.

What is the team composition?

About nine teammates from TangoCode worked on this project.

How did you come to work with TangoCode?

A colleague recommended them along with several other development companies. After interviewing with TangoCode, we chose them because of their team, management style, and competitive pricing.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$150,000 with TangoCode to build the app.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in January 2019, and have an ongoing support contract for both systems.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their systems work seamlessly. Prior to working with TangoCode, we worked with another app development company; it was a difficult relationship and the project never got off the ground. TangoCode eased our concerns. They walked us through every single step of the project. Their team never presented a challenge without a solution. They understood how folks interact with mobile apps and their devices, bringing best practices in terms of UX/UI. We have a really specific market that their team spent time learning in order to provide and implement recommendations. They seem way ahead of any other company we’ve talked to. I can’t speak highly enough of TangoCode and all the wonderful results they’ve helped us accomplish in the course of this project.

How did TangoCode perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated with TangoCode daily through Slack, keeping us abreast in real-time. We used Zeplin and their team tracked their sprints using Jira. This was helpful when we would consider adding or reprioritizing any features in the app. Their team helped us understand what to expect, when to expect deliverables and how development was going, allowing us to solve any challenges quickly. They incorporated us into a deep dive about our project, people and audiences, which gave them a really great understanding of who we are and what we were looking to do. TangoCode has an all hands on deck way of working so we felt that we were a part of the process every step of the way.

What did you find most impressive about them?

TangoCode has knowledgeable staff. We feel we’re collaborating with experts in their specific domains such as coding for iOS or Android. Their team created really beautiful designs. They developed an app that is very much on brand, implementing our logos, colors, and patterns into the platform. TangoCode built a product that takes us to another level.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would normally have an answer to this question but truthfully, TangoCode has hit it on the head the whole time. They’re really an amazing company to work with.