Tapptitude

BACKGROUND

Please provide us with a brief description of your company.

I’m a co-founder and current co-CEO at Hyper, which is an ideas company that seeks to provide the safest and most efficient pathway for new founders to launch and run technology-based startups. Our services cover ideation, strategy, UX design, builds, launches, and ongoing support.

During this project with Tapptitude, I acted as the product owner on our side.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address?

We needed to build a scalable and solid product ecosystem for an Uber-type platform with quite a few components—a few mobile apps on iOS and Android, backend systems, and web components.

We did the initial business analysis and the entire UX phase (wireframing, prototyping, and full UI design), and we needed a strong development partner to implement all these elements. Previously, we’d done a few smaller projects with Tapptitude, so we knew how they worked and what they were capable of delivering. In this new project, they implemented iOS and Android mobile apps and built the entire backend system. Overall, they handled the entire technological side of the project. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the project, and can you describe the specific services that were provided?

The scope of this partnership involved delivering a solid ridesharing product for the Australian market quickly and within a fixed budget.

The project started from idea stage. Within this partnership, we executed product strategy and UX/UI design, and Tapptitude built the product ecosystem: two iOS apps, two Android apps, the backend systems, and the web components.

The specific services provided by Tapptitude included iOS native development (Swift), Android native development (Java), backend development (Node.js, MongoDB), web development (PHP Laravel), product management, and mobile quality assurance (QA).

What was your process for selecting this company to work with?

Initially, we chose Tapptitude based on their portfolio and great team members. We were impressed by the team’s consistency, focus on delivering great products, and unusual full-stack product approach (covering both the technical side as well as product strategy and UX design).

Can you give us a general estimate of the size of the project in terms of dollars and manpower?

The project cost between $100,000 and $120,000. The team included nine people.

What was the timeline of the project?

The project started in October 2016 and ended in January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

Our product launched on the planned date and managed to grow quite a lot in the meantime, operating in multiple cities and processing thousands of rides every moment. The architecture of the products allowed rapid scalability and lower maintenance costs.

How does the company perform from a project management standpoint?

Tapptitude delivered great code quality, was always on time, and communicated well overall.

When working with this company, is there anything that sets them apart compared to other partners you may have worked with?

Technically, Tapptitude offers a well-balanced team of senior and moderately experienced engineers. Their attention to detail and focus on delivering solid code were also essential.

They cover the full flow of a product by addressing all platforms—iOS, Android, web frontend and backend—and conducting QA testing and product management. Additionally, the team really understands product development, and they have a great deal of experience in building products for startups that need to grow fast.

Do you have any constructive criticism?

They should hire even more people like those they already have!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the product manager of Imobiliare, a website for the biggest real estate portal in Romania. We offer services for all of the people involved in real estate transactions, and we have one million unique visitors per month. Our services are for agencies, homeowners, developers, appraisers, and banks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tapptitude?

I needed help to develop an Android and iOS app for our company. We didn’t have in-house knowledge to develop mobile applications because we only specialize in web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tapptitude developed native apps for both Android and iOS. One of the important features is a chat capability between buyers and agencies. They created it with our support through our APIs and it was a success. They also helped us by offering their knowledge on UI/UX as well. Every time we want to develop anything we first speak with Tapptitude. Currently, they do maintenance and updates, and now we are working on the next update to both applications.

What is the team dynamic?

There are five to six people who we communicate with.

How did you come to work with Tapptitude?

I found them through an internet search in Cluj-Napoca, where they are located . It’s a good hub for a company like them. I chose between three companies. We made a pitch for the services we wanted, and Tapptitude offered the best deal and price. They are perfectionists and they have very high knowledge about applications. They answer all my questions and concerns and they are very friendly and good communicators.

How much have you invested with them?

About $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2014 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is great and does not crash often. It has one of the best KPIs. The applications are currently at 99.9% uptime. The apps have 260,000 downloads right now and the feedback is okay. Our Android rating is at 4.1. iOS ratings aren’t used in Romania. 

How did Tapptitude perform from a project management standpoint?

They are 90% on time. They communicate through a project manager who was assigned to our project. Sometimes I directly communicated with the developers. We communicate mostly through Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They respond quickly when I need them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My advice to them is to do better with the application marketing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Storific.com is a startup company which enables payment from an app to restaurants and cafes, so that customers can keep the line. Users order and pay from the app, restaurants receive and prepare the orders, and, once they are ready, users are notified, so that they can keep the line and grab it. I am the CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tapptitude?

Lucian Cocan and his team were involved from the beginning of our company, back in 2010. I was looking at building a prototype in order to raise money, and I had a team of developers, but none had the skills for developing an app in Objective-C, the language used at the time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had the whole idea for the app in mind, along with wireframes and designs, so the main challenge, in the beginning, was execution. Tapptitude developed the prototype, and, once we raised money, we decided to have them as part of our team. Instead of having Android or iOS developers in-house, we decided that Tapptitude would be the ones responsible for all mobile activities. This involved a whole process of development and creation, starting with brainstorming on what would be the next features.

They were really a part of the company, involved in every decision around features. We have what we call a product discovery phase, where we decide on the upcoming features and the version-release timelines.

Tapptitude has built everything around the app, from the signup to the payment integration. The app has a Facebook login feature and other social networks signups, as well as integration with the restaurants’ menus for display. We had a strategic partnership with PayPal at a CEO level, so the service was integrated deeply within the app, in terms of SDKs and APIs. We also offer Braintree and Stripe integration.

It was a complex app which required a heavy amount of development from Tapptitude’s team.

How did you come to work with Tapptitude?

I tried to find someone who could build our prototype, and a friend recommended Lucian and his team to me. At the time, I was based in Bordeaux, France, sharing an office with another startup company. This was at the beginning of Tapptitude, and I’m not sure that they were even incorporated yet. I contacted them and traveled to Romania for a first discussion.

We decided to move forward and build a prototype, through which we raised funding. There was other development done, but the mobile app was really important for the project. We have been able to raise a few rounds of money, and Tapptitude continued the development of several app versions later on. They were the only ones involved in its construction.

How much have you invested with them?

We have worked together for more than three years. I estimate the total cost being between $100,000 and $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tapptitude in early 2010.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of users and usage, we have been stuck in angel fundraising mode, and could not go beyond the step of seed funding. This was more on the business perspective, which is distinct from the quality of the app.

The proof that I’ve been happy with Tapptitude is that we’ve continued working long-term, even though I’ve had the option to use in-house developers. I felt that the communication was great and, most importantly, the quality Tapptitude provides is amazing, as is the communication. I haven’t found an incentive to work with someone else, and the cost was reasonable.

The best example would be to look at some videos of the app we’ve made, which really shows how good it was. The company does not exist anymore, though.

How did Tapptitude perform from a project management standpoint?

We were in touch every day, and I know that they worked even more than they should have. I was looking for perfection, so, even though Tapptitude’s work was great, I wanted to change the design at times, coming up with new things.

We were in touch via Skype (since Slack didn’t exist at the time), and Trello for project management. We discussed features together, with release dates for the app stores. I don’t remember an occasion when we were late.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think that they work well with startups. Tapptitude is a young, proactive team, and are similar to a startup themselves. I didn’t hire anyone internally because I had the feeling they were a part of my team, even though Tapptitude was a third-party agency. Calling them an agency wouldn’t be fitting—Tapptitude is a real startup working for startups, and that’s what I loved about them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have their feet on the ground, while I am more of a dreamer. This means that I was coming up with new features, and Tapptitude was pushing me down, saying that they may not have been worth developing at the time. This was more positive than negative, though—Tapptitude had experience of how long things would take, and how beneficial something could be for a company. I do remember it being frustrating for me at the time to limit myself, but I didn’t understand the development process at the time, this being my first startup. I pushed them sometimes, and we made those features, since, at the end, I was the one deciding. I realized afterward that what they told me was true, and what I wanted may not have made sense.

On the other hand, when I came up with wireframes, they found ways to improve the UI, instead of just saying no. This type of advice is valuable. I am looking to open a new startup, and I will use them again.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Zonga Music, Romania’s first music subscription service, similar to Spotify.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tapptitude?

I have worked with Tapptitude for two different companies, including one called Trilulilu, Romania’s first user-generated content website. Tapptitude developed the preview apps for it, and everything else, from the beginning.

We were looking for mobile development companies to help us with our apps for Zonga Music. I had an internal team, but I needed extra help on different projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have worked with Tapptitude on several projects. They’ve either developed apps from scratch, or helped us with various smaller tasks on our current apps.

Right now, they are developing an app which will be a spinoff of the current product. We’re taking the apps we have now and building upon those existing features, as well as adding some new features on top. Tapptitude is working on the iOS and Android apps, as well as providing some help on the backend.

The app is a legal music-streaming service. We have contracts with different music labels, and the app contains our entire music catalog of around 36 million songs. It has features like creating playlists, adding songs to a “favorites” list, and caching the music for offline listening on phones. Users can also see artists’ “discover” feeds and listen to them, search through our 36 million songs by artist and album, and listen to any song or album they like.

How did you come to work with Tapptitude?

I remember meeting Lucian Cocan [Delivery Manager, Tapptitude] at an event focusing on startups in the mobile development area. I don’t remember what the first project was, but we had a trial, and I decided to keep working with Tapptitude.

How much have you invested with them?

There have been quite a few projects over time. For the current one, the cost has been around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the latest project with Tapptitude around two months ago. We are in the phase of setting things up and preparing for the actual development work. The collaboration started 3 years ago, and the rest of the projects were finished quite a while ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have over 1 million registered users and around 10,000 new downloads per month on the music app.

How did Tapptitude perform from a project management standpoint?

They are organized. The people on their team that we’ve worked with are capable and professional in every way.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tapptitude is serious about the work, and they take the time to understand our needs. They’re not the type of agency where a client can go and start the work straight away. Tapptitude will take the time to understand and go through the details of our needs and requests, and determine if all the details of the project are understood on the business owner’s side, so that they can control costs better going forward. This is something which not a lot of agencies offer, and it’s a good attribute of Tapptitude.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I’m very satisfied with the work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of marketing and development for an app that connects LGBT consumers with gay-friendly and gay welcoming businesses across the country. Easily put, we are the gay version of Yelp, offering reviews and deals for the LGBTQ community. I managed our partnership with Archbolt directly.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Archbolt?

Before I started with the company they had hired a team out of Brazil for the original app development, but we were being told 'no' quite a bit and things were always falling behind. I made the decision to find a new developer. Archbolt was brought on to rebuild our front end.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They came on as tech advisors, first and foremost. We sat down with them for two days in New York and went over their process called the golden matrix. We hashed out every function of the app as it stands right now, pared it down to what we wanted our core function to be, and decided what we wanted the tech look like. They helped us refocus to best serve our users. From there, they were gracious enough to take on some of the database management, as well. That was part of our previous developer's role, but obviously, we didn't want two sets of developers having their hands in the pot. They rebuilt our database in AWS. Then they natively built out our web app, iOS, and Android.

What is the team dynamic?

We have one main project manager, but we are also were in communication with the entire team. There were about a dozen developers in total. In addition to our dedicated product manager, higher ups on the C level regularly checked in with us throughout the process.

How did you come to work with Archbolt?

We found them through a recommendation from a colleague. We vetted a bunch of companies and when we met with Archibold we were very impressed with their policies and how they wanted to work with us. We were looking for more of a partnership than just a vendor.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in May 2016. We are now pricing them out to redo the backend and admin of our platform.

How much have you invested with them?

The first project was around $150,000, but we also spend more ongoing maintenance and development costs. The old code caused a lot of issues which were not foreseen. Archbolt worked outside the scope of the contract at no additional charge in an effort to make it right They really went above and beyond to make sure they kept to the promised budget.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The ease of use of the app has greatly improved and it's increased our user retention significantly- by about 10 percent. Retention is challenging so to increase it by about 10 percent is great. They've been very adaptable in helping us make changes that help our marketing team. For example, integrating Google analytics. This has been crucial for helping us retarget and advertise to get the most bang for our buck. Our cost per user acquisition dropped significantly. Archbolt has had a substantial impact on our ability to target and acquire new users at a feasible cost.

How did Archbolt perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Base Camp for communication. They were very transparent in all of their communications strategies and ideas. They made sure to provide reports every week, consistently. This made my life easier because I could easily communicate to my C level about our progress. Archbolt is very clear at communicating where we are, what we're doing, what's been accomplished, and what the next steps are.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed by their willingness to do whatever it takes to make sure the product is completed to the specification the client asked for. They make sure what you pay for is a quality product. They're not going to agree to cheap out on it. Archbolt is very upfront and transparent about the cost which is refreshing compared to some vendors that will quote a lower price, but then later ask for another $100,000. In addition to transparency and honesty, one of the best traits is their communication, top down. They really act as partners, not as just a vendor.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They did a phenomenal job of getting our product out there and getting it done within the within the timeframe. When the timing had to be extended they were very open and honest on why and what was going on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of a social polling platform. Our tagline is 'vote, share, compare' and people use the app to write polls and share them with their friends and see how they compare. We are an iOS app with a web presence and a pretty robust backend.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Archbolt?

When Archbolt started we had no existing code, but we had a design team that had built a pretty robust prototype. We were looking to turn the vision that we had visually created into a tangible, working product. That's what Archbolt did.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Archbolt built an iOS app with Facebook and Google login capability using SDK (Software Development Kit). In version 1, for almost a year, we had a simple web app ran alongside the iOS app that they built, but we decided to shut that down with version 2. They also built a robust admin web based portal so we can log into and control the content on the app, moderate what's happening, and see the analytics.

Archbolt also advised us on marketing. We had a couple full day session where we talked about ways to generate PR, best practices for app install ads and the actual content for those adds. They've been a huge help with strategy and how to target people and marketing. Archbolt also provided recommendations for cold emailing tools I can use to help generate leads either PR or business leaders.

What is the team dynamic?

Matt [Founder, Archbolt] was my main point of contact when we were going through the proposal and figuring out the scope of the project. Once we started building the app, we got handed off to CC and Neal. I always had one or two people that were running the tech team. I don't know how large their team is and who is offsite or onsite, but I always had accessibility to a technical person. I used that day and night.

How did you come to work with Archbolt?

Punch Digital Strategies, our design team, reached out to a few different developers on our behalf. I choose Archbolt over the other options presented initially because of cost and the accessibility of the team. I wanted to be part of the process and I wanted to really have my finger on the pulse at all times. I got the feeling at the time that the best chance of this happening was with Archbolt.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in January 2016 and the project is ongoing. Archbolt will be developing the Android version for us in the coming months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're definitely getting positive feedback from our users and our app cost per user is lower than the industry standard. I think a lot of that has to do with their help with marketing strategies like targeting the right kind of people and having the content in our ads match the content in the app.

How did Archbolt perform from a project management standpoint?

I received weekly, high-level updates, but usually a day doesn't go by that we're not talking the project. I wanted to be super involved and know what's going on at all times. We use basecamp to manage the project and a bug tracking tool called Instabug so I could go on the beta and shake my phone and then circle something I wanted to be changed. That was a really great way to communicate back and forth without having to write out all the changes. I've never had an issue getting in touch with somebody or getting an answer to a question.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their overall investment in the project is the most noteworthy. At no point have I ever felt like they just wanted to get to the next work order. To the contrary, they're invested in sending me ideas that don't even relate to their scope of work on the app, necessarily. I'm really glad we chose them. At the time I didn't know what a differentiator that would be. There have been times when they could have just taken my money from additional work orders, but instead, they advised me that we needed to get the app up so we could get metrics and evidence to inform future changes. That's the type of relationship I have with them. I trust them. Their recommendations are invaluable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of any complaints.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We had an idea for a productivity app as a small startup working to get our first MVP into the app store. I come from the digital business and have a lot of experience creating digital products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tapptitude?

I was searching for a partner who could help me bring a mobile application to life. I had wireframes and a UI design ready, but I needed a reliable team for the production.

One thing that was very important to me was that the project needed to be done according to the Agile Scrum framework. Agile and Scrum are buzzwords you often here, but very seldom did I meet companies who practice it.

I didn’t want a project price because once that is fixed, you will have discussions about what is in the scope of a project or not. I would rather focus only on the project. Since changes always happen during the progress (unlike with waterfall methods), Agile was the way to go. I needed to trust my partner. I took a risk since I had no experience with Tapptitude but it turned out I picked a good partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided two main services: project/product management and technical development, both of which were very good. They constantly helped me with updating the backend log, re-writing user stories, and selecting weekly sprints.

The purpose of the app is for people to efficiently store and organize places that matter to them. It’s a GPS based application which functions together with Google Maps. People can store locations and share it with friends, or collaborate together on lists. The app is different from TripAdvisor because it is more private and curated by people you know and trust. In a way, the app is like a group chat, but instead of text and media, it uses locations.

The short-term goal, which we are approaching very quickly, was to get an MVP in the app store. With weekly sprints, we have a tight production with fast improvements. I have had a group of friends who have been receiving each update through Fabric.io, so I collected feedback constantly.

Once the app is in the app store, we will start measuring and understanding how the app functions in the market so we can work towards a future – more effective - release. Right now, the app is mostly based on assumptions and limited market research.

Once we have the first market feedback, I will be working towards an Android release. I first need to retrieve more information on how the iOS version is received before I make another. I’d rather make one not-optimal app and be able to fix it, and then move on to an Android version.

What is the team dynamic?

I have a single contact point, a project manager, who is very knowledgeable and professional. I never had to repeat myself with him and things were well organized. There were two main developers who were focused on iOS and backend development, and then one person focused on Q&A.

How did you come to work with Tapptitude?

I found them online. I had some experience in their geographical market, and it was a more financially attractive area compared to companies in western Europe.

I found them on a comparison website - it may have been Clutch. I made a proposal document and sent it out to five different companies. Tapptitude gave the best impression out of all the interviews I conducted.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent between $15,000-$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2017, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have metrics yet because the app hasn’t gone live. From a user perspective and from my experience in the field, the quality is good. They go over the design closely, which is important to me. The response is good concerning the app, and they fill up technical gaps proactively. Built on common frameworks, the code in the backend is clean.

How did Tapptitude perform from a project management standpoint?

Tapptitude came with good proposals, which is a pleasant way of working. They are really good in terms of what we agree upon every week, and they deliver what they promise. With the exception of one sprint or so, there hasn’t been a time where they couldn’t deliver according to our terms. We have several items each week which must be delivered on time, and they have remained dedicated.

We work remotely because I live in a different country, and also because I have another job. We have very little touch points, and once a week we have a meeting to correct any issues. We use Skype for video meetings, and Slack for exchanging files and small questions. We also have a Dropbox shared folder for source files and assets. We use JIRA for backlog management, as well as some distribution software from Fabric. This basically distributes an app to people who aren’t ending up in the app store, which requires some maneuvering. We use Firebase for analytics, among other software.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Things go relatively easy with Tapptitude. Projects like this are usually a headache for everyone involved, but with Tapptitude, it goes smoothly. That’s very valuable to me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no suggestions for improvement. The project went smoothly, and I only had to make contact with very few people, which is pleasant.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-founder of a company that provides a mobile application which allows French people to practice their English, working with an Uber-like model. Users are assigned to tutors in real-time, and they can click on a button whenever they want to start a session. There are very few situations in France where people can practice their English, so we bring them this value proposition.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tapptitude?

When we launched the company, we used freelancers for developing the iOS application in order to save money. We needed to improve it and also create a marketable Android version, so we decided to find a mobile agency.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tapptitude was responsible for developing our Android application from scratch. We offered them some mockups in order to give an idea of the design, based on which Tapptitude created the first version, working with myself and our CTO. The person in charge of iOS on their side worked on the existing application, making improvements and debugging certain portions. Overall, we are using 2 full-time developers from Tapptitude’s side, one for each platform, as well as a project manager.

We made the decision to keep the UI/UX [user interface/user experience] design in-house and provided Tapptitude with all the mockups and wireframes necessary for the UX. They worked on integrations, and also provided advice if there was a better way to do something. We took them into consideration in most cases, and those inputs helped us develop the best application possible.

The app is available exclusively on Google Play and the Apple Store. We may develop a similar application for desktops, which will be targeted to B2B customers.

How did you come to work with Tapptitude?

Our CTO had worked with Tapptitude in the past and knew that they were a good company. We had a quick call with their team, as well as with another company which I knew, and ultimately decided that Tapptitude would be the best choice. They were the less expensive option, and we knew that their work was good.

How much have you invested with Tapptitude?

The cost of their work is $10,000 per month at the moment.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tapptitude in January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Android app was started from scratch 6 months ago and has passed the 10,000-user threshold a few days ago. We have around 250 downloads per day and are already earning revenue from the app. On the consumer side, our numbers aren’t very high, but we are continuing to improve and market the app. Tapptitude has created a good product.

How did Tapptitude perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning, we had a schedule for reviewing the work which was ready for testing and looking at what was in the pipelines. We have since moved to Slack, where we can see what everyone is working on directly. When developers come to the office in Romania, they post what they will be working on and create a daily agenda. We have daily chats about what we need to add on the app, whether it’s bugs or other issues. If we identify a lower-priority item, we can change the order in which tasks are worked on.

Our CTO is also working with Tapptitude directly. We use GitHub as an issue repository, and we also call the team directly if there is something that can’t be explained over Slack. We also have a monthly call to ensure that everything is going well and to see if there is something to improve.

What did you find most impressive about Tapptitude?

When we first started working with Tapptitude, we were trying to hire developers in Paris. Recruiting proved to be a difficult task, but since we were satisfied with Tapptitude’s work, we changed our strategy and started using them as a business partner.

Compared to the cost of a developer in Paris, Tapptitude is a less expensive version, and the work quality is almost the same or even better in some cases. Even if we aren’t able to express ourselves in English as well as in French, we’ve never had difficulties making Tapptitude understand our ideas.

They were always willing to stay at the office longer before upcoming launches, or when they needed to communicate with our CTO in the US. Moreover, Tapptitude’s team is very young, and they have a good mindset. It’s been a good advantage for us to find a company like theirs, and we’re no longer concerned about building an in-house team.

Are there any areas Tapptitude could improve?

There were never any fires to extinguish, and whenever we needed to change something, we could tell Tapptitude directly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and founder of a startup from central-eastern Europe called SmartDreamers. The business was started in 2014 in Romania, and we also operate in Hungary and Poland. In 2016, we saw a venture capital investment which helped us speed up the business. A part of the plan was to make our recruitment solution mobile as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tapptitude?

We didn’t have the necessary experience for developing a mobile app, but based on the figures we had in the marketing department, we knew that one was necessary. That’s where approximately 80% of candidates spent their time, and they didn’t have the best user experience with the mobile version of our website. We were looking for an experienced supplier. Tapptitude had experience in building apps for the international market, especially for US companies. As we are also from Romania, we decided to give them a try.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave Tapptitude an idea of what we wanted for the app. They helped us with the concept and design for it since that’s also an area where we’re lacking experience. They assigned four people to our project, including a very professional project manager. Before starting the work, we put together a well-defined timeline. We were nervous about this aspect since development usually takes longer than planned, but due to their good project management, we were able to deploy the app according to timelines.

The app was developed for Android since approximately 80% of users from central-eastern Europe are using it. We are planning to develop an iOS version as well, but it’s not a current focus.

The mobile app was built for candidates. We are a B2C business, connecting companies with resources and reaching out to individuals who don’t spend time on the classic recruitment platforms. When a job is posted there, a company will only target a fifth of people searching for a job—we help them reach the remaining candidates. We mainly reach people via social media and other alternative recruitment channels. Due to the fact that we use a multitude of advertising avenues, it’s highly important for us to make a simple connection and gain a good conversion rate from visitor to applicant. The mobile app allows candidates to apply for jobs easily. From that point on, they can also chat with recruiters, having a more human interaction process than the basic application. They can also review the timeline of their application, and stay in the know-how. There are no secrets in terms of total candidates. Users can also receive interview invites from companies searching our database. When they find eligible people, they can easily send an interview invite, which takes less time than actually calling people, is less intrusive, and can be done for 100 people in a matter of minutes. I find this to be the coolest feature, and we’ve had very good feedback for it.

How did you come to work with Tapptitude?

Our CTO has good connections in the IT market. He asked for recommendations from friends for a good company which could help us build a mobile app. One of his friends had worked for a US startup and developed an app using Tapptitude.

What is the status of this engagement?

We had an initial discussion with Tapptitude in September 2016. The development was started in October.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have reached close to 27,000 downloads and have four times better interaction and user engagement than on the desktop version. The average user spends four times more on the mobile app than on the main site. The interaction is also much better. Without the mobile app installed, our users will receive interview invitations via email, but the response rate for mobile is 12 times higher than it is for email, which is very helpful for us. We currently have 8,000 active users.

How did Tapptitude perform from a project management standpoint?

This was the strongest point in the collaboration. Our project manager was professional, and we were quite surprised at the accuracy of the timeline. We also have an internal development department, and we usually allow for a three-week discrepancy, give or take. We mentioned that the timeline was important for us, since we also have investors who need to be kept happy, and needed to deploy the app by January 17th. In the end, we were able to achieve this.

During the project, we had weekly communication in order to check each segment of the mobile app. We used communication tools between our two IT departments, and we setup everything necessary in order to connect the mobile app and the website. Everything went smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about Tapptitude?

We got to know Tapptitude’s team in the three months of working on this project. Although the connection was made through a US startup, we are only 100 km apart from Tapptitude’s office. We saw that they had a very good organizational work culture and that their employees were quite engaged and happy with their jobs. It’s important to have this, and it made all the developers we interacted with be very customer oriented. This is a rare occurrence.

Are there any areas Tapptitude could improve?

My colleagues in the IT department might have something to mention, but there was nothing negative on my side. I would recommend Tapptitude to any other company.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a data company in New York City that is creating a collaborative search and market data platform for residential real estate in New York City.

What is your position?

I’m the COO, co-founder, and partner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tapptitude?

We needed to turn our data into conversations for our customers to see on their phone. We needed to bridge the gap between data on the internet to data on a mobile app.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We spec’d the project out in New York and Tapptitude is building the mobile app of the system. We gave them wireframes and they’ve done a little bit of design and are building both iOS and Android apps. They suggested some changes when our design didn’t match up with the functionalities we wanted and we adopted some of those.

How did you come to work with Tapptitude?

We originally started with another firm and it was a disaster. One of our engineers is in the same town in Romania as Tapptitude is located in and he said they were experts and we should use them.

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

We’ve spent between $50,000 to $100,000 with Tapptitude on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them 6 months ago and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The internal results are great and they’ve been able to make everything work so far.

How did Tapptitude perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s a complex project but they’ve kept to their deadlines and have communicated any issues and how they plan to solve them.

What distinguishes Tapptitude from other providers?

They understand our challenges and what we’re trying to accomplish. They’re taking a much more holistic approach to solving some of the issues in the app than just making it work. They built to our goal and not just what we expect.

Is there anything Tapptitude could have improved or done differently?

We have a date that we want to wrap up and I would appreciate them sticking to that date.