TechAhead

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the principal director of global client development at a global leader in analytics and AI.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechAhead?

We hired TechAhead to create a web- and mobile-based B2B enterprise platform that gives comprehensive analytical and reporting capabilities to marketers in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry as well as retail clients.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to release Phase 1 of the application in the shortest possible timeframe without compromising on the quality. Then we would continue development.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We already knew about TechAhead through some of our acquaintances. We invited them to bid on the RFP of our project, and they met all of our eligibility criteria, providing strong references. They proposed to deploy a senior team, and their pricing was competitive. We were also impressed with their understanding of our requirements and solution approach, so we decided to choose TechAhead for the project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project involved designing and developing a B2B application for our CPG clients’ sales teams. The platform helps our clients to analyze the performance of their sales force and to optimize their day-to-day performance and target achievements.

TechAhead developed the application using complex algorithms with scalable architecture and AI technology. We also wanted it to be highly secure and follow GDPR compliances.

What was the team composition?

We had a dedicated project manager throughout the project who was our primary contact. During the initial design phase, we had a tech architect, a business analyst, and a UX designer assigned. During the development, we had about four developers, a tech lead, a designer, and two testers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a very successful Phase 1 release of the application and have received excellent feedback from our clients. We are now in the process of adding more functionalities to make it more attractive for our users.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We followed an agile methodology with a two-week sprint cycle. After each sprint, we received a working version of the application, which allowed us to test the application and give feedback early on. TechAhead team was well-versed with agile practices and used DevOps for faster delivery. We are extremely pleased with their processes and communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

TechAhead provided lots of recommendations to improve the user experience and architecture of our application. Their recommendations have actually taken our product to the next level. 

Furthermore, they have a very senior team that knows how to deliver quality products with high-performing, scalable architecture. They’ve never missed any deadlines, which makes them very reliable as a tech partner.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are very satisfied with the end product and look forward to continuing our relationship with their team. At times, they can be too aggressive in their project management, so it becomes tough to match their speed. But that works in our favor in the end.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of digital products for a health and wellness company that helps mothers get fit and/or lose weight by providing meal and exercise plans. I look after our digital products and IT services, including data and marketing automation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechAhead?

We had a non-native mobile app in the market, and we wanted to make it native and more user-friendly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Because we already had an existing platform, we knew some of the paint points and let TechAhead know how we wanted them fixed. We gave them access to our current app, and they developed wireframes and design screens that resolved those concerns. Once we approved their ideas, they began the dev phase.

They built a few flexible options, including deep linking and updated the My Coach feature, which allows us to send daily coaching messages to our users. They also integrated the app with our campaign management system so that we could easily send push notifications. With the new app, we’re capturing more data than before and can send notifications and reminders according to our customers’ activity. 

Regarding the design, TechAhead redesigned the entire meal planning screen because we’d received feedback from customers that it wasn’t very intuitive. They also redid the home screen and the layout of the exercises. In total, they redid about 50% of the app’s design or functionalities. 

We recently launched and are now working with TechAhead on further iterations and new features, like adding an e-commerce element. We receive user feedback and integrate it into our new versions.

What is the team composition? 

They provide one main point of contact, about three developers for each iOS and Android, and three app testers.

How did you come to work with TechAhead?

We found them on Clutch while looking for service providers in India. We identified four firms and had them bid on the project. After reviewing each proposal, TechAhead was the most detailed and professional, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $250,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in May 2018, and the work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Users have given highly positive feedback, and engagement time with the app has increased by about 40%. The quality is good, and we haven’t had any major crashes since its launch.

How did TechAhead perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is dedicated to our project and sticks to timelines well, despite us adding new feature requests. We have weekly update meetings and mainly use Slack, Jira, and the phone to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They put vast amounts of work into our project to make sure they’re meeting goals. The partnership has been phenomenal; they’re flexible and willing to work on any tasks we assign them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could do better at providing proactive suggestions to meet UX guidelines and best practices. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Set the right expectations and make sure they’re aware of end goals.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated by the client on March 12, 2020. The original star ratings were: Overall – 5, Quality – 4.5, Schedule – 5, Cost – 4, NPS – 4.5. New content is below.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechAhead?

Our business challenge remains the same: we’re trying to keep mothers motivated throughout their entire weight-loss journey. Typically, they’re the most active when they first subscribe to our program. But, then, they fall off the wagon and lose a lot of their progress.

Our goal with TechAhead was to analyze where our customers were losing motivation so that we could make our app more engaging.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

TechAhead has been our partner in developing the mobile app and supporting our site changes. To address our challenge, they conducted a thorough analysis of our customer’s fitness journey to see where they lost motivation.

Based on that, they redesigned the customer flow to introduce new programs that encouraged sustained engagement. That included mindfulness and fitness programs as well as an updated look and feel. 

What is the team composition? 

The team has remained roughly the same, though people have swapped in and out over the years. That’s just natural.

How much have you invested with them?

I don’t have the exact numbers, but we must’ve spent about $300,000 in the last year or so. That’s in addition to our regular full-time resources.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our app’s ratings have increased substantially. Users rated the previous version 4.2 stars with only a few hundred reviews. Since releasing the latest version, we’ve already earned over 5,000 reviews with an average of 4.8 stars. That speaks volumes to the changes that we’ve implemented and how we’ve impacted our customers’ lives.

How did TechAhead perform from a project management standpoint?

We haven’t experienced any issues. Every time they’ve replaced a team member, they’ve made sure that the process was as seamless as possible. It’s like magic — there’s always an overlap between the person leaving and the resource coming in.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s noteworthy how TechAhead manages the accretion of their team and coordinate resource changes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s such a long-term relationship, so it’s hard to point out any single thing. Last time, I mentioned that they could’ve been more proactive about suggesting customer product improvements, and they hired a product head to do that.

Since then, we’ve built a strong understanding of each other and give mutual feedback on a regular basis. They’ve improved on all issues that we’ve raised, and we work like one team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the business application analyst at a leading cooling company in the Middle East. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechAhead?

We invested in a mobile app. 

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to provide an efficient and convenient mobile app for our customers to manage accounts, pay bills, and receive updates.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched for app developers online and contacted local suppliers. We shared our requirements with 10 developers and received proposals. Our team evaluated the proposals based on the company's background, experience, and cost.

Describe the project in detail.

We had a few online meetings to discuss our requirements and objectives. We designed and developed the backend services internally then shared them with their team. They produced a mockup UI for the Android and iOS versions, which reviewed before offering feedback.

After a few iterations, our teams finalized the design, and TechAhead developed the screens and integrated services. Once they delivered a beta version, we performed end-to-end testing to verify its integrity.

What was the team composition?

They assigned us a support team. During some technical issues, we contacted the Android and iOS developers directly to explain the glitch.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to their support, we were able to deliver a beautiful product to our happy customers. We currently receive between 12–15% of our payment transactions through the app. The average rating for both versions is over four stars. Overall, we're satisfied with their work and would recommend them.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was easy to reach our team lead but not the actual team. They used a chat engine to communicate, which was inconvenient; communicating through chat is not as effective as talking over the phone. We also didn't know the team's direct contact number, which resulted in poor communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have a friendly, helpful team that can deliver good apps at cost-effective prices. They're also able to design rich interfaces for a better customer experience.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They could improve collaboration by offering a dedicated communication medium and bringing the team to requirements discussions. At one point, they assigned new developer after the original ones shifted to another project. It was challenging to teach the new team members about the project requirements. Furthermore, their testing team should also have the resources to verify bilingual apps.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a banking institution. We took the initiative to build a mobile app that facilitates business in the capital market space via tablets rather than desktop computers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechAhead?

We hired TechAhead to develop our iOS app. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We held many brainstorming sessions to figure out exactly what we wanted in our product. Functionally, the mobile app serves to make our traders’ jobs easier. Once we finalized the concept, the business analyst and business owners compiled detailed requirements. 

TechAhead is currently developing our iOS app. The app’s frontend communicates with a multi-tier infrastructure in a secure environment. It still uses our backend, which is comprised of cloud web services like Gmail. During phase two, the team will create an Android version.

What is the team composition? 

TechAhead assigned 6-7 developers and two business analysts to work on our project. We communicated with the business analysts and the business owner.

How did you come to work with TechAhead?

After considering a few vendors, we selected TechAhead to complete the development work for our project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $200,000–$500,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything is going smoothly. TechAhead has delivered around 40% of the development so far. We’re happy with their services. They produce quality work and have processes in place that are quite established. 

How did TechAhead perform from a project management standpoint?

We only care about meeting timelines and the quality of work, rather than how it’s accomplished. TechAhead delivers quality work on time. They have 15-day sprints and follow Scrum. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate TechAhead’s high-caliber work products and timely delivery. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. TechAhead has delivered much more than we ever expected.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I definitely recommend TechAhead. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of an online platform for blue- and gray-collar jobseekers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechAhead?

Our goal was to build a simple, user-friendly mobile app in Arabic.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to expand our user database.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We considered a lot of app development companies in Egypt and India. While some were impressive, TechAhead had the edge because of their portfolio and commitment. In addition, they offer a one-year guarantee to fix any bugs for free.

Describe the project in detail.

Initially, we had a Skype call to explain our expectations in more detail. They sent us the design wireframe, then started the work as soon as they got our approval.

What was the team composition?

We were assigned a project manager. Every week or two, we would have a conference call that involved the developers as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were quite happy with the testing phase. The app is exactly as it should be—it’s fast, it doesn't crash, and it’s user-friendly. We're launching next week, and I'm sure it will do great once we publish it on the Google Play Store.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were extremely reliable and committed. We never faced issues communicating, as they were always on call. Despite some language obstacles, they managed to do a great job. They had a great work ethic and excellent problem-solving skills.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed with their commitment and desire to please their clients, which is very important when dealing with companies abroad.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the principal at Innate Agency. We're a Fintech company that specializes in the insurance sector. We do everything from backend technology to ancillary product development, with web and mobile interface development as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechAhead?

Our client in Australia needed some apps developed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked on native apps for both iOS and Android. We provided the scope, the business requirements, the wireframes, and the creative, while they took care of the backend development.

It's primarily a travel assistance app. The client is a travel insurance provider and they wanted to provide their customers with a couple of different features. They have a monitoring service around the world that sends alerts based on what is happening. For example, if there is civil unrest, a terrorism alert, or a natural disaster, the user receives a push notification. There's also a direct communication module that allows tracking users on the map. There will also be general information about the health issues, types of vaccinations, or visas that people might need when preparing for travel, and assistance for users already abroad, as needed

What is the team composition?

I work with Nitish (Assistant Manager, Tech Ahead) on the business development side of things, and another person from a project management standpoint.

How did you come to work with TechAhead?

Working with local resources was extremely cost prohibitive, so we went looking for a more cost-effective outsourcing option. I'm not sure exactly how we found them; it was definitely outreach on their part. We vetted them and they seemed to be a viable option. After some communication, we decided to do a project with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $30,000 on this app.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2017 and the work is ongoing. We're currently working on a major update, and they're working on some other apps for us as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been highly reliable. The only negative user feedback we had was when there was a slight hiccup with the Android features, but it could have been on us as well.

If any bugs have come up, they're responsive and willing to jump in and edit things. Our client isn’t the most organized, so continues to come up with additional feedback or edits, and TechAhead consistently is willing to make those edits. I don’t feel like I am getting nickel-and-dimed.

How did TechAhead perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been fine. We tend to communicate with email and Skype, and the latter has been really effective. They are willing to take one-to-one or team calls to help resolve things. They do a good job of filling in the gaps and like to keep the project moving. They're good at being proactive from that standpoint, which has been nice.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are willing to work through things. I have a fair amount of experience in the web world and marketing, but apps aren’t my strong suit, and they've done a nice job of letting me ask simple questions. It's been relatively collaborative from that standpoint.

I can count on them to take a little bit of information and give me a ballpark, so I can start the conversation on my side. They are willing to continue to have that conversation until we get the project going.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I spoke to their CEO about them trying to be more proactive. It would be great if I had someone giving me suggestions about how we could do things better. They fulfill our requests well, but it would be helpful and beneficial if I could also get someone giving suggestions from a strategy standpoint. I realize that they are a service provider and their job is to do what I ask them to do, which they do.

Also, the payment mechanism is a bit of a hassle as they require wire transfers. I'm fine with their prices going up a bit because they're responsive and what they do is good. However, at some point, as it gets closer to what I can get in the U.S., we have to weigh some of the other criteria.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have your requirements be as tight as possible and really think through all the interactions so they have a really clear roadmap.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a program manager for Water, Air, Food Awards, which is a global nonprofit that solicits projects and initiatives around the world that are making substantial and impressive contributions to resource sustainability.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechAhead?

We had an outdated and ineffective website that was difficult to maintain. We needed a complete rebranding of our online presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechAhead prepared the wireframes for the site, which took a couple iterations, and we discussed what features and functionality we wanted the site to feature. Chief among our priorities was making the application process available online and making the public voting process simplified and more secure as people decide on their favorite projects. Our site is based on WordPress and features PHP custom applications. They helped us craft ways to promote fundraising and our sponsors and contributors.

What is the team composition?

We worked with an account manager along with a team of about five developers and marketing strategists.

How did you come to work with TechAhead?

They were recommended to our president by a colleague who had a successful project with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $29,760.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our negotiations in November 2017, and our website went live in May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve kept a close eye on our site with Google Analytics since our launch, and we’re happy with the results. We now feel our company has a really good tool to promote these important projects. Public voting for those projects began in June, and the website performed really well.

How did TechAhead perform from a project management standpoint?

We stayed well-organized by using Basecamp and Google tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have been so responsive, kind, and available. They’re mostly based in India, and a lot of our staff is in Denmark, so they have put in several late nights on the phone with us. We have really appreciated that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We didn’t have a tight focus on mobile development when we started the project. TechAhead is competent with mobile tasks, but our initial strategy for this project did not take advantage of that.

Any advice for potential customers?

As with any project, it’s best to be as clear as you can on your requirements from the start. Otherwise, I would simply recommend using TechAhead. They cleared up a lot of confusion that we brought to the table, so I would encourage trusting them with a project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

All insurance companies have a back-office arm. We provide various backend support services like roadside, travel, and health insurance to the customers. I was a consulting CIO for the India operation. Then I became a regional program manager for a very ambitious initiative for the group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechAhead?

We wanted a good, long-term development partner. We wanted a technically enabled partner who could develop a digital platform for us that included mobile apps and a backend web portal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechAhead developed our digital platform for us for one of our businesses. They gave us a few apps to meet our business requirements. Then we wanted to have a lot of backend to support those apps. Over a period of 2 years, we have also developed a web portal which shares to the frontend mobile apps. It’s a full digital model for one our business models to digitalize manual processes into a digital platform. The apps are in iOS and Android and are mainly native apps.

We provide roadside assistance services in a digital model where you can use digital GPRS [General Packet Radio Service] location-based services to identify the fastest and most effective support model for the customers. The portal is LAMP [Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP] technologies.

What is the team dynamic?

We have a dedicated team working for us within the company. I interacted closely with the delivery head/project manager, and I also communicate with the resources dedicated to us. It’s important to know their capabilities, monitor their tasks closely, and to track their services and the agreed scope of work. They had a resource pool of PHP resources, iOS developers, UI developers, QA, as well as an Android development team. There were 8-9 resources engaged on average across all these platforms.

How did you come to work with TechAhead?

We had a very detailed evaluation process, and TechAhead met most of our requirements. They focused on mobile apps, mobility, and digital technology. We wanted a company that was purely focused on this. They were also small, nimble, and flexible in terms of working in a different order to suit our requirements. They were rated highly and showed applicable experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested $200,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2015, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s too early to have metrics. We’ve gone live with the first country. It’s a regional initiative, so we’re going live gradually with other countries. There will be at least 100+ business users within 1 country who extend the service to their customers. The number of users in the system has been more than 500. If we have multiple countries, there would be 500–700 or more business users who extend the service to their customers per coountry. There are more customers on the portal side.

How did TechAhead perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good technology-oriented people, but formal project management is something that they could improve on. It’s not bad, but it could be improved. We have a sprint type of project management. We give requirements in sprints, and they deliver either a sole version or a new version of the platform. It’s a combination of waterfall and Agile methodology. They can ramp up quickly, and they’re flexible in their resourcing. If we need more iOS or more Android developers, we get those skills whenever we need them.

The project managers need more experience and continuity. We’ve had a change of project managers 2 times in the last 2 years.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are good with technology. They deliver on time and are flexible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should have more of a consulting approach. They need to improve their project management skills. We have driven them very closely as a business from a project management perspective. The expectation is that they will become a more consultant-based organization rather than order takers. They need more formality in their processes. They also need to improve their UI skills.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They have good technical skills and the newest technologies. The company can ramp up depending on the requirements of the customers. On the other side, they need close supervision. Continuous engagement with the delivery personnel is important.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide integrated service management offerings that are comprehensive and standardized for full lifecycle services, covering the the full spectrum of ICT [information & communications technologies] & cloud solutions.

I served as the internal project manager for this project

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what reason(s) did your company hire TechAhead?

They are extremely professional and the best in their work. I would say they are incredibly communicative and timely. The time and cost estimates they gave us were very accurate and the best part is that they were actually able to deliver on their promises.

What were your goals for this project?

Our vision was to develop our own powerful internal communications and management tool for our organization for effective team communication as well as for managing other important activities like task management, performance management, etc. I am grateful to TechAhead for doing an amazing job for us.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We did research and contacted various app development companies and after discussing our project and possible approaches, we felt very confident that they’d be able to deliver what we needed.

What was the team composition?

Team composition was based on our requirement. They have a large team available and they have taken care of everything very professionally.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have recently launched this application internally and it is working seamlessly. We are happy that have we have been able to achieve what we expected thanks to TechAhead. They are truly top-notch.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between our teams was very effective. They did a phenomenal job.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Apart from being highly responsive and timely, the best part about them is they really focus on understanding the project concept and help their clients to nurture their idea by giving their expert advice. Also, they are very transparent in terms communication and always kept us up to date.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They really excel in their work in each and every way so I don't see any area for improvements. I'm highly satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Whizooh, which is an early stage startup aiming to build a problem-solving game that measures current mental performance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechAhead?

We used TechAhead to build a mobile app for our startup. The original challenge was building the app itself and testing it to make sure all the settings were accurate in measuring mental performance. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

As the founder, I had designed the test/game and written all the questions and rules – then engaged TechAhead to build the mobile app. They designed and built a native mobile app for iOS and Android. 

How did you come to work with TechAhead?

We chose TechAhead because it was clear that they would provide a higher quality app with fees that were within our budget. I had contacted various tech service companies but I chose TechAhead because they seemed to offer the best package for native mobile applications. We were considering cheaper firms that would have offered hybrid technology but were convinced that a native application was best – and TechAhead seemed to offer the best quality development at a competitive cost. 

How much have you invested with them?

It’s been around $10,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

This project is ongoing, but a first version was developed in July 2017. It took around 6 weeks to complete.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are currently beta testing the app, but so far the app works smoothly and has had minimal bugs. We are hoping to launch an MVP very soon after further development with TechAhead. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is very professional, communicative, and fast. We would definitely recommend TechAhead. They built a world-class app for us at an affordable price. The team was always available and worked fast to deliver a quick launch. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not at all, I am a first-time entrepreneur but I was really satisfied with the services offered by TechAhead. They guided me through the process brilliantly.