TechAhead

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of PicklePlay, a mobile pickleball app. We are dedicated to connecting players, courts, events, clubs, and all things pickleball on one platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechAhead?

There was no easy way for players to use their phones to find places to play pickleball and connect with other players. We knew that there was nothing quite like this in the industry, and TechAhead helped us create the entire mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had this idea for an app, and TechAhead completely built the app for us. They developed native apps for iOS and Android. The app has a ton of features, including a map as well as the ability to chat with other users. There’s an activity feed where users can like, post, and comment on things, so that they can create events and awareness in their community.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a lot of people. Shanal (VP, Business Development) was the initial contact. He was in charge of getting us a quote and the sales end of things. Saurabh (Associate Project Manager) and Yukti (Project Coordinator) were the main project managers we were in contact with. I believe Saurabh oversaw the whole thing, and then Yukti was also in a management role.

We have nothing but wonderful things to say about them. We consider them friends now; we’ve talked so much, and they’ve gotten us excellent service. It’s definitely been a very difficult project, and we’ve had a lot of communication back and forth. They’ve been awesome.

How did you come to work with TechAhead?

We found them on Google. We interviewed a lot of different companies, and Shanal’s service, communication, and professionalism were great. We had a lot of questions, and he got back to us and responded to all of our questions over a period of months. We’re really thankful we decided to choose them.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent $110,000–$115,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started moving forward in October 2019, but we were in communication with them many months prior. The app is live in the App Store, but we’re not advertising yet because they’re just finishing up a final update. In the next day or two, we should get that and close this project completely. However, as with any technology, I’m sure we’ll need to make tweaks and changes to continue developing the app and making it even better. We’ll probably have monthly or bi-monthly updates. We intend to have a long-term relationship with TechAhead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They are extremely hardworking. This project was very difficult and probably more difficult than even they thought it was going to be, so I know they’ve gone above and beyond to get this done on our timeframe.

The app is really beautiful, extremely smooth, easy to use, and well put together. We have around 180 users so far – again, we haven’t advertised yet, so these are just people who have found the app on their own – and we’ve already received a lot of feedback on the quality of the app, as well as its look and feel.

How did TechAhead perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is wonderful; I have communication with them day or night, and they’ve gotten back to me and showed us that they’re working very hard on it. They’re responsive to any issues that come up.

We’ve mostly communicated through phone, email, and a Slack Channel. We also used WhatsApp toward the end when we needed to respond quickly, and that worked well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their work ethic and kindness set them apart. Even when we were stressed out about making decisions and trying to run a business, they were calm and kind.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m new to building an app, so this might not apply to people with more experience, but it could’ve been helpful to have more direction around the developer login account. This wasn’t a major issue, though.

Any advice for potential customers?

Ask for Saurabh and Yukti.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Fly Bodies LLC, a health and wellness company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechAhead?

We wanted to develop an app that allowed our clients to document their health journeys in a more sustainable way. We noticed that it was a lot of trouble for people to write down all of their calories and write down everything that they wanted to do from a workout standpoint.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechAhead built an iOS and Android mobile app. The team added functionality that allows users to document everything and not worry about writing long descriptions. The product also allows us to see people’s full day with pictures instead of having to just look at calories. 

What is the team composition?

We work with 7–9 teammates, but my direct contact is a product manager. 

How did you come to work with TechAhead?

I was originally working with another company, but their pricing was extremely expensive and I didn’t have the capital to pay for it. So, I researched companies that were cheaper but still provided the quality, and TechAhead came up.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent a little over $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in December 2019, and the app just launched in June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

TechAhead was very responsive in terms of making new builds. They did a great job. I was a little skeptical to be working with an offshore company because I didn’t know how well it would work given our time difference. I was very impressed with the performance they were able to achieve despite the time difference. 

How did TechAhead perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m in contact with the product manager daily who was very responsive to any questions. They communicated well through email. TechAhead stuck to their deadlines, and I appreciated their driving me to stay on top of the deadlines as well.

I have another job right now, so it was very helpful for me to have them staying on top of things and making sure that I was getting the work done. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

TechAhead did a great job of walking me through the product after they had completed each development aspect. They walked me through each feature and how it worked. The team helped me understand what features were implementable and how difficult it would be to implement certain features. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The team had a good checklist of things that needed to be done in a Google Sheet. However, they could’ve mapped out that process to make it easier for people to understand exactly what needed to be done.

If there had been a checklist of what I needed to do and when, it would’ve made it easier for me to know what to do first. There are a lot of steps in the process and they can be done out of order and at different times, but having that checklist laid out a little more would’ve been helpful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure your communication is as clear and as quick as possible. In order to make the process effective without being able to see them in-person, the communication has to be upfront and questions have to be answered in recurring meetings. 

Try to be as clear as you can about what you want in your product and then help TechAhead understand that. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Patel's Liquor is a retail store that is a size of a warehouse. We wholesale liquor to bars as a Class B business. I am the owner of the corporation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechAhead?

We hired TechAhead to assist in developing an app for bar owners to order product an easier manner, no limit in time of the day when to send it, anyone can place the order due to statistics of history of order, etc.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals for my project was to create an app to make life more easier for bar owners to place order at their own convenience and not restricted to fearing who will place an order if one gets fired or quits.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found the vendor on google search. I really was very hesitant to trust what the internet would provide sometimes. I talked to Shanal and Judy and still was hesitate but at the same time was very comfortable and putting my investment in their hands. It is very scary when this company is on the west coast and I am located on the east coast. Shanal was an amazing guy and was so rest assured with security of everything going smooth and Ashutosh is an amazing leader and very hardworking. He worked long hours and had no time frame of when to rest until the app is launched in an effective manner.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Their job was to create an app for bar owners to order without a fear in bound to certain time to place the order. They created features of notifications, order history, individual accounts to meet different specifications for each account.

What was the team composition?

The team was very well organized, and everyone was hardworking and excited as if they were making their own app. Amazing could not thank them enough.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app so far is a success. I will keep you posted in a year how things run.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I was the only one involved with this app and their work was amazing.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I enjoyed that this company is very family orientated and are always quick to reply. I enjoy that they have no time limit when to work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They company is amazing and amazed me to so many levels that their are no improvements needed

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder and CEO of a fast-growing startup that provides enterprise HR / Recruiting software for businesses of all sizes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechAhead?

We hired TechAhead to supplement some of our development needs for web, mobile, and backend development.

What were your goals for this project?

To find a partner that we can treat as part of the team, and have the same expectations of our full-time employees. We utilize their engineers to take on project-based work (such as integrations) as well as ongoing work that requires in-depth knowledge of our software.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We evaluated multiple vendors and has hesitations with different vendors because of the time-zone and potential language barriers. Techahead stuck out from the rest as a good partner because of the way they involve their managers/senior engineers to make sure the experience is smooth and that expectations are met.

They were also accomodating to working in our preferred methods and allowed direct communication with the team. This allows us to work with them in the same manner as our other engineers.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Our product uses React (web) and React Native (mobile), hosted on AWS servers. Techahead provides development, alongside our full-time engineers, for web, mobile, and backend. Our product is fairly complex and requires the engineers to have in-depth knowledge of our features as well as our code. It's not uncommon for an engineer to need to be full-stack to get the job.

What was the team composition?

We currently work with 3 engineers (web, mobile, backend) and 2 managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

TechAhead has allowed us to scale with the needs of our customers. We've been able to add resources as our demands have increased and have been able to get their advice and leadership in technical areas that we previously were not experienced in.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We deal directly with our engineers and provide the scope for each sprint. The entire team, including the managers, meets daily for dev standups. The Techahead managers provide more direct leadership with the team as needed, but also provide ongoing technical and scope guidance.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They do go above and beyond to make sure the job is complete to satisfaction. Even though they are a third party vendor we trust that they will hit our deadlines, especially when it matters most.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, the Techahead team does a great job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president of a transportation company in California, specializing in the heavy industrial trucking industry. We provide transportation services to contractors and customers throughout the entire state of California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechAhead?

We hired TechAhead to design a mobile application that we could implement into our current business model that would allow our operations to run smoother.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals for this project were to design an application that thousands of truckers could use on a daily basis to help facilitate their operations as well as ours.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I read many reviews about this vendor and noticed the overwhelming positive feedback they received from customers in varying industries.

Describe the project in detail.

Our project was designed to keep the necessary documentation for each hauler in the app as well as organize their job environment for the following day.

What was the team composition?

We met with two TechAhead representatives in Agoura Hills and they introduced us to our team of developers in India. Most of our communication occurred virtually after the initial meeting with the representatives.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had an idea for an application and really needed a team to help make our thoughts tangible. TechAhead was able to do this for us successfully.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow was very effective between our team and theirs.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive quality about this company is their continued effort to make our vision come to life. They did not create an app based off of what THEY thought would be beneficial. They listened to what we needed and designed accordingly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own and manage a contracting company that builds large telecommunications projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechAhead?

As a part of that business, I developed a database that I use to manage those projects, and a lot of other contractors had expressed interest in purchasing or using that database.

However, most contractors don’t have enough money to drop on a software like that, so I decided to look for a development partner that could help me turn it into a SaaS product that I could sell by the user.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handled design and development from the ground up completely. That included UI/UX design for both the website and the iOS and Android apps. I gave them the vision and they took it from there almost completely.

For the web app, they worked in HTML5 and Angular, for the mobile app they used Flutter, and React Native, and NodeJS, for the database it was MySQL, Microsoft Azure, app insights and crash analytics, and on billing we use Stripe.

What is the team composition?

There was a project manager, a project coordinator, and a 3–4-member development team working with them as well.

How did you come to work with TechAhead?

My plan was originally to meet with companies here in the US, and there was a lot of interest, but the deals just weren’t coming together. I decided to search for the best software companies in India and ended up finding a lot of good information on Clutch.

I narrowed it down to a few companies that had a presence in the US, TechAhead being one of them, and I saw that they had some experience with the construction industry, so I decided to call them. From the moment Judy (Manager, TechAhead) picked up the phone, they made me so comfortable about what the experience could be that I decided to just take it from there.

How much have you invested with them?

The total project cost has been around $100,000 so far, and I expect to be closer to $130,000 by the end.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2019 and are continuing the project with a planned launch date of March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their work is completely 5-star so far. My database was able to generate a lot of interest among the people I had shown it to, but what TechAhead has built for me is 100 times better than what I had previously. The look of it on the web panel and app, combined with the functionality, is truly amazing.

How did TechAhead perform from a project management standpoint?

We usually have zoom calls that are led by the project manager but have the whole team present so that we are always on the same page. Saurabh (Project Manager, TechAhead) and Yukti (Project Coordinator, TechAhead) were outstanding at guiding me through every aspect of the project. They took the time to truly educate me along the way, which I found really impressive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One thing that I really appreciate about these guys is that I will give them a very specific vision for what I want from their work, but they are never scared to come back to me and suggest something they think would be even better. Their willingness to push my ideas even further has helped to build a better application overall.

Are there any areas they could improve?

You know, they’ve completely exceeded my expectations, so I don’t have anything to suggest.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open-minded and willing to accept input from their team, because they are very knowledgeable and will likely be able to improve the quality of your product in the end.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a app development company. We are pre-revenue and needed a developer who understood the cost benefit trade-offs between functionality and polish when creating an MVP (i.e., fewer rough edges than a prototype).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechAhead?

We had a functioning prototype in the IOS App Store but wanted to re-apply what we learned from that to build an MVP (with functioning revenue model), expand the app to Android and develop an initial cloud footprint (to facilitate future scalability).

What were your goals for this project?

Cross platform development (we ended up using React Native), improved functionality (more optionality for users in formatting E-Stories), additional revenue streams within the business model, fewer crashes than the IOS prototype.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We met with a number of developers when visiting India earlier in the year. We eventually narrowed the potential vendors to two. TechAhead was the most enthusiastic of the two (much quicker to respond to our questions about our proposed scope of work and how they would tackle that).

Also, the proposal they provided seemed more tailored to our specific project (less of a cookie cutter / fill in the blank form). To us, it seemed as though they had engaged the technical team (not just sales) for feedback on our proposal.

Describe the project in detail.

From the very start, we had a detailed functional design document and XD assets (developed for the prototype and since updated with what we learned from that). We asked TechAhead for a proposal (including the technical approach they would take, staged deliverables and time and cost to complete).

Once that proposal was agreed, they started development, with periodic requests for input from us as questions arose. We had agreed that one (smaller) set of functionality would be delivered as Phase 1.

TechAhead delivered admirably on that, which gave us confidence to proceed with Phase 2. TechAhead delivered Phase 2 without a hitch and we are now discussing a Phase 3 with further refinements to the app based on feedback to date.

What was the team composition?

We were assigned a Project Manager who was our main point of contact and managed technical resources on the development side and coordinated deliverables.

The Project Manager would have 3 to 5 other individuals on calls we had, depending on which functionality we needed to discuss at the time. We interacted with those individuals during the calls, as well as over emails to discuss issues in real time.

Everyone on the TechAhead team we spoke with was patient, poised and professional throughout our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are quite happy with the resulting app. It is more stable, with a wider array of functionality - than the IOS prototype we started with. Just as important, TechAhead achieved this while staying within the agreed budget.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication worked well. I cannot over emphasize how important this was to us and our project. As decision points emerged during development, the patience, willingness and ability of the TechAhead team to explain the issues, listen to our suggestions and integrate our proposals was crucial to success of our project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We liked most the breadth of technical knowledge within the small team that TechAhead deployed for our project - from app development, to spinning up cloud resources, to integrating transactional web mail services. Being able to bring their level of expertise with such a small team sped development and kept the project on budget.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None really.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a leading provider of digital & creative software solutions. I am responsible for managing multiple Engineering initiatives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechAhead?

Whenever we need quick external help for deadline based projects we reach out to our vendors and TechAhead has been a reliable vendor thus far.

What were your goals for this project?

Its an ongoing engagement & not a project specific collaboration with them. The overall goals include, meeting specific deadline & external quality assurance support.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have standard vendor selection process and TechAhead enrolled to our vendor partnership program and qualified our criteria.

Describe the project in detail.

We have been working with them on multiple projects for web & mobile platforms involving react native, angular & node.js. We also use their QA engineers for automation & manual testing using Selenium and JMeter.

What was the team composition?

On an average we have been engaging team of approx 8-10 resources consisting of mobile,web and QA engineers. We occasionally engage their UX designers as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

TechAhead is our reliable vendor and whenever we need extra support we can count on them. Their Quality Assurance and Project management practices are at par with industry standards which makes us comfortable working with them again and again. They have been proactive in understanding our project goals and adhere to timely delivery.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We use MS Team and JIRA to collaborate and track daily/weekly tasks. We have a dedicated project lead who is our primary point of contact for requirement collection and analysis to make sure that both teams are aligned and on same page with regards to timeline. Their communication is very effective & top management is also involved on monthly basis to oversee engagement and proactively address any foreseeable risk.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their project governance processes and communication has been a stand out factor. Personal attention from the management makes us feel comfortable.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We would recommend them increase their portfolio in technology to serve in other domains.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We manufacturer products within the IoT industry and required a partner for our iOS and Android App development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechAhead?

We already had mobile apps, but the app development wasn't moving fast enough to match the growth in our market. We worked and continue to work with TechAhead to develop our mobile apps for iOS and Android.

What were your goals for this project?

The partner needed to have an understanding of connecting apps to physical hardware and cloud servers. They also needed to work with our R&D team to ensure new features in hardware/cloud systems could be supported by mobile apps.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We visited India and spent time with at least six potential companies. TechAhead stood out right from the beginning with their professional approach and desire to help. The communication has always been great, and the project leader is always on hand should you need them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They developed and launched mobile apps for our IoT product, as well as reskinned the apps for our OEM partners.

What was the team composition?

We employed two Android developers initially and 1 iOS developer, along with 1 project manager. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feedback on our new Android app has dramatically improved. Now, we're receiving positive feedback on not only the stability of the app but also on the new features we're implementing. The iOS app has received more updates than we could normally achieve by hiring our own in-house developer. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Arrangements are made by email and follow-up telephone calls. Management is always on hand and very supportive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Professional facility in India and their general day-to-day communication.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not at the moment. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an associate partner for a leading management consulting firm based in the UAE. We advise clients on strategy and digital transformation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechAhead?

We were working with a consumer banking client to digitally transform their services, which involved developing a web- and mobile-based app. Since we’re not a tech company, we brought in TechAhead as a subcontractor to complement our advisory skills. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

TechAhead developed a customer-facing digital banking app for mobile and web. The solution would onboard new customers, facilitate new loan and deposit applications, and connect to legacy backend systems and data warehouses through middleware. 

They worked hand-in-hand with our client’s IT team to ensure the code and architecture were secure before deploying the app. Afterward, they provided ongoing maintenance for both the mobile and web interfaces.

What is the team composition? 

They assigned a core team for the solution, including an account manager and a full-time Scrum master who were the main points of contact for my team. There was also a technical architect who oversaw the entire solution. He was backed by a team of 6–8 front- and backend engineers as well as a few QA leads.

How did you come to work with TechAhead?

We spoke with around 6–8 vendors before finding TechAhead. One of our colleagues had worked with them previously at another company and referred us. Compared to the other candidates, their team demonstrated a strong understanding of our client’s requirement, and their solution stood out. 

Adding on to that, they had worked on similar projects within the banking sector in other parts of the world and offered ongoing maintenance as part of their standard contract. This, along with their attractive price point and expertise, compelled us to choose them.

How much have you invested with them?

The overall budget size was between $800,000–$900,000, which we paid after hitting milestones and upon project completion. There were also some annual fees because they provided maintenance.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work lasted from February–May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Working with them was a good experience. Because they’re a relatively small vendor, they were quite responsive to our client’s needs and were eager to meet requirements. Our client’s IT team complimented their software protocol as well, noting that their robust coding was up to international banking security standards.

How did TechAhead perform from a project management standpoint?

TechAhead’s Scrum master and dev team worked very closely with ours on the ground, following an agile methodology. There were 2–3 times when we faced time crunches, but they adjusted well to the schedule and met the overall project demands.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The biggest aspects for me were their client focus, willingness to work, flexibility, and strong project management. They’re a professional team that’s good at anticipating change and are committed to our client’s success. On top of that, their technical solutions are solid.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For this project, we had frequent interaction with their senior management, but I would’ve liked them to have been more involved with our clients because they were our subcontractors. They had missed 1–2 meetings up front and had only met with our clients once or twice.

To be fair, we didn’t have a long working relationship with them at the time as it was one of the first projects we’d done together. Since then, their client enrollment has been much better, and we’ve appreciated their senior leadership’s involvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
 
TechAhead is not just a tech vendor but also an ideation partner. It’s a good idea to involve them early on in the conceptualization stage. They have some experienced members who can offer constructive suggestions that can really add value during business discussions.