TechFabric

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of Aramid Technologies, a company that has recently launched our first product called SmartCert. This product is a certification management platform for critical supply chains that need to transfer documentation from inbound suppliers to customers or from raw material suppliers to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tech Fabric?

We needed a developer that could partner with us while we leveraged their knowledge and best practices to build our flagship product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project started with a whiteboard process, where we mapped out our goals for SmartCert and the functionality we needed. We collaborated on everything from user roles to a prioritization on initial features and functions needed for MVP.

From a technology perspective, they guided us around the most effective platform that could support our goals and the tools that could be effectively used by companies in the supply chain. Our backend was built on ASP.NET, and our frontend was built with Razor pages and JQuery. Our Azure infrastructure includes a SQL server database, and cloud storage with Azure Search Service and DevOps. We also integrated third-party services and Google and Microsoft document viewers. 

At present, they’re helping improve the product as we continue to add new features, functions, and customer integrations.

Our goal is to turn this cloud-based platform into a universal tool for anyone in the supply chain. It should be simple and easy to use as a stand-alone product but also functional in terms of integration, allowing for additional automation and efficiencies with internal processes.

What was the team composition?

We started our search for an Arizona-based partner because we thought the partnership would be strengthened by having closer access. We identified a few vendors in the valley. Meanwhile, our co-founder, Lyndon Lattie, and Preetham (CEO) established a strong connection quickly. Early on, their team established trust with us. As a result, it was a no-brainer for us to hire them.

How did you come to work with Tech Fabric?

We wanted an Arizona-based partner because we thought the partnership would be strengthened by having closer access. Our company determined a few vendors in the valley. Meanwhile, our co-founder and Preetham (CEO) established a strong connection quickly. Early on, their team established trust with us. As a result, it was a no-brainer for us to hire them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $175,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2020, and the partnership is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a lot of confidence in the current platform. In terms of quality, Tech Fabric has always been hands-on in meeting with us to work through and discuss opportunities for improvements on the platform. From a best practices perspective, their knowledge of B2B platforms helps us envision where we want to take our product and what steps we should take to get there. 

Moreover, their team has established the correct requirements needed for the development of the platform and assigned the right number of people to it. As a result, we’re able to move forward and accomplish the project within the timeframe and budget we target. 

How did Tech Fabric perform from a project management standpoint?

For project management, we meet several times a week to go over what we’ve completed and what needs our approval or inputs. In these meetings, Tech Fabric is always organized and responsive. They send us summary emails after every meeting; the email outlines our roles and responsibilities and the actions being taken.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tech Fabric feels like an extension of our team. We’re a startup and not technologically savvy, but our reliance on their team helps fill that gap. Moreover, we trust them in supporting our customers. They guide us through areas of development that we want to explore, especially when we’re not sure about the steps we need to take. Overall, this partnership serves as an extension of our capabilities, which is incredibly valuable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Articulate your goals in a way that provides all the knowledge that Tech Fabric needs but stay open-minded. Even if you have a vision for where your product needs to go, Tech Fabric has the experience and depth to provide recommendations that could definitely help the future of your business. 

Our product, for instance, has become a stronger tool than we’ve imagined. In other words, take your ego out of the equation and give them the opportunity to bring the product to life from a best practice perspective. This is a great way to maximize their services.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of sales and training at an auto loan company. We refinance auto loans in all 50 states, connecting the consumer to the lender in order to qualify for a better interest rate and payment on their current auto loan.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tech Fabric?

We needed a fully customizable CRM along with a loan operating system that we could utilize in order to process and grow. We tried using several off the shelf platforms to manage our leads, but they didn’t work for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tech Fabric built in a full computer telephony integration (CTI), so we can text, call, email, or fax out of our system with the click of a button. They implemented an API so we can connect with our lending partners. Customers can now apply online and we can send them a pre-qualified offer because of the deal structure they built into a decision engine. We can even manage the different qualifications. They implemented a round-robin technology feature that picks the best agent based on workload and experience for a customer when they apply for refinancing.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 5–6 people between Preetham (Chief Enterprise Architect, Tech Fabric), engineers, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Tech Fabric?

Our CEO was referred to them by a connection.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $200,000–$300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July 2018–March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We went from an offer return rate of around 65% of the time to 95% and up after we built the CRM with them. Through the customization built, we were getting in front of our customers much more quickly, which has helped us grow almost three times over the last year in terms of our overall volumes.

How did Tech Fabric perform from a project management standpoint?

It was really seamless because we only had one project manager and they were very responsive. We could get ahold of them quickly and make sure we were on the right page. We did stand-ups on a daily basis and then weekly we’d look at the sprint we were working on or in the process of planning for.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very flexible with the technology that they built. Essentially, I could say what I wanted them to build and they would find a solution; now we have technology that looks like it was built in 2020 and not the early 2000s. They also had experience working in the auto loan industry and knew it well, so that definitely helped.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing that could improve is being a little more thorough with the test site because we found a few bugs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have as much information up front and details of what you want to build so you can make sure everyone is on the same page. The project flows smoother when you look at all the details and look at anything that could go wrong.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of technology at iLearning Direct. We do auto loan refinancing, working with consumers to understand their situation and what they want to accomplish. We will refinance and protect their auto loans through offerings of insurance and gap warranty coverage.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tech Fabric?

The team at Tech Fabric was hired to help with development work. Before I started here, they were tasked with rescuing a system that wasn’t getting finished and putting it back on track.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the last two years, the team at Tech Fabric has been working on a development project. It’s our internal CRM and loan processing system. Along with managing contacts, the CRM also manages our assets, which are the vehicles being refinanced.

It performs all of the calculations for new loan terms. It integrates with both users providing lead sources as well as our lending institutions so we can get back offers from other lending institutions. It also generates all of the paperwork required for customers to sign to have their auto loan refinanced.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with five or six members of their team.

How did you come to work with Tech Fabric?

Their team started working with our company before I joined.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $250,000–$500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Tech Fabric started working with our company in June 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We manage around 300,000 contacts, a significant amount of assets or vehicles, and between 400,000-500,000 loan applications & processes within the system. Not of all the deals close, but they are processed within the system.

Throughout the engagement, Tech Fabric has been excellent. I consider them part of my team. It doesn’t matter if it’s day or night or the weekend; if there is an issue, they’ll solve it for us. Their entire team is responsive.

How did Tech Fabric perform from a project management standpoint?

The team at Tech Fabric has become a trusted partner. When we’re looking to enhance the project, we look to them for technical guidance and input. For example, we had a few issues with search and wanted to redo the function. Their team took on the challenge, bringing solutions and ideas to the table.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their commitment and drive. From my experience, they hire the right people that are willing to do what’s right. When things aren’t going smoothly, I can call them, and they’ll work through the issue with me. Their resources are top-notch. They go above and beyond, making our work better by bringing solutions to the table. Their team is always there for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always room for improvement, but I think the team that we’ve had has done a great job. Sometimes scaling up and down takes a little bit of time, but they’ve done an excellent job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Structure it like they’re part of your team. Clients need to be transparent with them. You should tell them where you are at today and where you want to be in the next two or three years. They can design a solution for you. Customers should also take their feedback and input; listen to what they have to say. Be open to their answers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our organization is CU Direct Member Protection Services, and we are a division of CU Direct, which is the largest provider of auto loan services in the nation. We have about 15,000 auto dealerships and close to 1,200 credit unions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tech Fabric?

We hired them to finish developing and transfer our internal management platform to the cloud.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our platform is a point of sale system for the over 4,000 credit union loan officers using our system which integrates their loan origination system to quote and select our company’s ancillary products to go along with their loans.

The Tech Fabric handled the development of that completely, taking what we already had and incorporating it into a final product that we were able to roll out to our company. They integrated the system with the cloud to enable better transfer of data and are continuing to maintain its functionality.

What is the team composition?

Over the course of the project we’ve worked with about a dozen different members of their team, but there is a core group of six individuals assigned to our account.

How did you come to work with Tech Fabric?

Tech Fabric is local to our headquarters in Arizona, and they really stood out in our initial review of a variety of several tech companies. We started out by giving them small projects to work with, and it became evident rather quickly that they could handle the scope of work that we had for them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a little over $1,000,000 with them in total so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started around October 2017 and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The UI/UX of their work is so exceptional that it has actually become a client selling point for our platform. We build their designs into our marketing and it has gone a long way in bringing new loan officers and their credit unions on board.

Beyond that, the reason our engagement became more long term was that speed to market is a cornerstone of what we do. They have continually delivered on or exceeded our expectations when it comes to finishing work on time, and that has gone a long way to build and maintain our reputation with our customers on an ongoing basis.

How did Tech Fabric perform from a project management standpoint?

Tech Fabric is actually running the projects themselves now because of their skill in that regard. We quickly developed a level of trust with them over the consistency with which they delivered and were able to hand over every aspect of managing the infrastructure, communication, and milestones for the project. In terms of project management tools, we make use of DevOps techniques to make sure that everyone is always on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team took the time to learn about our business and became a partner instead of just a third-party provider. Many of them understand our business goals and capabilities as well as we do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really can’t think of anything they could do better. The whole project experience has been exceptional.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend some time explaining your business upfront so that they can work with you rather than just executing what you tell them to do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a wine wholesaler.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tech Fabric?

We were looking for a partner that specializes in modern cloud infrastructure and breadth of experience and expertise around the Microsoft stack.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team at Tech Fabric augments internal staff-facing iOS apps for our warehouse, our operations, and back of house retailers. They’re building a customer-facing iOS app, supporting our desktop and mobile website, and assisting with the development of other tools. The website that they maintain is custom and was built in-house.

What is the team composition?

We have about 12 people doing regular work for us.

How did you come to work with Tech Fabric?

I believe I found them online while searching through the Microsoft Partner Network. When we first started, I worked with Tech Fabric on a small project that implemented Azure Search. Since the initial project went well, we began to use them for more and more projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tech Fabric in May 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m very happy with the work that their strong team delivers. Recently, they deployed a recommendation engine that is typically seen within retail websites. It’s a machine learning system that puts out inline recommendations. It’s more than doubled the clickthrough rate for those recommendations.

How did Tech Fabric perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style is also strong. There is always a dedicated project manager on the account who coordinates the weekly staff meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is full of bright developers with a great work ethic. They’re up on the new and emerging technologies, but avoid promoting those in a reckless way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s not anything I could point to where we’re having a problem.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I definitely recommend engaging with Tech Fabric. Identify the right place to start. We’ve had a wonderful experience with their team.