Techgrains Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner for an event production company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Techgrains Technologies?

They developed a bid tracking system and website for our sponsors.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handled all of the project management and development for a soup-to-nuts solution. We started with a discovery phase where we explained our processes to our project manager. They took down that information to get a better understanding of what we needed. We built the administrative system first, allowing the sponsors to enter the platform and attain the results from an event. 

The program continues to log results from multiple events. Then, the software they created aggregates all of that information. We display that data on our website for sponsors to track as we decide who we’re going to invite to certain events that we’re producing.  

How did you come to work with Techgrains Technologies?

On a different project, their team was invited in by another company as a third-party. I enjoyed working with them, and they seemed to have both an intuition and the ability to develop software. They were great at understanding the business need from the start of the project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April 2019–February 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work is relatively bug-free. Of course, there are some problems that come but, but they’re super responsive and great at testing their work before passing it off to us.  

How did Techgrains Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great at keeping us updated with screenshots and HTML mockups. That allows us to make adjustments sooner rather than later. Their organization allowed us to make quick tweaks. We communicated primarily through email and Google Hangouts. When we were working on more complex projects, we’ve used Slack as well.   

What did you find most impressive about them?

Not only could they deliver on our requirements, but they also used their intuition to suggest better ways of achieving our goals. They’ve given us some really insightful recommendations. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Define your scope for the project ahead of time. Ask for budget updates if the scope of the project changes as well. It’ll be on your team to request that information in any development project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We manufacture and wholesale promotional and uniform apparel and accessories and sell to distributors across North America and Southern Africa. In South Africa we have a division that has been running for 30 years and in North America we have a division that has been run from Canada for 6 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Techgrains?

Techgrains has built 4 uniform stores for our clients to use so their staff could order uniforms through the stores.

What were your goals for this project?

To offer our clients a platform for their employees to order their staff uniforms that was fully customized to their needs.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended to us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed the back end and front end of the platform given the guidelines that we provided in terms of functionality and technical requirements. Techgrains was responsible for putting it all together, delivering a completely functional website and providing full testing and support to launch the site live.

What was the team composition?

The team had about 3 people involved.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our clients were really impressed with how quickly we were able to deliver the platform and how customized it was to their needs. It was better than anything they had used before and is saving them an enormous amount of time that they used to spend capturing everything by hand. It has simplified their businesses. It has also deceased their operating costs as a result.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was very impressive, they hit all deadlines provided, collaborated well with our team, were very responsive. We communicated mostly over skype and there were no language barrier issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their broad technical knowledge proved to be very helpful. They were able to assist in all aspects of the project and how quickly they managed to get the jobs completed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that i can see, they were very good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of product at Link Asset Services. We help to run the UK's treasury functions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Techgrains Technologies?

We didn't have a particular challenge. I had worked with Techgrains Technologies in the past for other projects. They helped us support our business's main work. I was looking to use their expertise again. They had proven reliability to deliver on what I usually ask of them. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I asked Techgrains Technologies to deliver a rules-based system that would help with our credit strategies. The particular technologies the team used for the frontend and backend were .NET and MySQL. I provided requirements for the project. 

What is the team composition? 

Techgrains Technologies provided resources for development, database architecture, and sometimes project planning. 

How did you come to work with Techgrains Technologies?

We initially found Techgrains Technologies through a recommendation. 

How much have you invested with them?

The size of the engagement has been around $50,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've had an ongoing working relationship since 2007. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We purely use Techgrains Technologies as a development resource, so that's a difficult question to answer. We don't quantify them using any particular tools. In general, they do good work for our company which is why we continue to use them. We typically get positive feedback about them. 

How did Techgrains Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Techgrains Technologies us always on top of communication, scheduling, and hitting deadlines. Their lead developer manages the rest of the programmers and does a satisfactory job. We used Skype and email to correspond. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Techngrains Technologies is hard working, and they really care about quality. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not particularly, no. Techgrains Technologies always delivers what we ask them to. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide Techgrains Technologies with as much information as possible about what you require from them. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder and partner of a chartered accounting and advisory company called Khandahar Mehta & Shah (KMS) Chartered Accountants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Techgrains Technologies?

We were already working with an agency to develop our goods and services tax (GST) filing platform, but they weren’t able to meet our expectations. As a result, we needed resources who could work with our existing vendor to bring our software to the next level.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to facilitate new features and make updates to the platform based on the new Indian government GST norms.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found Techgrains Technologies while searching on professional networks such as LinkedIn. After giving them a sample module to assess their skills, we felt confident enough to move forward with them.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They collaborated with our original vendor to create a GST filing platform that adhered to government-mandated taxation laws. Their services included design, development, project management, and testing.

What was the team composition?

Their team consisted of a project manager, three developers, a designer, and a tester. The project manager served as our primary point of contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Techgrains Technologies completed all tasks before the deadline, which helped us launch our product on time and onboard customers. With their support and quality work, we were able to meet our goals.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Compared to our initial vendor, Techgrains Technologies’ team delivered quick work without any miscommunications.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Beyond their proper project management and excellent technical skills, they were very flexible to work with. I appreciated how much time they spent providing suggestions to help us figure out what we wanted. Their insights helped direct us to the right path.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the production manager at an industrial manufacturing firm. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Techgrains Technologies?

Since our team communicates across various locations, we needed a smart content management system to keep everything organized. We needed it to allow us to manage information about production, planning, health and safety and more for our manufacturing units. We needed a web-based content management system that catered to these needs.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted the content management system to allow our staff to have more access to content and organize our internal categories more efficiently. We wanted to be able to access the channel from both desktop and mobile.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We spoke to multiple vendors during our thorough search. We took quotes and visited each of them, but Techgrains stood out the most.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Techgrains developed and hosted a new content management system for us. The content they published was expected to be mobile friendly so that they could be accessed from anywhere.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of a project manager, a business analyst, a tester, and two developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work helped us to distribute our content in a more efficient manner. All important information is shared in one location and in much less time than before. The system saves us a large amount of time when looking for the information we need.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They provided a high level of project management. They used a tool that tracks progress in terms of deadlines, milestones, and deliverables. They also provided daily progress updates.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We found their analytical and technical skills to be better than other vendors we have worked with. They provided good suggestions and made the final product successfully.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

No, they worked as per our expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner of Mill Lane Productions. We run a mobile app for peer-to-peer currency exchanges.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Techgrains Technologies?

I need a reliable vendor to develop the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Techgrains Technologies built the app for iOS and Android. They focused on the architecture, design, and usability; however, the team didn’t supply wireframes or documentation. After a back-and-forth about the design, we outsourced to a marketing company because they didn’t have every required capability in-house.

What is the team composition?

The director was my main point of contact. He had a team behind the scenes, but I interacted with five people in total.

How did you come to work with Techgrains Technologies?

I found them through Craigslist when they reached out to me in a persistent manner. The director was very passionate and gave a compelling pitch for their level of service. I was hesitant about going offshore because I was filing a patent. However, the team’s sincere response to my concerns—which also included the time difference—persuaded me to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2016 and they delivered the apps in May 2017. The app is currently live in Google Play, but the iTunes store took it down after one month over safety concerns. We’re attempting to dispute that at the moment.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team took my idea and into something not just usable, but also exceptionally intuitive. Unfortunately, we’re in a holding pattern until the Apple issue gets resolved. We had done Google Analytics for the month the iOS app was up, but that time period was long enough—and we didn’t have customers—to yield meaningful insight. The app did have value, but we just don’t have the money to show for it.

How did Techgrains Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was very precise about their process, which helped us moved forward throughout the engagement, particularly when resolving usability challenges. Techgrains Technologies was open, flexible, and personable, all in a professional manner. We didn’t have any issues with scope creep or price agreements; they kept going and made the partnership work. We used Skype, a shared meetings platform, and a collaborative tool to walk through new deliverables.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re solution-oriented, which distinguishes them from vendors only interested in selling a product. The team’s excitement for the app’s potential made me wish I could’ve gone to India to meet them directly. Their commitment fostered a sense of loyalty and trust on my end.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, because they were responsive and produced excellent work. The team was also flexible and easy to work with. I just hope they continue to expand because the way they do business is the way everyone should do business.

Any advice for potential customers?

Prospective clients should feel free to use me as a reference.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

APARC’s urban and regional planning services creatively combine human need and environmental stewardship. Our end-to-end solutions couple constant field and office support with extensive resources and enhanced technical support. Long-term client relationships feature a productive exchange of ideas within a cohesive environment. 

APARC develops large-scale mobile app and web-based server projects for management information systems (MIS). As the managing director of the company, I’ve undertaken over 200 urban and regional planning projects in the last 18 years. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Techgrains Technologies?

Our organization conducts planning and research-oriented assignments in the urban and rural development sectors. We often need survey applications and database management and corresponding reporting. Techgrains provided software development and support services for all such requirements.

What were your goals for this project?

Our research-based analytical reports help guide effective decision making. Our development project aimed to capture field data and facilitate further analysis. We wanted our mobile app to collect feedback from field surveyors so we could provide better support and simplify our entire operation for our staff and managers. Lastly, we built the system to email topical information to our stakeholders at regular intervals.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched for a new vendor through professional social networks and got references from LinkedIn connections. After getting in touch with Techgrains Technologies, they developed a sample module we gave them as a trial. The results gave us the confidence to hire them for our projects.

Describe the project in detail.

Techgrains Technologies developed our mobile app for iOS and Android. Surveyors can easily install, configure, and access our system in the field via their mobile phone. The app tracks field their location, aggregates the data they collect, and generates analytical reports. It digitally generates and configures forms, which eliminates hard copies. Techgrains also created a web application that analyzes and monitors the collected data.

What was the team composition?

Techgrains Technologies assigned us a project manager as our primary contact. The team also included three developers, a designer, and a tester. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Techgrains successfully executed our project and yielded the results all our stakeholders expected.  The deliverable helps the government reduce excess spending. In addition, it offers facilities and resources for general public use. Our new system makes critical data efficiently and rapidly accessible.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our designated project manager never misses a beat. He asked all the right questions to make sure we completed the project seamlessly and efficiently. We were always very satisfied with his hard work and communications skills. It was wonderful to have a single point person who just gets things done.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Techgrains Technologies’ ease of communication and knowledge of IT services were outstanding.  We found their ideas for our survey application to be extremely helpful.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I’ve been content with our engagement

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m Director of Kreative Apps, a software and consulting company based in Manchester, UK, that works with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Techgrains Technologies?

The SMEs we work with have unique software requirements. We work with them to understand their challenges, design a concept software, and identify a suitable development partner to create the custom business applications. Techgrains is one of the partners we identified.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Techgrains has developed multiple business applications for different clients over the last 5 years. They work on .NET, C Sharp, AngularJS on the frontend and MSSQL on the backend. They’ve also developed native apps for both iOS and Android. They’ve developed web-based projects using PHP and MySQL. We plan to keep working with them into the future.

What is the team composition?

It depends on the size of the project. We currently have a mid-sized project for which we’re working with a project manager, two developers, and a tester.

How did you come to work with Techgrains Technologies?

Techgrains was referred to us by a shared contact who was a Techgrains client and a friend of mine. He had done a lot of work with them and recommended them. I got in touch with them and because we also have a tech support center in India, I visited their office to vet them. I was quite impressed by the infrastructure that they had and the quality of their labor. From what I saw, they were well-suited to our requirements. So, we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $125,000 total with them so far. Our projects range from a couple thousand dollars up to $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2013 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Each project brings its own complexity. For example, one of our clients was a manufacturing company with custom processes that were difficult to replicate. Techgrains understood the concept and designed outstanding solutions.

The quality of work is high. They have in-house testers that check the work before it comes to us, which both reduces failure errors and also reduces our workload as we don’t have to check ourselves. We may find logical errors but never programmatic errors. Their pricing is also competitive. Overall, I’m quite happy with their services.

How did Techgrains Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via Skype. We agreed on a milestone-based delivery model which has worked well for us. They have a good project manager who ensures that their commitments are realistic so as to deliver on schedule. We’ve worked with the same project manager for the last 5 years, which has been very good for us. It means they understand us and how we work very well. They understand the scope of work quite well which many companies find challenging.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer service is quite good. They’re able to understand our requirements very quickly. Even after the product is delivered, if there are any bugs or errors—or even any updates—they do it without any fuss, which we greatly appreciate. They’ve put the right team in place and they’re a nice group of people. I’m very comfortable working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensuring a technically-sound scope of work based on strong analysis has worked for us. We prepare a detailed scope of work covering all technical aspects which help Techgrains establish the right team with the profiles needed for the project and set the appropriate timescale. The information that we feed to them has to be absolutely precise. That’s how we get the most out of them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of Atomik Climbing Holds, an E-commerce platform for climbing holds and products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Techgrains Technologies?

Our system's custom code started breaking, making it hard to communicate to our customers. We needed to find a vendor that could fix our system without starting from scratch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Techgrains fixed our custom coded software, so we could continue selling products online without having to build a new system. They continue to work with us to find better and smarter solutions. They're also working on implementing an international support provider for us.

What is the team composition?

I work mostly with Amit (Director, Techgrains Technologies) and Satish (Project Manager, Techgrains Technologies).

How did you come to work with Techgrains Technologies?

Techgrains was the only company we could find willing to adapt to our needs and fix the code that we had. We didn't have the time to build an entirely new platform, so they were willing to find us temporary solutions to make it work in the interim to finding more permanent solutions.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested over $50,000. We usually spend between $2,000–$5,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2014 and we have them on a permanent retainer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I'm extremely happy with the work they've done for a fraction of the price of other vendors in the U.S. When we first started working with them, we were handling $800,000 worth of orders annually, but we're now handling about $3 million.

How did Techgrains Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Their abilities are mind-blowing. They're more knowledgeable than my own IT staff. There's no language barrier—even their grammar in all communications is impeccable. They continue to be responsive through email and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They think out of the box and can adapt to any client needs. They're willing to research anything they don't have the answer to right away and always come back with a few solutions. I wouldn't consider working with another vendor.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They have our system dialed in.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to listen attentively without interrupting them. Although they speak with an accent, they're very easy to understand if you're not talking over anyone.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for an Australian-based online fashion and apparel store

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Techgrains Technologies, and what were your goals?

To develop a custom-built e-commerce store

SOLUTION

How did you select Techgrains Technologies and what were the deciding factors?

We hired Techgrains due to the value of money, the quality and commitment presented on the proposal

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

A detailed plan was submitted by TechGrains and Skype meetings were conducted to execute the project. Communication was maintained on Skype at all times.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Lead developer Satish alongside Johnson worked with us

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

TechGrains was able to deliver the website just like we wanted, elegant and suited to our needs.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Regular Skype meetings were conducted

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their communication skills and professionalism was impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Post project communication