tkxel

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the customer success manager at a staff augmentation firm that provides software engineering talent to U.S. companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tkxel?

One of our clients in the financial services industry was not happy with their chosen vendor to shift an entire database to a Salesforce CRM. We engaged with Tkxel to resume the project and coordinate the data migration, customizations, and integrations.

What were your goals for this project?

We aimed to improve the workflow of migrating all of our client’s data from a legacy system to Salesforce.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We reached out to a number of companies in Virginia that are proficient in Salesforce. Tkxel had a high degree of expertise, and they were able to flex resources to meet our client’s requests. Tkxel offered a competitive rate, which earned them the project.

Describe the project in detail.

Tkxel began the implementation process with a two-week discovery workshop to understand business workflows and have detailed discussions with various department heads. Once a solution was agreed to and formulated, Tkxel coordinated the Salesforce integration with third-party apps such as QuickBooks, MailChimp, and DocuSign, among others. Once Tkxel completed the implementation, their team trained our client’s Salesforce users.

What was the team composition?

We worked with three Salesforce engineers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Salesforce customizations fit the needs of our client, who is now able to run reports on all of their data to help make well-informed business decisions. Our client is now able to manage both their database and their full sales cycle within Salesforce, eliminating the need for multiple applications.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Tkxel’s team met all milestones without delays or any hassles. They required no micromanaging. Because they work with an agile methodology, both sides were clear on the expectations. It was a delightful experience working with Tkxel.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Tkxel always went above and beyond to make sure our client was happy at all times.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It would have been expensive to ask their team to work from our office, which is what we would have preferred.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a regional director for a consulting group comprised of authorized safety professionals specializing in general industry and construction safety management systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tkxel?

We provide safety compliance and training options for employers according to OSHA standards. Most of our business processes were manual, which was inefficient and led to human errors in the paperwork. We connected with Tkxel to help automate these processes.

What were your goals for this project?

We hoped to streamline our workflow by developing a native Android and iOS application that our clients and site inspectors could use to complete various documents during a workplace evaluation.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of their business development managers contacted us to gauge our custom software development needs. Because we were already considering a tool of this kind, we scheduled a call with their team. After a few discussions, we were convinced that Tkxel could execute our vision.

Describe the project in detail.

We held a discovery session to detail our requirements and articulate our needs. Following that, their UX designer created and delivered mock-ups of the application. After a few rounds of feedback that fostered new iterations, we finalized the design. Their development team then took to building the app using Ruby on Rails.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, one frontend engineer for both iOS and Android development, one QA technician, and one Ruby on Rails developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our business processes have become much more efficient and effective. We have eliminated the hassle of maintaining paperwork and migrating it to Excel. Our clients and employees can now work anytime and anywhere, which has resulted in a more satisfied and productive workforce and relationship with clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was well-organized. We have worked with several different companies in the past, but it was indeed a joy working with the Tkxel team. They logged all interactions, and the project manager was always available to answer our questions. Every company claims to be client-focused, but Tkxel truly lives by this principle.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They listened to our requirements carefully and diligently, and they proposed a solution rather than selling their solution without paying heed to our needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Whatever we communicated to the Tkxel team, they executed it, but we would have preferred if they could have suggested feature enhancements. We also experienced some miscommunication regarding the content of our automatic email reply template.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of Digital Marketing at Urban Galleria, one of the leading furniture brands in Pakistan. We offer high-quality furniture and home accessory items.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tkxel?

We needed help to build an e-commerce platform that empowers users to buy home and office furniture from the comfort of their homes.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to simplify the process for buying furniture by removing the hassle of going to brick-and-mortar shops as well as the pain of getting it delivered.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Tkxel has a good reputation within the startup ecosystem. We decided to team up with them because they also help aspiring entrepreneurs articulate their ideas, sharpen their vision, and provide funding advice.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Tkxel built a comprehensive e-commerce platform that caters to all our business needs. It handles marketing, payments, secure checkout, shipping, tracking orders, and promoting sales. We’re starting to work with them on SEO and paid campaigns to acquire new customers.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a Magento developer, a UX designer, two frontend developers, a PHP engineer, and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our business has witnessed huge growth since the launch of our online store. The website functions well with no problems whatsoever.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their communication and project delivery process was seamless. Tkxel uses a combination of tools to ensure the client is always kept in the loop and progress is shared on a regular basis.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were able to complete the project on budget and on time, without ever compromising on quality.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re highly satisfied with the project outcome.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Tripkar is a one-stop marketplace catering to travelers needs, from hotel reservation to fully managed tours in Pakistan. I’m the COO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TkXel?

We wanted to onboard a software development and consulting firm who could translate our vision into reality. For that, we required a user-friendly web platform as well as native Android and iOS apps.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to revolutionize the travel industry in Pakistan and facilitate the planning process for tourists. Our aim was for the whole process to be swift and easy.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They’re one of the best product software development firms, and we knew they were already working with a number of startups in the travel and leisure industry. We could relate to those projects, so it was an easy decision for us to select them to execute our vision.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They were responsible for building the platform and the mobile applications from scratch, including the development, testing, and maintenance of them. They also developed a server for Windows users and integrated payment gateways, keeping in view industry-specific encryption techniques for online transactions.

What was the team composition?

There were two UX architects, one frontend developer, one PHP engineer, one Android, and one iOS engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work has helped us grow our business significantly. Today, we process over four million searches a year, helping millions of travelers make well-informed decisions. In just two years, we’ve grown from three employees to 20, and now have offices in 10 major cities across the country.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had weekly reviews to ensure the project was always on track. The project manager would go through each step of what they had done and who was doing what. That helped clarify things in my mind.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Our collaboration was effortless. We were highly impressed by their agile development methodology and adherence to deadlines. They were always responsive and accountable for all deliverables, demonstrating a clear understanding of the scope of work and potential pitfalls during development.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The requirements gathering process is a bit lengthy. I think it can be made simpler.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the chief marketing officer at OT Ventures. We’re a global game development agency that specializes in Android, iOS, and Windows gaming and utility apps for local and international markets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TkXel?

Because we operate globally, we needed a solution to support our workflow and maintain employee engagement on a daily basis. We wanted to give our staff the opportunity to stay involved in business operations from any part of the world, allowing them to stay connected with their friends and family members.

What were your goals for this project?

The software we were using didn’t align with our business model, so we decided to create a new solution that encourages employee productivity without compromising their work-life balance.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online for a custom software development firm that had completed app development projects for clients in our industry. Out of the five companies we’d shortlisted, TkXel stood out for their experience and online reputation.

Describe the project in detail.

We started the engagement with a two-week discovery workshop. TkXel developed an understanding of our vision and drafted a roadmap, which they used to create a collection of high-fidelity prototypes and design mockups. From there, the team built out the platform using .NET technology. We followed an agile development methodology.

Within a month, TkXel delivered an MVP. We ran a two-week trial with our global staff to gather feedback. Based on that, we asked their team to complete the solution and integrate additional features and functionalities.

What was the team composition?

We had a project manager, a UX/UI designer, two .NET engineers, and a Ruby on Rails engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application is highly praised by employees for its user-friendly interface. After we fully launched the solution, the entirety of our worldwide staff adopted it within two weeks.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had a great experience with TkXel. I’m highly impressed with the work ethic of their dedicated employees. They went above and beyond to meet our expectations.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

TkXel always delivered top-quality work. They carefully listened to our requirements and never rushed their pace of work. It was a seamless engagement. Partnering with the TkXel team was one of the best decisions that my company has made.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They have tremendous potential. As they expand their business model to offer services to a global market, they will become a more valuable partner. They truly deliver exceptional customer experiences.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of operations at a digital marketing agency. We develop and execute custom strategies for a variety of businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TkXel?

Although we had in-house UI/UX expertise, we engaged TkXel to revamp our web and mobile applications.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve our products’ user feedback.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We reached out to TkXel’s UX consultants to gain insight into specific features and user flows. We hired them because the team understood our business model.

Describe the project in detail.

TkXel identified our priorities and messaging for overall branding. The two-month project included semi-weekly meetings, during which we discussed goals and provided feedback. During those conversations, we covered strategy, information architecture research, and wireframe development. The final five weeks focused on design and final implementations.

What was the team composition?

We worked with two UX designers, one developer, and one UX consultant.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The number of monthly visitors increased from 3,000 to 10,000. Concurrently, our conversion rate doubled to 8%. Moreover, they recognized our current business goals and took the time to understand our future goals. This approach ensured a scalable strategy.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were disciplined and efficient. The designers were proactive in their internal deliberation and well-prepared for our calls.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The end-product reflected the designers’ passion, zeal, and enthusiasm for the project. During the discovery workshop, we gained valuable insight into our design process' shortcomings.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It would have been great if Tkxel could have helped us with SEO. However, that service wasn’t one of their areas of expertise.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of BOGO. We offer an app that helps restaurant owners boost their revenue by offering incentives to dine-in customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TkXel?

We needed to create Android, iOS, and web apps for our product.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop a platform that would connect restaurants and food lovers across the US and Canada.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of my colleagues introduced TkXel to me when we were looking for potential partners experienced in mobile and web app development. Their technical knowledge and experience stood out, so we went with them.

Describe the project in detail.

They built native apps for Android and iOS and conceptualized a web app. They introduced a Salesforce integration to sync data and programmed an IoT-based, near field communication card (NFC) to make discounts available on users’ smartphones.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, two developers, a frontend engineer, a backend engineer, and a QA resource.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product successfully launched in the US and Canadian markets and received extremely positive feedback, both from a conceptual and a UX and design perspective. The app ran smoothly on both Android and iOS devices.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

TkXel used Jira to ensure that communication was transparent and that project deadlines were met. They responded quickly, and I appreciated their professionalism regarding deadlines and budgets.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

TkXel’s testing and QA skills exceeded our expectations. A lot of product development companies spend time on development but ignore testing and QA. TkXel’s engineers spent a lot of time testing, using both manual and automated frameworks.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The rates were a bit competitive for us initially, but it was certainly worth it in the end. TkXel delivered what they promised.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Catalytic Consulting. We provide consultancy services and security solutions, training, and appraisals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TkXel?

We needed to build an iOS and Android app that would let our users access training courses on their smartphones.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to impart practical knowledge to our customers about industry trends through an interactive, engaging, best-in-class app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Tkxel approached us at the right time. We had a discovery call to describe our requirements, interviewed their technical resources, and looked at their portfolio. Lastly, their RFP covered all the details we were looking for.

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

We decided to build native apps for iOS and Android, and TkXel was responsible for both front- and backend development and design. They divided the entire project into modules during an initial discovery workshop, which helped me understand how long it would all take. They then proceeded with agile development.

What was the team composition?

We worked with iOS & Android developers, front- and backend engineers, and a QA engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve acquired over 700 new users since the app launched. Our users love the interface and can now watch training material whenever and wherever they want.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their agile framework ensured that changes and enhancements were made as we dug into specific functionalities. They managed the project with JIRA, and I always knew how far along in the process we were. I was highly satisfied with how they handled my project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their development services are top-notch, and the level of skill and professionalism was outstanding, from the project manager to the developers.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Nothing comes to my mind. It was a great experience overall, and I’d recommend TkXel to anyone looking for a professional product development company.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of Doopley. We offer a CRM platform to multi-level marketing outfits that streamlines and manages their contacts/prospects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TkXel?

We needed someone to build web, iOS, and Android applications for our CRM system.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to find a reliable technology partner to create an MVP version of our CRM platform as quickly as possible. We were also looking for someone to manage and scale the platform to fit our customers’ needs as we grow.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had discussions with a couple of vendors but went with TkXel because they had good recommendations from former Amazon and Microsoft employees.

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

Our system allows businesses to create and manage sales teams and track sales activities and revenue. In terms of features, TkXel developed the platform so users can import contacts from their phones, view prospective leads and closed deals, monitor tasks performed for each contact over time, and gauge the productivity of different marketing and sales units in a hierarchy, which they also created.

TkXel ensured that users can take advantage of the application both on- and offline and paid special attention to query optimization and volume and load testing. They also introduced a subscription-based payment tool.

What was the team composition?

We worked with an eight-person team made up of a project manager, an Android developer, an iOS developer, a frontend developer, two backend developers, one designer, and one QA tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The market responded positively to our MVP. We’re now one step closer in our product development cycle to a full commercial launch.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

TkXel’s streamlined communication process and effective agile system led to excellent project management. They always kept me in the loop regarding both sprint plans and resource utilization.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The expert resources TkXel provided for our project were of the highest quality. From pre-development to launch, they were available to resolve any query we had. I admire both their flexibility and their commitment to delivering on time.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Overall, I had a great experience working with TkXel, so I have no suggestions in mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a startup company.

What is your position?

I'm the chief technology officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with TkXel?

In order to augment our developer team, I brought in TkXel based on our previous experience. They will help develop the core features of our product. I first engaged their services within my previous company, Groupon. I was the director of product development at the time. We acquired a number of companies in international countries in order to gain a presence within them. Every company that we acquired came with a different platform, tools, and website infrastructure. In order to make the process scalable, they were integrated within one of four different platforms with which we were working internationally. Our focus on the United States side was to build a unified architecture that could be broken up in such a way as to work within all our areas without them impacting one another. Many of our development resources were focused on this, and it would take a long time. Business was still active, so we needed advancement from a coupon side to a physical products side. In order to enable that, we hired companies that could run the operations underneath our desktops, so to speak. When I took over, my first priority was to bring everything under a secure umbrella within our coupon environment.

The biggest engagement was within the major countries in Europe. We hired TkXel in order to take over those platforms and expand them to our international countries.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

When they were originally brought in to our project for Groupon, we had a codebase running offsite for in-browser categorization features on top of certain websites, using public APIs [application programming interface]. I handed the code to them, along with our documentation and knowledge of what the codebase was. They brought their team and started looking at what the code was actually doing. I required that, before they started doing any development, the platform should be migrated to Groupon servers in order for us to have control of everything.

They did this quickly, only taking two weeks. We migrated everything and were productive enough in order to be able to change the architecture for the solution. The previous architecture implied copy/pasting the same solution for every country. TkXel built a single solution that used configuration files in order to run multiple countries. They determined how it should be built and did a marvelous job. We did not hear any complaints from the stakeholders within the countries for which we made the modification. The platform was kept up and running throughout the enhancement process.

During the engagement, they worked on implementing our changes in four countries, ultimately expanding their work to 26, during a two-year period. The solution not only provided a proper e-commerce experience with search, browsing, and merchandising capabilities, but could also run ads and campaigns for special occasions. They also handled any additional requirements on their own. We kept in touch with their project manager but, for the most part, their development team was interfacing with our stakeholders in Europe. They dug into their requests and rolled out the features required by each business.

We were working on a unified platform that was to be the base for all our company's operations. TkXel helped us with snippets of code as well as helping improve the performance of our application and doing testing. We didn't involve any contractors in the work done for our main platform.

The technologies they used were NodeJS on the front end, along with PHP and Ruby on Rails, depending on the country. The back-end portions were mostly Java. For our project with my current company, we work with .NET and AngularJS

How did you come to work with TkXel?

We evaluated multiple companies for offshore development. Our international stakeholders were based in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. We wanted a company in either India or Europe, which could deal with different time zones. I used to work with TkXel's CEO [Umair Javed] in the past, so I was familiar with his reputation. We underwent a request for proposal process with them and a number of other companies that we were familiar with. TkXel were not the cheapest option, but we were looking for someone we could also trust. We wanted their team to be independent, able to run things on their own.

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

For the project within my current company, the budget is less than $20,000 per month. It's a fairly small undertaking.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The work within my current company started earlier this month, so it's too soon to have significant feedback.

How did TkXel perform from a project management standpoint?

Because we're a small group, we've put parameters in place that enable us to manage them closely through a time and materials system. They had more independence within Groupon. What I appreciate about TkXel is that they're very flexible. They shift their work hours in order to accommodate our team. We have an overlap of about three hours within our workday. We have daily stand-up meetings as well as a sprint lining. We scope our requirements through JIRA. My main metric for evaluating their work is how consistent their estimates are, based on the same volume of work, and how much rework a solution they've delivered requires. It's important that what they produce matches the level of functionality and quality that was agreed upon in the original scope. Nothing in software development is ever going to be the same as previous work.

We're small enough not to require a suite of project management tools. We've used Basecamp in the past and, currently, we use JIRA and Slack for managing our collaboration.

What distinguishes TkXel from other providers?

I appreciate the fact that, even though they are an offshore company, in order to stimulate a project in its early stages, TkXel send their developers and lead partners onsite to work with our team and gain a familiarity with what our needs are. This has helped in getting our U.S. team comfortable with them, and TkXel has also gained an understanding of the culture and environment here. They can be more productive as a result.