tkxel

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Aptima is the premier human-centered engineering firm. Since 1995, Aptima’s mission has been to optimize and improve human performance in mission-critical, technology-intensive settings. We apply deep expertise in how humans think, learn, and perform to today’s challenges. Whether for fighter pilots functioning in the cockpit, medical staff in the ICU, or teams collaborating across distributed networks, our solutions help measure, assess, inform, and augment human performance in defense, intel, aviation, law enforcement, and healthcare.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Tkxel to perform a UX design refresh and implement front-end and back-end software development. Our goal was to rebuild a healthcare application with a more modern feel and tech stack.

SOLUTION

How did you select Tkxel and what were the deciding factors?

We issued an RFQ to several companies, including Tkxel, and had 1-1 meetings with them to answer their questions. We selected Tkxel based on three criteria (in that order): - Cost - Ability to complete the work within our timeframe - Availability of skills to use the specific tech stack we wanted

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

• Discovery: Tkxel led a 2-week discovery workshop with our team, in order to review the existing application and define key, general requirements and needs.
• Design: Tkxel was tasked to design and implement a refreshed UX/UI. They used Figma and gave our team access to provide reviews and comments in an agile way.
• Software: Tkxel was tasked to:

1. redefine the software architecture
2. re-implement the front-end using Angular
3. re-implement the back-end using .Net Core.

• Deliverables: They delivered the software code, the design artifacts, and supporting documentation.

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

All in all, we interacted with about a dozen people at Tkxel. At each step of the process (RFQ response, discovery, design, development, close-out), Tkxel was very clear about who the leader was on their side, so it made interacting with the team (using Slack) a breeze and very clear. We interacted with a business analyst, a project/program manager, a technical vice-president, designers, and software engineers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application was developed on time and on budget. The five milestones were met as expected. All requirements were met, The delivery occurred as planned. We are extremely pleased with both the outcome and the process to get there.

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

We used a combination of email, Slack, Jira, Git, and Zoom for project management and communication. Tkxel made their environment accessible to our team for transparency and to avoid delays. They were very open and proactive, which was effective for this project on a tight deadline.

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

With a team split between the US and Pakistan, we were concerned about time difference. But that never was an issue. Meetings were scheduled at mutually-convenient time. Also, they were able to quickly 'get' what it is that we are doing, thereby accelerating the timeline and delivery.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Not that I can think of - they performed high-quality work within the deadline and budget!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work as the development manager at an energy non-profit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Working for a non-profit with a small IT staff there is much we can not do internally due to limited personnel resources. For our first project we asked them to build a Survey application allowing us to collect and report on specific data from our members. For the second project we had them build a mobile app version of a data driven website we had built in house.

SOLUTION

How did you select Tkxel and what were the deciding factors?

For our first project with them, we looked into a handful of vendors with the skill set we were looking for. Txkel cam across as quite professional, and had the full range of skills we required.

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

We wanted a system built in C#.NET with a SQL Azure back-end. The first project was a survey application, allowing a non-technical internal user to setup and push a survey out to our Members, and report on their answers.

The surveys can change from year to year and the reporting needs to be real-time. The second project was a native mobile app version of an existing data driven website. This project in much larger in score and required a good bit more back and forth.

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

I believe there were a project manager, a development lead, a UI developer, a back-end developer and a front end developer for each project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched both projects on time and in budget and are currently beginning work on another project (potentially two additional projects).

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

Weekly meetings did a great job of keeping our team informed on progress as well as giving us a chance to answer any questions as they arose.

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

Their ability to adapt to our needs, and no push back to do projects 'their way' was refreshing and was impressive

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of IT at a company supplying freight car parts and reconditioning.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We partnered with Tkxel to develop a rail management system. We wanted to build a new platform which will serve the railroads. The platform will help customers to become more aware with their operations.

SOLUTION

How did you select Tkxel and what were the deciding factors?

Tkxel’s team approached us and provided detailed information how and why they were the team that could help us accomplish our goals. At that time, we were looking at several software companies and finally decided on partnering with Tkxel for this project.

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

They helped us from beginning to end on our product development project. They were deeply involved in the requirement analysis phase, which led to prototyping and final development. We are at the UAT stage right now.

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

1 Project Manager, 1 technical lead, 1 backend developer, 1 frontend developer and 1 UI resource

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product will be launching soon, considering the amount of work we and Tkxel have put into it. At this point the project has been mostly on time considering some side changes and other blockers.

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

Tkxel used several project management tools to stay on schedule and keep our team informed. Overall it was very well managed.

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

We were impressed with their ability to put a project together quickly

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

As with mostly any company, verifying expectations between each other before getting very deep in it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a software engineer at a mass media conglomerate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tkxel?

It was a challenge for my company to manage all the leads, all the customers’ information, all the quotations, etc. I was trying to do some of it with Excel sheets, but it was becoming complicated. We decided to have a CRM developed and needed help with it.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project was to have a custom built CRM that can streamline our prospecting process as well as our marketing campaign process.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were referred to us by someone who has an existing relationship with them. After seeing their quality of work, we decided to go with them straight away.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Tkxel custom-built a CRM for us. It helped my company manage its prospects all the way down the sales funnel, allowing us to create marketing campaigns. When we’re dealing with customers, we often have to generate quotes that may or may not convert to orders.

We can manage those in the CRM. For fulfilled orders, we do invoices. We're also able to manage order servicing requests within the same system. Since we’re able to manage this in one single place, we can better serve our customers.

What was the team composition?

They had three developers, one project manager, and a QA person. There was a CRM architect available if required.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product does what it’s supposed to do, making more of our clients happier with our services. With the CRM, we have much more information about our customers at our disposal, and consumer activity is tracked. When a customer calls about a technical issue with a product, we’re able to deal with it on time because we have that complete history. Our business has grown as a result.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The communication and information exchange was great. They were on time, clear, and transparent. I could trust them because they always came back with a nice solution that filled our needs. I appreciated how they manage their communication and project management despite working remotely.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re encouraging, straightforward, and transparent. Since I have a technical background, I could actually understand their work. They brought me up to speed in ways that I was able to easily comprehend.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, there’s nothing they can do better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of a software development company serving organizations in Sweden and partnering with companies in Pakistan on a variety of different projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tkxel?

We brought them on as a consultant to help us deliver on one of our projects which involved particularly unique technologies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project was a mobile development project for Native Android and iOS, but it was very unique in its own way, so the first step in the project was to onboard them to help understand the existing code and where we needed to move from there.

We worked directly with developers from their team to support our ongoing development processes, integrating them directly into our workflows for the frontend of the application. They helped us to fix a lot of bugs and clear out all of the leftover issues from the previous development team.

What is the team composition?

We hired 2–3 Android developers and one iOS developer from their company.

How did you come to work with Tkxel?

Their CEO introduced himself to us at a startup event in Pakistan, so I knew about their company and their reputation. When the need for a new development partner arose, they were the first people I thought of.

How much have you invested with them?

Our total investment came to around $55,000–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered with them between May–October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because of the work that they did, my client was able to present an MVP that raised almost a million dollars for their project, so it was an incredibly fruitful collaboration. I managed their developers directly, so I was always up to date on their progress and the quality of their work.

How did Tkxel perform from a project management standpoint?

The collaboration worked very smoothly because of the structure we were able to establish with them. Since I have the development experience to directly oversee their work, I could assign them tasks individually and make sure that the core problems we had were being solved. Internally, they had an individual on their end who communicated well and helped to coordinate whenever they had updates about personnel or other changes from their end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their hiring and onboarding process is very well set up, allowing their teammates to tackle a really steep learning curve with impressive speed. They offered a lot of good ideas on how to improve the quality of the overall project and really helped save the development in the end.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they should have done differently. Because we worked with their developers directly, we were able to solve everything internally.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Knowing how capable they are as a company, if I worked with them again I would hire an entire team instead of just individual developers because I know I can trust them with the whole process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO at a professional car wash production company headquartered in Augsburg, Germany. Our company has about 200 employees and we serve corporate clients in Europe, Asia and North America. I oversee our digital products and vendor our relationships.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tkxel?

Our company is focused on mostly hardware driven business solutions. But as automation becomes a bigger point in society we also must move on in terms of software. As we do not have in-house software engineer team, we had to outsource our development to keep pace with market change.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create a product extension with a higher value for our customers to increase customer loyalty. So we needed an operational safety on the one hand and a user friendly interface on the other.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

TkXel was recommended to us by a trusted cooperation partner.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected TikXel, we had a series of calls to present and discuss our goals and objectives. Within the first three weeks, we received mockups and 2 initial designs for our customer application, which was perfectly matched with our CI.

After a few iterations and discussions with our customer support and head of sales, we finalized the necessary functions and provided feedback on how we wanted the rest of the site to look. The vendor even visited us in Germany for the first live testing.

What was the team composition?

Initially we were assigned a project manager to support us and serve as the main point of contact throughout the project. I normally spoke with the project manager but also had the contact details of one frontend and one backend developer. I was made aware that there are in total 7 people working on our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within 5 months, our new application was finally ready to use and we had the chance to present it in front of big clients of ours. They instantly loved the application and ordered the necessary hardware for their car wash machines to keep the software running.

Throughout the process we also had many feedback and testing sessions to make sure that we are on the right track with our application.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager that we were assigned was super easy to communicate with and provided us with frequent updates. We used Slack, Jira & Github for all the communication and skyped at least once per week. The cooperation was a real success: We had the chance to focus and communicate our hardware solutions which were supplemented by the software from TkXel.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was really impressed by the professional competence TkXel had about Application development, user experience and practical understanding of our problem. We learned much more than we thought we possibly could.

We've worked with other developers in the past, but this was a particularly collaborative and positive experience. As soon as we need another application, we will definitely come back to TkXel!

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were very satisfied with their work. Even if it would be great to short down the timeline it was an absolutely great, collaborative work which ended up in an incredible product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Project Manager for the Ministry Development Framework (known simply as MD), an initiative designed to scaffold the support and development of Ministry Leaders across the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia and New Zealand.

Within these territories there are over 700 churches with a membership of over 61,000, more than 50 schools serving over 16,000 students and more than 10 Aged Care facilities. This combined ministry is overseen by more than 600 Ministry leaders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tkxel?

We partnered with TkXel to develop an online reporting system, and a process to help our teams review and develop the competencies of our Leaders.

What were your goals for this project?

Our ministry leaders work with a high degree of autonomy, in demanding environments, which makes self awareness and development difficult. We had developed a review process which we was being done manually which was taking valuable time away from our senior staff.

Through the MD project, we wanted to automate the Review, Evaluation and Development Planning processes to bring about efficiencies, and also to ensure an error free and transparent mechanism.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

TkXel had already worked our South Pacific Division team, and we received a very positive report about them and their work. On this recommendation, and a competitive pricing structure we made the decision to use Tkxel for our project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Initially we had a discovery call with one of TkXel’s account executives, and then TkXel provided us with a discovery workshop which helped us outline the project requirements and milestones. Once the requirements were finalized, they initiated the development process. After deployment, TkXel also provided us with ongoing support & maintenance services.

The scope of the project included the development of an online reporting system, and a process to help our teams review and develop the competencies of our Leaders. Before this, we could only manage a simple review process at irregular intervals. The MD portal has helped our employees to submit their reports online, and to identify strengths and areas for growth using data summaries and charted results. This has benefited our Ministry Leaders and our Senior Management staff to gain valuable insights into the work and competencies of our leaders - both individually and as teams.

What was the team composition?

One Project Manager, three Developers, one QA specialist and one UI/UX designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our goal with this project was to ensure a seamless and transparent competency review system and the application developed by TkXel helped us achieve those desired results.

The automated process enables large amounts of communication and data to be processed, presented and simply stored. The project has also led to a number of additional features which have introduced efficiencies to the way we work across the organisation, including searchable databases, notifications and emails, automated reminders, appointment-setting, and file management which have already benefited our organisation greatly and will enhance the work at each ministry location, the capacity of each ministry leader, and will smooth leadership transitions which are all significant factors for the church.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

After the scope was defined, TkXel shared the Project Wiki with us which contained all the information relevant to the project including sprint details, contact information of team members and deadlines.

Furthermore, they used Trello to track the progress of each task and at the same time ensured complete transparency. They also made available to us an online code repository in case we wanted to review the quality of code ourselves. We appreciate TkXel’s efforts in using all these tools to keep us updated regarding the project details. Their project management was effective in delivering the app well before the stipulated deadline.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We have been working with TkXel since October 2018 (almost a year) and we found their communication extremely effective and professional. They used a couple of software tools to make sure we were up to date with our project progress.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We have enjoyed a great working relationship with TkXel and found them very responsive to any minor suggestions we had along the way. There is nothing further to note here.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a project manager at a company that generates sales and marketing insights using AI technology. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tkxel?

We hired the Tkxel team to implement an AI-enabled, account-based marketing platform.

What were your goals for this project?

To build a SaaS platform that equips B2B sales teams with account insights. The desired platform would facilitate content marketing and measure the impact of those efforts.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

There are few firms who can implement machine learning projects seamlessly. Since our company’s management was already familiar with Tkxel’s engineering expertise, we knew they would be the perfect choice for implementing an AI platform.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Tkxel’s engineering team defined the app architecture using best practices. They chose to use a myriad of tools to support their work, including IBM Watson and Apache Solr functionalities. They used a Django framework to code in Python as well as an AngularJS framework to build the AI platform. They also added an iOS and Android tech stack. The resulting functionalities of the app included monitoring customized indicators and tracking live statistics.

To promote app accessibility, they implemented custom UI components. They wrote an algorithm that will present a user with content they are most likely to engage with first. The platform enables users to refresh and load data asynchronously from a RESTful API and then sort it based on preference. They also added offline access and syncing for all data on the platform.

What was the team composition?

The team held three backend members and one frontend member. There were two mobile specialists, one configuration manager, and two teammates in charge of QA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their design ensured a seamless UX for our end users. Visitors can interact with content, set alerts, tag information, take notes, and receive suggestions on relevant information.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their project management was an immense improvement from other companies we’ve used. They use tools like Slack, Asana, Project Wiki, and Jira to communicate with internal stakeholders. Their collaboration has been seamless and we look forward to working with them again in the future.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their technical prowess is beyond exceptional. The team was in perfect sync, executing our vision into reality. From pre-sales to post-deployment, Tkxel was always there to support us. In addition to their development work, they made valuable suggestions to internal stakeholders.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We have had a very positive experience working with Tkxel. To have such amazing talent across the entire spectrum of your organization is a rare thing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a business development manager at a professional training and business certification organization. We specialize in ISO management training, auditing, and testing, as well as inspection and certification.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tkxel?

We hired Tkxel to build a custom web application that could be integrated with third-party business process tools.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to develop a platform that could make our workforce more productive and help us manage our network of clients. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of their sales development reps cold emailed me describing the company’s services and areas of expertise, which then lead to an initial discovery call with their senior account executive. The call went very well, and we chose to partner with them because of their ability to quickly grasp our requirements and understand our business objectives.

Describe the project in detail.

Tkxel provided end-to-end software design and delivery. After gathering our requirements, they designed prototypes and showed them to us on InVision. Then, after receiving feedback from our team, they built a responsive mobile application using React.js and a variety of other backend technologies. They also designed the app to integrate with several third-party platforms that automate manual tasks.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a React.js engineer, a PHP engineer, and a UX consultant.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The web-based platform that Tkxel made has helped our salesforce in meeting their quarterly targets. The product lets our team members focus more on customers and less on menial tasks, and we have found that we can do twice the number of inspections in the same amount of time. We operate in five different countries on three continents, and we now have a product that enables us to do in-depth reporting across each of these geographies. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had complete visibility into the work that was being done, and all of our queries were answered very quickly. We were also given weekly reports about the status of the project, which helped with communication on our end. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were very impressed with the prototypes that Tixkel delivered. The team built the prototypes within a short period, and they aligned perfectly with our vision. This really set the tone for the success of the project.

Tkxel truly believes in putting the customer at the heart of their organization. They are one of those few companies who work to build long-lasting customer relationships. They consistently prioritized our needs and put forth extra effort to make sure the product was of the highest quality. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

The project could have been completed a week or two earlier, that would have saved us a few bucks. So, project delivery time could be improved.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the managing director at Cross Sea Partners. We work with entrepreneurs, small- and medium-sized business, and marketing agencies to provide valuable programming and development services. We bring websites and mobile apps to life, complete their requirements, and match each client to one of our proven development partners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tkxel?

Tkxel has been our development partner for over a decade. We partner with them for custom software development, mobile app development, web app development, UX design, and staff augmentation.

What were your goals for this project?

Our clients give us a large number of projects and want to augment their in-house team with dedicated resources. Since software engineers experience a huge gap between demand and supply, we engage technology firms who understand our client requirements and deliver end-to-end solutions. Tkxel is our oldest and most reliable partner. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of my colleagues heard about Tkxel and brought them up during a discussion. We did some research to learn about their services and capabilities. When we reached out to their management, we were pleasantly surprised to know about their past experience and clients. I was convinced that Tkxel would be a great development partner.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Over the years, Tkxel has delivered over 20 projects of varying size and magnitude for different industry verticals. Tkxel has worked with startups and enterprises, but their core strength lies with small- and medium-sized businesses. They are perhaps known best for their staff augmentation service, since they work with high-quality resources who are extremely capable and talented.

What was the team composition?

We've worked with project managers, web and mobile software engineers, designers, developers, and machine learning engineers. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our clients say great things about the way Tkxel operates and delivers projects on time. Their engineering capabilities are beyond excellent. From gathering initial requirements to translating ideas into functional apps, Tkxel has the best talent pool of engineers available. We always receive top-quality solutions.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Every team member has great communication skills, so our clients have no trouble understanding their expectations. Tkxel uses tools like Slack, Asana, Skype, and Jira to keep clients in the loop.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They're easygoing, but their resources are extremely technically sound. It has been a pleasure to work with Tkxel for over a decade. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with them in the years to come.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We enjoy a great working relationship with Tkxel, so I can't think of anything right now.