TopDevz

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Goshimmy Inc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopDevz?

We hired TopDevz to develop our software for our platform and app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, they were building a buyer marketplace like Poshmark but for all things dance-related, and they were building that from the ground up with customized software and platform. We met their international team based in Morocco, and our weekly meetings were all about the app’s development progress, what it was supposed to look like, and the status of the process.  

After a year, TopDevz told us that we were only two weeks away from completion. However, I suddenly received a call telling me that they lost access to the entire product because there was a disagreement between TopDevz and the team they hired in Morocco. The Moroccan team apparently took the project and TopDevz didn’t have access to it. 

At that point, they offered me a refund or they said they would. Soon after that, they said they’d help me rebuild my product in a different platform with a different team. They promised it would be better than it was before, and that our platform would be user-friendly and easy to navigate. Considering I already put a year into my life on that project, I agreed to do it. 

Then, they connected me to a new team that was here in the US and their developers were based in India. When I began working with the new team, I didn’t know that they were building our platform on WordPress, and they used third-party systems to integrate and create a lookalike of the original product without it having the same functions as the previous platform. 

In the end, they gave me a product that didn’t look like what we had originally paid for; what they gave me was not scalable and it didn’t function the way we wanted it to be. When I told them it was far from what we agreed, they only apologized. 

What is the team composition?

I only met TopDevz’s CEO once, and that was when he reached out to me and told me that my money and product were gone. I also communicated with 3–4 people including the project manager.

How did you come to work with TopDevz?

I did a lot of research and thought I had found a reputable company. Their website looked great and the things they said looked excellent.

For their reviews, I was a little hesitant about it because I found out they weren’t real. They had similar reviews and put different names on them, and it was word-for-word. Both of those reviews were also on my website. I brought it to their attention and all of a sudden, one of the reviews was taken down. I did have a lot of mistrust going into the relationship, but they put my mind at ease when they connected me to their first project manager. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $48,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February 2019–July 2020. They told me I lost my project just two weeks before its completion, and that was back in March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I worked well with the original team, but then all of that fell apart. When I told them that we didn’t get the product that we wanted, they said that the second one they developed was the only effort they were willing to provide because they already went above their budget. However, that was not my problem, to begin with, I already had the product and it was suddenly gone. I don’t have the money anymore since I paid the original agreement and contract.

They didn’t fulfill what they promised but taking legal action against them would cost way more than just rebuilding our product. With another company and more time, I decided that I’d just take my losses. I would hate for this to happen to anybody, and I’d like people to know about it. I never reviewed a company before because I never had such a terrible experience. 

How did TopDevz perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication between our teams should’ve been better. I was the one who constantly reached out to them so lack of communication was really an issue. The hybrid program between a US-based team and offshore developers that they were trying to promote was not ironed out. I was a guinea pig in that program, and I don’t recommend them to continue that.

We did have weekly meetings in the beginning and there were 3–4 people designated to my team in a span of two weeks. After that, I never heard from those people again; their emails also disappeared. Everyone on those calls convinced me that they were going to be a great team, but I never heard anything from them again except for my project manager. 

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

It was terrible because we were supposed to launch right before they lost everything and that impacted me financially and emotionally. We spent $48,000 on a product that didn’t work. 

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

I liked the relationship we had with the first team in Morocco, but they had a contract that they weren’t TopDevz’s employees. As a result, I don’t really know what TopDevz did well except for marketing because that convinced me to sign the contract with them. The problem was none of it were real. All of the advertising, reviews, and everything that convinced me to engage with them weren’t real.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I already had issues with their accounting team at the beginning of the project. My invoices didn’t match what I owed compared to what was written in my contract. I always had to call them to correct my invoices. After that, they’d send me corrected invoices so I knew that they were not very organized during the entire time I was working with them as far as the accounting department was concerned. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take the time to reach and speak to people that have lost them. I regret not having conversations with TopDevz’s past clients to see what their experience was. If I did that, I probably wouldn’t have chosen TopDevz.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on July 9, 2021.

Every company in its journey comes across a client that they must fire. We are honoring our confidentiality agreement but are vigilant in collecting tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid development work. No company can be expected to take blood from a stone. That is what we were expected to preform. There is always two sides to a story. Please feel free to contact us directly on this review. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of an orthopedic medical device distributorship.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopDevz?

Because we’re a sales and logistics organization, the commissions we have in place are very complex. We asked TopDevz to create a commission payment software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TopDevz developed our custom payment software. They brainstormed, mapped out the software, and then built it. After showing me the software, they fine-tuned it and then finished the final product. Now, they handle minor updates and service maintenance.

For the design process, I mapped out what I wanted. However, they have good experience in building software in the past so they input their ideas as well.

What is the team composition?

Bill (Engineer) is the only one I talk with.

How did you come to work with TopDevz?

I found them through a Google search. They had really good references from companies they’d worked with in the past. I also spoke with TopDevz’s president in order to understand their process as well as what kind of engineers they use and why. All of those factors made me want to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $200,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in August 2019. They gave me the product I asked for, but I’m still working with them. Now, I’m thinking of updates and continual improvements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The software works well and the commissions are accurate. Once we got everything in place as far as rules and mapping go, everything was correct. That accuracy is a high measure of success.

We caught some software glitches right before we launched for payroll. Bill responded very quickly and fixed it in time. I was very happy with how he handled that.

How did TopDevz perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicate through email, and there haven’t been any issues. Bill is appropriately responsive. He has a lot of projects, so he doesn’t respond the very next minute I send something. However, he usually responds in one business day; and for non-urgent issues, that wasn’t a problem.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was really happy with Bill and the customer service he provided. TopDevz’s excellent responsiveness is a distinguishing factor of their company. I don’t have anything to compare to, but the programming works the way I want it to.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything that’s really critical. However, there were a couple of times when I expressed what I wanted but neither the TopDevz team or I thought through the effects. We had to correct some things later on because we didn’t foresee that making things a certain way would cause limitations. It would’ve been nice if they had caught some of that stuff earlier on; in hindsight, it would make the experience easier down the road. Whereas, it wasn’t until later that I realized we couldn’t do certain things.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you get someone good like Bill. If you don’t get a good liaison with the company, I’d imagine it’d be a bad experience. You need someone good to handle that role. Also, be sure to budget more than you think you’ll need. Once the project gets rolling, you always think of more features you want. That advice isn’t specific to TopDevz, it’s just how software programming works in general.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product and UI/UX at HealthCheck360, a corporate wellness company. We provide wellness programs and incentives for companies to offer to their employees. This is to not only help employees get healthier but to also help them save on insurance.

Our company conducts biometric screenings, analyzes that data, and then gives out scores based on the screenings. These results give people a good idea of their current state of health. It’s more in-depth than a typical heartbeat reading or other average measurements.

We get very specific and include information about body mass index as well as low- and high-density lipoprotein, amongst other things. We can even detect if an individual is an undiagnosed diabetic; the list goes on.

We provide individual programs to incentivize employees to get up and get active. Our team does this through a points program where participants can earn incentives back. For example, users get a point every day they walk 10,000 steps and several different activities like that.

Our platform allows them to log in their nutrition, weight, activity time, and other related details. The program is really flexible and acts as an overall method to help employees get healthy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopDevz?

For a couple of years now, our platform has solely been a web application that managed all the wellness programs. Previously, employees could submit and monitor their health metrics and status toward earning incentives.

The challenge was to take that and build out a mobile app version. Essentially, we wanted all the features of the web app to also function on a mobile application. What’s more, we wanted the two to have syncing abilities. This way, participants could connect any activity metric devices and applications such as Apple Health, Fitbit, My Fitness Pal, and so on.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The mobile app was built using React Native and works for both iOS and Android. Working from the API we provided, TopDevz completely handled all the development. They worked and fed in the data to create the ability to connect users’ devices. This ability includes being able to see, monitor, and submit information for lifestyle rewards from our wellness points program.

TopDevz also implemented a feature that allows users to see all of the health metrics from their biometric screening right on their phone. This is a key benefit for us. If an employee goes to their doctor, they can pull up our application and see detailed, year-over-year information about their health. The doctor can then get beneficial information in a matter of seconds.

At the beginning of the project, TopDevz met with our team and broke down all the work into clear, specific tasks. These tasks had hours attached to them so we knew how long the project would take. Even if the project went over the predicted time, the TopDevz team was committed to the original price.

Now, they handle app maintenance for us. They’re essentially a third arm to our company because they still manage all of our mobile development, versioning, and launches.

What is the team composition?

My main contact is Bill (Engineer). We’ve grown closer over the last two years we’ve worked together. He manages a team on his end, but I’ve only talked to them a couple of times.

How did you come to work with TopDevz?

I wasn’t hired yet when my company started working with them. I came in about halfway through the project. When my company was initially looking for vendors, TopDevz was willing to prove their commitment to us by setting a fixed price no matter how long it took. They were super affordable and gave us a great price. Their team did that because they wanted to establish a long-term partnership with us. As far as I know, those are the reasons why everything started.

It has all worked out really well.

How much have you invested with them?

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

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in March 2018. The initial app development lasted nine months from initiation to official launch.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a web-based platform, one of the big metrics we wanted to measure was the number of people downloading the app. As of right now, we’ve been extremely successful in getting people to use it. In fact, 36,000 people downloaded the app in the first year.

This mobile app allotted us the ability to take our stationary web app and leverage it as a new platform that fits in our users’ pockets. The app goes with them and is available at the click of a finger. It works with the employees wherever they may be and has significantly expanded not only our sales but our engagement and future possibilities. We’re currently transitioning all of our communications, marketing materials, and the way we do business to be mobile-based. This mobile app is a key part of that.

How did TopDevz perform from a project management standpoint?

Throughout the development process, we met with TopDevz once a week or more as needed. There was constant communication through text messages, email, and project management programs such as GitLab and Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There were two things TopDevz was exceptional at –– communication and being available when we needed them. Even if it’s at an inconvenient time or during late hours, they’ve always stepped up to the plate. Their team has been a true partner and has gone above and beyond our expectations.

My communication with Bill has been consistent. He’s always clear and concise in the messaging and explanation of things we need. When TopDevz said something was going to happen, it always happened the way it was explained — their follow-through is great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Over time, we’ve developed a better system of working and tracking projects. In the beginning, it was mainly through a status email. However, after a while, we all integrated into GitLab. Here, we could assign issues, discuss them, move through those issues, and know their status the entire time. This is a great example of something that needed to improve and did. It shows how TopDevz is receptive to feedback and scope changes.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To get the most out of the engagement, be honest and straightforward with the team. You need to know exactly what you want to be built or featured. If you can provide TopDevz with all the vital information, they’ll go out and complete everything. Come ready to give them the information they need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a product officer at an AI risk management company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopDevz?

They helped us develop an initial prototype of a product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the prototype in Python and JavaScript. It had two-factor authentication and connected data from our database to the application. It also rendered visuals.

What is the team composition?

I worked with four people from their team.

How did you come to work with TopDevz?

I worked with them before at another company, so I hired them again.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere between $200,000–$900,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place and finished in 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The prototype they delivered was high-quality and we’re satisfied with their work.

How did TopDevz perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed well and were responsive and communicative over phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a good partner — it’s hard to find a good partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m happy with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you go in organized, they’ll be able to deliver.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager of the application development team at a finance company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopDevz?

We had a mobile app that was created about five years ago and it needed to be revamped using a different technology. We decided to use Xamarin which would allow us to develop an app for most mobile devices and then easily port it over onto Windows, Apple, and Android devices. No one on our team had experience with Xamarin so we hired TopDevz because that’s one of their skill sets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They reviewed the old code but it wasn’t transferrable, so they had to rebuild the app from the ground up. We made the decision to retire the project after a few months because we realized that we would waste time and money if we used a third-party tool, which was likely to happen. Our decision had nothing to do with TopDevz.

The project ended before it went to production but the team did build the first 2–3 screens on it while helping us to understand the correct coding pattern which was MVVM.

What is the team composition?

We had one main point of contact.

How did you come to work with TopDevz?

After searching on Google, we found TopDevz, contacted them, and then met with the owner and a couple of their senior analysts. They seemed to have the most knowledge and professionalism. If we were to have any issues, we knew that they would support us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from April–July 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had our end users test the app by demoing the screens and they were happy with the development work. Additionally, one of the requirements was that the app could be built natively onto Apple and Windows devices and, based on the feedback, it was approved. The project was worth every cent because it was a learning experience. We have no regrets.

How did TopDevz perform from a project management standpoint?

We remained in contact using Azure DevOps and the team communicated very well. They made a good effort and we had a solid relationship.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The developer did a fantastic job of helping us understand how the technology worked and what its limitations and capabilities were. We didn’t have to waste any time trying to figure out what was possible because we had expert input.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re under a tight deadline, reach out to them as soon as possible. Although TopDevz does have a pool of resources, they’re not always available right away. So, if you need something from them, you might not get it within a week or two. The timing of the project will depend on the resources they have at hand.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Energy Practice Solutions is a dental consulting and billing services company to which dental offices can outsource their insurance and patient payment processing systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopDevz?

We hired them to provide custom software development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our app is going to be a web-based software on which employees can log in and provide data to allow the system to automatically process insurance claims and payment processing, rather than relying on their own software to do that part of the work. We are still in the discovery phase of the project.

What is the team composition?

We work with one project manager and one developer from their team.

How did you come to work with TopDevz?

Based on their presence and reputation online, they seemed like a good fit for our requirements.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $20,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The process began in November 2019 and is currently ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Given the stage of the project, we have not been tracking any success metrics so far, but I feel very confident and comfortable with what’s going on and how much progress we are making so far. They are very accountable and have given us a lot of peace of mind going forward.

How did TopDevz perform from a project management standpoint?

It has been an excellent experience. They are incredibly communicative, staying in constant contact and providing multiple different avenues for feedback between the project manager and the developer.

What did you find most impressive about them?

At this point, their communication has been the best aspect of the project by far. It surpasses that of any other company I’ve ever worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t feel that there is anything they could do differently. We’re very satisfied with our choice in company.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When it comes to custom development, communication really is key. Anyone working with them should take advantage of that because they are quick to answer any questions you might have, which can significantly boost the quality of the final product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for MBI Staffing, LLC and we are a staffing and consulting firm focused on the IT Industry. I am the Senior Director of the Corporate Office and Business Development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TopDevz - CIO Review Company of the year?

A Fortune 200 client of mine was searching for a 6 month project tech to work on their application development project.

What were your goals for this project?

To work directly with the client project manager and app development team and drive deliverables for rollout.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

TopDevz is a leader in the Application Developers space. They were able to bring a consultant to the table that impressed my client.

Describe the project in detail.

My client was having difficulty finding a senior software developer for their project that focused on migrating an existing data warehouse to their clout provider.

What was the team composition?

Onsite requirements at the client site in Palo Alto, CA. Collaboration was the key and the TopDevz consultant performed very well. We had two extensions requested as the client was very happy with the tech. Tech was part of a local team in CA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As stated above - there were two extensions for this consultant. That is all we have available.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. MBI and TopDevz work very well together. TopDevz provided executive level support for all of our requests.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their willingness to understand my business and my client's needs and especially their ability to provide me advice that I was able to take to my client to address their needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a large mall operator. I'm the director of engineering for the digital team, and I run all of our consumer-facing technologies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopDevz - CIO Review Company of the year?

I reached out to them when I needed to increase our talent resources for an initiative.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I brought in one senior developer from their team to augment an existing development group. They worked on backend systems for a high-traffic website.

What is the team composition?

I only worked with one individual, but there was also an account manager. I was also in contact with their founder.

How did you come to work with TopDevz - CIO Review Company of the year?

They sent an email marketing campaign, which is not normally how I acquire talent. They promised senior talent in North America for short-term contracts, which I found attractive.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in Q1 2019. They completed everything by Q3 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In a short-term contract like this, ramp-up time is critical. They were up and running within a week, and the engineer was independent and strong. They meshed well with our team, and they completed all their work with a high degree of quality.

How did TopDevz - CIO Review Company of the year perform from a project management standpoint?

I manage the project on my side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were flexible in the timeline and with the contract, and they've held up their promises. They only trade in senior talent, which is something I find unique to them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have anything they should improve or do differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Nothing specific comes to mind; they're easy to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the category manager for a global agribusiness and food production company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopDevz - CIO Review Company of the year?

Some of our applications were dated, and we needed someone with experience to help us modernize our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us redesign our UI/UX and rewrite our applications so that they were modern and looked good. They’ve also made everything more functional and ensured that our security standards were high.

After development, they did conduct some testing and were able to fix a few minor bugs.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 3–4 different people on each project, including a project coordinator and key developers. Some of them worked on several projects with us, so they overlapped.

How did you come to work with TopDevz - CIO Review Company of the year?

Initially, we heard about them through word of mouth and online research. They’ve done a great job on some other projects for us and have always offered competitive prices.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in April 2018 and we wrapped up in November 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Customer satisfaction is very high, which is indicative of the quality of their work. They delivered a functional product and were able to fix the few bugs they found in testing. They were a great fit for our team.

How did TopDevz - CIO Review Company of the year perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project coordinators delivered good reports, showed up for meetings, and communicated effectively. I know that I can call them and they can get people to work on a project relatively quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

On top of offering very competitive rates, we really appreciated that they were an on-shore development team. They were in the same time zone as us, which made communication much easier and reduced overhead in project management.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure they scope things out accurately and give them plenty of details so they can come back with a comprehensive proposal.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the website and e-commerce manager at  Sullivan-Palatek. We make industrial and portable air compressors. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopDevz?

We hired them to create a new website for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a public-facing solution, building a separate portal for our distributors and our dealers. Using WordPress for the website and SQL on the backend, they were able to officially launch the site. 

What is the team composition?

There were probably 7–8 people from their team working on our website. We worked directly with Ashkan (CEO, TopDevz) and are very happy with his work.  

How did you come to work with TopDevz?

We had a pre-existing relationship with Ashkan, from his previous role at another company. When he left the company to start his own, we contacted him immediately with our website project.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $60,000 in total. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our engagement with them in January 2018. The website has been live for more than a year, but we still have a maintenance agreement with them. Their support team helps me whenever I have issues with the website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very happy with their work. At all times, we had updates on everything that was happening throughout the build.  

How did TopDevz perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a project manager that kept us up to date on their progress. They handled management and communications beautifully, updating us weekly. If we had questions, they could answer them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was confident in their work, knowing that they were experts in their field. They taught me so much about data and websites while following through on everything they said they would do for our company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They were a pleasure to work with, and I’m glad that we’re still connected. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have your data ready to share with them. It’s important to have your ducks in a row before they starting working on your website.