YIELD INTERACTIVE

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

You can call me entrepreneur who likes to try different ideas which fills the gap in the market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire YIELD INTERACTIVE?

I come from a finance domain and thus I constantly look for opportunities within this market. We have an idea to build a platform for individuals and HNIs which can guide them to build a wealth over a course of time without worrying too much about day to day management of investments. I was looking for a team which understands the intricacies of investments in Mutual Funds and other instruments. I found Yield Interactive well aware of financial domain.

What were your goals for this project?

Market already had many platforms available to invest and manage mutual fund investments but none of them were truly guiding investors properly. Our goal was to build a platform which provides one to one attention to each investors and help them achieve their financial objectives. Purpose was to build a platform which is fairly easy to use for even a novice investor.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We started looking for appropriate partner in the market and also floated our requirements thru various platforms. We found Yield Interactive thru a reference from the financial domain. We met Yield Interactive team over Zoom calls and shared our idea after NDA. They came back to us with the most appropriate solution and also suggested us few inputs. We were exactly looking for the Software consulting company like this. We asked for the estimate for which they gave us the range of timeline and cost. When we asked them to give us fix cost and timeline, they have requested us to finalize the scope of the project. And thus we all came to a common agreement.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Our project had three different aspects wherein we were not only dealing with our in-house system but also two external systems. So first step was to finish our own platform which was essentially for the investor on-boarding. We loved their designing process and details to attention. Once design was done, we worked with third party to get the access and Yield Interactive team integrated it's APIs to enable investments. Our third party partner was not so great in communication and thus this process took longer than we anticipated. Yield Interactive team participated in all of the follow-up process. Once this was done, we integrated another partner which was about managing the investments. This was entirely in different technology and thus it has presented various challenges. Both teams did the best they can to make it smooth integration. On a later part of the project, we came up with an additional idea to automate some of the processes. Yield Interactive team quickly estimated efforts and after our approval, they implemented it. So overall, we felt they know the nature of such projects - it evolves as we progress. And now we understood their initial estimate in range rather than the absolute number.

What was the team composition?

We were given a SPOC and apart from that we had designer, Front end and Backend developers, QA team and Architect in the team. It was my first experience working with a technical team and I must say, they all were so in sync and helped me getting hang of technology jargon with great patience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This was not part of our core business. We were experimenting with a new idea and we got a very very positive response. -- Everyone liked ease of the platform. Initial set of users were delighted and happy to refer their friends to our platform without any financial benefits. -- We quickly grew from 10 active investors to 100+ within a span of first 3 quarters. It was much more than what we expected. -- Managing the system for us was as easy as it can get. Since this was a side business, we had a limited time to focus on it. -- Yield Interactive team was always available to answer even a silly question.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was very smooth. They took the ownership of whole project, also dealt with third parties without our involvement. In fact, they negotiated server and SMS gateway prices for us which were best in the market. We were getting updates every week and they were also organizing walk thru once a month to show us the progress of the project. We liked their communication tools and at times they also followed our requests and arranged updates on whatsapp for us.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Yield Interactive team made us feel a part of team. So their inclusive nature has helped us to understand how tech products are built. Their agility to manage multiple third parties even when it was not part of their job responsibility was impressive. When we wanted them to build a robo-advisory, they worked on complete logic and made it so smooth that it's very easy for us to manage.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I couldn't find any areas where they were lacking. I surely improved my tech knowledge by the end of the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am founder of health and wellness startup. I provide services all over the globe online as well as in person.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire YIELD INTERACTIVE?

Since my business of health and wellness consulting was expanding across the globe, I was having difficulty managing calendar, deliver online consulting, accepting appointments, taking payments and run marketing campaigns.

I needed to have a digital platform and product which can automate my operations and save my time for actual consultation. I am semi technical person and doesn't understand much about technology. So I needed a partner who understand my business model, processes I am following at the moment and build a platform which can improve my reach, efficiency and client servicing.

I hired Yield Interactive team to build me an online website which can streamline my business.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to have a website which can easily connect with target audience. It should also showcase my profile, my services, packages I offer, booking options primarily. Additionally I needed a place to showcase my testimonials and success stories.

Yield Interactive team understood all of it and came up with a custom solution which was built on Wordpress CMS with complete custom theme and necessary third party integrations.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I was referred to Yield Interactive by a common contact. Apart from them, I spoke to 5 different companies - local as well as international presence. But none tried to really understand my pain points.

All were very quick to provide me proposal and estimates but none other than Yield Interactive asked right questions. So considering their willingness to understand my business and contribute to make it as smooth as it can be, I went ahead and selected them. Mind you, they were not the cheapest of all.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

I was not well organized so first challenge for them was to gather requirements and understand my expectations. I must say, they asked too many questions and at times I was thinking, why do they ask so many questions.

But later I realized, those brainstorming sessions with them helped to build a website exactly as I needed. They prefer written communication to keep a record and along with that, Yield team was always accessible on email/phone/whatsapp. On basis of my inputs, they came up with wireframes and design.

On basis of my feedbacks, they did necessary changes. I went to them for end to end solution including design, development and hosting. I was also exploring options of SEO post going live. In fact, they also set-up my emails, calendar and appointment scheduling. They were there with me from day one to till today. They're always available.

What was the team composition?

I was given SPOC and thus my job was easy to communicate. At their end, they had designer, developer, QA, Team lead and Digital marketing professional. I never felt any delays or changes in the communication pattern. So I am not sure if they have changed the team at their end. But for me, it was all the same from day one.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I am not that good at metrics but I would say following:

1. All who have seen my website were awestruck. Everybody liked the work done by us.
2. My operational efficiency improved by considerable margin.
3. I was never charged for small items even though they were out of scope.
4. They were not money minded. I liked their human side because they were focused on the solution rather than billing. We never terminated arrangement so there was no question of renewal.

Since I am still a startup and have own budget and liquidity constraint, they worked with me on ad-hoc basis without binding me in any maintenance contract.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They wanted to set-up project management tool and they did that but I was more comfortable with email/chat/whatsapp/calls. So they did not force me to use PM tool all the time. We had a staging and production environment setups. So I used to review updates on staging before approvals. Also I never felt any issues in communication.

They understood what I wanted and also shown me red flags when I was not going right. So I would call them a partners.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Yield Interactive team has shown their technical strengths by delivering all I wanted. Moreover they made everything dynamic so a non-technical person like me can also manage the whole website without getting into codes. Like I said earlier, they asked right questions, prepared a complete flow of the operation and never focused on billing me for every small items. As a SME, I wanted someone who can sail thru this journey with me and they did exactly that. I can easily vouch for them without any doubt.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don't have any complaints with them as such. They have been very selective in picking up the projects and thus I never found them over occupied. At times I used to get acknowledgement along with TAT from them if they're busy at the moment. So for me, they are exactly the company I wanted.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We evolve brands' Gen-Z initiatives by employing influential college brand ambassadors. I'm a founder and the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire YIELD INTERACTIVE?

We needed them to build our MVP, including a basic job board, an ATS workflow, and a customized admin panel.

What were your goals for this project?

To have an initial MVP that we could use to execute projects for our clients. The goal was to make our processes more efficient while capturing valuable data.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had a connection to their Yield team from a past project. They were able to execute within our budget and based on my experience, I trusted their methodology.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They developed a web app that allows us to post job listings, accept applications, and manage applicant tracking including interview stages, onboarding, etc., as well as a rating metric for post-program completion. We also have a custom admin panel allowing us to serve as the other side of the platform on behalf of our clients.

What was the team composition?

The project team included a project manager, a designer/frontend developer, and two backend developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our application management processes are now four times more efficient.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We used Asana to manage the tasks. I provided initial mockups and wireframes that they used to split the first version into three different releases.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to understand the business behind the project really impressed me, as well as their attention to detail—for example, in terms of providing small visual indicators to users—was unlike anything I’ve seen from an offshore team.

It was hard to fully outline the scope of the project initially, but they were very good working with us to determine what was essential and what wasn't, instead of just quoting us a number of hours at every juncture.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Honestly, there are none. They were reasonably priced, got the work done in a timely manner, and worked with us to determine exactly what is needed. There was no micromanagement required.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My wife and I own and operate a social media intranet for cooking enthusiasts. This began as a hobby but is now a legitimate business. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire YIELD INTERACTIVE?

Our standard Facebook page for posting authentic Indian recipes began to grow with followers from all over India requesting advanced interaction like recipe demonstrations. Traveling in person was not an option for us, so we began to consider a closed online solution that we could test with our current set of users in a live environment before opening full accessibility. We hired YIELD to create an interactive platform with two-way video streaming for online training, AI to moderate content, and payment capabilities. We also needed them to manage both training and user-generated video and audio files. 

What were your goals for this project?

Our primary goal was to develop an organized, user-friendly platform. Saving time and money were other big priorities. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for companies in India in order to match working hours and meet in person, though we never actually met during the course of the project. We interviewed several local vendors, but decided upon YIELD INTERACTIVE for their strong, diverse portfolio; their clear explanation of the project execution; and the wealth of technological knowledge they displayed in our initial calls alone. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Ours is a multi-platform product that required optimization for all iOS and Android devices as well as web and tablets. The bulk of the project required five deliverables:

1) Two unique user signup sets (normal and collaborator) with personal and public areas for displaying activity, from recipes they have uploaded (in text, video, or audio format) and who or what they are following to comments they have made or received on uploads or posts.

2) A chat system for user interaction.

3) A collaborator-only section featuring two-way live streaming for hosting cooking classes with or without guests (maximum of nine users joining via webcams) and a payment receiving functionality.

4) An AI-driven moderator module for reviewing content and blocking any objectionable material, be it video, audio, text, or image. (video/audio/text/image).

5) A fully functioning e-commerce section.

What was the team composition?

YIELD assigned one UI designer, one UX designer, three programmers, and one QA expert. We had a primary point of contact, but there was no enforced hierarchy; we had access to everyone involved with any given phase. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Automating many aspects of the platform has had the greatest impact so far, saving us a substantial amount of time. The money will come once we open it to users across the web. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

In addition to weekly meetings via phone or Skype, regular updates were posted in Asana. Once the basic structure of the product module was complete, we were afforded the opportunity to continuously test and evaluate it throughout the development process. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Communication, communication, communication. They know what they are doing. Noot only will they show you how to do it, they will explain the solution in laymen’s terms. They document everything, so you have a clear understanding of exactly what is going to happen when, and they are transparent, upfront, and patient about additional costs and your decision on them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a consulting firm that deals in telecom hardware and software, along with business services. We operate in multiple countries and serve a global clientele.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire YIELD INTERACTIVE?

We needed to build an e-commerce portal and app to handle asset management. This includes inventories and shared assets with partners and contractors.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to automate our system to optimize resources, plan inventory, and manage assets in real time.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We asked for references first, but that didn't go well. We searched for vendors with good references, track records, and exposure in our domain. That's how we found YIELD INTERACTIVE. Before making our final selection, we held multiple discussions and worked on wireframes. Given the cost and longevity of the project, we wanted someone that was available at multiple locations. YIELD INTERACTIVE proposed a flexible, cost-effective arrangement.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Our project needs to work on web, iOS, and Android systems. Our internal team and contractors receive access according to their domain and role. They have documented, wireframed, designed, and developed the product. Since this is an ongoing arrangement, we have a flexible team allocation, and they bill us monthly.

What was the team composition?

Yield Interactive assigned a point of contact, a business analyst, a designer, a web developer, a mobile developer, and QA analyst.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've saved costs, which immediately impacted our bottom line. We have more control over and access to organizational resources. That drives our process and saves lots of manual intervention. With one click of a button, we see specific dashboards and reporting. That improves decision-making across the organization.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We're technology novices, so we wanted a process to which we could easily contribute. YIELD INTERACTIVE tailors the process, uses less tech jargon in daily communication, and helps us understand the lingo. We use a project management tool to define tasks and share updates.

We used to have standup meetings on Skype and weekly updates through email, while our project management tool was available 24/7. Once the product started to take shape, they gave us access to a staging platform where we can play around and share feedback. It's a breeze.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

There is plenty to talk about, but I'm most impressed by their good communication, quality deliverables, domain knowledge, flexibility, transparency, and ability to contribute to our business operations. What sets them apart is their willingness to understand our business and build a solution. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

We work as a team, keep communication channels open, and share feedback to keep operations smooth. I don't see any specific areas for improvement. It's a wonderful experience, and we hope it continues.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a general manager for Quick Manage FZ LLC. We’re developing an e-commerce platform for buying and selling used products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire YIELD INTERACTIVE?

We engaged YIELD INTERACTIVE to develop our e-commerce platform.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a high-quality C2C platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online for the best vendor to develop this web platform. YIELD INTERACTIVE fulfilled all of our requirements.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

YIELD INTERACTIVE designed, developed, and deployed the e-commerce platform. It allows users to post listings for used products and then receive inquiries from other users. The team built the UI/UX to be intuitive and user-friendly.

What was the team composition?

We worked with three developers, two designers, two testers, a project manager, and an operations person.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform launched within our agreed timeline and has achieved a significant user base. We’re pleased with YIELD INTERACTIVE’s work.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

YIELD INTERACTIVE provided a high level of support throughout the collaboration. The team kept us updated on every phase of the development process until the project’s end.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We had direct access to the entire team. Every team member was highly supportive from start to finish.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager in technology for a digital entertainment company. We have a mobile TV product and different broadcasters, and we show their content to the viewers. We also stream videos and have an OTT platform.

We are in the entertainment platform industry, so we provide users the ability to explore movies, word content, news, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Yield Interactive?

We were looking for someone to build our mobile application, including video streaming and audio streaming functionality. Yield understands the media platform and the streaming. They handle our server and they built our current application that is running on Google and iTunes. They have provided all the technical know-how we need in order to reach our goal and make our application live.

Before I joined the company, all the development was outsourced to other development agencies. Now we have a small team of 15 developers in-house who manage and update our applications, but if we have any new features to add to our platform, we still contact Yield.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app they created is for iOS and Android. We have a business development team, so we provided them the requirements, the data flow, and the wireframes. We gave them a brief so they could understand what we wanted. Then, after they come with their designs and their solutions, we discuss it together and finalize everything before they move ahead with development.

They have provided good ideas for marketing and strategy, but our business team takes care of that part of the work.

Our old application was built on MySQL and PHP. We moved it to MongoDB and they restructured everything including the APIs, database, server, etc.

What is the team dynamic?

Amit Prasad is our first point of contact. He understands everything about our application and has a good knowledge of the streaming and other functionalities we need. Their team is capable enough to understand our every challenge.

How did you come to work with Yield Interactive?

When I joined the organization, they were already working with Yield. They might have found them on Upwork, but I don’t know for sure.

How much have you invested with them?

There are different engagement models we use. Sometimes we use a fixed cost if we are working on a certain feature. Sometimes we work on a time and materials model as well. If the requirement is not very clear or something is added in the future, we ask for a ballpark estimation. We also have a fixed monthly amount that we transfer to their team to maintain our project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started this project in February 2016, and the app was launched in December 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They are very cooperative, they understand things, and they provided quick solutions to our problems. They access better technology to serve the requirements and make a good product.

Their team is very technical. A few guys have good experience on servers, websites, and application development. For the most part, we’ve had a good experience with them; they’ve delivered everything on time. Even if something is delayed, they are very proactive and they inform us when that happens. I am very happy with them—they have a good team.

How did Yield Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

We have different timelines for every feature. We need to bring our products to market early, so we have strict timelines. Most of the time they were successful in meeting the deadlines. In some cases, there were some technical limitations and it was delayed from our side or their side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication is good. If we have a feature that we want to make live, they have suggestions of how we can do that. They have a good solution for everything. We analyze the cost effectiveness and timeline of their suggestions. They’re proactive and analyze things well for any requirement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can increase their bandwidth by adding more resources. Again, it’s not something which is absolutely necessary but as a client I would be more comfortable seeing resources at my disposal as and when I need.  So its something I would be very happy about as a client but if I put myself in their shoes, I would also need a two way assurance of ongoing resource engagement to increase the team size.