Zazz

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a financial services company that provides many security options for investors, such as ETF, Mutual Funds, & Segregated Funds. I work as a specialist at Mackenzie Investments, wherein my role was to train new and current employees on transactions, new procedural updates, and to create job aids.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

The goal was to create a way for investors to monitor their portfolios. The best way to entice investors to do is to download the app so that they can check their portfolios, daily changes to mutual funds, make new investments,

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We searched for app developers in USA & Canada, we spoke with many developers. and shortlisted a few of them. We opted to move with Zazz because they were one of the most professional team we came across. From the get-go they gave us a roadmap and several different ways to stay in touch during the development stage.

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

The project roadmap that was provided to us had 5 phases of work, the first one being the discovery phase, where Zazz would help with market research, product discovery, and feature roadmap prioritization. In the design and prototype phase, they worked on user journey mapping, user experience mapping, visual user interface, content mapping and high-fidelity mockups.

In the third phase of project, which was known as the development phase, they worked on the system architecture, front-end development, back-end development, API development & CMS development, and they applied scrum methodology. In the fourth phase they would do some quality assurance and testing work to make sure everything is in tact. Manual and automation testing was done, unit testing, performance testing and security testing. And finally in the final phase they would provide maintenance of the app, updates, debugging.

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

A project manager was assigned to us, along with

• 2 senior business analysts
• a design lead
• 4 senior UI/UX designers
• 2 iOS architects & 2 Android architects
• 4 senior iOS developers & Android developers
• a senior DevOps engineer
• 2 platform software test engineers
• 2 senior software engineers
• senior cloud engineers
• senior back-end and front-end engineers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within a few weeks of launch, we saw tremendous amount of downloads and achieved a 5 star rating in both app stores. This definitely increased the traffic and ever since its launch. People have been commenting and praising the fact that the app was very easy to use.

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

The team communicated with us on a weekly basis, sometimes sporadically if the need rose, during the week and they used Slack and Zoom. The team used this time to share ideas and we provided them with feedback.

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

They took the time to thoroughly go through our requirements and made sure every single item was covered. The dedication, the timeliness, and the ease of communication makes them extremely unique and impressive.

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

There is not much to improve at all. We are extremely happy with the final product and we expect to continue this partnership moving forward.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product director for Alpha Match, a one-stop shop for pets. I’m responsible for the development of the app, as well as the communication within the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zazz?

We needed someone to help us with web and mobile app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They first reached out to us with a proposal for the requirements of the development and moved forward with them from there. The technologies they used for the build were Swift, Java, Angular, Node.js, and AWS.

They’re currently providing us with social media management, SEO marketing, and ongoing support and maintenance.

What is the team composition?

We initially talked to the director of Zazz, but we’ve since been interfacing with the technical lead, DevOps engineer, several developers, and a product manager.

How did you come to work with Zazz?

We came across them while researching for vendors, and chose them because they seemed like a good match for our needs.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere between $60,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The ongoing partnership started in February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback from customers, so I’ve been very satisfied with our continued engagement.

How did Zazz perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very good from a project management standpoint. They’re transparent with their process and they always keep us in the loop even when there are delays. Additionally, they don’t overpromise on their deliverables and they consistently find solutions to our concerns.

We typically communicate through email and Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their transparency and knowledge. During the initial meeting, they understood what we wanted and presented us with something similar to what we were expecting.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s been a very good partnership so I don’t have any complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend going through the requirements more thoroughly, so the discovery phase can move forward efficiently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO at Royal Concierge and Security, which offers residential security services to condominiums. We are based out of Toronto.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Zazz?

We wanted to offer additional services and employ the power of artificial intelligence to enhance our offerings. We contacted Zazz to build an AI-based mobile app combined with motion detectors, sensors, and security cameras that would help us reduce human errors and protect our clients from potential break-ins and other emergencies.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Google search. They were recommended to us. We contacted Zazz to get a quote. They gave a comprehensive proposal that showed that they have substantial expertise in artificial intelligence technology. They had what we needed, so everything worked out.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Zazz brought its knowledge of machine learning algorithms to the table. They had an adept team that created complex algorithms from scratch and built unique features for the mobile app around AI. They took care of everything, from recognizing the internal capability gap to choosing the most suitable tech stack for the project. The data integration team cleansed the data and prepared it before implementing machine learning into the app. They created a balanced system built according to our requirements.

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

There were ten people on the team. A technical project manager, six developers, one AI consultant, and two QA specialists. The project manager was the main point of contact because he managed everything and liaised between the developers and us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered an AI-based security system on time, with the features we wanted while meeting our requirements from a quality standpoint. 24/7 security alerts, smarter cameras, daily reports of camera activities, and voice-controlled entry approvals are some of the features integrated into the system. It eliminated the human fatigue factor because AI works flawlessly, no matter the weather conditions, thus enhancing the comfort and convenience of our clients and reducing security threats.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Zazz has an excellent project management team. We don’t have to follow up with them. In our weekly meetings, they shared the project development progress and incorporated our suggestions while ensuring they were aligned with the technical aspects. They knew what was needed to create an outstanding AI application.

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

Zazz is a reliable company and they impressed us with their technical know-how. They came up with great suggestions and ensured everyone was on the same page when it came to making changes to the app.

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

Since they worked tirelessly to meet our strict deadlines, we understand they had a lot of pressure. So, considering the volume of work to do, we would say that they did great. In our opinion, there’s nothing much to improve, and we have no complaints.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Senior Design Engineer at Alexander Dennis Limited, a transportation company based out of Larbert, United Kingdom.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

The most common problems passengers face are frequent delays due to maintenance, security concerns, and suboptimal allotment of vehicles to different routes leading to uneven distribution of passengers in certain places.

We wanted to solve these problems by incorporating IoT sensors and applications to improve the operations of our transit system and enable efficient commutes. This would help in mitigating security issues, tracking bus locations, and ensuring the buses are following the standard transit capacity.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We contacted many companies involved in IoT development. After getting many quotes and going through several proposals, we picked Zazz because of how detailed the proposal was.

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

Zazz’s team was supportive and had extensive knowledge of the Internet of Things. They worked with dedication and commitment while ensuring they created solutions that added value to our business. They asked relevant questions, gave recommendations, and brought their experience and expertise in IoT development to the table. The project began with the ideation of what was needed, in-depth analysis of problem areas, and choosing the right technologies for creating a robust architecture.

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

Initially, we worked with the Sales and business analyst team. Then, a few senior developers were brought to discuss the technical requirements. Later, we had a Senior Technical project manager, 7 Senior Software developers, two cloud architects, and two quality analysts on the team because we wanted top-quality results.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered the MVP on time, which helped us gain actionable insights and enabled us to implement specific changes to the final product to yield fruitful results. After the final touches, we got the IoT system where they put functionality and usability first while keeping our requirements in mind.

The systems analyzed travel habits, traffic congestion and population density to transform our services using GPS and mobile network data, and combining it with sensors to improve safety, convenience, and comfort of our passengers. We received positive feedback after successful implementation of the IoT system.

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

Generally, we connected with them twice a week, mostly Mondays and Thursdays. They shared the app/Software development progress and asked for our feedback to implement it when we meet next week. They were good with deadlines because they never missed one.

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

Zazz knows what they do. Their powerful project management team took a positive approach to everything while offering top-notch solutions. The senior leaders are understanding and professional. They delivered what I expected.

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

There’s not much to improve. They are good at overcoming obstacles and take every task with zeal. We expect to see the same passion and dedication moving forward.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director at Ceridian, a cloud platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zazz?

We were hosting a new service for one of our businesses. It was on Microsoft Azure, and we wanted to migrate it to AWS. We needed DevOps consultation on how this migration could have been taken care of without affecting any of our current users, and we also needed to follow industry standards for maintaining the various services in different locations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Zazz came in as an extension of our in-house team to add support to what we were doing. They provide us with hosting technical support for cloud infrastructure, mainly focused on DevOps consulting, cloud migration infrastructure automation, and continuous integration and delivery of pipelines.

What is the team composition?

We work with around 8–9 engineers from Zazz. There is a senior technical lead, a senior technical project manager, and a business analyst who takes care of all our requirements and analyzes them into the user stories. I’m the person directly involved with their senior-level team.

How did you come to work with Zazz?

Initially, we were looking for vendors in Seattle and other near locations. We had multiple rounds of meetings with other companies and vendors, and we shortlisted Zazz.

We left an inquiry on their website and they got back to us with a solution. We had multiple rounds of initial interactions with their sales director of operations and the engineering team executive officers.

The main aspect we liked about them was their technical expertise. They had a very solid understanding of what we wanted and of cloud infrastructure migrations.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve completed the MVP, and it’s live. Now, Zazz is working on the last sprint — the migration was really successful. All our other team members and stakeholders are happy with their work.

How did Zazz perform from a project management standpoint?

Zazz’s project management is good — we don’t have to follow up with them, and they're always very accurate. They have a couple of dedicated senior technical project managers and a business analyst who gets in touch with our team. We have status calls, and they give us daily updates.

They're organized, and we use Slack for communication. For continuous integration, we leveraged Bitbucket and Atlassian. For bug tracking, we use Jira, and we gave them access to our company’s account.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way that Zazz comes back with solutions is pretty impressive. We're typically focusing on user engagement and user retention while they're helping us with the technology that we needed to incorporate into our business. Whatever issue we've had, they have a solution for it, and it works out well. One of the things that we like the most about them is the technical expertise from their tech leads.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing Zazz could improve on — I haven’t faced any issues with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Zazz’s services are a little expensive, but at the end of the day, the services they provide are worth it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Senior Product Development Manager of Orbiton Company. Our business is based on developing psychometric software. Our main objective is the development of innovative software apps that are required by different companies. Online tests are conducted through our software comprising around 15 minutes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Zazz?

Our main challenge was dealing with the bugs in the development of software. We were in search of an app development company which was more expert and professional and can help us in modifying and improving our software.

What were your goals for this project?

As we already knew that there were a lot of bugs in our software and our goal was revitalizing our existing software for making it a consistent product

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of Zazz developers and our employee had a familiar friend, and he suggested us to consider Zazz for our project. After our first meeting, we were highly convinced by their professionalism. They reviewed our software thoroughly and recommended us to rebuild some of the apps in future.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We have been working with them on multiple projects for web & mobile platforms involving react native, angular & node.js. We also use their QA engineers for automation & manual testing using Selenium and JMeter.

What was the team composition?

There were eight members in total assigned to the project and a project manager responsible for supervising all of the activities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work has impressed us incredibly as we are working with them for more than five years and haven't encountered a single bug since then. Our uptime percentage has improved tremendously, which has made our clients very happy. There are no complaints from our clients about the bugs or crashes, and we haven't required any maintenance after partnering with Zazz.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The workflow was handy as it helped us in sharing our issues and their suggestions instantly. We have used emails and social media platforms for interaction. Moreover, bi-monthly meetings were also an essential part of the whole project to test the new developments.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their young and energetic staff is the most critical factor for us. Zazz always comes up with smart solutions for our problems and tries to solve them in less time.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They are working in a highly protocoled manner, and I suggest them to work with the same passion. We have decided to continue our work with them in the future as the whole journey was smooth and without any trouble.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief product officer at a startup that offers a Bluetooth-enabled smoker.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zazz?

We needed a partner to develop an iOS and Android app that worked on both mobile devices and iPads. We also wanted someone who could build the backend system for our product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app they built allows users to control a Bluetooth-enabled smoker from their phone.  Users can turn the barbecue on and off, adjust the temperature, and set a timer based on doneness. They integrated a feature that allows the app to send push notifications when the meat is done. Besides development, they also did the UX/UI of the app and designed our logo, as well. They built the test cases for the mobile apps, and testers from their team and ours are doing QA. For the backend, they integrated it with Magento to manage the orders on the e-commerce store, which will launch soon.

How did you come to work with Zazz?

We knew one of their developers through a friend. We interviewed a few different candidates, but Zazz was the best option.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$199,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership lasted from October 2018–March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Zazz has done a much better job than many other firms I’ve worked with. So far, there’ve been few bugs in the product.

How did Zazz perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication was transparent, and they consistently met deadlines. We used Slack to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were process oriented and took our feedback seriously.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could shorten their requirements-gathering process to start the project sooner.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Have your requirements set before you engage with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the LMS Admin of a government company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We're a trusted advisor and consulting firm that helps federal agencies determine what to buy, how to buy it, improve their acquisition workforce and processes, and ensure they achieve their mission outcomes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Zazz to accomplish?

• setup learning site
• Design it

SOLUTION

How did you find Zazz?

Online Search

Why did you select Zazz over others?

I don't know

How many teammates from Zazz were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Build learning managment system site and style it with a custom theme. All work should have remained consistent with core Moodle functionality.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The site works for learners- which it did not at all.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

No not at all. Zazz never got our core deliverables in a state that the site actually works. It doesn't work at all after a lot of time wasted with them. They were slow to respond to our needs or just plain didn't care enough to solve them. They often lied and said they did or would do something, only to not to do it. OR do it completely wrong. Most of the times Zazz, didn't do anything and when pressed told me they didn't agree to address fixes to their drafts.

What was your primary form of communication with Zazz?

Virtual Meeting

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

Nothing. They were the worst company I've ever dealt with on a project. Nothing was delivered in a timely fashion. We can't even use the finished product. 

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

Listen to clients and do the work. Stop saying "we understand" and fix things. It was clear to me they didn't understand our needs whatsoever. The price was not cheap either! What a waste of time and money.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the former Director of a system integration company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a System Integrator

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Zazz to accomplish?

• Custom Application Development

SOLUTION

How did you find Zazz?

Clutch Site

Why did you select Zazz over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Zazz were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Cross Platform Mobile Application Development

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Bug Free Application Go Live on Playstore and App Store

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes, They met all the deliverables on time. The team was very proactive in support and delivery of the project

What was your primary form of communication with Zazz?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The best part about Zazz is their expertise and innovative solutions. The app's functionality and their responsive customer support are top-notch.

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

While the initial setup took some time, it ensured that the app was tailored perfectly to our needs. Their pricing reflects the high quality of service and robust features provided.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a fantasy football league affiliated with the American Football League. We aim to expand towards other sports, such as basketball with the NBA and even soccer. We started this league as a web portal and a mobile application where users can create teams and bet on specific players; we’ll launch these platforms soon. In my role, I handle the business’s operations, management, and a bit of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zazz?

We wanted to develop our platform quickly and had budgetary constraints, so we hired Zazz for web design services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, Zazz provided us with web design using Figma. Since many user types and around nine user personas were involved, the design project took about two months to complete. I worked closely with the design team to provide them with feedback. 

Thanks to Zazz’s work, our project vision expanded, and we engaged them in mobile design and development; the mobile application would enable us to get more user range. Zazz’s mobile developer worked with us during the mobile design phase to ensure they understood the concepts and app logic. After the team completed the designs using Figma, Zazz developed the Android and iOS app using React Native. 

From there, Zazz moved into the deployment phase. Simultaneously with development, Zazz went through an asset declaration phase, including different accounts for the app’s hosting and server details. They provided me with tests of the app throughout this process. I provided Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) approval and had 20 days for the internal approval of the app.

The team created a guest login feature that enables users to use the app without creating an account. The guest feature has restrictions where users can’t save teams or view live scores but can see the past week’s scores. This feature is meant to create excitement in users. 

Zazz also built a global administration feature inside the app. This feature allows our internal team to manage the app on the go. Admin users can create teams, drafts for teams to be selected on, and integrate APIs. The feature enabled me to integrate the NFL API, and the app now displays live scores. Based on these scores, the admin user can create fantasy points. 

Additionally, Zazz developed features for the various user personas, such as team administrators and hosts. The team also restricted the app for use within US territory. Currently, the app is on TestFlight; the Zazz team gave me access to the account. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with 7–8 teammates from Zazz, including a product manager, a design lead, and a technical project manager. Initially, we worked with a product manager and a lead designer. After that, we worked with mobile designers and developers, including our original lead designer. We also worked with a quality team from Zazz. 

How did you come to work with Zazz?

We found them because they’re close to our headquarters. Additionally, since some of my business partners had already created software tools, I asked them for a recommendation, and they recommended Zazz. We hired them because they offered a lower cost if we chose to go offshore; this way, we could use a handful of resources for them, making the project easier to manage. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a little more than $100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from March–September 2023. Currently, we’re in the app’s 30-day warranty period, and we’ll hire Zazz for maintenance. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Zazz’s scope of work was very accurate and clear — they elaborately described each detail they would integrate. As a result, I could tell them the additional features we required. The app isn’t live for everyone yet; I’ve given a waitlist option I’ve given to friends and acquaintances who are enthusiastic about the project and give us honest feedback. 

Zazz developed every feature they included in the scope. We had some latency issues in the app due to not using the appropriate server. Moreover, the app is vast, and about 50 users were using it. Zazz solved the issue, and now everything loads within a second. 

Overall, I appreciate their attention to detail. I want to congratulate the whole team from Zazz — they all did their part. Depending on our budget and the mobile app’s beta test results, we might also hire them for web development. 

How did Zazz perform from a project management standpoint?

We made a couple of change requests during development, and as a result, we had some budget changes, and Zazz had to change the timeline. These changes were from our side; since the app had so many types of users, we missed some requirements initially. Although Zazz usually gives clients five days for internal app approval, they gave us 20 days, considering our many user personas. They even assigned a quality team to help us with the internal alpha testing phase. 

Zazz communicated promptly. We used only email during the design phase. Then, Zazz introduced Slack; we often used huddle calls, and Zazz’s team was always available for me. Slack worked so well that I bought a subscription for our internal team.

For project management, Zazz provided us with a bug tracker inside Jira. Since we didn’t use Jira internally, I took screenshots of a relevant bug and sent them to the team. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Zazz’s attention to detail was impressive. Moreover, their design team’s accuracy and speed stood out. Although other companies gave me shorter deadlines for the same scope, I don’t think anyone else would have been able to do what Zazz did for us. While not every provider understood the logic we wanted to integrate into the app, Zazz took their time during the discovery to ensure they understood what they had to build. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Think about your vision to give Zazz the most accurate inputs possible. Zazz has a business team that participates in initial meetings, and the more you tell them about your project, the better they can curate the scope of work for you. Make sure you’re as elaborate as needed.

Moreover, they tell you what you want to know about the process. I only wanted to launch the app in the US and thought Zazz would have to restrict access, so I was worried about the cost. Ultimately, it took zero dollars, and Zazz explained the process.