Zco Corporation

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for a state government agency focused on education. We are a smaller but very diverse state.

What is your position?

I am the Communications Coordinator in the company. I am responsible for all web-based communications, as well as more traditional ones, both internal and external.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Zco?

We were looking to find a way of more consistently and easily engaging with professionals in the education and family-serving fields. We identified using smartphone technology as the best way of doing that.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We worked with Zco in order to create a mobile application which lists all professional development opportunities in the field of student and youth wellness. It offers interested people a simplified way of registering for those training programs, as well as giving access to pertinent information.

Zco has designed, developed, and helped launch our app. They worked closely with me in order to ensure that I understood how to use it, walking me through any necessary training. The app is driven by a web-based admin panel, which has been set up in such a way as to make it easy for me to train other users.

How did you come to work with Zco?

I searched Google for mobile app developers. Zco came up within the top results and I was happy to see that they were a local company. Their offices are 45 minutes away from ours, enabling us to connect face-to-face, which has been great.

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

The total development cost for the app was between $10,000 and $50,000. The maintenance cost will likely be less than $5,000 in the first phase. We appreciated the fact that Zco was able to work with us on a strict, limited budget. They took into account the requirements imposed by our grant, our founder, as well as the state and federal requirements for this sort of project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The app has been launched in mid-to-late-January of 2016. We underwent a rolling promotion for it. We've received great response to it from users in our state. Even though it's not a big state, it's very diverse in terms of actual geography and community structure. We've had good response for our app in both the urban and rural areas. People have appreciated the fact that they can connect with resources in an easy, streamlined way.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

So far, we've been able to promote a few dozen professional development opportunities for people out in the field. We've also been able to share and disseminate information about the importance of student wellness in general, namely how to identify and support youth who are experiencing mental health challenges. We have also been able to collect information about how professional development opportunities are received and used in communities, through the app.

We can say that we've supported upwards of 100 youths, specifically as a result of the trainings which were promoted and registered through the app.

How did Zco perform from a project management standpoint?

If Zco offered a basic, overview training for clients without a background in this sort of work, it would be great. That being said, Zco did walk me through the process as we went along, so I couldn't really complain.

What distinguishes Zco from other providers?

The one thing which we appreciated about Zco was the enthusiasm shown by our account representative for the project. He showed passion and acknowledgement for the need of such a product. Zco appeared just as invested as us, for the same reasons.

Is there anything Zco could have improved or done differently?

Zco could offer more pre-project education to people like me, who aren't involved in the technology field. I'd never developed a mobile app before, so I didn't have an idea of what the process would be from start to finish, in a general sense. Out of the gate, I didn't know what I didn't know.

BACKGROUND

Microsoft's Justice and Public Safety team works with state and local government business in the United States to deliver cloud-based technology solutions that enable results, cost savings, and enhanced services for citizens and constituents. Supporting thousands of law enforcement and public safety agencies, the JPS team has partnered with world-class ISVs [independent software vendors], to develop applications that help police fight crime, and improve the way that the community collaborates with first responders and law enforcement.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

With more than 2.6 million residents, the city of Miami was looking for new ways to improve public safety and help fight crime. During the last few years, The Miami-Dade Police Department invested in city-side surveillance systems and a new real-time crime center to help them gather intelligence and respond proactively to public safety concerns. One challenge faced, however, was how to tap into the vast amount of data being generated by Miami's private citizens: videos, photos, and social media posts, created using smartphones, had the potential to provide information that could aid in the MDPD efforts.

Miami-Dade County approached Microsoft with a request to develop a new smartphone application, Community on Patrol, that could help residents work alongside police to provide tips, photos, video, and location information for crimes and suspicious activity occurring in their neighborhoods. Additionally, they wanted to provide a platform that would allow the city to send push alerts to citizens regarding public safety concerns and allow them to access information like sexual predator tracking, crime watch, Crime Stoppers, and other city resources.

SOLUTION

Microsoft partnered with Zco Corporation, who led the development of the Miami-Dade Community on Patrol Application. Zco was chosen because of their deep experience in developing world-class solutions for public safety agencies, their customer testimonials, and the diversity of their JPS solution. Leveraging their existing PublicEye platform and the Microsoft Azure Government cloud, Zco was able to provide a flexible, scalable, and cost-effective solution for Miami-Dade County.

Within a few short months, Zco successfully developed a multiplatform smartphone application for the citizens of Miami-Dade, which allowed them to send tips, report crimes, and share video and photos with the police. Additionally, they developed a police portal that allowed employees of the Miami-Dade Real Time Crime Center to capture and triage the data, sharing data and communications directly from citizens with the police department and first responders. Zco coded the application, led best practices recommendations for features – based on their extensive experience in this market – and supported technical teams at both the city of Miami, and Microsoft in deploying the solution.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

The results of the solution that Zco produced are overwhelmingly positive. Miami-Dade has engaged in several rounds of usability and focus group testing with extremely positive outcomes and just recently launched their beta program. The application was announced by Mayor [Carlos] Gimenez and received press coverage on MSNBC. Other cities across the U.S. have begun to express interest in exploring similar solutions for the police departments.

Microsoft is excited about the solution Zco has developed and its potential to improve public safety across cities worldwide. New sensors and the Internet of Things are quickly becoming mainstream tools in helping agencies respond to threats of terrorism and fight crime. The Zco platform has capabilities that extend well beyond the scope of what was developed for Miami-Dade, with the potential to tie into sensors of all kinds and provide tools for citizens to work alongside police and be more aware of things going on around them.

BACKGROUND

Our company is one of the world's largest suppliers of foundry chemicals, with a comprehensive product and service portfolio of binders, coatings, feeders, filters, and release agents, as well as metallurgical products including inoculants, Mg (magnesium) treatment, and inoculation wires and master alloys for iron casting.

We are represented in 25 countries with 30 sites, 20 of which operate their own production, and employ approximately 1,400 people worldwide. With research and development in Europe, America, and Asia, we see ourselves as the driving force behind industry-specific innovations and are committed to offering customers a consistently high level of quality. Flexibility, quickness, quality, and sustainability as well as cost-effective products and services are of key importance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Our business needed a solution to enhance the efficiency of our commercial sales team in regards to form generation and completion, literature access, data gathering and market segmentation. The challenge was finding a solution that actually made their lives easier.

SOLUTION

The solution was to create an iOS application for iPad. The device provided the portability we needed for a commercial team constantly traveling. Furthermore, we could achieve all of our requirements in one app. Thus, it was the right solution needed to make the perfect sales tool for our organization. 

Once the platform was decided, we sought a developer and partner. We were then referred to Zco Corporation by a local company we work with.    

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Zco Corporation has been an excellent partner during this project. They are extremely professional and detailed-oriented. Their greatest ability is in the speed and flexibility at which they produce applications. On several occasions, they've accomplished projects ahead of schedule. In addition, when tight deadlines are given they've always been able to produce a solution. I'm extremely happy with my experience with Zco Corporation, and would recommend them on any application development. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

My organization is an international nonprofit that does health work.

What is your role and responsibilities, please?

I am a project associate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Zco Corporation?

Our goal was to create an app that would help us push information on health governance up to our clients in the field. We wanted to help link them to what we were doing, what’s available, and to each other.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They developed the app and were helpful with the design, the logistics, and support. We had never made an app before, so a lot of it was on them to help guide us through the process.

What was your process for selecting Zco Corporation with which to work?

My project director selected them. He is based in Minnesota, and I believe he spoke with them at an event. I know that he had wanted to do an app for a while. When he looked into them, they looked fairly inexpensive for all the services that they provide. That was the reason we went with them.

When was the project completed?

We just finished the second version in late July of 2014.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The general cost range was $25,000 for the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How has Zco Corporation performed?

We are very satisfied with the results. They worked very well under a very tight deadline. We had two months to create the first version of the app, designing everything from scratch. We unveiled it at the largest gathering of health personnel in the world. They made it for our deadline and worked day and night. They’ve been fantastic.

Right after that, we decided to start work on the second version. They finished that right away. The only issue we had was with ourselves, not with them. We didn’t have a server that would correctly fit the backend portion of our app.

They’ve been terrific. They always made themselves available anytime I needed to talk to them. If I had a meeting, and my team happened to all be available at a certain time on a specific day, I could call them, and they would make time for us. They’ve been great.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I don’t have specific metrics.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

Their customer service and support has been phenomenal. It has been absolutely great.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

I think that my organization could have planned out what we were trying to accomplish more. That is from our side, not Zco's side. We were trying to accomplish something that was very specific and required a background technical knowledge that no app company is going to have.

We probably should have better planned how we wanted things carried out. For all the back and forth that we did, all the changing our minds up until the last minute, Zco was able to incorporate all of that perfectly.

BACKGROUND

Patient Advocate Foundation is a national 501c3 charity nonprofit that serves the patient community by offering needed case management services when healthcare and insurance barriers are preventing a patient from accessing the healthcare they need. PAF's services are free to the patient or caregiver.

I am a core member of the public relations and communications team at PAF, responsible for all external communications. In addition, we manage many special projects that impact the general public community, including educational projects. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

We had a community resource in place that lived solely on the PAF website, and we were looking to bring it to a more mobile audience in a way that would allow members of the public access to the information while outside of the home, including at the doctor's office, or in a medical facility during treatment. We also wanted to build a platform that was friendly to the needs of medical doctors, nurses, and social workers who were interacting with large populations of patients, allowing them access to the information that could benefit the patient without security concerns. 

We wanted improved customer satisfaction, reliability, and ease of use for new and current users of our resource search tool. Zco was instrumental in designing the core user interface and engagement in a manner that met the needs of our audience.

SOLUTION

Zco presented various backend software structures that could be used to facilitate our project goals, educating us on various advantages and disadvantages of each, along with a comparative price structure. We selected the core software to write the app based on a combination of price, functionality, designability, and ease to update and upgrade in the future.

The interaction with the Zco team spanned from initial concept to deployment, and included design, development, database integration, training, support and coordination with app stores to facilitate the deployment. The first version of the app was completed under a very tight deadline of six weeks, completed in February 2013. Additional upgrades and updates completed February of 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

The app has performed strongly following its public launch and has met the technological expectations of the Patient Advocate Foundation.

Zco was absolutely a pleasure to work with as they were highly organized and kept our team continually aware of the project timeline and project deliverables that were upcoming. They were able to anticipate problems and present solutions in a timely manner, and many times even before they were identified by our staff. In addition, Zco guided and educated us as layman towards smart decisions and solutions key to the overall success of the app, in a manner that was respectful, polite and without a cavalier or disparaging tone. This went a long way in making us feel like we were truly a valued partner in the project rather than simply a paying contractor, and is a key component in why we would highly recommend Zco to others. 

Zco was the type of contractor or vendor that we all wish to have. They were timely, communicative, skilled, and experienced, and project driven; all skills which are, unfortunately, less commonly seen by many vendors in today's business realm. We were pleasantly surprised at how easy the relationship and project became once Zco was on board, we plan to use them again for all our mobile app future needs. 

BACKGROUND

Chatsworth Products [CPI] is a global manufacturer providing voice, data and security products and service solutions that optimize, store and secure technology equipment. Central to the success of CPI has been the establishment of employee empowerment under a philosophy of quality through teamwork, caring, and commitment that guides our business to deliver products and services of the highest quality.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

The CPI Mobile App Suite is a suite of design tools developed by CPI to help IT [information technology] and telecommunications professionals determine cable fill, select server cabinets, identify the best power distribution unit,  and create bills of material for cable pathway while on the go. It includes Cable Fill Calculator, Cabinet Selector, eConnect PDU Selector, and Bill of Material

SOLUTION

My initial contact was with Courtney LeClaire, who was our account executive. Courtney was very helpful with both the contract development and seeking out a unique solution to meet our needs. She was always available, always very pleasant, and very knowledgeable about the process. Since this was our first time developing these types of tools, she was able to guide us to the best course of action quickly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

During our initial meetings with the project manager, Shine Kumar, Courtney was in attendance just to be sure that there was a clear handoff and that we had everything we needed to proceed. She also continued to keep in contact during the process to ensure that everything was going smoothly.

Shine was an outstanding project manager. He was able to translate my desires and concepts into the apps that we were looking for. He was patient and asked all the right questions to help guide him and his team. He was not at all against getting on the phone with me to answer questions or resolve issues quickly. He documented all of the feedback, ensured that I got answers to my questions or concerns, and was able to guide the project to a great result.  

During the final phase of the project, we had to work together to resolve an internal company issue. We worked until 3 a.m. via email, and we met the deadline that we were shooting for.

I would strongly recommend Zco Corporation for any app you are considering developing. We are so satisfied with Zco that we have started a second phase of work with them that is currently ongoing.

BACKGROUND

The Bromley Group is a PR and marketing firm specializing in media relations and special events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Our client had a product that required a fun and interesting way to educate users about their product. The app needed to be used at events and nationally. It needed to be user friendly and easy to update.

SOLUTION

Zco developed an app for iPad, iPhone, and Android. Someone from Zco had contacted me about their services. Zco managed all aspects of the app from design to development, based on our outline. The project timeline was about one month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Zco is amazing. If you are looking for an app to be developed, look no further. The customer service is incredible, friendly, patient, and capable. The developers are highly knowledgeable and easy to work with. I had shopped around and all the other firms said that I didn't have enough time. Zco was done early.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

My company is Gratispicks. We are an app company that deals with things that people no longer have a need or use for, things that people would give away for free. For example, you have something in your house that you don’t want anymore, such as an old television. You can take a picture of it, post it to your friends' group, your family's group, as well as privately or publicly. If you post it publicly, everyone with the phone app will see that television.

As you post it, you have the option to post it for one day, two days, three days, or a week. Once you post it, the clock starts to tick with a countdown. Once the time expires, the system automatically and randomly chooses a winner. You and that winner will get a push notification stating the name of the person who won the item. The winner has five days to get in contact with you via the information that you left. The winner can contact you by email or cell phone. The app is all about generosity and helping people.

Another scenario might be if someone's grandmother passed away and left them in charge of her assets and belongings. If the person wanted to distribute these things to the family members and didn’t want anyone to become upset, they would post these belongings on the app and categorize them just to family. The family members would see all the items that are posted, such as furniture or whatever. The family members would choose the items. When the time expires, the system chooses who receives the items. This way, no one can become upset about favoritism. The app is designed to give things away for free.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Zco Corporation?

Zco built the app for us. I designed the app, and they implemented the construction of the app.

What is your business goal for the app?

My strategy for the app is for people to engage in it. It's a marketing dream for companies that would like to brand their new products. Once the app goes viral, and you have the number of users, it is extremely easy for companies to brand a new item. For example, if Olive Garden signs up, we can verify that an organization is who they say they are. We use the same verification process as Facebook and Twitter. If Olive Garden has a new menu and wants to give out four $25 gift cards, they can reach an audience of millions of people. You can’t beat that advertising reach for just $100.

My dream is to market to many different companies as well as celebrities. If celebrities get on the app, they can use to accomplish different goals. For example, Justin Bieber is having some PR problems. If he posts a few free concert tickets, it can only help his reputation. We think that once celebrities, plus large manufacturers and retailers, get on board, we believe it could be a great site.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

The app is on three platforms: iPhone, Android, and Web.

What was your process for selecting Zco Corporation?

I did my research online and came across their website, which looked good. One of the main reasons I used them was their strong team of sales people and engineers. My project manager was one of the people that I spoke with, and he was very professional. I got a lot of confidence in his abilities after speaking with him. He is an ethical, upfront person and seemed to be a good, honest person, which benefits my company and his company.

He was more like a mediator, not just wanting to make a sale. He said he wanted to do what was best for us as well, and he knew the benefit would be that his company would get my business. He is a phenomenal person from start to finish of the project.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The cost was about $80,000.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

The work was completed in stages, and we kept adding different things to the app. The first completion was March of 2013. Then we had a change order that added some great features. They finished everything in August of 2013.

How did Zco Corporation perform?

I give them five stars. David, my mediator, was the key factor, as was T.J., the engineer. If I ever do anything else with them, it has to involve T.J. David was more of the project manager with my app, but T.J. was the engineer who took the concept and turned it into production. He is exceptional.

He listened to me and knew exactly what was needed from a business or customer standpoint. We knew enough to get ourselves in trouble. He took my concept and enhanced it. He listened and knew what we were talking about. He did a wonderful job. We spent countless hours through email, on the phone, late nights working on the app. He was phenomenal.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

No, it is too early to give stats, but I think it will be successful.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

Zco made you a part of the team. They always made you feel important. They treated your project as a newborn baby. They embraced our ideals, and they even enhanced some of the concepts and ideas that I had. Overall, you felt like everybody was on the same team. They never gave me the indication that they would commit any less than their best effort to the entire project.

Building an app can be very stressful and arduous. They never made the situation feel stressful. They listened to us, took all our information, and they took the [user interface documents] of how each screen looked. Some companies won’t give you that kind of information. Before they started engineering, they showed the screen shots of how it would look. They gave us the information on how each component would work. They were phenomenal in that process.

I own some other companies and have had websites built before. I’ve been through that process, and a lot of companies won’t give you that kind of documentation. It takes time to get the screen shots, and their graphic designer has to get involved to help build the screen shots. They also showed us how each screen worked and how they all related together. I really felt like I was getting my money's worth from them. If I saw something I wanted to change, I just marked it, and they took care of it right away. A lot of companies don’t do that.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

No. They have a good payment process. You can go into your account and see what you’re paying. We had a few issues where part of a process didn’t work correctly. Once you let them know what wasn’t working, they took care of it immediately. I have nothing negative to say about them. It is a top professional organization. They go above and beyond. My app has been built since 2013. If I have issues with the server that is hosting my app, I can call them, and they’ll tell me what to do. They won’t try to charge me any extra. Their support is second to none. You can’t call some companies and ask for information without getting a bill.

It's been about five months since my app was finalized, and I can call them and ask them about an issue. It could be something they don’t have to take care of, but they'll do it. Zco is a phenomenal company.

BACKGROUND

We are a very small startup company looking to develop entertainment applications for iPad.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

We wanted to develop an application that was fun and entertaining for our users. We also needed it to look professional and be very user friendly.

SOLUTION

Zco created a custom application for the iPad that is being used as entertainment for my clients. They took the initial idea and concept I had, and created a specific application that operates just the way I had envisioned.

The iPad has all of the capabilities I needed for the application to work properly. Looking back, now with so many tablet options, perhaps going into the Android market would be more economical. Other tablet development projects are lower cost than iPad. 

After researching multiple companies, we decided to go with Zco based on their reputation with previous clients, and more importantly, based on conversations with them before starting the project. We felt they were very qualified and experienced in handling the type of application development we required.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

The application that Zco developed for us has worked seamlessly. We have also worked with Zco to do multiple updates. I have always found them to be easy to work with, receptive to our needs, timely, and efficient. It has been a pleasure to work with Zco to develop our application, and I would highly recommend them to anyone who is looking for a professional and experienced company who does exceptional work.

Zco had a very personalized feel. I never felt I was working with a huge company that didn’t care about my specific and individual needs. It didn't matter that I was a smaller account than I am sure they are used to working with.

BACKGROUND

Point N Time Software is dedicated to providing robust, relevant, and superior mobile and cloud solutions to help our partners drive revenue, increase sales, improve team performance, and grow their business.

I'm the co-founder and CEO of Point N Time Software, and the inventor of Meeting Mapper.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

I have always tried to take good notes and remember names during meetings, but after the first few minutes, I’m distracted by everything going on around me, and by the end of the discussion, I don’t have very good notes or remember everyone’s name, role, or stance on the subject. So, I decided to try something new.

One day, I was attending a meeting and arranged everyone’s business cards in front of me according to how they were seated at the table. I also color-coded the cards “green” if they were “for,” and “red” if they were “against.”

It worked. I was walked out of that meeting knowing every attendee’s name, role within the company, and stance on the issue. “This could be an app,” I thought.

Meeting Mapper lets sales teams, project managers, and all other meeting attendees collect the necessary information while still allowing them to be engaged in the discussion. It’s visual, intuitive, and easy to use.

SOLUTION

We used iOS for the mobile app. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Zco did a great job. It is a pleasure working with them. David and Harry were great, I highly recommend Zco if you have an idea. They can make it come to life. Don't take my word for it. Meeting Mapper was a Forbes Top 10 twice last year.