Ackee

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO of Klick-Tipp, a platform that automates email communication with a focus on online marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ackee?

We had the idea for a mobile app that could scan and analyze business cards. We wanted a platform with text-recognition capabilities that could synchronize scanned information into a user’s Klick-Tipp account, to create contacts and leads. We didn’t have the development resources in-house, so we decided to look for a partner to program the app for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had only a rough idea of what we wanted to achieve. Ackee came up with the ideas on how to implement these desired functionalities. Their IT designers executed some mockups and showed us what the app could look like. We collaborated to select the best designs, and we repeated the process several times to continually improve the final application.

What is the team composition?

A project manager served as our single point of contact. There was a change in project managers mid-project, but both were very good.

How did you come to work with Ackee?

They were found by someone outside of my department. Apart from coming at a competitive cost, they came across as being very competent during the preliminary workshops. I believe that that was the reason we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent more than $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in May 2019 and the project is ongoing. It’s a two-part project, where the iOS component was completed in September 2019. After that initial release, we’re proceeding with Android development, along with some general updates.  

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

We don’t have any trackable metrics, but we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our first customers. The app itself has received great reviews in the app store. The quality of Ackee’s work is consistently top-notch, with very few flaws or errors.

How did Ackee perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always on time. They excel at communicating not only their ideas but also the technical difficulties they might encounter. They speak to us in a way that we can understand exactly what’s going on.

We were working in two-week sprints within the agile methodology, and we held weekly calls where they kept us well informed of all developments. They truly assured us that they had everything under control.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They always provide unique solutions to address our wants and needs. Their designs are also exceptional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. I can’t think of anything I’d fault them for.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d urge you to listen to their suggestions. Try to refrain from defining everything on a micro-level. Keep an open mind and listen to what they bring to the table since they come with a bountiful supply of experience and expertise.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Zonky is unique online peer to peer service that connects people who want the most convenient loan on the market with people who want to smartly evaluate their savings. My role is Sales & Rollout Director.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

We felt that the desktop version of Zonky needed to be completed with mobile app solution. We needed to take a step forward and enable our customers to lend money and invest via their mobile devices. We hired Ackee to deliver a mobile app for iOS and Android. The main challenge was onboarding. There is many personal data that needs to be collected including uploading ID.

What were your goals for this project?

Higher daily active usage, monthly usage and increased user experience for our investors and borrowers.

How did you select this vendor?

We selected four agencies and invited them to a nonpublic tender. Then we chose Ackee as the best option. We were impressed by their know-how and design proposal. Their collaborative spirit was also very important for us.

Describe the project in detail.

Analysis, design and development of mobile app for iOS and Android. One of the biggest challenges was users interface. The app contains more than 250 screens, many investment options, loan overviews and lots of information. To test the solution properly, Ackee used interactive prototype of investing.

What was the team composition?

2 iOS developers, 2 Android developers, 1 UX designer, 1 designer, 1 Project manager, 1 tester. Ackee continued supervising the app after finishing the development according to our testing.

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

Perfect communication, application launched in time and budget. You will appreciate them, and their friendly team is full of great ideas. If you need more informations, feel free to contact me.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our inhouse developers were collaborating with Ackee directly in their offices. We also used dedicated Slack channel to communicate everything about the project. We appreciated their sense for meeting deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were able to release first ready-to-use app very quickly while maintaining quality. We launched first part of the app only 2 months after the kick-off workshop.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don't think so. I have noticed a standard rivalry between an internal development team and an external, but understand ... developers

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager for Livesport. We provide sports scores and news, with around 80,000,000 users worldwide on our websites and mobile applications. 

Our most popular website, FlashScore.com, provides live scores for more than 30 sports.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ackee?

Our main site is for sports fans and allows users to customize the scores they see based on their interests by team and player. Now, we’re working on developing a brand-new news product with them.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The platform we’re building will be a website as well as a mobile application compatible with both Android and iOS. Ackee is helping us with all the backend development and UI/UX design. 

In terms of key functionalities, we want the user to have a view of all the latest sports news from all the servers in the country. Essentially, it’ll be an aggregator of news that enables personalization.

What is the team composition?

Ackee has allocated around 12 people for our project: developers, designers, and a project manager. Occasionally, members of the team rotate.

How did you come to work with Ackee?

We were familiar with their brand, so when we were searching for a third-party provider, we thought of them. We were impressed by their references and past experience. 

Also, last year we bought a small company which provided a news app built by Ackee as well. We were confident they had the expertise to build the product we wanted. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $1,000,000–$9,999,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Ackee in June 2019. We’ve been working together for nine months so far, and we plan to release the site next week. 

However, we plan to continue our collaboration with Ackee for app improvements and updates in the future.

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

As the app hasn’t been released yet, we don’t have any hard metrics yet. However, we’re testing the app internally between our team and theirs, and have improved app performance throughout that process so far. 

We’ve been very satisfied with the quality of Ackee’s work, and are excited to continue working with them in the future.

How did Ackee perform from a project management standpoint?

Both of our teams use agile scrum methodologies internally, so our workflow is efficient, though we’ve still had opportunities to learn from one another. I keep an eye on how their project manager works and plans with their designers and developers, and I share insights from their performance with my own colleagues.

We have two-hour meetings weekly, and we also communicate via email and telephone each day. Ackee uses Redmine for project tracking.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their greatest quality is the wide range of skillsets they can provide. Ackee not only has developers, but designers, project managers, and marketers. 

They’ve supported us in multiple areas, and regularly suggest improvements rather than just following directions. It’s clear they believe in our product and have the success of the project in mind. Ackee makes us feel that we’re an important client. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

So far, the project has taken longer than we initially planned for, though we understand why and where the difficulties have come from. However, when we look at what Ackee has accomplished so far, we’re very satisfied and overall pleased with our decision to partner with them. We wouldn’t be able to launch our product without them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I would definitely recommend meeting with them to discuss the project before starting. They’ll help in the early phases and collaborate with design. They’re active partners and want to do the best work possible for their client.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Mighty Sounds is a unique festival focused on punk a punkrock, rock’n’roll, hardcore, reggae, ska, rockabilly, indie rock and related genres. I am one of the producers, my main field is public relations.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

We hired Ackee to develop an easy mobile app with a platform for us to administrate the content independently. First, we had the idea of online up-to-date program of the festival, but through the time the app has developed to indispensable part of the festival.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to replace printed programs to cut off unnecessary expenses & become more eco friendly. Before the app, once we had everything printed, we had limited options how to reach the guests and let them know about program changes, sponsored activities, emergency information etc. Also, the app enables us to communicate with our target group months prior the event. We use it as one of the main channels to promote and sell tickets even 9 months before the event.

How did you select this vendor?

We have made a research and found out Ackee the best solution for our project (and got some very positive feedbacks on them too).

Describe the project in detail.

Design, development, firebase service, automatic debugging, statistics, administration platform, design templates to use on social media.

What was the team composition?

The project team consists of backend developer, iOS developer, Android developer, frontend developer, designer, tester and project manager.

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

We are very happy with the key functionalities, but the app offers more ways for use. We are able to navigate the guests more effectively through the festival area and during arrivals and departures at the start and end of the event. We have more space for our partners to communicate with their target group. Our presale numbers increased.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicate exclusively with Project manager. The Project manager is very well informed during all stages of development. Ackee proposed a time schedule and although they didn't manage to follow it precisely, they delivered the app in time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Thanks to their workflow, they are able to deliver very good outputs very quickly. They always reflect feedback given by the users in app stores, so we don't need to communicate it separately.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is very little they could improve. We get a high standard service for reasonable price every year.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Cebia company has been the market leader in screening origin and history of vehicles since 1991. The company has been helping motorists for many years with the safe purchase of used vehicles. Cebia provides its services to more than 1,000,000 customers every year. In Cebia, I work as a project manager and since I joined in February 2017, I have been working on the Carolina mobile app project. I have been in charge of project management and communication with Ackee, a mobile application supplier.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

In case of Carolina, our first idea was to create a web application for car management. Over time, this idea has transformed into a mobile application as a modern and increasingly used digital communication tool. Our company did not have enough experience to develop mobile applications on its own and therefore we asked Ackee, which had very good references.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the Carolina mobile app is to create a complete tool for car management from purchase to sale. Carolina offers pre-purchase car check, car valuation as well as complete car management. In the future, Carolina will offer car owners additional value-added services from our automotive business partners.

How did you select this vendor?

We selected Ackee in competition of three other suppliers. Ackee´s experience in mobile application development and very good references decided.

Describe the project in detail.

Agile development was applied to the entire project. Before the actual development, an extensive analysis was performed and a complete solution of the application including graphics for both platforms was designed. The whole project was divided into several sprints and the development itself took 10 months. Carolina runs in Kotlin for Android and Swift for iOS. Carolina has its own web server CMS. Other technologies used: for backend Node.js, for website Redux and React.

What was the team composition?

In Cebia, the project team consisted of a project manager, IT manager and marketing manager.

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

Carolina is one of the most successful car management apps in the Czech republic. It has already exceeded 70,000 downloads after two years of operation and is currently being used actively by more than 30,000 users per month. Its success is also demonstrated by user satisfaction - the rating in appstores is 4.8 out of 5 possible.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The cooperation of both teams was very intensive from the very beginning. In spite of the fact that we have been adding ideas during the development process, Ackee has always been able to respond flexibly to our new requirements thanks to agile development. Communication was always professional and friendly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to understand project objectives and respond quickly to changes during the project impressed us. Excellent communication.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Of course there are some details that we want to improve on Carolina in the future, but the overall quality and speed of the work is in line with Ackee's reputation.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of the company InMeteo s.r.o. We are Czech, family-owned company with a focus on advanced weather forecasting. We provide weather information for newspapers, TV channels, travel agencies, and for various industries too. In general, we collect data and provide advanced weather analysis.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

We wanted to make our forecasts more approachable for wider group of users. To create an app where not only located weather forecast is available but where you can actually see the weather on a map. We had our own iOS team, but we were willing to outsource Android development as we found it more effective and faster solution.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal is to build the best weather app worldwide.

How did you select this vendor?

We asked our friends to recommends us company for mobile app development. After initial meeting with Ackee we have known that Ackee is the best choice.

Describe the project in detail.

In the beginning, we had a series of meetings about what we want to achieve with this and what feeling should the user have from it. Then they developed, configured, and launched the Android version of the app. During the process, the communication channels were open on both sides to discuss the functionality of the app and how it works.

What was the team composition?

At the beginning of the cooperation, there were 2 Android developers and 1 Project manager. As the project went further, the team was completed with 2 more Android developers, 1 iOS developer, 1 tester and 1 designer.

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

The app has a million downloads currently and the number of active users is constantly growing. There is a lot of weather apps for Android, but our app is unique and therefore it is able to succeed in such a strong competitive environment.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

During the project, we found the communication with Ackee highly effective. We used dedicated Slack channels and Redmine to assign the tasks. Ackee always responded very quickly and on point. They also regularly asked for feedback to make the cooperation even smoother.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are highly dedicated to their work and are always looking for the best solutions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would say that there is always something to improve in every area of man's doing. However, we were very satisfied with Ackee's contribution and they always responded to our feedback with improvement.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO at Košík.cz and CIO of MallGroup in Czech republic. Košík.cz has more than 400 employees. We are number two company in online retail with foods, drinks, drugstore and many others.

We have more than 16 000 articles that you know from your grocery store. I am responsible for the agile development of the whole B2B and B2C platform that support business needs.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

We hired Ackee as a strong partner for the developing native mobile application for Android and iOS. We do not have any in-house mobile developers so because of the Ackee we are able to have a competitive mobile app and we still have time to focus on our core platform solution.

What were your goals for this project?

We know that in the modern world we must have a mobile app for our business to be successful. We started with web site application and goal of this project was to develop mobile app and provide our customers an easier way to order our goods.

How did you select this vendor?

We have selected Ackee based on their reputation on the czech market. We had a presentation from top three companies from Czech republic about concept of the app and Ackee won that tender based on their presentation/references and many others, it was a perfect fit.

Describe the project in detail.

At the beginning we had a series of meetings about face of the company, how feeling should user have from this app. We also filled Ackees design brief. We had limited time to provide first MVP version so it was more waterfall than agile access. Ackee made clickable prototype and then UI design.

During the development of app Ackee was also responsible for consultations of mobile first API design. During the last month of the development we merge testing teams on both sides to make sure everything is ready and we have a product in good quality for our customers.

What was the team composition?

Košík.cz provided API developers, testers and marketing team for the consultations. Ackee provided 1 PM, 1 UX, 1UI, 2 Android, 2 iOS developers and 1 QA. We worked as a team with recurring meetings every week.

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

We have another two channels how to reach our customers. We don’t need to pay so much attention to our mobile website solution. We saw that our customers are using different platforms (website/mobile app) during different times of the day. Day also combine both options for single order. We support all major platform as our competitors do.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We used JIRA for development and MS teams for instant messaging. Ackee assigned for the project highly skilled project manager with a good technical knowledge so we were able to communicate with him almost all the details of the project. All other team members was also professionals, project went really well!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciate their passion for their work and commitment to delivering the best product possible in a limited timeframe.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don’t think so, nothing special to be pointed out in this sense. We cooperate on the product also after the MVP phase. We are working in the rapid release cycles and iterative improvements of the app. We are releasing at least one version per month.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We`re Personal data protection authority for Czech republic region. I am the Chief Information Officer

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

We had problems with the comprehensiveness and clarity of our website. We needed a clear microsite to inform the public about GDPR.

What were your goals for this project?

Create a simple, fresh website focused on the General Data Protection Regulation and inform the public about the benefits and obligations of the Regulation.

How did you select this vendor?

We did a market research focused on the quality of the references and the affordable price.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The supplier received documents from us in the form of legal regulations and recommendations of our office. They had to transform these informations into an understandable form to the general public, create a wireframe of microsite, design graphics, and create a complex web presentation.

What was the team composition?

The project team consisted of a project manager, key account manager, graphic designers, copywrighter and coders.

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

The microsite was launched a week before deadline. We managed to serve information to general public and mitigate the hysteria around GDPR.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Wery immpressive and effective!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were cool people that created cool apps with a professional approach.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Maybe they could improve the language correction in the submitted documents a bit, but a few grammatical errors are a reasonable tax for a young international team.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a small retail bank. I'm responsible for IT development.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

Our client onboarding process on-line just partially. In the end, the client had to come to the local branch. The web application was old and ugly. Also, we haven't enough experience with modern web development/

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to create a new online onboarding web application. Also, we wanted to acquire build a team with experience.

How did you select this vendor?

We found some candidates and after some discussions, we choose one.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They provide us two javascript developers and one skilled architect. They help us to create solution architecture and implement it. They help us to follow the initial technical plans.

What was the team composition?

Part of the team was 2 our front-end developers, one analytic, one tester and other supporting roles.

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

We have improved the new client conversion rate by two. The process is now completely on-line.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was organized as a waterfall. It was a good choice.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are professionals and know different technologies. They share that knowledge with our team, too.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.