Aezion Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Knomadix. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aezion, Inc?

We needed custom software developers to build our mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Aezion built our mobile app and its entire backend. We came up with the requirements, and our product management team built the specifications for what we wanted the Aezion team to develop. 

The final deliverable was a number sense app students could use in their classes and for enrichment activities after school or at home. On top of that, it had a competition element. Students could compete inside the classroom or across school districts, and teachers could monitor their progress.

Moreover, teachers could control where students should focus. Aside from that, there was a leaderboard for classrooms and students. Teachers and administrators could also access reports, usage charts, and engagement tools.

Last but not least, students could gain experience points depending on their progress. This served as the app’s reward mechanism. Additionally, the students would get various prizes when participating in competitions at the school or district level. 

Regarding technologies, the frontend was built using React Web and React Native, while the backend consisted of .NET services. The database was on a SQL server. In addition, some amount of machine learning (ML) and AI were built into the app. A bot would come out and help students solve problems step by step. This served as additional support for students if they were struggling. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with 6–7 people, consisting of a project manager, a React developer, a .NET developer, a database specialist, an admin, and a testing specialist. 

How did you come to work with Aezion, Inc?

I’ve known them for several years. When we wanted to build the second version of the app, we engaged them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $50,000–$250,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from May 2019–April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app’s scalability and its backend processes were built with high quality. The same was true for the code’s maintainability and ability to include more features. 

How did Aezion, Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

The engagement was a bit rough initially because of the team’s size and the process. However, as we got into the agile methodology, things started falling into place. Overall, Aezion did well in terms of project management. They had a project plan and did scrum meetings every Monday via Skype where they’d figure out exactly what we’d be doing. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It took us some time before we could get into the agile-scrum methodology. However, we learned it within the first month — once the methodology was in place, everything became fantastic.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager of Universal Air Conditioner. We’re a manufacturer of automotive air conditioner parts that imports and distributes to businesses around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aezion?

Our initial project with them was to create an e-commerce site that would allow us to process all our orders online, while also allowing us to maintain our pricing and inventory. We were looking to integrate the site with our enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and pull the order data directly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The previous website we had was only for display purposes and didn’t have any ordering capabilities. We tasked Aezion with building a website that would integrate with several third-party suppliers including PayPal and our own payment gateway. They setup integrations with shipping carriers in order to display shipping estimates on the website. We’re also able to estimate shipping costs for customers. Thanks to additional integrations with our ERP system, the site pulls live and accurate inventories.

There are several tools that the team built custom for us, which none of our competitors have. Aezion was key in helping us achieve our goals of providing advanced tools and search capabilities to customers. After agreeing on a look and feel for the website, Aezion also implemented a custom design. It was a completely custom stack; everything was done from scratch using Microsoft technologies—ASP.NET MVC, C#, and SQL on the backend.

What is the team composition?

I’ve personally worked with 4 members of their team, including the president of the company, a database developer, and a few UI developers. I’m sure there were more behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Aezion?

I found them online and selected them mainly for their attention to detail and ability to work together while keeping me informed on progress. They collaborated effectively, listened to all my ideas, and were effective in making changes on time. They gave me everything I needed to make sure the site would be successful.

How much have you invested with them?

Our initial project was heavily discounted at about $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in the summer of 2014, and the end product was complete in November of that year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In the first year, we saw a 20% increase in sales volume. The quality of work that Aezion provided was impeccable. The whole team did a great job; they always took our suggestions into considerations and made changes right away. Everything worked out well, and I’ve had no problems with the work they provided. They addressed any crashes or bugs we encountered efficiently.

How did Aezion perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly meetings. The president of the company came and met with me, and we had calls whenever there were issues. He manages his team very actively. They came to our office weekly, and I worked directly with the president of Aezion. He came to meet me at the office frequently, which was very much appreciated.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated their attention to the specifics of the project. They were always focused and alert. I didn’t have to chase them down for anything, which can happen with developers working on several projects. Aezion kept us updated and never lost track of where we were in the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The flow of communication could be improved a bit. They need to prioritize a good understanding of what it is that we’re looking for. This is the only suggestion I have.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The communication is key, and it’s required on both sides. Anyone looking to work with them would have to stay committed to the project as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm one of the co-owners of Flex8 Fitness, a web-based running, sports and fitness company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aezion, Inc?

We needed someone to help us design an interactive website that would communicate with members/athletes, coaches and our downloadable running programs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped design and build the website and made an iOS and Android app that mirrored the web experience. One part of the website is to connect coaches and athletes, but the big part is the downloadable programs that members can come on and use to do exercises. Aezion gave us a lot of guidance on writing content for the site and helping us develop the model that customers would like best.

They’ve gone through multiple revisions of the site – trying to perfect it.

What is the team composition?

In the early stages of the website development, we spent a lot of time working with the company's CEO, Chris. He managed his team in India to build the website and eventually introduced us to his project manager and brought his system architect to the U.S. We would meet frequently, several times a month to every few weeks depending on the status of the project. If we were not able to meet for a reason, the team was always available to give us an update.

How did you come to work with Aezion Inc?

One of our co-owners is friends with their CEO.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Aezion since 2012 working through major revisions. We launched the most updated version of the website and mobile apps to consumers. We will be utilizing the feedback to improve the applications to meet the customer needs. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re only using it with our personal clients right now because it’s so new, so there’s really no metrics to measure it by yet. I can say that there've been no crashes so far, and that the App store just approved it.

How did Aezion Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive. If we called them or emailed them they’d get back to us within 24 hours, or even a lot sooner. It was a very important project to them and to us, and they took it very seriously and worked very well with us. We'd sit down and have regular meetings with them – sometimes they were once a week or not for several months. It depended on how fast they were able to build things for us.

They developed AeBug, a custom system, for us so that when we'd have issues, we'd just log in and put the bug or issue in and we could track the progress. Before that, we'd just call or email and tell them whatever the issue was. They were always open and willing to answer questions and work with us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their CEO took the project seriously and so did their entire team. It was a big project for them and it was a big project for us. They worked very well trying to develop the best product for us.

It was a very time-consuming process, but they took a lot of time to explain things since we were new to coding and website design. Sometimes what we envisioned wasn’t actually feasible, so they had to be creative in designing something for us.

Any advice for potential customers?

Listen to them, they’re web developers – that's why we go to them. Listen to their ideas and how things can and should be done for a website. We had a vision, but there were some functionalities that weren't possible, so we had to work with them. Working together as a team is very important.