AltSource Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of operations at Merchants Acceptance, which is a consumer finance company. We work with direct sellers across the country to provide financing for customers that want to buy products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of operations at Merchants Acceptance, which is a consumer finance company. We work with direct sellers across the country to provide financing for customers that want to buy products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AltSource Software has built everything from scratch. It is a massive project since the software would originate all of our new applications and loans for decision processing, as well as servicing and providing a full accounting suite for all these transactions. Customers can also access their accounts to check their balances and payment histories.

There’s a lot of features and functionalities, but generically speaking, we’re entering and taking applications, inputting all customer information, pulling credit bureaus, automating decision-making for the loans, and sending out reports for all our vendors with the status of all their applications. Once an application is originated, processed, and funded, we could service the account and handle all different types of payments. 

We started with discovery for a couple of months to identify if AltSource Software was a good fit. We found their proposal acceptable and began development in January 2019. We’ve deployed and had a soft launching for the software in March 2021, so the new system has been active for about two months now.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager and 3–4 developers working on my project, depending on what the workload looks like.

How did you come to work with AltSource Software?

We’re based in Seattle and AltSource Software is based in Portland, but they reached out to us since I was doing research for the replacement of our software and had come up on their radar. They made an introductory call and then visited our office for a presentation. We’ve also visited their offices as well for a second and third meeting before starting the discovery. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested just over $2 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started two and a half years ago, in January 2019. We still have a lot of plans for additional work, so this is going to be a long-term relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In the short time that we’ve deployed the new software, we’ve already eliminated one full-time employee position that revolved around manual emailing and reports distribution. The immediate impact is pretty significant. We anticipate that, as we get more features added to the software, other benefits like this will come up.

We’re very happy with the programming. There are some bugs and kinks, but nothing major that has affected our business and nothing that couldn’t be quickly and easily resolved.

How did AltSource Software perform from a project management standpoint?

The biggest source of angst in this project is that, as we get more in-depth, we’re constantly uncovering things that were not documented during the discovery phase, which could be due to them getting into work that is more complex than originally proposed. 

Timelines and budgets were set and tracked, but it has been difficult to adhere to those once we’ve gotten into the work and started figuring out all the complexities. One thing after another comes up and we end up exceeding the budget and going past the deadline. 

However, AltSource Software’s communication is great and without issue. We usually correspond through email, and before COVID-19, we would meet in person with their development team every week. They use Airtable, to which we have direct access, where we are able to add tickets and issues and oversee how they’re organizing the workload and allocating the hours.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The one main competency that they bring to the table, which was also paramount to our selection of them initially, is their accounting knowledge. Our system is heavily accounting-oriented and their main developer has experience working with many accounting systems, which has helped them make the key piece of the project. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is not necessarily negative feedback, but I wish we could go back in time and get a better handle on the timeline and budget during the initial discovery. It would have definitely made things a bit more seamless. We’re pretty satisfied with all other components. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take the time to do discovery. We were in a time crunch, so that’s part of the reason why we had not been able to scope out some things. Be very thorough with the initial proposal stages and do not begin anything until you are confident that you’ve accounted for as much as you can.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the former project manager in the Department of Family Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AltSource Software?

We needed a development partner to help us create a web-based healthcare app. This was for demonstration purposes with the intention of making the code public if anyone wanted to turn it into a mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

AltSource Software developed a web-based screening app for patients to check in with their primary care doctors. The app would ask several questions about multiple categories of substance use.

I created a flowchart of how a patient’s response would lead to the next question, and their team supplied the developers. They coded an algorithm that would convert the patient’s responses into progress notes for the clinician. That took the form of narrative text and charts.

They also added an audio button to make the questions accessible to low-literacy patients. By clicking the button, the patient could hear the question out loud in both English and Spanish. AltSource Software hired the voice actor to record those lines.

As for the tech stack, we used AngularJS and ASP.NET with an MVC framework. The app was written in TypeScript in C# and styled in SASS.

What is the team composition? 

I communicated with a project manager who oversaw two people.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent about $85,000–$95,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It took roughly a year and a half from May 2016–November 2017. I had other duties going on, so they sometimes had to wait on me to give feedback or correct my algorithm.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

People who came across our app thought that it was the best app out there. It did what it was intended to do, whereas other apps out there weren’t well-designed nor did they use validated tools like we did.

How did AltSource Software perform from a project management standpoint?

The team checked in with me frequently to keep on top of the budget. They were also very responsive when I reached out to them. We mostly communicated through email, in-person meetings, and the occasional phone call. I’d send them a PowerPoint once in a while to show them the algorithm.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They got it done. I warned them ahead of time that this would be a complicated and tedious project, and they were up to the task. They made something that wasn’t very straightforward to work well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, but they could have more convenient parking at their office.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with anyone, be clear about what you want, and you can have confidence that AltSource Software will be as invested in your project as you are. They take ownership of their work. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of IT at RailPros, an engineering and field service safety company for the railroad industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AltSource Software?

We needed a solution that could help us manage our 50-person field service team. The whole process was very manual, going from spreadsheet to spreadsheet, so we wanted to find a more scalable approach. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

AltSource Software was responsible for creating a field worker management solution that could help us oversee our technicians. We compiled a list of features that we wanted, and their team made it happen. The solution allowed us to take in customer requests, dispatch resources to the field, collect data from the field, and then send invoices to our customers.

The core phase is now done, but we’re looking to continue building out the platform to have more bells and whistles.

What is the team composition? 

I have weekly interactions with their product owner.

How did you come to work with AltSource Software?

They actually reached out to me a year or so before we even embarked on this project. Eventually, we called them back once this project was underway. 

We considered AltSource Software along with a few different companies that bid on us. Each candidate went through an initial discovery meeting to understand what the project entailed. Ultimately, we landed on AltSource Software because they were the right depth of expertise, approach, design, and price for what we needed.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $1.5 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project officially started in June 2018, and it took us about 6–12 months to get an initial product out. We’re still working with them on additional features.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our entire operation is more scalable thanks to the new solution. Before, it seemed like we had to fire another accountant each month to get invoices out. But, now, invoices have gone from taking 20 minutes to process to 20 seconds.

It’s also easier to coordinate our field technicians’ schedules. Instead of sending individual emails, the system saves time by automating everything. We have a good grasp of who’s working on what, which orders are ready to go, and which requests are outstanding.

Having all of that information in one place has streamlined our organization, and we’ve been able to continue growing our business without having to add more back office staff for admin functions. 

How did AltSource Software perform from a project management standpoint?

AltSource Software is pretty much always on target. Their team uses Jira and Slack internally to keep track of the work. I have access to Airtable, which is where I’ll add features, and they return with notes.

We’ve been our own worst enemy here because there’s always scope creep. Yes, they deliver what we ask for, but we often want to include more functions. We currently have a system of checks, balances, and approvals to mitigate that. If we want an extra feature, we have to weigh in the time and invoice estimates before determining if it’s worth it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that they understand our business enough to help us see new perspectives. For example, they don’t just complete our requirements without a thought. Rather, they think through our requests in detail and see how they connect to the rest of our app and business.

They’ve also looked for ways to streamline our work by standardizing feature sets across all of our railroads. Even though each of our railroads might require a specific procedure, standardizing even 80% of things has made the process a lot more scalable. It then becomes a question of building upon our solution rather than reinventing the wheel each time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that AltSource Software understands the business problem that you’re trying to solve, and they’ll think in those terms for you. Communication is also key. You’ll need to be clear about what you want done and get progress status checks from them. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the General Manager of Staheli West, Inc. We are the manufacturer of specialized agriculture machinery used to control moisture while baling hay.

Staheli West started out as a very small, farmer owned company 10 years ago and has grown to a well known and highly respected company doing business on 3 continents.

Being on a steep growth and development curve has necessitated being more organized and efficient in all aspects of our business over the years.

I have overseen the development of various aspects of our business including internal processes like purchasing and production along with external processes such as dealership networks and customer relations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

One of the biggest changes in our business was when we made the change from direct to customer sales and support to working through independent equipment dealers.

This presented a whole new set of challenges in communication and organization to make this structure work. We hired Altsource to build a custom web app we called our dealer portal.

This app handles all of our dealer related workflow and communication including order submission, order approval, shipping, product registration, warranty submission, warranty approval, machine updates/recalls, dealer resources, etc.

Our goals were to have an app that would fit our current business processes, adapt with us as we grow, and be intuitive and easy to use for the dealers.

SOLUTION

How did you select AltSource Software and what were the deciding factors?

We found Altsource by following an online add. We talked with them on the phone and also contacted several referrals who gave them great reviews.

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

Our goal was to create a dealer portal that would handle all of our communication and business processes with our dealers. We started off with "Discovery" where we explained our needs and shared ideas about features we wanted.

Altsource took what we provided and presented us with mock ups and estimates for all the different aspects of the projects. During this phase one thing we found very helpful was how Altsource prioritized features to "minium viable product" (MVP) and future features.

They helped keep us focused only on the most important features to get the function we need first and set the extra features aside to be implemented later as needed. We found this approach to be ultra helpful. It is very easy to go off the rails with features if your developer does not keep the project on point.

As they built the app we had regular demos and updates. Then tested each feature as we went. We were very impressed with how well they stuck to the time schedule and budget of the project.

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

We had 1 main point of contact who was the project manager. The project manager handled most of the communication for the project overall. At any given time, 1-2 developers were working on our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We could not have expected our dealer portal to work any better. Altsource delivered exactly what we wanted. Our dealers are very happy with the way the dealer portal works for them. We have around 70 dealership locations across the world.

They use the portal everyday. our business would not be possible without this solution. With the help of Altsource, the dealer portal continues to evolve as needed. We consider Altsource a partner in the growth and development of our business.

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

Altsource management style was very easy to work with. We were assigned one project manager in 2015 who is still our main point of contact and project manager on any updates/new projects today.

Most of our simple communication is done through slack. When more detailed discussion is needed we get on the phone to discuss. For the main project and any updates and new features, we are always provided with a detailed scope of work that lists minum and maximum hours each feature will require.

 It also out lines the which features are necessities and which could be added later.

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

Altsource has always proven to be truly interested in being a partner not just a vendor. They do an excellent job of learning what we need and then providing solutions to our needs.

They don't always just jump on every little feature request but they help prioritize features to get the best end product even if it means reducing the scope of the project.

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

Altsource does not have the cheapest hourly rates. However, they have proven to be very honest and efficient. In the end, I think it would be tough to be the value you get from them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Customer Relation Manager at Universal Seed Company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired AltSource Software to develop a web portal to tie our existing production management software data to both internal and customer-facing reports.

The goal was to pull data from our production, processing and warehouses to be viewed live by customers around the globe. We also needed some internal business reports for production and financials.

SOLUTION

How did you select AltSource Software and what were the deciding factors?

Proximity to our business and their willingness to help explore creative ways to reach our goals.

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

We had several in-person and zoom meetings to develop our goals for the project. During development and testing, we reviewed and decided upon many changes and upgrades.

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

A project manager and developer were our primary points of contact but there were also some larger team development processes throughout this project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have increased office productivity by having custom reports that we need for our daily activities. Office workload has also been reduced now that our customers can log in to our web portal and view their data live.

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

We had several in-person and video conference meetings and email to work through any issues and keep everyone up to date on the status of the project.

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

We were genuinely impressed by how responsive and effective AltSource is. The team is always quick to reply when I have a problem or question and they are also proactive in making sure we keep our system running.

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

There were some significant hurdles to understanding our production management software and Altsource rose to meet the challenge.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP and director of product development at Electronic Claims Services. Insurance companies outsource various functions to us to process, including custom software development to streamline their operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AltSource Software?

For about 10 years, we’ve worked with AltSource Software on various development-related projects, from refactoring our web application to building native iOS and Android apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We’ve completed over 50 projects with AltSource Software and use them for a lot of our development needs. They have such great bandwidth that we’re able to rely on them for anything. Most of our work revolves around .NET web apps.

Aside from web and mobile solutions, the team has developed custom software across different platforms and created APIs to exchange data with our customers. They also assist with database and security issues.

What is the team composition? 

Normally, we have an assigned project manager who works with us on all projects as well as a dedicated development resource. The developer is usually the same person, so we don’t have a lot of swapping back and forth.

From there, the team make-up depends on the type of project. We have one resource who does all of the coding for our .NET apps. If the project requires iOS our Android development, another resource will join the team.

They’re really good about keeping the same resource across different projects, which allows us to really get to know the person. It shows that they don’t have a lot of turnover, too.

How did you come to work with AltSource Software?

We’d worked with a previous developer for a long time. When he retired, we searched for other companies, interviewed a few, and landed on AltSource Software.

How much have you invested with them?

At this point, it’s probably run about $250,000. The typical project will cost between $1,000–$5,000, and some will go upward of $10,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with them since May 2010. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The tasks that AltSource Software has done for us are way beyond our capabilities, so they’ve had a giant impact on our business. For example, they integrated live video streaming on our website, which we couldn’t have accomplished on our own.

Their work consistently exceeds what we ask for. Not only do they find improvements, but they also come up with things that we would’ve never thought of. That’s the nice part about working with them.

How did AltSource Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They scope our projects upfront and are great about asking us the right questions to get the requirements. From there, they outline the budget and hours needed and pass it back to us for approval. The team always stays within their scope of work unless we ask them for more, so there’s never a surprise.

In terms of project management tools, we have a central repository code source and version control tools. They may use more programs on their end, but I’m not familiar with that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical competence is just outstanding. The developers’ breadth of knowledge encompasses way more than we’d think. They can do anything from simple JavaScript projects to developing a database.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I used to worry about the back-up developers, but they’ve always been good about making sure they have the right coverage. If a resource is moving on to another project, they’ll bring on another person and get them up to speed pretty quickly. It’s a smooth transition.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you have your requirements ironed out and work with them to get the scope nailed down upfront. Once you have those pieces in place, you’ll be in good shape. They know when to ask you for clarification and when to make suggestions to improve your project, so it’s more about doing the upfront legwork.