Apadmi

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior product manager at a company that aims to bring together service providers that will speak to the AML compliance journey. We look to aggregate business problems in a single place, solving them through technology solutions. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Apadmi?

There was a demand for document verification and facial comparison capabilities in the mobile space. We’re an API-based business, so we don’t typically work with mobile solutions. However, we wanted to build the development kits that would allow our customers to continue their services. We reached out to them to supplement our team in managing our expansion into the mobile space.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were responsible for building solutions using React Native. The solutions were for both iOS and Android devices. In addition to building the software development kit (SDK) for each framework, they built and managed a sales demonstration app. That involved them loading the solutions they had built into a lightweight app so our sales team could demonstrate solutions directly to clients. There were a total of three SDKs and one sales demonstration app. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with Christina (Account Manager), John (Senior Project Manager), and a few of their developers.  

How did you come to work with Apadmi?

We did a search for mobile development shops and interviewed about 10 of the best options. They immediately understood our mission and goals, so we selected them. The price they came back with was also very reasonable, so they were the natural choice in the end.  

How much have you invested with them?

By the end of 2020, we will have spent between $200,000–$250,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since March 2018. They continue to update our kits with the latest technology. We have two quotes with them currently. The initial kit was completed in about 12 weeks.

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

They’ve gone above and beyond their agreement on paper to make sure that our solutions are up and running as quickly and seamlessly as possible. We’ve been very happy with their work. The solution looks like it will go into profit in the next few months, so they’re certainly checking boxes in that regard as well. 

How did Apadmi perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication has been strong. While deadline management was a little slow in the beginning, they were able to quicken their pace after getting some institutional knowledge. They haven’t missed a deadline in the past 12 months, so they’ve definitely improved over time on this front. We communicated and managed the project over Basecamp. There, they track requests and answer questions. We also communicate over calls and email.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They integrated into our team so quickly that our engagement became a partnership, beyond an outsourcing arrangement that I may have been used to. There’s a lot of expertise and passion on their team. We’ve developed a strong relationship that allows them to provide us with honest feedback, which we appreciate. They have an understanding of the space that helps them make recommendations on how we can improve upon our solutions. They’ve certainly gone above and beyond. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Basecamp may not be the right tool for long-term tasks. Additionally, it would be helpful for them to be a bit more responsive to framework updates. It would be great if they could publish their testing of our solutions because we don’t have much visibility into that currently. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Rely on frequent demonstrations to ensure that the project doesn’t begin going down the wrong path.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m head of product for Co-op. We mainly sell food but we also have some adjacent businesses in funeral care, insurance, legal services, and so on. I work in the digital department. We span all of those different business units, building digital products and services. In my role, I support the customer team.

What challenge were you trying to address with Apadmi?

We were playing with the idea of developing a mobile app. Upon the initiation of our engagement, Apadmi helped us solve our problem of building a proof of concept as well as helped us prove or disprove the need for an app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The proof of concept was a positive test. Apadmi brought the app to life, and the full application launched in September 2019. We did a relaunch with proper marketing in September 2020. The app is available on both iOS and Android.

The core feature of the app is digital offers. Members receive offers and coupons on the things they buy. It’s totally digitalized the couponing process; they don’t have to bring paper coupons with them to the store anymore. Since then, we’ve added some community elements to the app as well. Members can back local causes so a percentage of what they spend goes to their community.

We’re also building some more content-driven things around recipes, in-store deals, and articles. In September 2020, we upgraded all the hardware in the stores to better read phone screens. We also digitized the membership card as well.

They provided a project management capability when we relaunched the app to unify everything across all the teams. We also use some of their product marketing capacities. Their team helped us crack the app stores as well as worked on our ratings and reviews.

What is the team composition?

We work with an account manager, lead iOS engineer, lead Android engineer, software support engineers, and a QA person. We’ve used other people on a consulting basis as well.

How did you come to work with Apadmi?

We went through an RFP process and went to tender with various competitors. They all did a presentation and were scored on a variety of things. We wanted to choose a business with similar values to ours. The fact that Apadmi was based in Manchester was a big plus. It was nice to know we could easily meet in person.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between £1 million–£5 million (approximately $1.3 million–$6.7 million USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The initial engagement was from April 2018–September 2019. They did a relaunch in September 2020.

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

Our metrics are where we set out to be. The relaunch in September 2020 has helped us grow by about 140%. Our customers are using the app and returning to use it, which is exactly what we want.

How did Apadmi perform from a project management standpoint?

They hit both of our deadlines comfortably. Communication is always great. They’re open about how feasible timelines are as well as collaborative in getting a solution to reach a certain outcome. We correspond mostly through Slack and Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with their openness. It feels like they’re a part of our team; they’ve really blended in with us. They’re not afraid to say if something is a bad idea, suggest new ideas, or push back and challenge us. It’s clear that they have our best interests in mind.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend some time getting their team up to speed on what you want to achieve.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and creative director of JigTalk, a dating app. We’re an iOS and Android location-based app that is free to download. You match with other users based on your discovery criteria.

What challenge were you trying to address with Apadmi?

I needed someone to develop our iOS app. We needed it built to scale so that off the back of their development cycle, we could start building our own internal development team.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Apadmi developed our iOS app to a point where it was releasable to the public. We validated the app with a really roughly built cross-platform beta product before approaching them. 

We approached them to refine what we currently had but we went back to the drawing board and built it for scale with longevity in mind. They did a full code review and found it was actually more efficient and better for the user if we built it from the ground up.

When we first went to them, we only had a breadcrumb of what we knew our app was. It was only through a lot of time allocated from Apadmi that we honed it down and really stripped things back to optimize it for the user.

Howard (CEO) played a critical part in linking us with local investment in the north of England and connecting us with countless leads of which many we managed to convince to back us. Marcus (Chief Strategy Officer) played a huge role in advising us with our budget allocation as we expanded into new markets.

Additionally, Apadmi helped us with backend scalability. We also worked with their CTO who helped us to scale ourselves to be ready for hopefully huge numbers in the US.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three developers, three UX teammates, and their marketing branch who helped us with our London launch. I personally interacted with leaders in each of their fields such as their head of UX, head of design, head of marketing, head of experience, and head of strategy.

How did you come to work with Apadmi?

We were referred by a friend of ours who happened to know Howard. My co-founder then went to meet Howard for an impromptu meeting just to talk through where we were at with the company and get some advice. 

After talking to multiple agencies, we knew that Apadmi was the perfect partner to help us scale in the long-term. We knew they wouldn’t treat us like a cash cow.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Apadmi from November 2017–November 2018.

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

They really played a pivotal role in getting this project off the ground. We owe them a lot. Our London launch was very successful, and Apadmi laid all the foundation for us immaculately. 

Their work allowed us to build upon their development with our internal team after that. Apadmi played an important role in linking us with a wide investment network which was critical for growing the financial resource to scale. 

How did Apadmi perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was completely transparent. We could see it through a very granular level. They very often would rejig their calendar to see if something wasn’t on track. On a few occasions, they shoveled things around for us. 

We actually moved to Manchester to be closer to their office because they wanted to meet in-person so often. I grew to be very friendly with not only the developers but the project management team as well. 

We had daily, open contact so that they were absolutely sure that they were building something we wanted. Throughout development projects, things change. You see problems and improvements you want to make on the fly. 

So, we needed to be agile. I’ve worked with agencies who make you reassess the entire working agreement and then things go on a standstill. Apadmi was invested in having as best of a product as needed. They made it happen and went above and beyond for that, which is why I speak so fondly of them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In terms of the development understanding and moving with the times and staying on top of best practice on both Android and iOS, they were top of their game. The team knew it so well.

They had a really good system in terms of the developers teaming up with the UX teams so that everybody was on the same page. They didn’t team up on projects that they didn’t believe in.

I haven’t encountered Apadmi working on a project that they weren’t talking passionately about and roaring with hunger to do well. They were aware of all the best practices.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t fault them on anything. It was a phenomenal experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Embrace them as a partner and not as an agency, and treat them as a friend and a family member because they will want to do the same for you. Embrace the cost of it compared to a cheaper agency either nationally or internationally because, with Apadmi, you’re paying for guaranteed quality.

Take into account the expertise they give in all the different areas, and keep an open mind. They understand problems and they help you solve them as best as they can rather than just doing what you ask.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was initially the product director, but I’m now the COO of a retail shopping app.

What challenge were you trying to address with Apadmi?

We hired them to develop our iOS mobile app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided all of the wireframes and Apadmi turned that into a more polished design. They then developed the iOS app. They added functionality that allows users to save their ideas as they were moving from one website to another.

The app collates the shopping discoveries and allows users to go back to them when they’re ready to buy. The team also built a social network within the app. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with 7–8 teammates including a project manager, an account manager, a designer, and developers.

How did you come to work with Apadmi?

I’d known one of the founders for a number of years and I talked to him about our plan. They presented their value proposition to us and they were incredible, so we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $350,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2017–November 2018.

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

The app was received extremely well in the market and it enabled us to attract a number of investors to the business as well as retail partners. 

How did Apadmi perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was good, and they were very transparent. The design team worked well to understand our specific requirements, making it easier to brief the development team. As with any large project, there were ups and downs, but nothing too hard to deal with. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a well-oiled machine in terms of development and quality of output. They set each project off well in terms of fleshing out the sprint plans. Additionally, the design element was good in terms of bringing our vision to life and then feeding that into the development. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Given it was such a big project, sometimes communication could’ve been a little better. Other than that, everything was fine. The quality of their work was fantastic. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on what you want to achieve and don’t try to come up with the solutions on your own. Let their experience do that for you. Set up roles and responsibilities well at the outset, which Apadmi tends to do well anyway.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the delivery manager of a member-owned cooperative that deals with retail and prescription delivery.

What challenge were you trying to address with Apadmi?

We do not have a full-time mobile development team. We selected Apadmi as our mobile development partner. They were selected to help us build a mobile prescription ordering app as part of our plan to re-enter the pharmacy market in the UK.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Apadmi developed a new iOS and Android mobile app from scratch, working on the frontend. They added functionality that allows users to order their prescriptions and have them delivered to their homes. Additionally, the team provided some input on the design. 

What is the team composition?

At the peak, we worked with five engineers and QA teammates. At the moment, we’re only working with two individuals.

How did you come to work with Apadmi?

Apadmi had been selected as a development partner for other work, so it was a natural fit for us. They were the winner after a competitive bidding process. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Apadmi’s contract started in October 2018, and I joined the project in November 2018. Our engagement is still ongoing.

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

We’ve been quite satisfied with Apadmi’s work. They’ve been a good partner and are flexible in terms of adapting to our working methods. Uptime and customer satisfaction have been great.

How did Apadmi perform from a project management standpoint?

We are managing the project on our own, Apadmi primarily provides the engineering. They work alongside our developers using our tools. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Overall, they’ve been a good partner for our organization and continue to be.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on your requirements and the way in which you want to engage. If you outline those expectations from the outset, it’ll help both parties.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a digital project consultant at Charles Stanley, a UK wealth management firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Apadmi?

We had been working with a different development team, but the quality of their work had been significantly going down. We needed to find a new agency to remedy our current app and help with our list of future functionalities and tasks. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start the engagement, we had a remediation plan to fix the existing bugs, improve the coding, and essentially reset the foundation of the application. Now, we’re building functionalities into the app, starting with share-trading capabilities to allow users to initiate trades without having to use the site. We’re also working on a payment system to enable debit card use on the app. 

They’re also supporting a full UX redesign of both of our apps, one of which is a read-only platform. Both are native apps for iOS and Android. 

What is the team composition?

Around 10 people from their team had been working with us, depending on our needs. There are UX designers, a lead relationship manager, and a project manager as well. 

How did you come to work with Apadmi?

The contract with Apadmi was signed before I came on, but they are a leading agency in the UK. They’d worked with big clients before in other industries, so they seemed like a good fit for us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between £100,000–£150,000 (approximately $124,800–$187,300 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve had an ongoing engagement since October 2018. 

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

It’s a bit difficult to measure the impact of the share-trading feature because we haven’t rolled out the ability for users to use their debit cards yet, which is needed for ultimate usability. However, people are still using the tool and we’ve had zero bugs, so far. The adoption of this new version has gone well and the app is working absolutely fine. It works much better than the previous version, so we’re happy.   

How did Apadmi perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great. We have weekly catch-up sessions to give and receive updates, which are helpful. Our teams use Basecamp to communicate and keep our dialogue continuously going. Our communication primarily takes place through messages and phone calls, but they’ve come for in-person workshops and sessions. 

We have a very smooth relationship. Their team is highly engaged and flexible enough for us. If we can’t make up our minds, they steer us in the right direction without being pushy. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The main thing I like about them is how easy they are to work with; we can always bounce ideas off them. Their flexibility with the requirements is also great. They don’t just hold us to the original scope, so we can expand outside of that if we need to. It is very much a joint partnership between us, not just a supplier and customer. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I honestly can’t think of anything for them to improve. Any problems have been on our side while we adjusted to the engagement. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Sitting down and talking to their team will help. They have a wide range of skills and are leaders in their industry, so be collaborative with them to get the most out of it. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of health informatics at NHS Blood and Transplant. We manage the NHS Organ Donor Register and National Transplant Register in the UK. We aim to reduce the number of people who die on the organ transplant waiting list.

For what projects/services did your company hire Apadmi?

We needed someone to develop an iOS application into which specialist nurses could input data, even without network connectivity, that could then be uploaded to a database.

What were your goals for this project?

The key aims for this project were to: minimize data-collection on paper, minimize data duplication and transcription, enable data-gathering in the clinical environment without connectivity, and streamline the organ donor registration process.

Describe the project in detail?

Apadmi created an iOS application and a corresponding web app (for our administrative team), taking user feedback into account during both the design and development processes. The mobile application allows nurses to document data on their iPads regardless of connectivity and utilizes conflict management functionality that enables multiple nurses to interact with the same patient record simultaneously.

We’ve continued to work with Apadmi after delivery to support and enhance DonorPath, most recently developing decision making support for nurses when assessing a potential organ donor.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, a lead designer, two developers, and a quality assessment lead.

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

The app revolutionized the organ donation process from the specialist nurse perspective, reducing paper-use by 75 pages per donation process, reducing data duplication by 25%, and saving 3-5 hours per process. It also improved patient safety by eliminating the data transcription process and empowering real-time data-sharing amongst team members. Further, the app itself has won a number of industry rewards and received excellent feedback from users.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

There’s been little change in Apadmi’s core team, helping them develop a nuanced understanding of our operations.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Apadmi has a dynamic and responsive team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, there aren’t.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the VP Engineering at Linius Technologies, an IT services company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Apadmi?

We wanted an iOS application for our virtual video technology.

What were your goals for this project?

We expected a functional app that would delight App Store customers.

Describe the project in detail.

We collaborated with the vendor to produce a statement of work and prioritized features to manage scope against a fixed delivery date. They then used an R&D spike to identify and mitigate technology risks. The team also did an early integration with our software development kit and web services.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, a developer, a designer, and a QA team.

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

They delivered the application on time.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team created a seamless experience by being exceptionally calm and focused. We used Basecamp and daily check-in calls.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They delivered a great solution while managing risk and integrations in a timely and effective manner. The team also balanced equally great design and engineering. Apadmi even accommodated an urgent update after the engagement formally ended.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would like to see a better visualization of work in progress, perhaps in Kanban. At times, Basecamp was too hard to comprehend.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Head of Marketing for Morson Group, a technical recruitment company that operates globally and throughout the UK. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Apadmi?

We required a quick and easy way for our rail contractors to report workplace safety infringements.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a simple UI and the ability to add media to increase the amount and accuracy of reports.

How did you select this vendor?

We were impressed by their quality of work, ingenuity, and prestigious client list.

Describe the project in detail.

We required design, development, and support in activating the app on the App and Play stores. We provided the initial form and design requirements i.e. app icon and home screen, but they enhanced it with photo upload options and a clean, simple UI. They also helped us launch the app.

What was the team composition?

We worked with the same account manager and developer for the whole project. They were both excellent, and they couldn’t have been more helpful when we were going live.

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

We’re still in the soft launch phase, but so far, it’s working exactly as expected. We’ve had hundreds of submissions and have gotten good feedback on its functionality.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was excellent. The only hold-ups have been on our side.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Even though they were faced with quite a dry project, they were still innovative. The quality of the product was excellent.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t think of anything.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm one of the founders of Bidooh Limited, an app tech company. Our end to end, turnkey advertising platform allows businesses to easily advertise on a network of screens in real time.

What challenge were you trying to address with Adapmi?

Our main goal was making the advertising market more accessible for smaller media agencies Right now, small companies find it too difficult and expensive to advertise on the big screens.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We laid out a vision for this new piece of software, which is a greenfield project. After we recreated the project description, they were responsible for writing the project requirements and definition document. They developed the system over 8-9 months, and are continuing to add improved features. Their most important contribution has been web and mobile technologies.

How did you come to work with Adapmi?

We've had a good relationship with the company's founders over several few years. We found them via Apadmi’s venture program, which they use to invest in innovative companies.

How much have you invested with them?

1,000,000 pounds sterling.

What is the status of this engagement?

The status engagement began in January 2017. As we continue working with them, they’re developing against our product roadmap.

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

We launched our product in September 2017, and already have four clients with two installations over two screens. We’re generated significant revenue from their work. Internally, the feedback has been very positive from our team.

Our clients are really happy with the product and are using it daily. Using our system, smaller companies can run ads on the big screen for as little as one penny. Rather than having to go through an agencies or middleman, they can access our platform outline.

How did Adapmi perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was responsive and on top of the project. All the work come back on time and under budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really appreciate their dedication to our vision. The team was really on board with the success of our project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as open as possible with your requirements. Engage them, and ask them to actually advise you. They're great at introducing new concepts and ideas to improve your business.