App Gurus

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of the iKnowa Dating App, where we help our users find a great place to take their date in SE QLD and NSW.

For what projects/services did your company hire App Gurus, and what were your goals?

We engaged App Gurus to build an Android and iOS app from the ground up based on basic wire frames we had developed.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Google search of App developers in Brisbane Australia. We met with a few developers and decided to go with App Gurus based on their feedback to our designs, overall approach to our end goal, price and understanding our vision.

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

Building an Android and iOS app, Back-end and website. As we were new to this industry, we relied on App Gurus to set the milestones which were wire frame designs, followed by app development then testing and commissioning.

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

We spoke solely with a single contact who was our case manager. Any changes, issues, quotes or feedback were handled by our case manager.

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

We ended up with 2 fully functional apps that were accepted on the app store within one week. After this process App Gurus were quick to help iron out any bugs and additional changes we required to head to market. The continuing support we have received after the completion of the product has been exceptional.

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

After the initial consult we used base camp for all communications and documentation transfer. Due to COVID there were understandable delays and this was communicated to us as best they could given the circumstances. Unbeknownst to us we were very ambitious with our project and made changes along the way which App Gurus were happy to accommodate. This did however add time to the overall build but produced the best overall product in the end.

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

The continuing support and being able to understand and share our vision.

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

For newcomers we set the bar to high and didn't understand the process and time it takes to program what we thought was simple and actually turns out to be very complex. Looking back I would have spent more time on my designs and did smaller chunks at a time.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co owner of an app that brings social media influencers together with brands to collaborate.

For what projects/services did your company hire App Gurus, and what were your goals?

To develop a mobile app from start to finish

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

The salesman was good at talking the talk.... nothing more.

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

We had a meeting and clearly outlined what we required to build our app. We were told we were in great hands. This was completely the opposite.

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

Who know, It was handed to 3 different companies that were completely under-skilled

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

App Gurus will play music to your ears right from the start and promise you the world. They will also claim they have a full team in Australia along with a corporate office (that you'll initially meet in to go over your project)

However, once you sign the contract and start developing, you'll soon realise that Sam is the only person in the company that is here in Australia, he also works from home while he farms all the work off shore to extremely unskilled so called developers.

Sam is extremely good at making you feel like everything is going to plan, when in actual fact you are losing months and years of your life while flushing your money down the drain. I ended up legal with this company and had to take the code to an actual company here in Australia where I have spend an enormous amount of money to fix the horrible code. I was even told by the new company that the code is the absolute worst code they have ever seen. The list goes on but I'll leave it here for now.

Please do yourself a favour and don't fall into Sam's sales tactics. I honestly from the bottom of my heart am warning you. I have also met 2 other people since leaving App Gurus that have had a very similar experience. In short, This company will take your money with a smile and produce you nothing short of a nightmare and all your dreams crushed.

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

We used base camp.

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

All areas. They should not be trading as a business and taking people hard earnt money.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Hanson is a leader in building and construction materials with an extensive production and logistics network across Australia.

We use world-class technologies and service platforms to supply a comprehensive range of high-quality concrete, aggregates and sand. We also produce road base, asphalt and sustainable and recycled construction materials for civil construction and infrastructure projects.

Hanson is part of the HeidelbergCement Group, which employs over 59,000 people across five continents. HeidelbergCement is a global leader in aggregates and has leading positions in cement, concrete and heavy building products. I am the National Fleet Engineering & Innovation Manager

For what projects/services did your company hire App Gurus?

We hired App Gurus to develop a digital platform to replace a paper based system for managing our heavy vehicle driver daily compliance paperwork and fault reporting system.

What were your goals for this project?

Eliminate paper based systems and provide proactive alerting through digital means on exceptions, rather than having numerous teams having to manually review 2000+ pieces of paper each day.

Current paper based system requires us to manually review all drivers paperwork each day to ensure compliance has been met. This equates to 220 man hours per year to perform this review.

How did you select this vendor?

After reviewing current market offerings in this space, it was found that all either had gaps, or limited ability to transform without impacting existing customer base. The decision was made to find a suitable partner to aid us in developing our own digital platform.

After an exhaustive review of vendors, the decision was made to go with App Guru’s. This decision was based partly on them being local to our main head office, but predominately because they showed a passion for what they did, and were enthusiastic about the challenge we posed to them, and showcased a keen desire to work with us.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

As we do a reasonable amount of in-house development, we had already built a high level functional specification document. After decision was made to progress this project with App Guru’s, we had an initial onsite meeting to discuss requirements, review functional specification document, and collectively agree that our goal could be achieved.

From their further refinement of the functional specification and requirements were discussed, and an overall fixed price budget was agreed upon. The team then went to building a proof of concept for sign off by designing a digital platform for review.

This project will eliminate a very manual intensive workload at present to one that will provide desired key exception alerting where needed so that users only had to respond to exception alerts, rather than reviewing all paperwork to ensure none existed.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of 3 staff from Hanson's side, a main project manager from the app guru side, and their development team. Overall project management was run by Myself for Hanson task, and App Gurus Technical Manager for their side.

Our main point of contact has been the Technical Manager. I prefer projects like this where we have a single point on either side, rather than multiple, as this tends to lead to missed information

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

Once fully deployed within our business, it is estimated the digital system will eliminate 220 man hour days currently used managing paper based system. An additional significant cost saving will be realised through elimination of dedicated print runs for current paper books.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Project management was co-ordinated by Lead Techincal Manager at App Guru's with input from Hanson on deliverables and assistance with testing and sign off. Overall most communication was managed through Basecamp, which provided effective, with the occasional phone meeting to review and discuss more complex situation.

While the use of Basecamp as the primary communication tool was new to Hanson, it has proven that this mechanism can be quite effect to ensure all parties are able to be included. We have certainly adopted some of this style of project management internally now. Contacting App Gurus through out the project has been an easy process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their passion and desire to help us achieve our goals is what attracted us to this firm originally. Our engagement through the project has also provided us an opportunity to gain valuable insights into doing things we may not have thought about if we had not had their guidance.

There did not seem to be any challenge that was too large or complex. They always participated in helping us understand what is possible and provided feedback on different ways to achieve the same goal.

Are there any areas for improvement?

While the project has taken longer than anticipated, i think this was more of our lack of understanding of mobile application development, and unrealistic view on how quickly it can be done.

Ultimately as a business we aim for delivering quality products, and believe this is what we have. This digital platform will form the building blocks of a system that we will expand upon over the coming years, and certainly look to use App Gurus to develop those expansions plans.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of 4X4 InDistress, a recovery app.

What challenge were you trying to address with App Gurus?

I needed to hire someone to develop my mobile app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start, I gave App Gurus a rundown of my requirements, and they responded with their outline. Their team built the cross-platform app for iOS and Android. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with the two owners of App Gurus.

How did you come to work with App Gurus?

I searched online for app development companies. I chose App Gurus because they are close to my location. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2018, and the project is ongoing.

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

We’re getting close to 20,000 downloads now. I’m satisfied with how they developed the app. Although we had a few problems at the beginning, I’m happy with everything they’ve done to get the app to where it’s at today.

How did App Gurus perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style is good. We communicate by phone, in-person, and use Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re always available, so if anything urgent happens they work with us immediately. Even if it’s 10 pm, I can send them a message. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing to improve; I’m happy with everything they’ve done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on what you want from the beginning. If you spend time explaining your idea, they’ll have a better understanding of the scope. We changed our ideas halfway through the project, which caused a delay. Knowing what we wanted at the start would have prevented that. 

Please describe your organization.

Maths Rockx is an educational app that teaches times tables through pop/rock songs, from Lady Gaga to will.i.am and Pink. The app includes times tables, quizzes, a playlist feature, and a video showcasing it in action. It's the only app of this kind with copyrighted music in the world.

What is your position?

I am the director and owner of the company, along with my husband.

What business challenge were you trying to address with App Gurus?

We needed to find a company that would want to work with us and start the project before we obtained the royalties for our songs. We've had other challenges in terms of aesthetics and getting everything perfect inside the app, but the songs were our biggest challenge. Everything takes time to have an app ready for release; it is a lengthy process.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We started working with App Gurus six months before we obtained the rights to the songs in the app. One of our design challenges was making the times tables scroll up while the equations animated at precisely the right time. One of the biggest issues was color. I found out that I had to get more involved, as a client, since App Gurus' team couldn't read my mind. They suggested that I choose colors from an HTML palette, which allowed me to get exactly what I wanted.

I was a schoolteacher, so I had no idea about design and technology. It was a huge learning curve for me, but the development process quickened after I gained some experience.

App Gurus was very open to change if I didn't approve of a certain design, even if half the work had been done already. Even though there was some scope creep, App Gurus wasn't focused only on the money. Since they let us push the boundaries, we made it a point to pay our bills on time and demanded that App Gurus include any substantial add-ins. Not focusing on the money allowed us to have a more honest relationship with each other, which I found comforting.

How did you come to work with App Gurus?

I sent emails and called multiple app developers, including some large companies that demanded a lot of money. App Gurus' project manager got back to us and continued to stay in touch. He is also into music and liked our idea. I looked at a couple of apps developed by App Gurus, and thought their website looked beautiful. It was ultimately App Gurus' principal who got me through the door. I wanted to work with an Australian team and chose App Gurus, even though they're located in Brisbane and we're in Sidney.

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

The original cost was $12,000. We've done a lot of development since then, so the total is now between $50,000 and $100,000, not including royalty rights. App Gurus' cost was much lower than their competitors' because they wanted to give us an initial start and undertake improvements later on. I found that to be attractive, since others asked us for $40,000 from the start.

What is the status of this engagement?

I first contacted App Gurus in February 2014. The development started in June, and the app was launched one year later. Six months later, we added a free quiz and a video to it. We're currently developing new features for the app in order to enhance it and keep our customers excited.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Apple has issues with family-sharing in-app purchases in any app. Since not everyone wanted or could afford to buy the entire times table, we wanted to cater for the parents who only bought three tables for $3, for example. We built another app six months after we went live to cater to sharing across devices. After this, we were catapulted to the number-one position in Australia through a single newspaper article and a video showcasing the app in action. We spent another $12,500 on song rights in order to showcase snippets of the app in this video. We underwent a lot of Facebook advertising through that video and remained within the top four positions, frequently being #1 within the education genre. We cleverly kept developing, making the app an awesome instrument for children, teachers, and parents.

How did App Gurus perform from a project management standpoint?

We lost our original project manager, who moved up in the company, so we ended up being managed by App Gurus' co-founder. This is great, given that he's a developer as well. We can shoot through messages in Basecamp whenever we want and have App Gurus get back to us. There are occasionally a few delays in communication, since we're not their only clients, but App Gurus has given us an itinerary with deadlines and kept us updated. Their principal is a very good listener and has left important decisions up to us, even though he gives us his own input. This makes for a great and trusting relationship.

My husband and I are very specific about testing; otherwise, we wouldn't launch a new version in the store. From this perspective, I like our testing/fixing procedure.

What distinguishes App Gurus from other providers?

I appreciate App Gurus' loyalty and understanding. We've formed a bond and trust with each other, and we respect each other's opinions. Online relationships have limitations, so it was nice to meet App Gurus' team in person and sit down with them.

Is there anything App Gurus could have improved or done differently?

I wish I was App Gurus' only client, but that’s about it. There have been a couple of bumps along the way. Because I was naive regarding the app world, I had too high expectations. I got over this after learning more about the field and understanding the development process as well as Apple's rules.

Do you have any recommendations for others considering working with App Gurus?

Developers are not mind readers, and everyone's interpretation of what a client asks is going to be different. We need to be 110% specific in stating what we want and how we want it. I would also create decent designs of what I wanted, which would make coders' jobs easier. The client needs to put in as much work as the developer.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Crooked Compass organizes small group tours and customized tours with a focus on emerging destinations, as well as the lesser-known side of common destinations. The business also includes an app offering individual experiences for the more independent traveler, allowing them to find lesser-known experiences on the go.

I am the founder and director of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with App Gurus?

There are many people like myself who don't want to do the same things as the standard tourist would do and instead would rather see the destination through the eyes of the local. Finding those experiences can often be difficult, and the online information can be disjointed and not necessarily accurate. We wanted to create a platform which combined all that information in one place, allowing users to search for destinations and particular experiences and have everything brought to their fingertips. I was very much a beginner to building apps, so I needed someone to build my concept.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I wanted to build an “experience-of-the-day” popup, which would be shown when first opening the app. It would be a completely random experience that would be pulled from the database, in order to fuel inspiration and curiosity in people. This was one of the key features built by App Gurus. They also assisted with the design, making the app as user-friendly as possible and adding functionalities like a bucket list of experiences, which users could tick off once they'd completed them.

How did you come to work with App Gurus?

I had no idea of how to build an app, so I contacted as many developers as possible. I made the decision early on to keep the project in Australia so that I could pick up the phone in case of any questions. I tried to find someone who really understood my concept, without trying to manipulate it into fitting their own business better. App Gurus was able to do this, but also put in suggestions which resonated well with me.

How much have you invested with App Gurus?

Having no idea of how much an app would cost, I requested quotes from multiple companies, which were mainly within the same ballpark of $17,000 to $25,000. App Gurus sat somewhere in the middle, but there were initial functionalities that were discussed for which I was billed at a later time. I would have liked to have a bit more handholding and clearer explanation during the pricing stage, rather than find out that I'd have to pay an additional $6,000 after four months of work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with App Gurus in July 2014. The project was meant to launch by November, but we ended up launching it in March 2015.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I had some budget restraints when initially building the app, so it didn't have all the functionalities I wanted to include from the start.

I ran a six-month campaign after the initial launch, in order to get my brand out there. User feedback from people looking for that style of travel was definitely positive. I didn't receive any negative comments, aside from the app being a bit clunky, which was due to my budget constraints.

How did App Gurus perform from a project management standpoint?

App Gurus used a platform for keeping me in the loop with the progress. I could see when a new phase was being worked on, and I was in contact with two staff members from App Gurus for any questions.

When we initially scoped out the work, the timeframe was set for six months, but the project ended up taking 10. There was a bit of a staff changeover on App Gurus' side, and I felt that my project was pushed to the side a little bit. They've grown a bit since then, and have a bigger team. Overall, it was pretty good, except the hiccup I mentioned.

What did you find most impressive about App Gurus?

The fact that App Gurus took the time to understand what I was looking for in the initial stages is great. It was this approach that made me proceed with App Gurus. Since the launch, when we've had the odd technical difficulty and needed to call App Gurus, they've been proactive in fixing the issue and ensuring that it wouldn't occur again.

Are there any areas App Gurus could improve?

The project management issue I mentioned was largely due to a change of staff and is irrelevant at this point. In the early stages, because the work was so foreign to me, I would have appreciated having a more handheld approach during wireframing and costing phases.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with App Gurus?

In general, if the client is coming from the same background as myself, and has zero experience with technology, they need to ask as many questions as possible before signing or paying anything. Once someone's tied to a contract, it can become challenging. Even small things, like ensuring that they own the intellectual property for the code should be considered.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

GET MORE TRAFFIC is a full-service digital marketing company specializing in AdWords management. We essentially help small businesses to be found online, with a full suite of services including web development and SEO [search engine optimization]. We're based in Sydney, Australia, and have 700 active clients at the moment.

I am the general manager of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with App Gurus?

We had a bit of a challenge in terms of client communication. The feedback we were receiving was that it was hard for them to get in touch with us, with calls being on hold for significant amounts of time. The average was 53 seconds before a call was answered, and oftentimes the person they were looking to find wasn't available.

Our second issue was around time management, as our processes for getting back to clients weren't hugely efficient. A third challenge was reporting: clients felt that it wasn't personalized enough.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We met with App Gurus' team in order to discuss our challenges and determined that building an app for communication was a good solution. It would give clients multiple touch points, as well as have automated push notifications and other functionalities.

One of the things that App Gurus came up with, and which we hadn't thought about ourselves, was to potentially build the app as a self-service tool. We've integrated an API from one of our other software programs into the app, basically introducing some artificial intelligence into it for making recommendations. This offered us a new revenue stream, especially in the case of clients looking to leave our service.

How did you come to work with App Gurus?

We searched Google and found App Gurus. We liked the fact that they were a local company, which would allow us to meet face-to-face. We were sold from the first phone call with App Gurus' team. They were interested in our business, and we were able to speak to a person who knew what they were talking about, instead of a secretary. That made the process easier for us.

How much have you invested with App Gurus?

The cost of App Gurus' work has been around $20,000 per month. [Didn't mention currency]

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with App Gurus around March 2016. We continue to improve the app based on client feedback. The project will be ongoing for a number of years, as we further develop the self-service option.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Clients are mainly contacting us through the app at the moment. We've found that the engagement with weekly reports has increased massively, by about 300%. Clients receive reports directly through the app, rather than getting an email which would become lost in their inbox.

We measure client satisfaction through a net promoter score. From the app's launch, we saw a 10% increase in our score, over the next two cycles. That is a massive increase, considering that it had been steady over the last 6–8 months. We feel that this is directly attributed to clients' engagement with our app.

We've noticed an increase in productivity with our client managers, who can organize their days a lot better by having clients communicate through the app. We've also doubled our touch points with clients through the app, and we've decreased the number of phone calls, which has made our client managers' roles more efficient.

How did App Gurus perform from a project management standpoint?

App Gurus made the work easy for us. We were working on multiple projects at once on our end, so having a team that could take the lead and manage the project was helpful. On other projects we've done using outsourced companies, we found that we tended to be the ones initiating contact. We didn't have to do this with App Gurus, and the work was actually delivered earlier than expected.

App Gurus was never afraid to give us bad news; if a feature we requested was good, they went ahead and did it, but if App Gurus felt that it wouldn't work, they told us.

What did you find most impressive about App Gurus?

In the initial phases, App Gurus' approach was very collaborative. They weren't afraid to provide ideas and expand on what we wanted to deliver. We never felt that we were dealing with sales people, but rather with a team that had a deep technical understanding.

Are there any areas App Gurus could improve?

The work was easy and hands-off for us. Since it was our first app project, I don't have a basis for comparison. I can't find any faults with App Gurus, other than having more discussions around design.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with App Gurus?

The collaboration should be treated as a partnership. Having a constant back and forth process is very valuable. As we've seen through our own work, clients can become emotionally attached to a project, so the real value that App Gurus can provide is honest feedback. If they feel that something can be done better or needs to be dropped, clients should consider the advice.

I am the Director, Specialz of Specialz

Mobile Food and Beverage App Locator

• Create Content
• Develop Scope
• Build and Commission

Online Search, Clutch Site

Close to my geographic location, Good value for cost, Company values aligned

In-Person Meeting, Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

I have identified a gap in the market where students and people on a tight budget can’t find enough options on where to eat without going to the same places or they just don’t know when or where the specials are. Based on this I wanted to create an app that will show specials nearby and provide options. Any venue can sign up on the web and manage their menu and Specialz.

• I wanted to create a full app based solution that will allow venues to sign up and manage their menus. I quickly realised it wasn’t practical for Venues and with Sam’s guidance from the App Gurus, he has helped me establish a clear scope for a web based solution whilst tailoring the apps for the people. This has expanded the horizon and introduced me to understanding the web can be equally as important as an app for a particular target audience.

We started with a refined scoping process that set the footprint for the designer to design the user interface both web and mobile. Once this was completed and approved by me, development was started. On development completion we spent a lot of time testing.

They were easy to work with and I’ve learnt a lot. Now that I’ve gone through the process, in the future for upgrades or other developments I will find it even easier as I’m familiar with their process.

I’m happy with my experience and look forward to continuing a working relationship with them. I am in the midst of planning a major upgrade. I know I’ve got a dedicated team I can rely on.