App Maisters Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager for a travel publishing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with App Maisters Inc.?

We needed help with the maintenance of our mobile apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

App Maisters Inc. is in charge of maintaining our Android and iOS mobile apps. Their work includes monitoring performance, the number of downloads and installs, and ensuring that updates and usability testing are done. The team also monitors changes in requirements and policies of the different platforms where the apps are hosted, keeping track of application logs and helping with database backups and administration.

Moreover, App Maisters Inc. ensures that security patches are installed, looks out for vulnerabilities, and ensures the network responds as it should. They also provide a monthly breakdown of what they've used, what has come up, and the tasks they're accomplishing along the way.

What is the team composition?

We work with six people from App Maisters Inc., including our main point of contact, our account management specialist, and Fahad, who is in charge of the project's more technical aspects.

How did you come to work with App Maisters Inc.?

We found them through a Google search. I wasn't the one who initially hired them, but I've been working with them since we began working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. We have a yearly maintenance contract with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measure success by the number of crashes our application has, which has been next to none. App Maisters Inc. has done a fantastic job, and they've been right on top of anything that has come up. Our application remains successful, and we owe a lot of that to the fantastic maintenance they're doing in the background.

We can focus on dealing with our product rather than worrying about the technical aspects. The quality of their work meets our expectations.

How did App Maisters Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly interact with App Maisters Inc. through Teamwork, which we use as a messaging service and to share files. It's been a great way to maintain communication. We also use emails and phone calls, mainly with our principal contact points. The Teamwork application allows anyone within our organization associated with the project to see, chime in on, and add whatever needs to be done.

Moreover, communication has been excellent, and the monthly breakdowns of everything being done and where the resources are being put towards are very informative. This has made them a very trusted partner in keeping our product active. Overall, they've been very responsive, and we've had a very positive relationship with them.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Our account management specialist is fantastic, on top of things, regularly checks in, and has excellent communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

App Maisters Inc. has met all our expectations and has been surprisingly prompt in communication. They've been able to help us even in areas outside their scope of work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Anytime we've had questions about things outside their scope of work, they've even been able to help in that area. So, I have nothing bad to say about my interactions with App Maisters Inc.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you've got lots of questions. They'll be more than willing to supply the answers and give you very detailed responses in writing and verbally.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Co-founder of a public speaking platform like TED where people can share their real-life stories authentically.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire App Maisters Inc., and what were your goals?

We were seeking to develop a cloud-based custom software for our company and thus needed a reliable technology partner who can help us build it from scratch. Our primary goal was to streamline the processes and store all our data on the cloud so we can access it whenever needed.

SOLUTION

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

We hired App Maisters based on a recommendation from a reputed technical consultant. Other factors that contributed were their pricing, and engagement model.

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

Their team developed a cloud-based platform for our company. It was designed exactly as per our specifications. They integrated all the amazing features, and ensured the app was functioning well.

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

We worked with a team of cloud developers and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their team is very competent and took care of the entire technical infrastructure. The ideas they brought onto the table were truly amazing. Their insights and experience contributed significantly.

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

Their project manager took care of everything for us. He managed the communication, sent us regular updates, and ensured the timelines were being adhered to.

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

App Maisters can be a very good technology partner. Their team is experienced, well versed with all the leading technologies, and very supportive. What they have built for us is just amazing. We’re quite satisfied with their work and value proposition.

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

Nothing much to say here, thank you for the great work!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Technical Lead of a leading gas manufacturing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire App Maisters Inc., and what were your goals?

The main purpose of hiring App Maisters was to develop an app for our manufacturing company. Our goal was to make it easier for our existing and prior customers to stay connected with us.

SOLUTION

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

After searching for top app development agencies for a week, we came across App Maisters profile. The deciding factors were professionalism, time management, and affordability.

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

The app development was distributed in phases. In the first phase, their team worked on what our app would look like. Though we instructed them to keep the application not way too sophisticated..

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

We worked with a total of 6 people. A Project Manager, UI/Ux Designer, 3 Developers, and 1 Quality Assurance strategist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have nothing negative to say about App Maisters, of course, the outcome was really great as the whole team worked absolutely hard. The app was simple, easy to use and there was nothing we could say wasn't perfect.

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

We used to discuss the project via Teamwork and Microsoft teams, video calls/ email. As far as their project management style is concerned, it was consistent. The whole team worked with so much effort.

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

We're impressed with their professionalism, execution, and dedication. Also, their innovation skills were at the next level. We want to thank App Maisters for developing such an incredible app for our company.

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

They are reliable and efficient, couldn't ask for more.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CTO of a full-service digital agency offering a wide array of services from marketing to development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire App Maisters Inc., and what were your goals?

We hired App Maisters for developing a blockchain application for one of our clients. We didn’t have enough technical resources or expertise for this project so we decided to take help of the vendor in executing this project.

SOLUTION

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

We chose App Maisters primarily because they had developed several Blockchain applications earlier and had a good team of app developers who worked in the same timezone as ours.

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

The vendor’s team helped us build a Blockchain app from scratch. They developed custom features, add-ons, and integrated all in the app.

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

We were in touch with their CEO. Along with him, we also had frequent calls with the project head, technical team lead, and a Sr. Blockchain developer working with us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is very well developed. It’s easy to use, intuitive, high-performing, and aesthetically pleasing. Their team has done a really good job coding the app.

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

The project was headed by the project manager. He was the one who shared regular updates via email. For collaborating, we used JIRA and Slack, Team work .

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

Their team is very good at developing Blockchain applications. They knew exactly how to do it and because of their extensive experience, they found workarounds to a few challenges that we encountered along the way. Their dedication and ability to deliver things on time are what make them stand out.

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

Throughout our time working together, we found their team to be responsible and good at communication.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Operations manager at a book publishing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire App Maisters Inc., and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop a fully functional mobile application for our company. The app should be intuitive, feature-rich, and easy to work with. We also wanted it to have advanced features like social login, seamless checkout, and simple navigation.

SOLUTION

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

We initially found them on Google and then researched about them on the internet. We found their company to be responsible and easy to work with. They also had an impressive portfolio and reasonable pricing.

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

They started with the designs, then came the development phase - wherein they developed the app, and integrated important features. In the final phase, their team tested the app thoroughly to ensure it was up to the mark. Lastly, they helped us deploy the app on app marketplaces.

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

Mostly we had calls with our project manager. When he was not there, the tech lead handled everything.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is performing very well since it’s deployed. Their team has maintained it since the very beginning. They performed security checks and resolved any bugs they found while testing.

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

The project management was good. Their team is well-organized and used modern tools to measure and monitor the project. As for the timelines, they adhered to all of the set deadlines.

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

Their after-sales support is impressive. They regularly check the app and ensure its running smoothly round the clock. Their team is also accessible on a holiday or week-off. We genuinely appreciate their commitment to service.

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

The scheduling could have been better, but that’s okay. We’re happy with how it all turned out finally.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO of a frozen food brand manufacturing and distributing ready to consume food packets that are easy to cook and carry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire App Maisters Inc., and what were your goals?

We hired the vendor for app development. We needed an app that could handle all our retail orders from across the nation - so the primary goal was to ensure the app is safe, reliable, and aesthetically pleasing.

SOLUTION

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

They were recommended to us by a business associate.

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

When they started working, they first developed wireframes, and designed user journey/flow. After that was done, their team developed the app, added third-party extensions, and secure payment gateway.

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

A team of app developers was involved in the project. In addition to them, we also had a project manager who handled everything for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is functioning very well, we have tested it thoroughly and shared it with over 1000 users so far. The feedback we have received from them is overwhelmingly good. We’re happy with the work the vendor has done so far and we expect them to work in the same fashion.

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

We communicated through emails, skype, Zoom, and Trello. They were very punctual and time-bounded.

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

We were impressed with their work ethic and friendly nature. Their team is very supportive and they proactively took care of the project. We’re very happy with the results they have brought for us in the short amount of time we worked together.

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

Nothing in general, all good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the principal investigator and project director for the ONIE Project, which is part of the University of Oklahoma’s Health Sciences Center. We’re a grant-funded project within the College of Public Health. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with App Maisters Inc.?

We needed to build an app for a project we were working on.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

App Maisters Inc. is helping us develop an Android app that will function as a token tracker for farmers' markets. The first development phase is near completion. 

What is the team composition?

We work with about five people, including a project coordinator and a developer. 

How did you come to work with App Maisters Inc.?

App Maisters Inc. applied for our RFP and won the bid because they had the best-quality product and a presentation that would meet our needs. Additionally, they offered the best price.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

App Maisters Inc. has done a wonderful job with the first development phase. Moreover, their communication is really strong through various means. We haven't gotten to a place where we have metrics yet.

How did App Maisters Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate effectively and constantly, asking questions often. We use Zoom calls, email, and Microsoft Teams to keep in touch. Additionally, we use another tool with a chat function, which sends me an email every time someone comments. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate App Maisters Inc.'s communication skills. They make sure everyone is on the same page before moving forward, which is important.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The chat tool is my least favorite method of communication. The chat title is onboarding, and it notifies everyone every time someone posts, so it keeps sending me emails with the same title, even though we're months past onboarding. That may be a personal issue, though.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to bring in your own communication platform. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of RideShare, a ride-hailing app that competes with Uber and Lyft. We’ve changed the structure for the drivers, allowing them to recruit other drivers and benefit from their commissions. Also, we’ve made it possible for drivers to have a certain number of recruits, which will oblige them to work a particular number of hours each week for their commission.

The driver has to work 20 hours a week for 0–9 people they recruit. When they get to 10 recruits, they only have to work for 15 hours to get their commission. With 20 people recruited, it’s 10 hours, 30 people recruited, five hours. When they get to 40 people onto the platform, they no longer have to work for their commission; they receive it as a passive income from four levels of recruits.

If a driver brings a person from point A to B, they get 70% of that fare daily. On the other hand, 5% is put into the shared revenue account with the four levels of recruits, and then 25% goes to RideShare. Other companies pay billions of dollars to incentivize the acquisition and retention of drivers, but we made it inherent to the business model in our platform. Drivers are the ones who expand the driver pool so they can have somewhat natural attrition based on the number of recruits they have.

Additionally, they can continue to recruit in perpetuity. It’s a positive business model because drivers can recruit and get commissions from that, so they benefit from attrition and don’t have to stay in driving mode. They can just have the passive income they generate from recruiting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with App Maisters Inc.?

I came up with the concept back in 2016, but I didn’t have the capital to create the app for about 10 months. I needed to find a company that could work with me based on the amount of money I had to get started.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I initially presented my concept to App Maisters during a courtship process, and they said it was a great idea. When we started the development process, we spoke again about it, and they created a scope of work. I gave them the overall vision, but I refined it so it could be put into an algorithm. Additionally, I made a map for them, and then they ran with it.

When I came up with the concept, the idea was brilliant, but I hadn’t thought it all through, so it required a lot of change requests. We added an authenticator for drivers; the one I wanted to get had a cost for every authentication, so App Maisters suggested using one from Google that was free so it’d save people a lot of money when signing up for the application.

What is the team composition?

I have a project manager who is an intermediary between the developers and me. I’ve also had several account managers and project managers. Initially, it took from March–December 2018 to work through the concept and scope, and I worked with one person during that period, consulting back and forth. He was a project manager, but he seemed to bet at a higher level than that. We were in touch regularly, and throughout the following years, I’ve had three account managers in total. Right now, we’re on the third one, and they’re doing a great job. Also, there have been five project managers since.

How did you come to work with App Maisters Inc.?

I looked online for notable app developers and compiled a list of 15 companies, but I only called 12 of them. When I was first making calls, several companies gave me quotes of over $160,000. It just didn't seem realistic that it’d cost that much. When I reached out to App Maisters, they gave me a price of around $70,000, which undercut the lowest bid I’d gotten by about $50,000. I was frustrated hearing those high numbers.

I told App Maisters that I couldn’t do the app at the moment, but they should stay in touch with me. They contacted me every 2–3 months to see how I was doing and how things were going. Out of the 10–12 companies I contacted, they were the only ones that pursued it, which was quite admirable.

How much have you invested with them?

We paid about $118,000, including the initial work and changes.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018, and the app was completed by December 2018. After the end of the development, I had several change requests. They were little things I hadn’t thought of in the initial scope of work, such as mileage tracking. We did them between January–February 2019. Since then, we’ve done over 12 change requests over the years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I test the app after every change request. On the most recent one, I found a conflict with one of the features associated with the map. I addressed it with them and found some other things that I wanted to tweak. They had to write some new code, which took a couple of weeks. I just received the app yesterday, so I ran some tests. I’m still on course to launch next week, so I'm really happy about that.

Since I’ll launch in Atlanta, I have a toggle switch associated with the city. When I activate it, it’ll allow 500 people to register without being invited by an existing driver. After those 500 people, the only way a driver can join the platform is by being invited, thereby establishing the network. This will be the case for every city that gives me that control.

How did App Maisters Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

I tend to make calls because I like to be able to talk to someone. They’ve always been available. If they’re not available when I’m calling, they call back. We also have a project messaging board where I can put my feedback. The project manager and other relevant people can see it. In general, communication has been spot on throughout the years.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s difficult for me to answer this because I've never developed an app concept before. As far as the actual production, they've worked with me as a person; they don’t see me as a customer. App Maisters has treated me as a friend, having casual conversations outside of the business. I appreciate that they bring a level of humanity to the service because I don’t like the level of formality I’ve had in most circumstances. Formality is good, but when you want to trust somebody, it helps a lot to break the business facade and intertwine your personal life to some extent. I hope they’ve felt the same way over the time we’ve been working together.

Moreover, they want to help me bring this product to the market instead of wanting my money. That’s one of the major motivations for choosing them above other companies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more proactive in contacting the customer. They’re available, and the team always returns my calls or answers my messages, but I initiate communication quite often. It might be because I want to ensure that everything is going as it’s supposed to and is on time. However, if they want to level up their services and have a better perception from customers in the future, they should take the initiative before the client reaches out. I’ve been rather persistent, but I’d be happy if they contacted me before I contacted them in most cases.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a financial services company, and we’re currently in the process of creating an app that would facilitate business transactions for small contractors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with App Maisters Inc.?

We needed someone to provide us with mobile app development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

App Maisters provides us with different layers of mobile app development for both the iOS and Android platforms.

They’ve integrated different software into the project including Docusign and templates from Jotform, as well as basic communication features like email and SMS.

What is the team composition?

We work with a QA tester, a Full Stack developer, a project manager, and a lead developer.

How did you come to work with App Maisters Inc.?

We experienced some resource issues from our previous development provider, so we went on the internet to look for better options and came across App Maisters.

After about four rounds of discussions, we decided to hire them because we found that they met all our needs.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent less than $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership started in April 2020 and we’re working on completing the project in the next three months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve gone through about 30 iterations of the app and thanks to App Maisters’ flexibility, we’re able to pivot our ideation each time.

They have the technical expertise to complete our vision and apply it to the current development of the product.

How did App Maisters Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re assigned to Fahad (Program Manager) and his in-depth knowledge helps him understand what we’re looking to accomplish from a business perspective — he guides the project and makes sure every aspect of the development gets done accurately.

We typically communicate through text, email, phone, and their own portal called Teamwork. We also share an Excel spreadsheet for all our resources.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their ability to capture developers at a market competitive price and produce a world-class product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had an issue in the initial part of the development where our previous project manager transitioned out of the company, but they were able to resolve that fairly quickly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to make sure to get your ideas across and maintain a cadence of communication to complete the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an electrical engineer, and my company develops methane detection sensors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with App Maisters Inc.?

We hired them to develop an Android application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

App Maisters is developing an Android app that can take data from our methane sensors, which we build in-house. They’re also introducing functionalities that can enable the app to work with the drones on which we attach our sensors. Those are the two primary functionalities of the app: data collection and mission generation for drones. Once this project is done, we’re hoping to have users impose the specific parameters through the app, while the rest of the process is automated and the drone flies around by itself. 

The team is using Kotlin and Java for the development.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with a project manager and a lead programmer. There is also one more developer who’s involved in the project. 

How did you come to work with App Maisters Inc.?

We just searched online. Our main criterion was that our development partner should be only a few hours away from our offices.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s between $20,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in January 2022, and it is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application is still in development, but there is nothing that I’ve thrown App Maisters’ way that they’ve not been able to tackle. They’re exceeding our expectations.

Comparing them to the previous developers that we’ve worked with, the difference is night and day. What we’ve gotten done in two months is much more than what we’ve gotten done in a year with other developers. 

How did App Maisters Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management has been perfect so far. We communicate in two ways: simple phone calls and weekly meetings for reviews and updates. They also have an internal platform through which we share information. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve done really well in figuring out what and who is needed for the project. Every issue, bug, or feedback that I’ve sent their way has been taken care of in a very professional way. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything bad to say about this team, but perhaps they could’ve lessened the number of phone calls back when our partnership was just starting out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have any questions, just keep sending them their way. App Maisters will answer pretty much everything as soon as possible and as best as they can.