Applaudo

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the VP of Engineering at DecisionLink and oversee all of the design and development of our ValueCloud platform. ValueCloud is the world's leading Customer Value Management platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Applaudo Studios?

We hired Applaudo to help design and build our API and UI for the next generation of our product suite. Legacy product was still leveraging 10-year-old code so the entire stack was in need of a refresh. We started with 2 UI and 2 API developers and have scaled significantly from there.

SOLUTION

How did you select Applaudo Solutions and what were the deciding factors?

We knew we did not want developers with large time-zone differences. We wanted to work on the model of staff augmentation rather than contract/project work. Additionally, we had relationships with Applaudo customers and board members who we trust and had been very happy with the services Applaudo provides.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The work was a complete ground up re-write of both the API and UI of our product. Additionally, it was a migration from semi-self hosted infrastructure to AWS where we could leverage more managed services. We handled the majority of the data modeling and architecture but gave Applaudo the bulk of the responsibility for implementation.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

Applaudo handles recruiting and assigning developers to our teams. This is an area that I wish we had more involvement in, but I can say that I've been very happy with all of the developers they have found for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We started with 4 developers and have grown the Applaudo team to 13 developers, a project manager, 2 scrum masters, 2 business analysts, 6 QA, and 2 designers. I hope that is an indication of how successful the partnership has been.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow has been great and they have helped us guide what works for our company. It hasn't always been perfect, but the team is open to suggestions and when we've had to restructure internal teams or recalibrate they are receptive.

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

The sense of ownership the team has in the product is something that is difficult to instill and encourage with a remote team. They take pride in their work and go above and beyond to make something our company and customers can be proud of.

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

There are always little things that any team can do differently to improve. This isn't limited to Applaudo and likely falls on DecisionLink to manage expectations, but the desire to impress and quickly get things done can sometimes lead to more work. We haven't seen that on too many occasions, I think the team internally at Applaudo does a good job of ramping up the new resources to the project before they start.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of software development at a human capital risk management company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

Our challenge was finding enough technical talent to develop all of the system capabilities that we wanted.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Applaudo Studios provided full-stack developers who have integrated into our teams. They’ve helped us with Vue.js.

What is the team composition?

We work with three teammates. 

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

We found them through a contact we had worked with previously. We were intrigued by their nearshore offering. We had never used an offshore provider, so we liked that Applaudo Studios was in the same timezone and was able to provide English-speaking developers. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in July 2019, and our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve successfully integrated their developers with our team. In addition to producing quality products, we’ve completely overhauled an older system’s UI with an improved GUI and technology. 

How did Applaudo Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Because their developers are integrated into our scrum team, we haven’t needed a lot of project management. 

Applaudo Studios’s management team checks in with me every month to make sure they know what’s going on. If we have issues, they address them right away. We haven’t had issues with communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their UI capabilities and frontend development are strong. My team is stronger on the backend, so they were able to bring that asset to make all of our systems look and function better.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They had to get used to the fact that we were an open team and they could ask questions. Once we got to know them, it was much more natural, and they felt like a part of our team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company seeks to make American football defensive practices safer and effective. We support a certification program for coaches to take to become certified in a specific tackle style.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

We needed to design and build one of our two main applications, which was crucial to our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Applaudo led the development of our certification platform. Their team created the app's technical designs. And then, they implemented the entire platform using Ruby on Rails, VueJS, and Docker. The backend was done in MySQL. Their team delivered the platform on AWS.

What is the team composition?

As their work predates my involvement in the organization, I don’t have an answer.

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

I wasn’t part of the vetting process.

What is the status of this engagement?

I’ve worked with Applaudo since September 2019, and our collaboration’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform allows us to deliver our services. For example, one state mandates that coaches go through our platform. From a value perspective, we couldn’t do what we do without the software their team built. That result speaks for itself.

By far, they’re the best offshore vendor that I’ve encountered. It’s like night and day.

They also made the app portable, making it easy for us to migrate our services to different systems. In the past, I’ve worked with vendors that built solutions with internal services or without much documentation. Migration, therefore, took a lot of effort.

Applaudo was cautious and left us in a position where the actual technology was portable between systems. There was a minimal amount of effort required to make the platform work somewhere else. Migration can be a sensitive process, but their responses have been helpful and professional.

How did Applaudo Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

I can pick up the phone, send a Slack message, or email them. They have a hybrid onshore and nearshore presence, which is convenient for us. For most of the year, we’re in the same time zone Their team’s online when I’m online, which means they’re responsive.

Their communication skills are excellent. They continuously reach out to us throughout the maintenance phase. Their team is flexible with their consultants’ availabilities unlike most companies, which give ultimatums about using or losing a consultant’s time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team has impressive Cloud and solution hygiene. When they named files in our Cloud, they were highly consistent. With all of their tasks, their team followed obvious best practices. It was easy to follow their progress and decision processes because they were consistent within our environment, which speaks to the ease of portability.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven’t run into much friction.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a product manager for the Miami Heat.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

We hired Applaudo to help us with UI/UX design. We have our own product team but don’t have any in-house designers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve been working with Applaudo on a number of projects ranging from design to development. So far, they've designed the menu on our app and have revamped its member interface. The team is currently designing and developing an invoicing tool for our internal CRM. They use the .NET framework for backend development and Angular for frontend development.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager, a QA engineer, and four developers working with us.

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

I worked with Applaudo when I was with a previous employer. During that project, they were working as an extension of the internal design and development team. Their pricing was fair, and they delivered everything on time and within the budget. I gave them a call because I thought they would be a good fit for this new endeavor.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in June 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their designs are great, and the updates that they’ve made to our app have been really popular with users. The UX for our member view is now much more fluid. Additionally, the invoicing tool that they created has helped us resolve major pain points in our sales process. We’re planning to have Applaudo build additional features for our mobile app on top of what they’ve already designed.

How did Applaudo Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve adapted to using Slack and Basecamp, our preferred project management tools. We appreciate their tendency to overcommunicate, and they always keep us up to date. Whenever there are issues or changes, Applaudo is quick to pivot and make up any lost time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Flexibility is one of their key strengths. They’re also very proactive. Applaudo lets us know about problems well in advance and keeps our stakeholders informed about important progress updates. They’ve essentially become an extended arm of our development team that can adjust to meet our needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Like any project, there have been situations where we’ve seen discrepancies between what we received and what we expected. For example, when we first started working with Applaudo on our mobile app, they sent us an initial set of designs that didn’t fully meet our requirements. After a few follow-up conversations, we were able to clarify our needs, and they delivered better designs.

We plan to spend more time planning and defining our specifications for future projects. Overall though, these gaps have been very minor.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I founded P2 Development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

We hired Applaudo Studios to develop an informational website that would communicate our value and business solutions systems.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team developed the informational website.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a rotating team of four people.

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

We had done consulting work with Applaudo Studios. The engagement showed that the team could bring clients’ digital vision to life. They had the capacity to achieve our goals for the website quickly.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November–December 2018.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of an event planning application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studio?

I’ve been trying to have this app developed for a year. I’ve worked with other developers before but had negative experiences. I decided to try again with Applaudo Studio.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Applaudo Studio developed the event planning app for Android and iOS. The app is specifically for suppliers and other services.

What is the team composition?

I was directly in contact with a project manager. There were a couple of developers on the team, but I didn’t interact with them.

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studio?

Applaudo Studio was recommended to me. After contacting them, their team made a plan and proposal for my project, which I thought was extremely professional.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around 3 million pesos (approximately $155,580 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in September 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve received a test version of the project, and it looks excellent. There are no flaws, and it works efficiently. The app has a few design details I might change, but nothing major. The project looks polished.

How did Applaudo Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Their development team worked in sprints. The project manager was frequently in touch, informing me every step of the way in a detailed manner. They used Basecamp and Jira where I could keep track of their progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Working with Applaudo Studio is fantastic. Applaudo Studio's work is efficient, methodical, and flexible. I’m happy with the results so far.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t say anything negative about Applaudo Studio.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

During the project, I was a partner at a consulting firm in Chile. I now work at a firm in Panama.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

We collaborated with them on several development projects for third parties.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For one project, they helped our client, a bank, explore alternatives for managing their digital factory. In another engagement, the team developed an airline’s strategic plan.

What is the team composition?

We interacted with about six people.

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

The team had previous experience with consulting firms, so they were familiar with our vocabulary and approach. Applaudo Studios’ work also stood out as highly professional.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $500,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in 2016 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Applaudo Studios provided an invaluable skill set for technological and digital innovation; their expertise was helpful for both clients. They efficiently translated business language into technology solutions. The team’s size and presence in the US spoke to their cutting-edge resources.

How did Applaudo Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Their methodology, business model, and past experience met our needs. The team was highly professional. We used Asana to manage the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Applaudo Studios valued our clients—they fostered a rapport immediately— and always went the extra miles to fulfill their exact specifications.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They specialize in mobile apps but could also diversify to consulting or other segments.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO at Fisherman Wealth Management. I founded this company years ago to help individuals and families to reach their financial goals through personal financial planning. We also provide tools for family companies to accomplish their business objectives and instate a correct asset structure. Lastly, we provide financial consulting services for universities and colleges.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

One of our main goals was finding a way to reach more users. Many of our solutions used repetitive methods that we had to manually execute one at a time. We hired Applaudo Studios with the intent to develop an app that could scale up our ability to provide services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Applaudo Studios is developing our mobile app for iOS and Android. Initially, they provided consulting services. They taught us how to plan the development process according to our needs and expectations. As a financial planning tool, it helps us teach our clients new processes before we even meet them in person. To make our resources easily accessible, it also digitally disseminates financial educational content.

Our app’s critical function is to automate processes we’d been conducting manually. For example, some of the companies we service have a staff of 4,000. The product we’re creating generates ad hoc solutions to reach each one individually. After it gathers information on their behavior, it diagnosis a company or an individual’s financial situation as a whole. Taking that context into consideration, it provides topical advice and suggests the best products for them to use.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of around 8-10 people.

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

They knew about our business because we had provided our financial services to their team.  We’d already been looking for a development team to work on this project. 

How much have you invested in them?

We spend $100–$125 per hour on their services. We haven’t finished the app yet, but the first phase should take an estimated 100 hours.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with them for about ten months now. We’re currently on the last phase of this development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve already reached our primary goal. At this stage, the app already provides access to a volume of clients it had been physically impossible for us to reach before. One of the essential results Applaudo Studios helped us achieve is being able to work with companies with 5,000-7,000 employees as well as regional clients. Their guidance provided quite helpful. We’re confident the final product they produce will meet our expectations and include all the functionalities we requested.

How did Applaudo Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Right when we started this project, we created a Basecamp account and gave everyone involved in the project access. This tool lets us check on development progress and give Applaudo Studios feedback on their work. It’s been a very dynamic process.

We regularly ask questions and provide them with advice. They’ve kept us up-to-date throughout each phase of the project. Rather than a client-developer relationship, it feels like we’re a team in which everyone collaborates. Applaudo Studios has excellent added value for our business.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our app is quite complicated, and we were impressed drive to get involved in the process. Applaudo Studios keenly grasped our complex product's overarching goal. They really did their homework. We needed it to function not just as a budget tool, but also like a personal accountant to manages our users' bank accounts, insurance, income, and expenses. A couple of their developers even used our services firsthand, which helped them understand how best to go about the build.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

We understand that having too many clients as a growing company can be problematic. As they expanded, we sometimes felt like their availability became restricted. Lately, though, they’ve been getting back on track and working at a faster rate.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and Founder of a custom development and design agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

We needed help to develop a responsive web application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used Python for .Net and Angular to develop a responsive web app that would be used for data visualization and terminal optimization. They also implemented a responsive design so employees can use it in the field as well.

What is the team composition?

We have four engineers – including a QA resource – currently working with us.

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

I met both Applaudo Studios’ founders a couple years ago and we talked about how they could help us from a development perspective. We were looking for someone that we could rely on to execute the work as well as someone whom we could put in front of a client and communicate with on a regular basis. Their cost also happened to be very suitable for what we needed.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since the end of 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feedback has been really positive, especially the responsive web application that we just deployed. Our end-client was really impressed with the product and thinks it’s going to be a game changer in the field.

How did Applaudo Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

We work through the Agile scrum process and used Jira to manage everything. This fits well with our internal process which also leverages Jira. The cooperation was seamless and they were good about effectively working through issues. We communicated over slack, but we’re hoping to start having face-to-face meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I go into a project with the expectation that the vendor is going to execute, be professional, and get the job done. Applaudo Studios did just that. Their ability to work with me and adjust to our situation on the fly was very impressive. They were able to work through the ways in which the project wasn’t perfect, which I expect a quality service team to be able to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a little bit of miscommunication at the start of the project – trying to hand information off and kick-start everything. That could probably improve but it wasn’t a deal breaker; it didn’t impact the team negatively. We had a conversation about it and we were able to resolve how to collaborate moving forward.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We have a program with different clients to which we provide services, including an airline. We offer loyalty networks to a program of retailer coalitions, where our partners can accumulate miles. I am the business development and strategy manager and I take care of innovation and product development inside our platform and mobile apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo?

We had some troubles with our previous developer. We decided to look for a new company, in order to have better service in terms of development quality and obtain a more trustworthy app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They're re-coding our current mobile app, mostly updating the programming language for both Android and iOS, They updates haven’t been launched yet, but they will in the coming months. We're also working on a project to change the app's frontend and do some updates to our website.

What is the team composition?

How did you come to work with Applaudo?

We'd known of them and some of their employees for years, as they are based in the same area as us. For this project, we launched an RFP process, in which they and a variety of companies participated.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in April of this year and the aim is to have the app ready to launch by mid-July.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They're very solidly organized in their work with a clear work methodology. The roles of the teams are well defined, as are the methods to address any issues. The testing of the app, the feedback, and the follow-up process have been very good.

How did Applaudo perform from a project management standpoint?

It's been great and has helped us to meet every deadline. They used different tools for communications such as Slack, email, and Basecamp. The communication has flowed very well and we never had any delays or inconveniences that affected the development or the project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to meet every deadline was impressive. They have excellent follow up, great teamwork, and the tools they use provide great support.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We've been working with them just for a few months and our requirements were very specific, but they maybe could do some research on the most updated technologies on the market. It would allow them to make more suggestions around how to update the apps.