Applifting

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our organization is an international shopping advisor based in Central Europe. We’re striving to create an international marketplace and establish ourselves as a leading price comparison and shopping advisor platform. My role in the company is technology tribe lead. Our development department is divided into tribes.

Our headquarters are in the Czech Republic and we have offices in Hungary and Slovenia.

What challenge were you trying to address with Applifting?

We went to Applifting for IT consulting and services — they’re helping us develop new features for our website more quickly.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Applifting is providing Python development for our website and platform. They also support our solution architecture teams with the overall solution we’re creating. The team shares their development experience and culture with us, so our team can work more efficiently.

One of our services is taking listing information from sites like Amazon and eBay, and consolidating the different offers on the product pages on our website. Users are then directed back to the original listings from there and can leave reviews for products or e-commerce stores on our site.

Applifting is helping us develop and maintain the whole system.

What is the team composition?

We work with 7–10 developers from Applifting integrated into our teams right now, but the size varies from month to month. The Scrum masters and product managers are from our side.

How did you come to work with Applifting?

Our CTO met Applifting’s owner at an event. We were looking for a way to extend our teams and deliver features quicker, so we started a trial with one developer in one team.

The trial was a great experience, so we extended our collaboration with Applifting. They’re providing multiple developers across different teams in our company, and we’re satisfied with their work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Applifting in June 2019, and it’s still ongoing.

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

I don’t have metrics available, but Applifting is helping us meet our release goals.

We have three platforms for the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovenia respectively, and we’re working to create a unified platform. For instance, they’re developing a common catalog for all regions, which is a huge KPI for us.

How did Applifting perform from a project management standpoint?

We work using the agile method based on OKRs, so we don’t set any deadlines and budgets. We’re satisfied with what Applifting is doing because they deliver on their commitments. 

We typically communicate via Slack, and occasionally by phone and in-person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re two separate companies, but we work together like Applifting is a part of our own team — I consider this culture fit to be a crucial part of our collaboration.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything since they’ve helped boost our teams significantly.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and owner of a software development company with around 100 employees.

What challenge were you trying to address with Applifting?

We collaborate with Applifting on development projects. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our initial project was around developing an app for different European countries to enhance international organ exchange. The problem was around having very slow negotiations from country to country regarding whether an organ was appropriate for a donor or not.

We’re working together to streamline this process. We’re also collecting some data to analyze and make each exchange more efficient to improve overall procedures. 

The app is web-based and written in Java with a React frontend. The database is Oracle and includes other small supportive software, as well. 

We faced the problem of having very slow negotiations from country to country regarding whether the organ is appropriate for the donor or not. The app is making this procedure much quicker and more effective.

We are also collecting some data which can be analyzed afterward and makes every exchange after that more efficient. It will help us to improve the procedure of organ exchange.

What is the team composition?

We worked with around 15 people from their team. I work with analysts, developers, designers, UX designers, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Applifting?

I found them through a personal contact — we’d known each other previously.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with them since the middle of 2015 and our relationship is ongoing.

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

From a business point of view, we measure success by the number of countries that have joined the app and the number of organs exchanged. We measure the software quality by measuring the time in which the system is not available during the year. 

How did Applifting perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is superb. We usually communicate face to face and we use Atlassian as our project management tool. Communication with our teams is nice and it is a very pleasant collaboration — this is the main reason why we still cooperate with them.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creativity is the most impressive aspect of Applifting. The team is very creative and is able to offer a completely unique solution — it often ends up being better for the client than the originally proposed solution. Working with them has been absolutely perfect.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise going ahead and working with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Jablotron Cloud Services, a software company that focuses on IoT. We’re part of a bigger group of companies.

What challenge were you trying to address with Applifting?

We had an old system that was a monolithic application. We wanted a new design for the monolithic application to microservice architecture and make our new devices IoT-ready. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did the design and making the core framework. We educated them about our company, and then they started to design the architecture with us. We created hybrid teams with two developers from Applifting and two developers from our in-house team. Then we programmed together. They also help us with DevOps.

What is the team composition?

We started with 2-3 people. Now there are 13-14 people.

How did you come to work with Applifting?

We researched to find a company that does microservice architecture and has experience with the chosen technologies that we wanted to use. Applifting was the only company with experience in microservice architecture and using the same technology that we wanted to use. We saw that they already created a punctual system. They shared knowledge and showed us the actual product they had. They didn’t just talk about it.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

We’re delighted. They’re the first company that really shared their knowledge with us. We worked collaboratively. If there were any problems during the cooperation, the CEO would immediately solve the problem. 

How did Applifting perform from a project management standpoint?

We use an agile approach. They’re open. They don’t feel like they’re a separate company. The teams communicate as if they are from one organization.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They share their knowledge and communicate openly. They see us as a partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re the best. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My title is product manager open banking for a leading financial institution in Central and Eastern Europe.

What challenge were you trying to address with Applifting?

They helped develop a large online portal where companies or individuals can register themselves.

In a nutshell, it’s the place where you can connect to our API. Users can request access to our published APIs and test them. From the internal side, we can manage all of those connections and those who we give access to. It also allows us to perform compliance checks and has monitoring and reporting capabilities.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Applifting was involved in the process from the very early stages. There were individuals in our company who saw the imminent need for a platform like this one. Their team was involved in pitching the idea for this solution to our upper management, helping convince stakeholders of its necessity.  

How did you come to work with Applifting?

We knew them through basic networking. We have employees who have worked for them in the past, so their name resonates in our community.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent millions of dollars on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We officially brought them on four years ago, in January 2016. While the project is complete, they still provide us with some infrastructure support.

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

Open banking has gained traction in Europe but is yet to take off in America. INNOPAY, a consultancy firm that specializes in digital transactions — and has a significant presence in the fintech scene — has consistently ranked us among the top 3 open banking providers. We owe credit to Applifting’s exceptional execution of the portal.

From a compliance perspective, we had to open up our APIs for regulatory purposes. Applifting ensured our complete compliance with the law. While that’s not a sexy metric, it’s an authentic and important one.

How did Applifting perform from a project management standpoint?

We were lucky to have their CEO serve as the project manager for the project. Later, it was their right-hand man who ran the show. Their team took full ownership of the development process, including defending the solution to our management. They stood with us through all of the difficult ancillary processes of larger projects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really shared our company’s vision and were truly committed to delivering upon it. It didn’t feel like a purely transactional relationship. Instead, they felt like a real stakeholder in the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They might’ve held our hand for too long because we felt quite unsupported when they left. They could’ve been more emphatic in reminding us earlier on in the engagement so that we could prepare to take over ownership of the solution. It’s a common problem that occurs in partnerships surrounding enterprise-level solutions. That being said, it’s not something we can really fault them for.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d encourage clients of theirs to get to know them. Ask them in a genuine manner about their commitment to the project. Make sure you get a project manager you get along with, and they’ll take care of the rest.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of R&D for a bank.

What challenge were you trying to address with Applifting?

We needed to build an application for freelancers to manage their accounts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Applifting created a software development kit (SDK) so our mobile apps can use all the features and communicate with the backend to enroll users via Face ID, scanning passport, authorization verification, and more.

Their team also built an SDK that communicates with the backend services. They developed features for small companies, allowing them to upload, scan, and store invoices; collect payments; analyze data and predict cash flow; and more. It’s connected with AWS.

What is the team composition?

We work with 12–15 people, including Android and iOS developers, architects, and team leads.

How did you come to work with Applifting?

They were already with the company when I joined.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $1 million–$9.9 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around January 2017, and the work is ongoing.

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

Millions of users access the key components Applifting created on a daily basis. They provide quality technical work and have resources with strong social skills. Their team follows our standards and practices, and we’ve had no issues with the quality of their work.

How did Applifting perform from a project management standpoint?

We work in Agile. They send detailed reports and respond well to feedback. Their team is transparent in communication, notifying us if a deadline can’t be met.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a good partner, building strong foundations with their customers that create trust. They are easy to work with, flexible, and understanding when we move resources around or make decisions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I haven’t found anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Agree on methodology and the dividing of the workload to minimize misunderstandings. I recommend visiting them to see who they are and how they work.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CEO of sw development company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Applifting?

We wanted to improve frontend of our SaaS application.

How did you select this vendor?

Recommendations from a satisfied customer.

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

Possible solutions using UX methodology research. Creation of a moodboard. Processing of a clickable prototype in the form of a front-end application.

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

3 people. UX designers and frontend developers.

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

The frontend has been successfully tested by several customers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Smooth communication, fast feedback.

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

They have a high level of knowledge in the field of UX / UI.

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

No.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the project manager for a banking solutions firm. We build a banking core IT system.

What challenge were you trying to address with Applifting?

PSD2 is a new legislation in the EU, and we didn’t have the know-how. We needed a company to build a compliance solution for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Applifting worked together with our team to develop our PSD2 compliance project. They built the whole full stack PSD2 solution, which is the external-facing API that any third party, with the correct certification, can then access.

We used Java for the front- and backend. We’re also using other technologies to support that.

What is the team composition?

The main point of contact was Nick (Managing Partner), and there were 4–5 developers, one tester, and a UX person. Altogether, we’ve been in touch with ten people.

How did you come to work with Applifting?

I wasn’t there when they were hired, but I do know that they’re an expert in what we needed. They’re also located in the same country, which makes it easier to get in touch with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June 2019–July 2020.

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

I’ve been very satisfied with their work. This was the best experience I’ve had with a third party.

Applifting built what we agreed to. The cooperation was very smooth. If there were ever any roadblocks, we found a quick solution.

How did Applifting perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Jira, and they delivered on time. There were times we had unclear requirements when we gave some high-level estimates that we had to postpone later. Anytime we had everything analyzed precisely, the deadlines were met.

I’m delighted. The communication was very great, especially the project lead. He’s a great guy. Anytime we needed to agree on anything, it was very easy to do with him.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have very strong communication. The team is very pro-client oriented. There were times we came up with different requirements than were agreed to previously, and they were always very supportive and eager to make the changes.

Their team is very flexible and proactive. I rarely see this type of cooperation in the market.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I’d have them improve. It was a great experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend having Nick on the project. He was the key guy in why the cooperation was so successful.