AppSquadz Software Pvt. Ltd.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Tally on Mobile. We have an accounting app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AppSquadz?

I needed someone to develop the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed the Android app from scratch, using PHP and Java. They also handled the server and backend of the application. They handle all of the data.

What is the team composition?

There was a dedicated project manager.

How did you come to work with AppSquadz?

A friend referred them to me. I researched them online and was happy with what I saw. They had clients like Coca Cola, which I found impressive.

How much have you invested with them?

16–32 lakhs [$24,600–$49,200 USD].

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June 2017 until December 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is in the App Store and the users are happy with it. The internal team use it successfully, enabling me to manage our company.

How did AppSquadz perform from a project management standpoint?

Their time management can be an issue, but otherwise they’re good. If I ask them about a solution, if they know what we have to do, or for changes, they’re able to help me.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I liked that they made suggestions of what we could put on the application.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can improve on time management.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of eGyanShala, an online learning platform with around 9,000 students. We have other offices in India as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AppSquadz?

We needed help with developing our online platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped create our custom online learning platform, including online classes, courses, video channels, as well as EPUB and PDF support capabilities. They did a great job creating the database architecture, as well as providing solutions for different servers. They used PHP for the admin panel and frontend, as well as MySQL for the database. They used Java for the Android application version, and Objective-C and Swift for the iOS version.

We have payment functionalities on the website, as well as links to share on social media, live streaming, satellite classes, etc.

What is the team dynamic?

They provided developers, a project coordinator, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with AppSquadz?

They have a good reputation in the market, and I was impressed with the way they work. Initially, we had 5 meetings before I handed the project over to them.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in April of last year, and the project was completed this past August.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve only had 1 bug thus far, which is fantastic. AppSquadz worked intelligently and beautifully in creating the user interface. Our users are happy with the platform, and my business has slightly increased because of it.

How did AppSquadz perform from a project management standpoint?

They used Skype and Basecamp for communication, and we received all updates from their side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are great with streaming and social media integration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Quakart delivers bottled water.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Appsquadz?

I had a difficult time managing all these things on my registers, and they used to result in a loss. It was a difficult task to maintain the inventory. People went to the vendors and asked for the water bottles to be delivered which gave me the idea to make an application through the web to simplify our lives. Appsquadz made my idea possible.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have a full stack project of scenarios in their company. They made the project from scratch. They did the wireframing and designing. They did quality testing, and then I had an app. The app was built on the Android and iOS platform. They did good work on the backend and in the admin panels. As a founder of Quakart, I have an option to add or delete contacts and choose who is a vendor and who is a user. It was quite handy for me. They included an API for the clients’ locations.

What is the team dynamic?

The project coordinator did all of the communication. Their team also participated in the platform choice and selecting the name of the platform.

How did you come to work with Appsquadz?

I was surfing online, and I put out some applications to some companies. I saw that Appsquadz was rated in the top 5 development companies in the U.S. I saw some of their work online.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent $330,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2016 to July 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is live in the app stores and iTunes, and local area users around Noida, Delhi and nearby are using it. By developing this app, they helped me out a lot. In India, it is difficult to find a reliable company. The app makes it easier for users to order water bottles in different quantities. I have liter water bottles and 2 kiloliters. It is quite easy. It has helped my users a lot and has helped me as well.

How did Appsquadz perform from a project management standpoint?

I am happy with their communication. I would give them 10 out of 10. We used Basecamp to communicate online. We could post comments, and they asked me for feedback or suggestions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I loved their process. We had good conversation. We sat for 2 days at their company. They have a discovery phase in which they find out what the customer is looking for. I didn’t have to pay the whole amount at one time; they divided it into milestones. The project coordinator kept me updated and let me know the deadlines. Everything was completed on time. I could check on Basecamp to see the progress.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could increase their support time from 6 months to 1 year so that I don’t have to keep paying each time I use them after 6 months.

Company Responses

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of the startup. We provide a tool for calculating GST [Goods and Services] tax calculation and filing returns to the government, as per Indian law.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AppSquadz?

I needed a partner to build my app that allows users to file their GST returns. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AppSquadz developed our PHP application with SQL as the database. It works as an online platform on which users can file GST returns and calculate taxes. The software is integrated with the government portal on the backend.

What is the team dynamic?

I was assigned a project manager and a technical resource. I was in contact with 4-5 other people in the company, both technical and non-technical.

How did you come to work with AppSquadz?

I found their profile on Google, and looked at their past work. I contacted previous clients, and received good reviews.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been around 38 lakh Indian rupees. [$60,000]

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with AppSquadz around March 2017. The app was made available in June. The initial discussion was started at the end of 2016, followed by a 2-3-month research period. I plan to use them for additional work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our users are happy with the product.

How did AppSquadz perform from a project management standpoint?

The overall collaboration was good, but there was a lack of communication from both our sides. I assigned a lot of tasks, and the feedback time was very poor. I was given access to their Basecamp, which was our main tool, and we also used Skype and phone for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Working with the AppSquadz team has been nothing but an amazing experience. Right from the design, to development, and deployment phases, AppSquadz provided me with full support. The AppSquadz team was very supportive and quickly respond my emails & calls.
 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have mentioned it to them that there is a lack of communication. They are an overall good team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a project head for an app company. I handle a team of 5-8 people here. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AppSquadz?

We were looking to develop an app that would work as an internal payment gateway for our company. I looked online for a partner who would be good enough, and who could work with our budget.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AppSquadz developed a Java web-based app which works as a direct payment gateway, eliminating the need for third-parties.

What is the team dynamic?

We were in contact with a team lead. There were 2-4 developers involved in the project. We communicated through phone calls and email.

How did you come to work with AppSquadz?

I contacted a number of companies in order to explain what we needed to get done, and chose AppSquadz based on their proposal. They clearly understood what we needed, and how it needed to be done.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was around 50 Indian lakhs. [$75,000]

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with AppSquadz in February 2017, and finished in August.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is currently in use. It has simplified our payment process for employees and works carefree.

When we identified a glitch on the app and communicated it to AppSquadz. They were able to fix it.

How did AppSquadz perform from a project management standpoint?

They did eventually understand what we wanted to build, but the general communication was lacking.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provided the services we wanted on time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need to improve their communication skills, but, apart from this, the team is good. It’s important to have access to the actual people developing the app.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a digital manager for an e-learning solutions company. We have more than 100 employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AppSquadz?

We were looking to develop an e-learning platform and contacted multiple companies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AppSquadz developed our platform. It features multiple courses and different content, including text and PowerPoint presentations. It was built as a web-based and mobile application for Android and iOS.

One of the challenges we discussed with other vendors as well as livestreaming. AppSquadz was able to provide this solution to us. We have multiple offices around India, from which the streaming is done. It was a technical challenge because of download speeds.

What is the team dynamic?

They assigned a single project manager, but we also communicated with the other design and development team members, as required. For 70% of the time, we communicated with the project manager.

How did you come to work with AppSquadz?

I found them through Google. One of the challenges we discussed with the other candidates was livestreaming. AppSquadz was able to provide the desired technical output, unlike the other providers.

How much have you invested with them?

We started with a budget of $30,000, and went up to between $40,000 and $50,000 after enhancements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform has been used by customers, but we haven’t worked on the marketing for it. We have already reached 25,000-30,000 users on mobile. Our users have made some change requests on the app stores, which we’re looking to implement.

How did AppSquadz perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered on time. I found them to be good communicators, and to have an understanding of the technology. There was a communication gap, given that I was on the digital marketing side, and they were the developers, but the overall experience has been good. We mostly used Basecamp for project tracking.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The UI designs they provided us stood out. As a digital marketer, I felt they had value-added. AppSquadz was able to put more effort in this area.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Communication could be improved.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior software engineer in the international research and development division of a Thai company that designs customer projects from scratch. Customers come to us with a high-level idea, and then we design rapid prototypes and eventually handle the production.

Our customer base is mostly located in Europe. I’m currently working with a German company that manufactures electronics and printed circuit boards. We make printed circuit board assemblies, embedded system devices, displays, and LED banners. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AppSquadz Technologies?

Our company has extensive manufacturing staff, but our R&D division is not that big. We only have a few engineers, so we don't have the capacity to tackle application development, website development, or web application development. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a German customer for whom we made an embedded system device; it’s a display that controls their spa and massage rooms. The system includes a human interface device with a display screen where users can use their membership card to book a spa room. The device will manage everything from the electricity to the temperature of the room. We made the hardware, and then the customer said they wanted to move on to an application.

For the app, we asked AppSquadz to develop a Java solution that runs on a Linux system and communicates with a centralized server that is proprietary to the customer. AppSquadz made the application and the UI flow and handled all of the implementation. It took a couple of iterations to get the approval for the application because AppSquadz is in India, we’re in Thailand, and the customer is in Germany, but we finally did it and got good feedback from the customer.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $65,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

I think I contacted AppSquadz in January 2017 about a quote, and then we went through the approval process. Our company has to register every vendor to authenticate them and make sure they’re a legitimate business. I think we started our collaboration at the end of February, and we worked together for about 6 months. They delivered in sprints, but the final delivery happened in July.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our customer shared good feedback, and the application and the environment worked well on their system. We haven't gotten any bug reports for a week, so maybe after another week or so we will get their final feedback about how the app is working in a real environment. AppSquadz did a good job, and our customer is satisfied and doesn't have any negative comments. The project was completed on time and with all of the proper documentation. The customer deployed the app in the market, and it’s doing well, so they are happy.

From my understanding, our customer has a leading share in European healthcare systems, spas, and health centers. Their health centers cover many locations, so they have a big customer base. For example, in a single health center, they have close to 550 members and many spas and gyms. I think the customer base will remain small, but the people who frequent these spas are going to know about the app because they’ll interact with it directly. If I had to estimate, I would say no more than 5,000 people interact with the app in a year. 

How did AppSquadz Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, I think AppSquadz does a good job with project management. They properly delivered the documents for approval and provided business intelligence.

We communicated with their technical architect from business intelligence, and all of the documents were clear at first. But, after two weeks, we noticed a slight problem with the project management. A few resources had left the company, and because of that, the team’s output decreased for about four or five days. Then, they assigned a different project manager, and he did a good job. Everything went well after that. I don't think that a delay of four or five days is a big negative. It happens with all projects. I understand that nothing is perfect.

They use Basecamp, which I hadn’t encountered before. I thought it was quick and let us share videos and files easily. The development was slightly delayed because of all of the different time zones between AppSquadz, our team, and the customer. We’d get the feedback from the customer one day and send it to AppSquadz the next day. We still completed the project close to the right time, with only a slight delay. My customer wasn’t unhappy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like their graphic design, layout design, and implementation.  So far, I have only interacted with them for this application, which was impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think they should spend more time on requirements gathering. We had a couple of incidents where the requirements were not captured properly. They improved a lot, but I think they could improve more because misunderstandings can lead to problems with meeting the customer’s expectations. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Appbulous started its operations in September 2012 with the vision and commitment to provide its users the best mobile apps. The team consists of handpicked developers, designers, and managers, and they strive to work with a single-minded goal to take the company to the next level. The team at Appbulous were able to garner around 2 million downloads within the first 9 months since inception.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AppSquadz Technologies?

The business challenge and the goal of the partnership was to generate promising leads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project was a gaming application catering toward puzzle game enthusiasts.

How did you come to work with AppSquadz Technologies?

We chose this company because it was looking to develop differently from the mainstream games as puzzle apps are few and far between.

How much have you invested with AppSquadz Technologies?

It was between $20,000 and $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They completed the project on time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.

What did you find most impressive about AppSquadz Technologies?

They were diligent and dedicated toward achieving their goal.

Are there any areas AppSquadz Technologies could improve?

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company's main objective is to entertain and engage customers all across the world with our unique solutions. To achieve our goal, we have launched the Selfie Book-Selfieria mobile app for Android users. This app enables users to store all their beautiful moments with their near and dear ones in one place safely. Users can access meaningful memories easily and share them with friends and family. The app also lets users follow others all across the world. Selfie Book-Selfieria is an amazing way to capture and store selfies. I am the owner of the company. I supervise all the operations related to dealing with the clients and the quality check and delivery of the projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AppSquadz Technologies?

The main business challenge that I was trying to address was being able to keep up with the changes in the market while not compromising on the quality solutions. The goal of the partnership was to share ideas and foster innovation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The scope of the project was to determine and document the objectives, features, deliverables, functions, tasks, deadlines and, finally, the cost of the project. Frequent quality checks, analysis, quick updates, and round-the-clock support and maintenance were some of the specific services provided.

How did you come to work with AppSquadz Technologies?

Our process was simple. We decided to select the company on the basis of three things: transparency, cost, and past projects. AppSquadz Technologies excelled at all the factors and, thus, we chose them over other companies.

How much have you invested with AppSquadz Technologies?

It was $8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It took 3 months to complete.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcome of the project was amazing, AppSquadz Technologies did a fantastic job on their part. The application was designed and developed as per our expectations. Regarding any success stories or metrics, I would say the reviews and feedback of the final app were positive, which helped us in gaining confidence.

How did AppSquadz Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Initially, I doubted their management skills. However, all my doubts were cleared when I was introduced to the project manager who was assigned to look after my project.

What did you find most impressive about AppSquadz Technologies?

Their attitude and ethics set them apart from others.

Are there any areas AppSquadz Technologies could improve?

There is always room for improvement. However, considering the outcome of my project, I have no suggestions for them to improve.

BACKGROUND

Please introduce your business and what you do there.

InSwipes is driven by an innovative vision of infotainment-on-the-go and provides news and interesting reads to people right on the lock screens of their mobile devices. As a co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, I look after all the development and business expansion.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AppSquadz?

Our first and foremost challenge was to transform our idea into a fully functional application, which proved to be a challenging task. Since this is primarily a lock-screen application, we wanted a partner who was skilled in handling the intricacies of such an application. AppSquadz Technologies fit the bill perfectly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project included the various functionalities needed to accomplish our infotainment goal. AppSquadz was responsible for the design, implementation, and hosting of the app.

How did you come to work with AppSquadz?

Our primary focus was on a vendor’s long-term reputation and quality of work. Two companies were shortlisted, and we conducted a two-week evaluation project. We found that AppSquadz took more initiative and showed more resourcefulness than the other company.

How much have you invested with AppSquadz?

We have spent something in excess of $10,000 working with AppSquadz.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was successfully completed over a four-month period in early 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is live on the App Store. We planned for the release for May, but a limited variant of the app was released the previous month. The project stayed within budget, and the quality of the app was quite good.

What did you find most impressive about AppSquadz?

I was most impressed by their innovative approach during the entire project and the dedication of their workforce.

Are there any areas AppSquadz could improve?

It’s hard to identify any areas for improvement, since AppSquadz seems determined to constantly improve themselves.