ARKA Softwares

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of a real estate company that focuses on mid- to long-term rentals. 

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We needed to build a fully functional MVP.

What was the scope of their involvement?

ARKA provided us with end-to-end development services. Their team built our promotional website, which was hosted on AWS. They used PHP, Laravel, and a MySQL database.

Their team also developed a web app. It houses portals for tenants and landlords and enables users to list and book properties and message each other. We’re finalizing the integration before deploying the platform.

What is the team composition?

We directly deal with two project managers who oversee their developers, designers, and business analysts. About eight people from ARKA work with us.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

We spoke with many vendors that we found through Clutch. ARKA stood out because they provided a detailed proposal, which showed their willingness to invest in our solution. Other factors that contributed to our decision to work with them included cost, timeline, and experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $55,000 on their services so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership around December 2020, and it’s ongoing.

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

We split the project into 10 milestones and reviewed each one upon completion. Their team finished the final milestone, and we launched the promotional website. They built a fully comprehensive solution within the budget. It has been a success.

Our engagement’s pleasant, and their team accomplishes all of our requests. As they do an exceptional job, we couldn’t ask for a better partner.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

ARKA documented the project and shared the documentation with us, which was well done. We have weekly meetings and hold additional meetings when necessary. We use Basecamp and message via social media. Communication’s great, and everything is done in an efficient manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by their initiative. From the start of the project, ARKA has exceeded my expectations. They put themselves in my shoes and think through ideas to propose various solutions, asking a lot of questions along the way. Their team’s open, so it’s easy to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be nice to have direct communication with developers on occasion. However, it’s not necessary.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

ARKA’s extremely engaged and works to provide comprehensive solutions. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of Aner. We’re a startup that connects students who need tutoring with a tutor. We’re using smart technology to help the tutor and student make the class proposition easier and more convenient. The tutoring sessions are virtual, so they can both stay at home.

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We needed a partner who had good past experience in developing web platforms. As a startup, naturally, we were also looking for a partner that could fit our budget.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we discussed our vision and objectives for the platform with them. ARKA Softwares came up with wireframes and designs. They focused on each of our users — students, tutors, and parents. Their team built the UI for students’ and tutors’  profiles. Features for the profiles included classes, subjects, quizzes, and reviews. The platform was built using PHP Laravel for the backend and JavaScript for the frontend.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Sukhbir (Project Manager) and his manager.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

My partner conducted research to find the right agency. ARKA Softwares was the best option for us. They had good knowledge and experience. Additionally, their prices were affordable.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around 1300 Saudi riyals (approximately $350 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement was from March 2019–March 2021. Now, the source code is in our hands and we'll upload it to our system.

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

The platform is of good quality. We liked ARKA Softwares’s process of executing the project. There were some minor bugs here and there. We had an issue related to a third-party API integrated with our virtual classroom. ARKA Softwares was very responsible in contacting the third party and handling all of the work. Everything was fixed.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

They broke the project down into milestones. If we decided to change something in the middle of a milestone, they were open to making those changes. As a startup, changes happen often. I reviewed each of the milestones as we went along to make sure everything was working. Everything was always completed to good quality.

We used Trello for project management. Deliverables and submissions from the milestones were submitted through email. If we had minor questions, we would hop on Skype. One of my original fears was the six-hour time difference. However, I was pleased and impressed to see that they worked in our time zone. Whenever I sent a message they always responded, even late into our evening time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ARKA Softwares was very understanding and always went the extra mile. As a startup, we didn’t come into the engagement knowing every exact detail. Their team worked with us during every milestone to implement the established specifications but also pivot if we needed to. At the end of the project, they even offered to upload the source code to our server.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our website is in both English and Arabic. The translations were done through Google Translate, so they weren’t completely clear. They did their best, and I stepped in to do the translations with them. The only area for improvement is this. It would be beneficial if they had someone who could handle translating Arabic pages.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand that changes will add time to your project. Make sure when you split the milestones, that you have everything laid out.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a home services company.

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We reached out to them for help developing our platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

ARKA is developing our home services platform from scratch.  We had a design and a discussion phase. They provided me with designs, and they updated them based on my requests. The team then moved into coding. 

We’re in the process of testing now. The platform is for iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

I mainly worked with ARKA’s project manager who served as the communication channel with their developers and inside management team. I’ve had one meeting with the development team as well.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

I was going through Clutch reviews and found theirs interesting, so I reached out. So far, my experience has been wonderful.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost so far is close to $50,000 CAD (approximately $39,400 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ARKA in June 2020, and it’s ongoing.

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

It’s going well. ARKA has a professional team, and they listen to what I want. They’ve provided the expected results, and they always focus on client satisfaction. 

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re absolutely fantastic.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I haven’t tried other providers, but I’m very pleased with how this experience has turned out. I’ll definitely continue working with ARKA, and I’ll also recommend them to anyone looking to build a website or mobile app.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. I’d just tell them to keep going.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The client should know their own business model completely before approaching ARKA, rather than figuring out how to do things along the way. That will not only make the process easier for both the client and the ARKA team but also save time and lead to more efficient results.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a self-employed web developer, providing mainly backend services such as SQL server database development and maintenances. Basically, I develop websites for local small businesses.

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

I reached a stage where I secured too much work and had to turn down projects because I was committed to my small number of clients. I needed to onboard additional people to work on projects when I had additional work that I couldn’t handle.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I work on a range of different solutions with them as I ramp up my skills. Their team essentially performs certain work for my clients under my name while I manage the projects. Throughout our projects, I give them my requirements on a daily or weekly basis.

During one project, they built an online store based in nopCommerce for a local client. Making sure their work met the client’s business requirements, I reviewed all of their work.

Their team also helped develop an online childcare resource in Australia. They helped with the platform's new design and release. Their team also developed a Windows desktop application. ARKA also dedicated a PHP developer to work on another project. More recently, their team has worked on WordPress sites. As I’m new to WordPress, I pass the projects to them.

What is the team composition?

I deal with a business manager who tells me whether or not there are resources available. Although I have a business manager, I essentially engage them for developers.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

I originally found ARKA on Upwork when they were a different company. We worked together but the engagement phased out as work dried up. Their team branched out and contacted me after setting themselves up as a new company and the timing was right.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the past two years, I’ve spent about €40,000 each year  ($48,000 USD) on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started giving them a decent amount of work in 2018. However, it’s overall a 6–8 years long relationship.

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

I’m able to offer services that I was never able to previously offer. I trust them and essentially seek work knowing that their team can backfill positions with developers. ARKA basically does exactly what the project dictates. Clients are happy and come back asking for more.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

ARKA offers a range of project management solutions but I like to manage projects with my clients. I like to keep a tight rein, so project management is done in house. I tell them when a task needs to be delivered, and it’s delivered by that time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ARKA is willing to do absolutely anything I ask of them. Nothing is a problem for their team. If AKRA doesn’t know something, they’ll learn about it. Their team will research exactly what needs to be done based on how I want it done. They will get up to speed on whatever technology I’m looking to use.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t pinpoint any specific challenge areas. I keep an eye on them and ensure that everything’s done when it needs to be done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that what you asked from them is on track. Be engaged with them through daily or weekly meetings and code reviews. I never had any problems with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a lab inspection subsidiary.

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We needed a new firm to handle our website maintenance after our internal person retired.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They primarily maintain the website. They have cleaned up some poor practice elements from our previous developer.
They’ve added new features, mainly on the statistical analysis side. 
The website traffic is probably 90% related to supporting the proficiency sample. We order commercially available material, blend, mix, or break it down and recombine it. Each lab gets six boxes of material that they mix and test, sending the results to us. We do statistical analysis and grade all the labs based on how well they did with each individual test.

What is the team composition?

We have a technical lead as our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

We spoke to several vendors. This team was familiar with the work we were doing, and we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000–$50,000. It is $1,200 per week.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2020, and it’s ongoing.

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

Things are working as they should. We don’t try to work at a fast pace, but rather at a more steady pace; it’s tried and true. 

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is good; generally, it happens at the start of our day, or the end of their day since they’re offshore. They have stayed on track, and are available to work different hours to meet deadlines when necessary.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are consistent and provide the services we need.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be mindful of the time difference in order to keep your timeline moving well.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder and CEO of a company that manages a mobile mental health care application. This company's mission statement is to create more accessibility to mental health care.

For what projects/services did your company hire ARKA Softwares?

ARKA Softwares created the mobile application for iPhone and android with a web-based management system. They used iPhone: Swift, Android: Kotlin and backend: Laravel.

What were your goals for this project?

My goals were to realize my vision that I had for this project, which included, user-friendly navigation, minimalism, some graphed data, a habit tracker and a community commenting page.

How did you select this vendor?

I interviewed several vendors but ARKA Softwares most easily understood my project and vision. They were also the most on top of scheduling and making appointments.

Describe the project in detail.

This is a mental healthcare mobile application that features tools for moments of panic and anxiety attacks, which can be easily accessed during times of distress. There are other components that include a community page with commenting and sharing and a tracking page where an individual will be able to input data that will be graphed.

What was the team composition?

The team was comprised of developers for iPhone and androids as well as a liaison which I worked most closely with.

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

The project is almost completed and very successful. There has been a great deal of excellent communication about finding the best way to create, design and realize the application.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their team was always ready to communicate and sought to understand exactly what was wanted. This communication was vital to the success of the creation of this application.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are always willing to help, listen, and communicate. They have gone above and beyond to help this mobile application look and feel exactly as desired. They have worked extremely hard to ensure the product is at the highest standard and work to make sure that I am completely satisfied.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

Please describe your company and your position there.

My name is Henrique, and I'm the founder of Recursando. Our startup helps drivers who've received traffic tickets by providing resources and guidelines to refute them.

For what projects/services did your company hire ARKA Softwares?

Mobile app development for iOS and Android

What were your goals for this project?

To help the Brazilian population exercise their constitutional right by refuting potential illegalities that the public administration has committed.

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through Google since the company is recognized worldwide.

Describe the project in detail.

I defined the scope and presented my project to Nitin who represented ARKA Softwares. He explained how he'd execute the project and selected a team to develop the app. I provided the layouts, and the team finished the project.

What was the team composition?

Nitin was the person responsible for selecting a team to complete the project.

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

The app has been live for 30 days and gained over 20 users. We've received great praise for the services provided. While there was some lag in the iOS version, ARKA Softwares resolved the issue.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was great. Even with a single liaison, they were willing to answer all of my doubts and solved any problems I encountered.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their time and dedication to the customer were impressive. They were always willing to solve problems that they encountered throughout the course of the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

As I am Brazilian, I believe that someone in the company who speaks my language would improve communication.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a social networking platform. We list events in major cities across the US so that users can invite specific people and put out public invitations.

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We hired ARKA to help us deliver our platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I started the project by giving ARKA a requirements document for the platform that I wanted to have delivered. I wrote out the flow of the interface with the different pieces and components to give them a basic idea. One of the key requirements was using WordPress with BuddyPress, a social media integration. 

ARKA Softwares did custom work for the platform, including an API to pull in each integration. They also designed parts of the display with specific screen customization.

In terms of the technologies used, I know PHP was one, but I’d prefer to keep some of those details confidential. Our database is in SQL, and they designed that interaction as well.

What is the team composition?

I had a project manager and a lead developer. I know that we have a couple of other people involved, but those two were my main points of contact.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

I found them on a ratings and reviews site—it might have been Clutch, I’m not sure—and I ended up reaching out to a variety of different organizations.

I remember being sold pretty quickly on ARKA because they had a solid understanding of what I was looking for. They’re knowledgeable about WordPress and its integrations, which typically require a ton of customizations.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in May 2019 and wrapped up in November.

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

ARKA did an excellent job of capturing what we were looking for. Other developers aren’t as able to listen and deliver what you want. Anytime we ran into speed bumps; they were able to overcome them in a very amenable way.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed well from a project management standpoint. I was familiar with what needed to be done, and our initial proposal was very detailed, which allowed me to dictate the process.

They had a tool that they used, but I relied heavily on my own spreadsheet of to-do items. I gave status updates almost every day—at least every other day—that were supplemented by calls when needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Aside from their technical knowledge—we didn’t run into anything that they couldn’t do—they were always quick to resolve issues. We would often find bugs or elements that weren’t quite right after finishing up deliverables, and making fixes was never a problem for them.

They also seemed to value our opinion. They wanted us to be happy and were willing to take ownership of changes that needed to be made. They were very reasonable about making adjustments.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This isn't a complaint, but they could potentially improve their QA process a bit.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

This is true for every development project, but have your design document or detailed RFP laid out to where you can easily convert it to a project plan. This will help the developers understand what you want to be accomplished, and it will help you keep track of tasks as they’re completed.

Items often get lost in interpretation, but being clear and concise will help avoid those problems. Having initial project planning calls will also prevent issues later on.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Afrigenius, a farm consultancy company. We assist farmers with improving processes to save resources and generate more revenue. We’ve partnered with a variety of other companies, including some IT firms, as well as the South African government.

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

First, I wanted to stretch my digital footprint outside of my physical location. Second, I wanted to use information technology to empower my team to provide better service to our farmers. Although Afrigenius does have a leadership team that is quite literate in software development, those individuals don’t have time to build a product. We needed a strong IT team to come in and help us address our challenges and satisfy our needs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

It’s a Laravel web application, and there's an iOS version and an Android version as well. The product is made for farmers.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager, testers, and application developers.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

My wife suggested that we post an ad on a software job website. After more than 20 responses, I decided to go with ARKA because of their availability. I call numerous companies on Saturday, which is the only day during the week when I’m available, and they were the only company to respond. I knew then that they were the right partner.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent just over $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August. We’re on phase two of the project right now, and I am anticipating a total of five phases.

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

We love the quality of the UI. The visual elements are beautiful. In terms of the scalability of the product, I can’t comment yet. We're building the product to be used on a SaaS model.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very transparent. We have an account set up on Trello that we can use to track what they’re doing every day. The feedback is constant, and I’m never in the dark. 

For instance, I remember a time when a project manager had to take time off, and they made sure that I was aware of that in advance. I value the fact that they want me to be involved. It’s easy for us to reset priorities because the requirements are all very clear.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ARKA has the skills needed to deliver the full cycle of a development project. They also know how to cater to my specific situation. One thing that sets them apart is that they can implement without every single requirement. When I told them what I wanted at the beginning, they came back with a proposal and let me decide the direction. I don’t have time to come up with every requirement myself, and they are willing to change the original plan as needed. I appreciated how they came up with ideas but still give me the option to make changes.

The proposal was less about documentation and more about the product. I like how focused they were on building something useful. It wasn’t until later that I realized that they use an agile methodology, and I value that as well. I’ll have to come back and confirm with you if the product is scalable or not.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were some cultural differences that we had to navigate, but, for the most part, I trust them and their approach. I felt comfortable giving them real feedback because they had established that sense of trust. I think, moving forward, they should focus on researching their customers to understand those cultural differences.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend them. If you decide to work with them, know that you don’t need all of your requirements set before you contact them. ARKA has an experienced team that can propose ideas for how to address your challenge. You can always wait and work from their proposal.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of DialUsafi, a cleaning and home service platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We had an idea for a platform that people can use to easily get a cleaner, chef, or babysitter, but we needed someone to develop our app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re helping me develop the Android app, and we’re going to engage them after for the iOS version. After these are done, we plan to use them for another product.

What is the team composition?

I work with a project manager and a developer.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

I found then in a Google search for on-demand cleaning services developers. I wrote to them, and they got back with me. I was skeptical about engaging an offshore team because I’ve had two previous occasions where I’ve lost money, but they assured me they could do the job, and I felt that I could trust them.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent $24,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2019 and the work is ongoing.

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

We haven’t had any issues, and my team and I are impressed with how much they've accomplished. I believe that this is the beginning of a very good business relationship. 

The quality, in particular, has been excellent compared to the software developer that I engaged before. That one only sent me Android application packages and told me to download them. They didn’t run smoothly, and it was a big headache.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

They introduced me to Trello, which is the program we used to monitor progress during development. It allowed me to see how fast they were moving with each task. They also set up a timeline for every sprint, which is very impressive. I’m confident in their ability to deliver at this point. 

I’m in communication with a project manager and a software developer. With the software developer, we mostly communicate on Skype. The project manager is very accessible via phone and WhatsApp. We’re able to communicate instantly, at any time. My queries are always answered right away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been amazed by the treatment that I’m getting from them. I can’t say anything negative about them. They delivered exactly what we discussed and designed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no issues with them at all.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

There was a bit of conflict at the beginning when I realized that their idea for the project was different than my original vision. Once I presented my design, everything turned well.