Azoft

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CIO of Holiday Group. We are federal retail chain in Russia. Our stores are widely distributed in the Siberian region of Russia. We’ve been in top 10 Russian’s retail chains .

For what projects/services did your company hire Azoft, and what were your goals?

We needed to enhance our customers’ experience and build a new communication channel with the help of a mobile app and supporting back-end server, integrating this whole system into our ERP system. To do that, we hired Azoft to design, develop and support this system. Our goal was to build a native iOs and Android mobile apps that can provide our customers with a live experience of searching our online catalog for goods we sell through our stores. Mobile apps provides or customers with all the information to decide on the purchase of certain goods including every detailed information. It lets review current discount options, search for nearest shop, and take full advantage of the loyalty programs we maintain.

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

We didn’t want to risk our reputation, so the major deciding factor was supplier’s competence and past experience delivering project on a similar scale. We had 4+ million active customer base and it was growing. Azoft demonstrated cogent experience building similar systems for a wide range of western companies. It also has experience building and integrating with major providers of loyalty systems. Another important reason was Azoft certification to operate with personal data, having all necessary permissions from Russian governing organizations.

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

Azoft was responsible for requirements compilation, including business and system analysis, UI/UX design, mobile development, server side development, ERP integration, testing, and 24/7 support and maintenance SLA. Considering our requirements Azoft developed a multifunctional and user-friendly mobile app with all required functionalities. It provides online product catalog, synched with our ERP system, discounts and promotions updates, customer profiles, loyalty program, chain store locator and etc.

Azoft’s approach to solution architecture was thorough. We implemented phased approach and delivered functionality in well-defined and structured portions. Agile is good when appropriate, but here, with such a complex multipart solution we chosen to go old-school waterfall. They added parts that allowed us to widen functionality step-by step. Our clients got used and get more involved as system was growing. Very important was 24/7 SLA, so we were sure everything works smoothly, and professional team has an eye on everything. Tech stack is quite usual: Java/SQL for server side and integrations, Swift/Kotlin for native mobile apps, JavaScript.

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

At the beginning of each phase I discussed goals and requirements with Business Analysts, than System Architect provided us with system design and updates required for each endpoints. Azoft team and our team needed to be in synch on all data flows and updates as we are operating live enterprise level system with hundreds of thousands daily transactions. All coordination between us and Azoft were executed by dedicated Azoft Project Manager. Depending on the phase and type of work Azoft provided us with 2-3 Mobile Developers, 2-3 server side and back-end developers, 1 QA. I think we had 1 dedicated UI/UX Designer.

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

We were able to involve about 8% of our customer base to use the system regularly. Interestingly, the system let us cut usage of paper for advertising discounts and promotions and reduce waste of undistributed materials. The load on our call-center team reduced insignificantly. As a CIO I have huge experience working with different vendors. I am extremely satisfied and happy to work with Azoft. They have established processes and talented people.

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

Azoft can work both Agile and old-fashioned water fall type style, and that worked out well in our case. We overcome all difficulties together as a one team doing one job and heading one goal. My experience is that in outsourcing of complex projects client must also do their job to rise project success probability. We used standard messengers, phone calls, emails and issue tracking system. Also, we had regular face- to-face meetings. The project lasted for 3 years, in most cases Azoft met deadlines and followed almost all agreed timelines. I am satisfied with project execution style.

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

As CIO of a big company, I was not always deeply involved in every detail, but I always felt like I could fully rely on their team. Azoft attention to details, responsibility and proactivity what helped us a lot during this project. Surprisingly, Azoft also has a talented RnD team, which helped us with some Computer Vision tasks involving Machine Learning, and they also helped us quickly build Recommending System for our shoppers.

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

Nothing significant comes to mind. Maybe they can be more aggressive while convincing us to reduce scope of phases.

Please describe your company and your position there.

CDEK, founded in 2000, is one of the leaders of express-courier delivery and logistics services in Russia. I'm a product manager of the mobile app.

For what projects/services did your company hire Azoft?

We turned to Azoft for the mobile app development.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop an iOS and Android app that would help us to create a new effective communication channel and deliver a better customer experience.

How did you select Azoft?

Through our standard RFP process.

Describe the project in detail.

By the time we started the project, we had already had Android development expertise. We asked Azoft to start with an Android app to review the code and evaluate their skills. We were happy with the results, so Azoft went on developing an iOS app right after the Android version.

Since then, we are in the constant development process of CDEK apps, enhancing their performance and UX/UI design. Azoft is involved in every aspect of the development, from requirements management and development to support and maintenance.

What was the team composition?

The Azoft team varied depending on the project stage and current goals. It generally consisted of two or three mobile developers, two or three server-side developers, one project manager, an analyst, a UX/UI designer, and a QA engineer.

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

The main project outcome is the growth of the user base who preferred to use the company services via the mobile app. We greatly benefit from the mobile platform by suggesting our users the best services on the market.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I find my key contacts to be really reliable and I think they're managing the project really well. They've managed to deliver good results based on what was provided to them and within our timeline. We communicate daily via the Skype and have weekly status calls, keep track of the development in our issue tracking system.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Our favorite part about working with Azoft is their enthusiasm for our projects. Also, their team is full of responsive communicators. Projects inevitably change as the feature set tends to increase or decrease. We always found them accommodating as our discussions related to changing features were handled with clarity and fairness.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing comes to my mind right away.

Please describe your company and your position there.

iFarm is a team of world-class specialists in IT, agriculture, and science passionate about creating solutions for the advancement of fresh urban farming. We provide innovative AgroTech solutions for businesses around the world using automated technologies and vertical farms. My role is Chief Product Officer and I am responsible for our SaaS platform development, that’s fully automates vertical farming.

For what projects/services did your company hire Azoft, and what were your goals?

Our strategy is to focus on the core of our expertise which is IT and Agriculture, while all supplementary activities outsource to reliable partners. Azoft is well-known, full circle software development company. We hired Azoft to help us develop our SaaS platform, integrate it with all external and internal HW/SW infrastructure. Our major goal was and is to focus on product ideation an HW side, while all software development and integrations must be made by reliable partner company.

How did you select Azoft and what were the deciding factors?

Our stakeholders had a previous successful experience working with Azoft on a couple of automation projects. We reviewed their current skillset, processes and asked Azoft to develop a small prototype so we can review quality, cost, and results. We were completely happy and hired Azoft.

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

We gave Azoft a high-level vision of what we want to accomplish. Azoft dedicated a team of system and business analysts, who made a great job systemizing our requirements, making them clear and ready for development. Azoft helped us creating system architecture and making it efficient right from the start. No work was wasted.

Once they performed system and business analysis, we split the project into logical stages and started developing our SaaS platform module by module. Azoft project manager helped us get through all obstacles and problems, we always have a clear picture of where we are, what is the delivery schedule, what functionality, and when will be delivered.

Azoft helped us creating advanced UI/UX experience, giving our SaaS platform an excellent look and feel. Azoft helped us on all sides building desktop, tablet, mobile, and server components. They recommend the best possible technology stack and implement it.

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

The team from Azoft includes the project manager, business analysts, system architect, UI/UX team, backend developers, frontend developers, QA team.

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

Azoft literally became part of us. We don’t see any borders and have a feeling that we are one team of passionate and responsible individuals looking to build something unique in AgroTech.

With the help of Azoft we are building a system, where our customers are able to reduce the cost of each kilogram of vegetables, herbs, and berries and deliver high-quality products on time. It also helps our managers and stakeholders to effectively manage the business and determine directions for further development, having no constraints or borders, as we are sure Azoft can deal with any technological challenges.

For example, Azoft is helping us building a surveillance drone, which can monitor the health stance of plants and report the problems if any.

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

We have a dedicated team headed by an experienced project manager who is a point of contact on all matters. We have detailed reports on all activities and an absolutely clear view of all aspects of our product. We use common tools like Jira, Confluence, YouTrack, Slack and etc for daily communications.

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

I think the most noteworthy thing that I found about working with Azoft is their absolute dedication for the project success. They are not doing it as a work for hire, they are thinking or it, caring, suggesting, and even fighting with us for better decisions.

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

If they can improve delivery speed, and reduce cost but not compromise the quality, that would be an outstanding improvement, not sure it is any day possible.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our Company develops financial software solutions for retail and institutional brokerages, wealth-management firms, investment funds, exchanges, and insurance companies. As an outsourcing manager, I communicate with contractors at all stages of cooperation, and I also control the effectiveness of our collaboration.

For what projects/services did your company hire Azoft?

We engaged Azoft to provide Backend development services for our FinTech projects.

What were your goals for this project?

First Project: Insurance administration business application development with process reengineering by the parent company. Second Project: Development of trading platforms.

How did you select this vendor?

For the decision we analyzed the market, price offers and the reputation of the companies.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

First project: Development of insurance administration business application (called Trident) for Company in the USA, with process reengineering by the parent company. Main application components are standalone services, policy services and claims services with multiple integrations with third parties software’s and data bases. 2) Development of trading platforms for Brokerage houses and Investment branches of Banks in Turkey. Our clients are Brokerage houses and Investment branches of Banks in Turkey. We provide trading platforms with possibility to trade with all asset classes which Borsa Istanbul Exchange supports including Stocks, Futures, Warrants and Options. Users can trade via Mobile and WEB applications.

What was the team composition?

In these projects were involved two developers and a project manager.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We working on new potentials in the market, aiming to sign several new Brokerage houses.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We are pleased with the collaboration, all communication was organized with Jira, Confluence and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We find Azoft’s effort and commitment to our projects very impressive. They regularly ask for feedback on current iteration which helps to achieve better results and their management is really good at communication

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are satisfied with our collaboration at the moment.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the president of a small software development firm. We provide software to manufacturing facilities to manipulate data from their production environments.

For what projects/services did your company hire Azoft?

We engaged Azoft to provide software development services for a variety of projects. 

What were your goals for this project?

We specifically wanted help developing portions of a web and mobile reporting application.

How did you select this vendor?

We chose Azoft based on their experience, work process, and a few sample projects.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Using provided specifications, Azoft built segments of the web and mobile app. They also assisted on other software projects.

What was the team composition?

We work with a team of developers, project managers, and QA people.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

By outsourcing specific parts of our development, we can now focus on crucial areas for our business.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We use weekly time sheets as well as a feature and bug tracking system to oversee progress. The collaboration has run smoothly since the beginning.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Azoft regularly asks questions and provides feedback. They don’t merely execute based on what they think our instructions are.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The team occasionally has delays due to other active projects. It’s a normal part of business, but it can make planning more difficult at times.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I own Certificate Exchange LLC, the leading certificate of insurance program. The range of functionality encompasses features for large, complicated, multi-billion dollar companies and its ease of use expedites issuance for all size firms and industries. Launched in 1999, the website immediately gained broad acceptance and continues to grow thanks in large part to our patented process that prevents the generation of unauthorized certificates.

For what projects/services did your company hire Azoft?

The original program, which was developed using another system, was lacking in several areas. We hired Azoft in 2002 to rewrite it. 

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to select a reliable, professional development firm to replace the initial system, continue with ongoing development, and maintain long-term dedicated developers. 

How did you select this vendor?

I read a National Geographic article about IT expertise in Russia and Siberia akin to Silicon Valley. Since I was dissatisfied in my experiences with US and Canadian developers, Azoft seemed to be a good alternative. After they programmed a complex and efficient prototype, we decided to hire them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

In addition to its poor performance, our original program lacked a good database design, user-friendly features, and the potential for scalability. Azoft rewrote the entire system with Java as the core technology. They solved all four of our primary problems, as well as a few others, quickly and cost-effectively.

Azoft continues to assist with the full spectrum of program maintenance and upkeep, including user requirements; system, database, and page design; software and tool selection; programming; scalability; performance; program enhancements; and continuous monitoring. They also conduct extensive testing on new projects.

What was the team composition?

Azoft's team typically consists of between two and four server-side developers. The exact number is dependent upon the current project’s intensity. 

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The largest impact has been the satisfaction of our long-term clients. Quite a few of our users have changed firms themselves and convinced their new firm to replace the existing certificate of insurance program with ours, serving as a great source of new business for us. Additionally, Azoft’s competence and expertise have allowed us to focus on our business without the disruption from system problems.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Azoft assigns project managers to work directly with us and provide a constant, effective line of communication among the managers, developers, and testers. This has proven invaluable by either reducing or eliminating any rework requirements. All rewrites and improvements are completed on time with a high level of professionalism and accuracy. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Not only does Azoft provide smart, professional, and competent long-term developers, designers, and testers, but the senior management is also dedicated and involved in all projects. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

That we have continued to do business with them for 16 years speaks volumes. I am satisfied and have no suggestions for improvement. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the owner of an online art school that make lessons and tools for artists called Proko.

For what projects/services did your company hire Azoft?

We wanted a program that could check a student's perspective drawings and correct their mistakes.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to accurately detect the shapes in the drawings and give a proper correction.

How did you select this vendor?

We chose Azoft because they had strong communication skills and good ideas on how to complete the project.  

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed a tool to process images of student drawings. The program could detect perspective lines in these images, assess if they were correct, and show the correct lines if necessary. We started simple and made sure the first steps worked properly before advancing to more complicated tasks.

What was the team composition?

We’re working with a communication director and engineers from Azoft.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We haven't launched the program on our site yet, but we are impressed with how well it works. We think it will be a nice draw to our website once it goes live.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Azoft is great at communication. They would regularly speak with us about how the project was going and what the challenges were. They would also ask for our feedback on the current iteration of the program, which led to great results.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The whole team is smart and organized. They care about the quality of their work and making the client happy.  

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the CEO of Prophesy Transportation Solutions (PTS), which was founded in 1986. The company had the distinction of developing the first-ever PC-based commercial mileage and routing software. PTS became a leading provider of software to the transportation industry, developing a complete, integrated suite of solutions for carriers and brokers including dispatch and accounting, mobile communications and planning, and compliance. In its early days, the company offered basic software tools such as simple load building, mileage and fuel tax reporting. The division has since grown and expanded its offerings to include comprehensive dispatch and accounting operational software, a fully integrated mobile communications and truck and trailer tracking system, and a sophisticated load building and optimization product. All of these systems have been designed to work together for maximum benefit to the end user.

For what projects/services did your company hire Azoft?

We hired Azoft in early 2003 as an expert in mobile development for a small MVP. The team had a wide range of expertise in different enterprise technologies, so we then retained them for numerous complicated projects. 

What were your goals for this project?

Our overarching goal was to utilize new mobile technologies in a computer-challenged transportation industry. We addressed a myriad issues over the course of five years, including: weak cell signals, which forced us to build a unique data exchange protocol; high loads, with more than 1.5 million data points reported daily; the UI/UX challenges of early mobile phones; and the application’s size, memory and processing power. We overcame all of these challenges with Azoft’s talented engineers. 

How did you select this vendor?

We searched Google and other sources extensively for the specific skill set we needed. In 2003, there were very few companies in the world with experience building mobile apps in Java. Azoft responded quickly to our queries with a professional prototype of what we wanted to build. Their ability to understand our needs and come up with an efficient technology solution made them a truly comprehensive resource.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The mobile app was a remote-control unit offered with our dispatch software. Not only did it help us track drivers and their itineraries, but it also equipped the drivers with a hands-on tool for identifying their points of pickup and drop off. It also helped them understand in real time what items to load or unload. Azoft was responsible for the server and web portal on the backend, both of which were stable, reliable, and user-friendly.

They also helped us build a routing and mapping engine for real-time fleet location and management; a route calculating engine for identifying the best or most efficient routes; a bidding platform for truck owners and potential customers—essentially an early Uber for trucking services. Additionally, the high-load server side they built and managed functioned as a proxy server for all of our desktop and client apps.

Our team, with its expertise in business domain and dispatch desktop solutions, generated a lot of ideas and needs. These were passed on to the Azoft team with aggressive but flexible communication and idea exchange. Also, our sales team and early customers were generating many requests for new functionality requirements. Azoft was tasked with implementing those functionalities, discussing design options with us, and helping us better understand mobile technology. They were also responsible for infrastructure maintenance and real-time support of all our mobile dispatch services.

What was the team composition?

The Azoft team varied depending on the number of projects and their respective stages. It generally consisted of two or three mobile developers, two or three server-side and web developers, one project manager, and one system analyst. 

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The most important impact was our ability to quickly integrate mobile technologies into our line of software tools for the logistics and transportation industry. The new services we were able to offer our fleet management customers helped us remain an industry leader, acquire new clients, and increase our ROI. The addition of the mobile app was also critical to the growth of both our revenue and our customer base.

Our yearly income increased by over 30% per annum during the first four years of product availability. We were acquired by HighJump in 2008 under very favorable terms, in no small part due to the strength of the product offerings Azoft helped us create.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We were all in new territory at this time; linking phone apps with mainframe systems and integrating GPS technology was on the cutting edge for everyone, especially the transportation industry. Because of this, we didn’t have well-documented specifications, so we were building everything in a heuristic fashion, and our goals were not always clear. The infancy of the technology required a lot of experiments and prototypes, but the technology itself was also changing as we were building.

Project management in such an environment required a lot of communication and agile decision making, as opposed to managing specific tasks. Azoft was outstanding; they digested our ideas and converted them into solutions, helping us put all the pieces together. We tested and learned together, then moved on to the next iteration. The professional research team was crucial for prototypes and tests, saving a lot of time and money.

We communicated via messenger, emails, and phone calls, as well as with in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Three things impressed me. The first was their work ethic, which is difficult to find these days; they remained responsive and responsible throughout our entire engagement. Secondly, all of the developers were engineering professionals. The third was the aggressive partnership approach we developed as we continued to build new technology. Such investment from the Azoft team was extremely valuable as we encountered innumerable problems related to emerging technology and hardware. Azoft never gave up and was able to find workarounds every time.  

Are there any areas for improvement?

I recommend expanding the staff to execute more projects simultaneously. However, I understand that developing such a professional and talented team is a challenge in and of itself. The time difference caused occasional issues, but these were minimized by good attitudes and work habits.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I co-founded the startup Expo to help Australian museums and galleries enhance the visitor experience by offering multilingual mobile audio guides. Our hassle-free process doesn’t require them to acquire equipment or learn how to use complicated software. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Azoft?

As is usual for startups, we needed to get our product first to market within a tight budget and timeline.

What were your goals for this project?

With Azoft’s support, we aimed to quickly and affordably deliver a top-quality and easy-to-use product.

How did you select this vendor?

We asked about five vendors for quotes and qualifications and selected Azoft. They offered the best value for money and had top credentials.

Describe the project in detail.

Azoft designed and developed our complex mobile app for museum visitors. It includes more than 20 screens and features versions in several different languages. They also built a web server to help museum staff to manage tours.

What was the team composition?

The team from Azoft included two developers, a web designer, a mobile designer, and a project manager.

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

Azoft performed awesome work at a very fast pace. We even struggled internally to keep up with responding to their questions and providing clarifications to business rules. Azoft delivered both on time and on budget, and they produced top quality work. We didn’t find a single bug found in the six-month production run of our pilot!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was perfect. We held biweekly Skype work in progress meetings. Working with our tight timelines and limited startup budget, Azoft nailed it on both dimensions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Collaboration is Azoft’s most notable strength. With a keen ability to think beyond the immediate scope of the problem, they uncovered new ways to improve the CX/UX on the fly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There’s nothing they need to improve. They did everything 100% right.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Effective Coverage. We provide the multi-family housing industry with the tools to succeed in their tenant risk management initiatives. We do everything from satisfying the insurance needs of residential tenants to protecting property owners with comprehensive risk management solutions. I’m responsible for my firm’s strategic vision.

For what projects/services did your company hire Azoft?

We hired Azoft to handle backend software development of our proprietary CRM, as well as database architecture and design.

What were your goals for this project?

Initially, we wanted to achieve an MVP to engage enterprise customers regarding the value of our services.

How did you select this vendor?

An industry peer originally recommended them to us. Azoft completed a robust RFP and have since earned a permanent place on our development team.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

In the ten years since the original development, Azoft has helped the MVP evolve into a robust platform with thousands of users with diverse requirements and use cases.

What was the team composition?

We were originally assigned a project manager to support us and serve as our main point of contact throughout the project. We primarily spoke with our project manager, but there were also two frontend and two backend developers working on the project, as well as a QA resource.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Technology is the core of our product offering to enterprise clients, so having 100% uptime and cutting-edge development support is a necessity. Azoft has risen to that challenge every time for an entire decade.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

There was a project manager on both the Azoft side and our side. It was very effective having two seasoned professionals in regular contact.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The consistent quality of their developers and their willingness to learn our business’ needs was outstanding. They don’t try to fit you into a one-size-fits-all solution. Their team is professional and knowledgeable about their craft, but also humble enough to marry their technical knowledge with our business knowledge.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Recognizing we’re all on a continuous path of improvement is what prevents systems from becoming outdated. Their team is constantly aware of the need to improve both their skills and software.