Cloudsoft Mobile Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

This project centered on my efforts to start an app-based company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cloudsoft Mobile Inc.?

I originally hired Cloudsoft Mobile Inc. to build a prototype of my mobile app idea. The project turned into a pitch deck and business case presentation.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project was to make materials I could use to pitch my business idea to a venture capitalist (VC).

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Cloudsoft Mobile Inc. contacted me via a web-based services platform for freelancers.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They provided no services despite a payment I made to them.

What was the team composition?

I worked with the senior product engineer, managing partner, and a sales representative from Cloudsoft Mobile Inc.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I wired Cloudsoft Mobile Inc. a substantial portion of my savings for the first milestone in April 2018. These services were supposed to take a few weeks. Since I’m in my 20’s, this didn’t bankrupt me, but it was still a large investment. For several months, I asked them to send me evidence of their work. 

After multiple emails stating that my project was in progress or close to complete, Cloudsoft Mobile Inc. finally acknowledged that it had fallen through the cracks. At that point, it was mid-August, four months after I paid them. Their previous assurances had not been truthful or accurate. 

When I asked for a refund, they refused. They decided to offer me a credit, so I reluctantly agreed to completely start over on the project. I requested a written version of the proposal, but they never sent one. It’s now November 27th, 2018, and I still haven’t received any deliverables.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

There was no project management. A Cloudsoft Mobile Inc. team member took over my project, told me they had started, and never followed up.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I didn’t find anything impressive about this company.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I’ve been trying to come to a resolution with their salesperson, but he hasn’t been willing to refund or reimburse me and has made condescending comments that felt misogynistic in nature. I feel like he’s pressuring me to sign third new contract which includes terms I’ve told him I’m not comfortable with. 

I spent a few thousand dollars and have received nothing from this company. I don’t recommend working with them. They seemed to be trying to keep me out of the market I hired them to help me enter. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the CMO of a company with a fitness app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cloudsoft Mobile?

We were in the process of launching a project that was for a custom-built app for a private label retail program that we were working on. Cloudsoft was hired as an extension of our team, as we didn’t have necessary internal staff from a development or expertise standpoint for creating a mobile app. This was an all-encompassing project that included a private brand enhancement. We needed a quick turnaround, so we didn’t want to hire a new team member just for this project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cloudsoft Mobile took the lead on the custom-built iOS and Android mobile apps. Towards the end, it was launched for iPad as well. They did everything from design to development; we provided the assets for the look and feel and they put that together based on the brand standards we had. They streamlined the process and helped deliver the tool.

The main challenge for them was creating engagement with the purchases of the product, distributing our educational content, and allowing us the opportunity to remarket as part of the retailer’s consumer marketing system. They had great knowledge and expertise not only in technology but in the retail and wellness categories as well, which was very important to us.

The app offered educational material based on the products bought in the store. There were different products available and each one helped educate the consumer on the 'activate, train, and recover' aspects of a fitness routine, encouraging them to hopefully go back to the store and purchase the other products of the other categories. 

I also had a backend login on the platform to a simple content management tool that allowed me to update videos and content myself. We have a lean team and this worked well for us to be able to make changes ourselves. We could also view reporting, users, and manage our data.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked daily with three people, but additional resources helped with the project behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Cloudsoft Mobile?

I found them on Elance and reached out to them based on their ratings. Their previous work aligned well with some of the projects we were looking to do. They had experience within sports and wellness, specifically a golf company, and experience with retail, which was very important to us as well. Kurt, their senior product engineer, did a great job of pushing out the scope of work and making it understandable for the entire team. He helped us get our main customer on board with doing this private label product. He met our technical needs and understood our entire concept, while also staying within our financial goals and time restraints.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $30,000 and $60,000 on the app.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2015. We delayed the actual development to February or March of 2016, and they were able to launch the app in August 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We continue to have a high viewership. However, the company recently went under so they are not managing the data anymore. We continue to get new viewers every month and people are staying on the app for longer durations of 2–3 minutes, which was something that was important for us. That means they were watching at least one or two videos in that timeframe.

When we first launched the app, there was a lot of advertising which tested its performance because there were quite a few new users in a short amount of time. There were no complaints regarding the app, though.

How did Cloudsoft Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

They were a fantastic partner that understood our needs and did a good job of anticipating issues and trying to help fix any problems that came our way. They were flexible with all the changes we requested and delivered a very good product. All of our communication was through email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were a good partner and felt like part of our own team. Even though we’ve never seen each other, Kurt and his team did a really great job of understanding what our needs were. They acted with the same integrity that we, as a company, did.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Chicago West Pullman is an investment and development firm. I handle the development side of the business, which includes software development, mobile app development, and enterprise development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cloudsoft Mobile?

We needed someone who had experience in creating intricate financial backend systems. We had an initial idea of how to move money in a new way, but we needed someone who had the expertise to come in and build us our own banking backend.

This was our original product project, and from there we had additional add-ons to the project. All of the work centered around this core product, but additional projects added on features, and we also expanded into new verticals which required additional development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The key thing about Cloudsoft Mobile is their methodology in how they operate, which we found extremely unique. We've always had some inside developers and always worked with outside teams. Cloudsoft Mobile prototyped and plan the project first. Even if you hire them to do a project, they would still figure out the user stories, the flow, the UI, and more and then present it back to you. Then, with a complete timeline as to how long it would take and how much it would cost, you can decide to go forward, to stop, or to edit the plan. We found that to be very unique and very helpful with some of our ideas and expectations.

The solution is a consumer-facing mobile application but also a service as well for enhancement of backends, and Cloudsoft contributed to both portions of the project. However, their specialty is in backend work. Most developers can create a mobile application. The algorithms and the flow of the backend are more complicated.

In a nutshell, they helped us move money in a different way. The solution allows us to move money quicker for businesses and consumers. Cloudsoft completely architected the entire backend from the ground up to create a unique system that we are in the middle of patenting right now.

Part of our project involved talking with bigger partners and companies, and Cloudsoft was very willing to jump on phone calls and explain the system to make sure everyone was understanding what they had built. They helped us with creating flows, data sheets, and mock-ups that we could send out to other people. That was very different than what we were used to.

What is the team dynamic?

Cloudsoft was involved in both design and development. They have they have a complete design team, a complete team, and a complete architect and engineering team. They also work with offshore developers as well. Depending on the project they are working on, we have anywhere from 5 to 30 people.

I am involved directly with the project manager. From there, it is up to them as to who they assign to the project.

How did you come to work with Cloudsoft Mobile?

We were looking at a lot of different teams because our internal team wasn't up to the task for this type of project. We started looking at different sites, and we found Cloudsoft. After several phone calls and an in-person meeting, we chose them.

Our project was really unique, and we knew that we were setting out on a $100,000+ project. Our interview and search were different than if we were just building a mobile app for $20,000.

How much have you invested with them?

This information is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working and prototyping in February of 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All of the work that was originally agreed upon is now complete, but we're waiting on our final compliance from the federal government before launching the application. Because of that, we do not have numbers right.

We've had alpha test users and beta test users who are extremely happy with the application. We've also shown the application to vice presidents at major companies, and they were very pleased with the look and feel of the application.

How did Cloudsoft Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

We're very satisfied with the quality of the work. They took on an extremely hard task, and they stayed fairly on schedule with all of the issues that come up. They try to plan in the beginning so that all the issues and bugs that you might find during development have already been figured out and solved. So, once the actual development phase started, there were very few interruptions or issues.

They are in constant communication, and they adapt their communication to how we want it. If we want to talk to them every day, they'll talk to us every day. If we want to talk to once a week, they'll to talk to us once a week. They lay out a schedule of you know how the development will go, and they follow up on every key point.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their methodology sets them apart. We've worked with other developers, and we would start a six-month project. A year later, they would almost be done. We wouldn't see any delays until month five, which is very common. With Cloudsoft and this very complex system, the way they approached it helped us with our expectations and help us with timing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Well, you can always spend less. Their rates were competitive. They were a little bit higher because of the complexity of the system, and over a year-long project, certain things slip. However, nothing major ever happened or came up between our two companies.