CodeLabs Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Sales Manager for Manufacturer of Smart Equipment, Multimedia &Commercial displays and boards

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CodeLabs Inc., and what were your goals?

Our search for a company to take the project of designing & developing a user-friendly mobile applications for meetings, video conferencing & meeting room booking in the critical time of COVID-19 was on. After shortlisting few companies on the basis of their portfolio & their level of dedication which matches the complexity of the project, we found CodeLabs Inc. a perfect fit for it.

SOLUTION

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

Our search for a company to take the project of designing & developing user-friendly mobile application for meetings, video conferencing & meeting room booking in the critical time of COVID-19 was on. After shortlisting few companies on the basis of their portfolio & their level of dedication which matches the complexity of the project, we found CodeLabs Inc. a perfect fit for it.

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

We wanted Milan to be a room booking solution where the rooms booked could be seen from the main screen and non-relevant people would not interfere in what the other people in the room were doing and thus not disturb them. The company went above and beyond and designed and developed an android application that did exactly what we were looking for.

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

We had several people involved including the Project Manager, CIO, CTO and: - Lead UI Designer - Lead UX Designer - Lead Android Flutter Developer - Software Architect

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

User Interface design and the User Experience of the application was outstanding that resulted in 35x ROI and 200% growth in app install in just 3 months.

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

CodeLabs adopted Agile methodology to ensure all elements and components of a project initiated and progressed at the same time and manner that eventually confluence into the single model at the time of completion.

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

Their out of the box thinking always gets the solution for our complex problems. They were always ready to take challenges positively & coming out with a perfect solution every time.

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

It is believed by us that they could improve on their cost but it’s also a fact that quality comes with a price. To us, the quality was the main aspect that’s why we neglected the premium cost element.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Ammar and I’m the co-founder and CEO of Mywater International. We have worked with CodeLabs on a few custom software development projects, and we continue to do so.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CodeLabs Inc.?

We have developed a water purification hardware system that converts any kind of tap water into bottled mineral water. We have sensors in the machine and an AI program with an automated, self-operating system inside. We needed an on-cloud server and system to kind of manage data, make decisions on the server, do everything on the cloud, and make the hardware do what it's supposed to do. 

The backend engine is what we had set up with CodeLabs, along with our apps, our UX/UI portals, and basically all of the software that interacts with our operations team and customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They basically did the web development, some design, and app development, while we provided the documentation, obviously. We had a lot of data and some of the data was in terms of the requirements that we wanted. Being that this concept is something very new globally, the requirements were bound to be a little adaptive in nature, meaning that it would evolve over time when we get more testing and run time. 

The CodeLabs team was very accommodating of the concept, as it was not something out of the box — it was something new, so things might change down the line. They helped us and worked with us to create a system that is modular and adaptive, in the circumstance where you don't have to overhaul the system. It was good working with their team as an entire requirement software was generated before the work started. 

The application is for both Android and iOS, and I'm not sure what kind of technologies were used, but they are generic. I think that our cloud interface software is built on Darknet and Python, and maybe some C+ and C Sharp were used as well. 
Moreover over, One of the core functions we required was connecting our hardware system to a cloud interface, and an Amazon or Azure type database — that would then be redirected into an engine. There's a mix of IoT-based data that will come in, process the cloud data, and then push it back to portals, so that our service teams could look at the diagnostics to see what to do — that was number one. 

Number two is they have to bring our internal processing on an app and connect it with our service engine. Any technician had an app, so our system would know where they are, and how long they’re out on a customer’s site — they would log in and do whatever servicing they're doing. That sort of was the field support engine that they provided. 

The third thing is to build the service algorithms that help us even further automate the maintenance of our systems. We have over 3000 systems right now, and we are going to go up to 10,000–15,000 by the end of the year so we need a large enough engine that would drive tens of thousands of machines simultaneously.

What is the team composition?

I think there are 6–8 people from CodeLabs assigned to us. Two in the app development portion, one UI/UX person, two people on our database front, one making our portals, and one person is the project manager. The other person was sort of a liaison between our internal operations teams and getting feedback.

How did you come to work with CodeLabs Inc.?

We met through a reference. We were looking around for a software partner to work with, and they had developed some really unique software for another company that I knew of, so they referred me to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested somewhere between $75,000–$90,000, but I don't know the exact figure.

What is the status of this engagement?

It's been two years now. The software development started in June 2019, and now every month, there are updates and new stuff coming out. They had an end date in terms of the first software that was delivered and the whole package. Additionally, there was an initial agreement of monthly upgrades, upkeep, maintenance, and just service-based contracts on a monthly basis. If we need to build new software, we treat them as different projects, each one on its own.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a set of requirements and they developed a software to fulfill those. There were some requirements that could be optimized or that could be reevaluated, but there would be no need for further development costs. We have two-way constructive conversations and there would be handholding throughout the project.

They also have an in-house design team, so they also make sure that they put back a design aspect filter on it before they give something out to the client.

How did CodeLabs Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re doing well. When we started off, they were missing a project manager, but now they’re expanding and are organized much better because they have a project manager — before, the lead software guy would be managing the project.

Communication is through multiple ways. We have a WhatsApp group, Slack, and phone calls — we also have in-person meetings because they're right next door to us. Sometimes we have weekly meetings and monthly meetings. If there's an important project going on, then there would be weekly meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They help us in streamlining a lot of the requirements and optimize software development because if we had stuck to our requirements, we would have to pay down the cost and it would have been unnecessary because typical software houses would not want to reduce that cost. They would want to charge us as many hours as possible and then they would say it's what you wanted, so they would give you exactly that. 

CodeLabs actually questioned us on our business processes and our internal processes to help us optimize our decision-making, features, and all that. The software cost is not that high because we had told them that we are a startup and we are running things on a budget. They offered us something that's cost-effective so that they could make more software, and have a permanent client giving them more business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. The only problem I had was that they didn't have a project manager before, so the project management was being done by some other senior technical staff. The project management part was lacking, but now they have that in full.

Any advice for potential customers?

Just be very transparent with your thoughts and what you want to do. A document is a great place to start, but if you're building something new, you need to have an in and out process conversation. These are the ways that these things will help us get there and put it into a sort of conversation rather than a requirement. 

The requirements should be the second part before the project starts. CodeLabs did consultations for free for us because we had something really unique that they wanted to get their hands on. They might charge some people for it, but there has to be a consultation session to make sure the requirements are not unnecessary or inefficient — the project starts when the requirements are finalized.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

mycart.pk is Pakistan's pioneer Online Grocery store having an headquarter in Karachi, Pakistan & operating in Lahore, Islamabad as well. mycart.pk primarily focuses on delivery quality products & providing hassle-free customer service to our valuable customers. I am currently working as a Group Financial Controller.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CodeLabs Inc., and what were your goals?

We hired CodeLab's for the complete e-commerce solution with all the integrations with inventory management tool, warehousing & operations management & comprehensive customer support. Our goal was to provide customers an hassle-free one-stop solution to all the grocery needs. We have wide range of product categories; grocery, snacks, household, beverages, baby care & personal care.

SOLUTION

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

As per the instruction of our top management, we were required to request at least 5 RFPs to find the right fit considering the floods of e-commerce website developers everywhere. It took us 3 months to finalize the service provider after analysis. The deciding factors that convinced our Technology Department to opt CodeLabs Inc. as service provider was their proactive and consultative mindset meaning they were not just service provider or order takers, but they are a team of professionals that helps their client see what in unseen before.

It was CodeLabs Inc. that suggested improvements in business model to optimize and streamline the operations. Their rates are a bit on higher side but considering their efficiency and robustness we decided that CodeLabs is best option to go with. And till today we have CodeLabs Inc. onboard as our Technical Support on retainer basis.

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

mycart.pk is designed & developed on Magento 1.9 framework which is also used as a CMS for all the product listing, design changes & e-commerce rule setups. The initial scope of work comprises of designing & developing an e-commerce website fully integrated with CRM, Inventory handling module, operation management & warehousing tools. The next few steps were to build mobile application supported on both Android & iOS, which is in the phase of development & would be completed within next few months

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

They aligned following members from their team for our project: 1. Business Model Analyst 2. Lead UI Designer 3. Lead UX Designer 4. Software Architect 5. Lead Software Developer (Web)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results produced and generated from the application were up to the expectation and no big hurdles and bottlenecks were surfaced after the launch.

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

Agile methodology was adopted to ensure all elements and components of project initiated and progressed at same time and manner that eventually confluence into single model at the time of completion.

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

Frankly, speaking we find them highly professional; they don’t consider any project as a 9 to 5 job but for them it’s passion. From day one, we realized their sense of responsibility and passion towards us and our project

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

Nothing is perfect in this world, not even renowned brands. They always strive to improve their processes and technological flair. As per my information they run several workshops and training modules in house to improve the knowledge, skills and process remain a step ahead.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am General Manager - Consumer Business in Optix Pakistan (Pvt.) Limited. Optix Pakistan (Pvt.) Limited provides a full line of telecom products and FTTH multiplay services to residential and SOHO customers under the brand name Optix. The services are distributed at present in selected pocket areas of different cities of Pakistan.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CodeLabs Inc., and what were your goals?

We were facing couple of challenges while using old CRM system and these challenges were mainly related to daily business requirements. and operations. We wanted to optimize our order to cash cycle along with complete integrations with third parties software on pre and post sales part.

We signed up with Codelabs to develop a comprehensive telco tech platform comprising of CRM & Mobile Application (Android & IOS) with complete support of customization on our BSS and OSS part with zero touch orchestration. Codelabs team helped us to make it work.

They are the best in terms of understanding and detailing it as per our requirements and helped us to make it work. I highly recommend them for any software and mobile application development.

SOLUTION

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

There are various factors to measure or evaluate the final technology partner to work with so we looked at company’s portfolio, what technologies does the company use, what industries do they work with and what is their client focus (small businesses, midmarket, enterprises).

One of the things that may help us trust the company is the awarness that they have some experience in projects similar to ours. They don’t only have professional team of developers but they were well teamed with business analysts having more than 8 years’ experience of different industries, they also have licensed software architects that convinced our operations and project team to opt CodeLabs Inc. as our technological service provider.

The clients’ review is also important to know both the results of the work and the process itself. We tried to look out for the company’s review on Linkedin & even talked to some of the clients they worked with & got a tremendous response. we also explored that what technology the company is using.

What expertise do they possess? Are they expert in React Native, Dotnet, Flutter, Android, iOS Development or what other technologies are they using to cater the clients’ requirements? project cost is one of the very important factor. The cost of project should be feasible fair enough for both the parties.

We went into the process of requesting proposal from more than 3 service providers but we found that CodeLabs Inc. proposal, cost and the understanding of the project were unmatched that triggered us to sign CodeLabs Inc. as service provider.

Time is money. Intelligent people don’t prefer money over time, it is worth considering to work with a bit more premium company that executes and completes your project in timely manner and with reliability than someone who don’t.

But in case of CodeLabs, we found them as super-efficient in terms on providing deliverables on time & finishing the project as per the planned and decided scope.

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

Considering the nature of solution and services, we asked CodeLabs to design & build a comprehensive web & mobile application backed by vigorous CRM solution.

The key technology used in building CRM were involved; .NET MVC5 considering scalability and robustness, the website was designed using WordPress as CMS & React Drupal technology was used to design mobile application.

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

we worked with approx 8 to 9 team members from CodeLabs were assigned for our project completion, their positions were:

• Project Manager
• Program Manager
• Business Model Analyst
• Lead UI Designer
• Lead UX Designer
• Software Architect
• Lead Software Developer (Mobile)
• Lead Software Developer (Web)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Honestly, working with CodeLabs is just like you sit on your couch & relax! They are bunch of professionals who works efficiently and delivers the project without having any bugs. The best thing about them is they also pin-points the areas where they could do best and suggest the ways to optimize the performance of your app or web, even if it’s not in the project scope.

In a nutshell they are not only service provider but they are your technology consultants.

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

It depends on project to project, sometimes they use Agile Methodology, sometimes they prefer Waterfall, and sometimes they have to switch to Scrum. In our case, they typically used ‘Waterfall’ as their project management style.

However, the communication on each phase of the project was outstanding & every progress about the project was timely informed & updated.

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

Their style of work, their communication skills, their efficiency in completing projects & their expertise. They are highly efficient & capable professionals one can totally trust upon for their projects. At times they empathize to figure out and highlight unaddressed areas that could possibly lead to operational hiccups if not addressed timely.

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

Frankly speaking, we didn’t find any areas for improvement, but if we have to answer it then, they could have focused on building other expertise such as being one stop solution for every new startup, but since then they have evolved themselves into one stop solution in reality as their services are ranging from designing, creativity, brand position, UI/UX design, web and mobile application development, SaaS implementation, robust CRM building and digital and social media marketing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Since “The Darzee” is a bespoke tailoring solution, there were so many complications that were supposed to be taken into consideration before & during the project initiation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CodeLabs Inc., and what were your goals?

Our business model of “The Darzee” is an online-based stitch solution. While shortlisting the clients, we came across the fact that CodeLabs Inc. was the mind behind the design and creation of Country’s Pioneer Online Custom Clothing Store. This was the fact that triggered us to consider CodeLabs Inc. for this project of ours.

SOLUTION

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

Flutter was used to design and built a mobile application to ensure responsiveness and performance since it was an ordering app and one can expect thousands of traffic at one point in time. For the website and CRM, the Laravel and DOT.NET MVC platform were used to make it more user-friendly.

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

5 of the experienced team members were connected with us, who were directly headed by CIO: - Senior Business Analyst - Software Architect - Senior Innovation Specialist - UI/UX Designers - Software Developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were impressed by CodeLabs as they were able to build something so user-friendly out of such a complex model.

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

In our case, they mixed & matched both Agile & Scrum Methodology because of the complexity of the project.

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

Communication is the pivotal element of accomplishing this project. We have found them highly responsive, and you can expect their top management to intervene and streamline the process. They are simply go-getters!

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

In the initial phase, there were some hiccups & bottlenecks surfaced & considering this situation, CIO jumped in with his experience & arsenal of knowledge to streamline everything, accordingly. So, in my opinion, this was the only area where they need improvement, but after this project, I think that’s not needed anymore.