CognitiveClouds

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

We launched the mobile app to the iOS App Store, which is a clear metric of success. It’s impacted both our internal and external customers as we’re able to bring in many more features and make our processes more efficient.

Our internal sales team meets advertisers everywhere, so a mobile app allows them to quickly show how ads look and how campaigns are performing. The mobile-first approach is a lot more efficient, and it helps drive business.

How did CognitiveClouds perform from a project management standpoint?

We work collaboratively with them, meeting almost daily. We give them weekly milestones of what we want to achieve, which gives the developers a clear focus. They give us daily code drops so we can build the software. validate it, and make sure the quality and functionality are there. It helps us keep a close eye on the progress they’re making.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to listen, take feedback, and try to do what’s best is impressive. Complex development is never a straight line, and they’re always willing to take the time to make sure that any challenge is looked into and addressed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We continue to coach them on how their processes fit in with ours, in terms of coding guidelines and automated testing. This is to reduce the time we spend reviewing their code.

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

We don’t have anything fully released or used full-time yet; everything is still in demo piloting stages. The feedback we’ve received from clients has been very positive. They were impressed with the app’s overall UI/UX. We’re very impressed with what they built.

How did CognitiveClouds perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a development team lead who is responsible for making sure they’re getting the information they need and communicating information to us. The lead verifies features and requirements with us and arranges times to chat. They are good at keeping us in the loop. Since they’re in India, they schedule conference calls once or twice a week. They go through a demo mode and show us what they’ve accomplished. They've nailed communication. They do a good job of completely understanding what’s required before moving forward.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re open to feedback and are very responsive. If we tell them something needs to be changed, they fix it quickly. They’re eager to make sure that what they’re building is exactly what we need. Since they’re not in our office, it’s important that they have their finger on the pulse. If we need to call after hours, they’re willing to adjust their schedule. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. It would be cool if they were not in India because that would make things easier. But considering that constraint, they do a good job of making sure they’re in constant communication with us.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I am extremely satisfied with their performance. We've got some very positive feedback. Last week we implemented it with a customer, and we've got a customer quote already based on that experience from a product technology standpoint, and also from a service and support standpoint. Although the service and support was all on my end, the technology and product piece was mostly because we implemented the MVP product that CognitiveClouds has developed.

How did CognitiveClouds perform from a project management standpoint?

The most pleasant part of working with them is that they do what they say. There are no changes, no games, and no gimmicks. There were a few things they couldn't do or they weren't sure of, and they've been very upfront about those. I appreciate that sort of candid relationship.

What distinguishes CognitiveClouds from other providers?

What I liked most about CognitiveClouds was their responsiveness and their grasp of things. They understood very quickly what we were doing. They also asked me about the business side of things, the business goals. I appreciated that because it's hard to develop a widget if you don't know what that widget does. They were actually really interested in who were the end customers, who was going to use it, and this was the initial contact that gave me a lot of confidence. If they are asking me these types of questions, that means they want to come up with a good product. The first contact was very good, and then they were continuously extremely responsive, and followed through brilliantly. They're very good.

CognitiveClouds is a very competent bunch of people and very easy to work with, and those two things don't typically go together. To sum it up, they're extremely competent, extremely smart and intelligent, and they're just easy to work with.

Is there anything CognitiveClouds could have improved or done differently?

Nothing really. I only have good things to say. The project was mostly very smooth. One or two times we had to do extra things, which was really kind of our fault because we needed more features that we didn't really define properly. Even in those cases, they never changed their cost estimates, and they never complained about it. It was very easy to work with them.