Crest Coder

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an Executive at LocalOn Corp t/a where.a.bouts

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Develop tech solutions primarily for micro and small businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Crest Coder to accomplish?

• Develop a hybrid mobile app
• Maintain and support of mobile app

SOLUTION

How did you find Crest Coder?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select Crest Coder over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Crest Coder were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We contracted Crest Coder initially to help us develop a MVP for our mobile app, where.a.bouts. We provide our own UI design and Crest Coder worked on all the backend dev. They managed to deliver and we were able to launch as a BETA 1.0 version of our app to a closed group of testers.

Subsequently we extended our contract to improve and add new features, specifically an in-app subscription option. The app became publicly available in the App and Play Stores from April 2023. Crest Coder continues to be our primary development and support partner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Delivered a functioning MVP
• Delivered a mobile app with working in-app purchases (subscriptions)
• App is available and in the public domain with active users as of April 2023

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Deep has been our project manager since we started the project and he has been great. He is responsive and flexible in working with us. Good communicators, overall. Majority of the time, work is delivered on time. Considering the time difference (Canada vs India), they have been flexible to sometime respond outside their working hours.

Crest Coder has been open to using our recommend agile development process as long as we provide some of the tools for them to do so. Also once they understood our goals, the assigned resources make good suggestions/ recommendations for the apps ongoing improvement and development.

What was your primary form of communication with Crest Coder?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Crest Coder is committed to delivering; they will work on any request until they figure it out. Sometimes going over the estimated scope (within reason) to ensure they deliver a working build.

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

Following a more consistent application development process to make sure certain items are done consistently like documentation, source code backups.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My friend and I are the founders of a marketplace app for college students.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crest Coder? 

We didn’t have enough iOS or full-stack development experience, and we had a small budget. Given that, we hired Crest Coder to help us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started off with designs, and Crest Coder gave us mock-ups of what the app would look like.  They sent over designs for the app’s various pages, and they showed us what some buttons would do when we used the app. Then, their team gave us a document that outlined all the specific details of the project to prevent miscommunication. Since we didn’t have much development experience, their resources worked to bridge the gap in our knowledge and made sure we understood everything. 

In terms of features and functionality, the app allowed students to sign up using their university email addresses. They could buy and sell things with other students in the same university. Moreover, they could create listings that may include specific books and other items that a college student would want or need. Another student could click on that listing, leave a comment, or message the user to buy the items. The two students could meet up and trade; they could also pay in cash, Venmo, or PayPal. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with Hiren (Former Assistant Director of Sales) and Deep (Managing Director). I talked to Deep for the most part, and he was the one in charge of the whole team. 

How did you come to work with Crest Coder? 

I made a post on Upwork and around 100 groups reached out to me. Hiren was one of them, and he said that they could do the project, showing me what they’d done before. Their team did a marketplace app in the past — this stuck with me because it meant they had a development experience that was similar to what we wanted. We then looked up Crest Coder online and saw that they had good reviews.

Afterward, we talked to 3–4 other firms out of the 100 groups that applied. However, Crest Coder was better than the other teams, which just seemed to be sketchy. Those teams couldn’t estimate a deadline and didn’t have people who could vouch for them. They also didn’t have big portfolios. As a result, we picked Crest Coder. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $8,500. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from May 2021–January 2022. For context, I reached out to them in May 2021, but we didn’t officially start the project until June 2021 because I was in the middle of exams. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product turned out to be what we wanted. We had a small budget, so we were happy with having a functional product. In fact, Crest Coder did the project for so much less than what other people quoted for doing it — they exceeded our expectations. 

To elaborate, they set up a beautiful admin web page. I could manage the marketplace easily without going to the backend and tweaking code every time I wanted to change something. The app was slow at first, but they made it work faster. 

Overall, we started with a project that I didn’t have much faith in, but we ended up with something that I would stand behind. I was truly happy to release it to users. 

How did Crest Coder perform from a project management standpoint?

Crest Coder did a great job of communicating with us. They clarified everything and ensured that I understood the development process. We used emails for the most part, and then we used WhatsApp. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were cost-effective. Their resources could get anything done in a relatively inexpensive way compared to other teams. Apart from that, if they had to implement any changes, they did it truly quickly. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The overall timeline was a little longer than we wanted, and they were a little slow in terms of deadlines. We initially wanted the project to be done around September 2021, but it took us between December 2021–January 2022 to finish it. 

To be fair, this was a project that required a lot on the admin side. I also kept adding things as we went on. In other words, it was still impressive that they did it in just six months. On top of that, I’d rather release a better product with a delay than release it fast but with bugs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as specific as possible, and be available to the team. Make sure Crest Coder knows exactly what you’re talking about; show them examples of other apps that you like. This will give them ideas on what you want the app to look like. Draw it if you have to — just make sure they completely understand what you want. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Compass Wellbeing CIC is a subsidiary organisation to NHS ELFT. The company provides support and project management in various programmes for ELFT. As Head of operations I have oversight on all Projects and ensure they are delivered according to timelines.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Compass are delivering an Interpreting and Translation service for NHS ELFT. This contract now requires a bespoke system that manages all requests received from ELFT Services to Interpreting Agencies. we approached Crest Coder to develop a system that can be an interface between the three companies, Compass, ELFT and Interpreting Agencies.

SOLUTION

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

We created a service specification for the new system. We then advertised the opportunity across many developer sites. We had key criteria for identifying the appropriate developer on board, including experience, quality of delivery, partnership model, timing and cost of delivery.

We felt Crest coder not only could they deliver against the timelines and within the budget, but more importantly we received a personalised service in our negotiations. Their manager was available at all times before and during the project delivery

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

The Project was delivered within a short time frame, with clear steps added to ensure it was delivered within the timescale. We created a project plan delivered in conjunction with Crest Coder.

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

We had the main Project Lead, Developers and testers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The system now receives almost 20,000 request per year.

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

We met on a weekly basis and daily basis via Skype calls. This included all those involved in the development stage and testing stage

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

I appreciated their attentiveness to our needs and their can-do attitude towards solving the issues we encountered.

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

They have been brilliant, nothing I can comment at this moment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the executive director responsible for design and product development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We looked at developing a mobile application that can connect the users and personal trainers. Most trainers and users alike do not have a system in place that is reliable and can process bookings while taking payments at the same time

SOLUTION

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

Our vendor was selected based on work done for us before. We are now on App number 3 with this Vendor and the journey has been a great one since we started working with them in 2019

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

Part of the process is to first provide them with the brief of our requirement and that is followed by a session with the Vendor in describing their understand of the requirements. This is then followed up by a functional documentation from the vendor for our sign off. The development process is done in 4 phases which are agreed upfront.

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

We mainly work with the project manager and 2 technical developers. Our main contact for any queries is always the project manager assigned to our project

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For this specific project we are only going live at the end of the year. However through the last phase of the testing phase, we involved a certain market of our selected clients and users who have already shown a great deal of interest in using the system.

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

The project plan and charter is agreed upfront which details deliverables including amongst that the communication plan. It is schedule to have 2 update sessions per month with frequent email and WhatsApp communication as and when it is required. Since we are in a different country, the timezone was never an issue as the Vendor always accommodated us

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

Their team is very interest in the products they are developing and always willing to guide and provide design artifacts that we did not even consider during our design. Their team is always willing to listen and make themselves available at any point in time.

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

In the last three Apps they have developed for us, I see improvements in how they handle themselves and always amazes me with new ways of working

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of an app for men to be better day-to-day in the emotional fitness to live their best lives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crest Coder? 

We wanted to bring on another full-time engineer to help us accelerate our build of the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought on a full-time full-stack engineer, and they delivered new features. They worked on the front- and backend. The solution is built with React and is only for iOS at the moment. 

What is the team composition?

We’re only working with the one full-stack developer. 

How did you come to work with Crest Coder? 

Our product manager researched off-shore engineering development, and we spoke with 3–4 different agencies. We believed that Crest Coder would provide the best development. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2021. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The main way we measure success is by successfully working through the tickets in our system. So far, the results have been wonderful. The developer from Crest Coder has helped us launch a solution between a prototype and a beta. They’ve also helped us onboard around 20–25 test users. 

How did Crest Coder perform from a project management standpoint?

I would give them an eight out of 10 for project management. It’s a new relationship, and I’m still learning how to best work with a developer from a product management standpoint. Communication has been good, and deliveries are on time. I meet with them four times a week in daily standups. Discord supports our communication. 

When we have work for Crest Coder’s engineer, we work through weekly sprints, ensuring that deliverables and features are completed weekly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their most impressive characteristic is their quality of development. Additionally, their developer completes work very quickly. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The relationship will develop and strengthen, reaching a 10 out of 10 overtime. I don’t think there’s anything to improve at this point. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear product roadmap for at least the first month of work. Moreover, be able to communicate clearly in the tickets the work that you want Crest Coder to perform. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Working for a truck company as a marketing resource, I was tasked with equipping the sales force of our dealers with easy to access resources. Our company sells heavy construction equipment through a dealer network across the USA.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Crest Coder?

I hired Crest Coder for the development of a mobile app that would be easy to upload files, videos, campaigns, etc to communicate with our sales force. We need this available for both iOS and Android devices.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking to elevate the depth of knowledge of each salesman. Our final objective was to ensure that all documentation was easily shareable with customers, having brochures and spec sheets readily available all in one place that could be texted or emailed to a customer.

SOLUTION

How did you select Crest Coder?

Crest Coder came highly recommended and we were encouraged by their speedy response times and preparedness during our initial conversations.

Describe the project in detail.

We had the vast majority of the resources and wireframes prepared prior to working with Crest Coder. We required separate categories for our different products, screens displaying a quick overview of some f the important specs for our products, and then a resources section that would have hosted files specific to that particular model.

Each resource was to be shareable via the normal iOS/Android capabilities. In addition, the resources need to be accessible to our team in order to easily make updates. Finally, a separate section for promotional and general company material was needed.

What was the team composition?

I have communicated chiefly with the co-found who was extremely attentive to our requests. He response promptly and is quick to initiate calls and video conferences to help clarify issues or processes.

As someone who has limited knowledge of app development, he and the developer walked me through the process and were good to walk me through any confusing parts. I was impressed by their availability given the time difference.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team has been very excited about the development and launch of this app. We can see the benefit being further reaching than we can anticipate. It will help us to better connect and communicate important technical information with our dealer network which spans the entirety of the USA and Canada.

As it is not always easy to come together, especially during COVID, this will be a gamechanger for us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their team and ours got on well. At times the process was slow but more on our end than theirs. We communicated chiefly through email and Whatsapp. Their response to our feedback was good with a clear understanding of the direction we wanted the app to take.

There was no language barrier only the time difference and most of the time that wasn't noticeable.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

This is our first experience of outsourcing work of this nature but we would definitely use Crest Coder for future work. We're very pleased with our experience.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I was happy with the experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Owner of an Ecommerce solution platform for SME

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Crest Coder?

Developing IOS app for my platform

What were your goals for this project?

To integrate into the platforms existing API's and duplicate the already existing Android app that was built

SOLUTION

How did you select Crest Coder?

Crest Coder and I had met previously to engage on possible collaboration for software development and once the opportunity presented itself I thought immediately of them

Describe the project in detail.

The IOS app is a replication of the Android app that allows users to search for and purchase from various online stores loaded onto a ecommerce SaaS platform. Crest coder had to integrate into existing API's , Authentication methods and ensure UI flow is identical from the Android to the IOS app they where developing.

What was the team composition?

Designer and IOS Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Crest Coder had the ability to understand my exact needs for the project. They also where able to advise on best practices in the market when using API's which assisted us in sharpening our integrations and API's overall. They kept to their timelines regardless of the fact that it was scoped during the festive season and started the project to ensure delivery as per my requirement.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The understanding was excellent. Even though they are from a different part of the world where English is not their first language . We where able to communicate easily and concisely when it came to the needed information and explanation of the products integration. Communication was the best .

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They where not dogmatic in their approach. They where flexible enough to allow their team to change the flows as prescribed by myself and implemented the exact flows and processes I wanted for my product. They also where knowledgeable about the best practices in the industry as well as the release process of the app.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Upfront engagement could have been immediate one on one with myself and the developer it would help to get my ideas across quicker. Once that was established the project flowed well and was delivered as promised.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Kuwait based firm with objectives of Global investment & financial consulting services. Holding position of Group CFO - Chief Financial Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Project: ECards which sales online gift cards like amazon, itunes, android, PUBG etc. Company is launching eCommerce applications globally and Crest Coder were dedicated for applications and website - selling online gift cards . Services are amazing and quality of works were amazing . We are completely satisfied with the services and the whole team were very supportive and offering wonderful ideas during the development process. Our projects consisting various integrations i.e. inventory from many different firms , payment, live currency etc.

SOLUTION

How did you select Crest Coder and what were the deciding factors?

Crest Coder we selected among various developers as during the drafting process we were satisfied with their innovative ideas.

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

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

I have communicated with 4 of them for diffrent issues and all of them were very good in their job.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have not experienced and bad outcomes from this firm.

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

It was always very organized, both parties list out their discussion notes and communicate at once and exchange thei ideas by emails and skype or sometime via confrence calls.

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

They were very energetic and innovative. They always provided us with considerable professional advice.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wish they also open for sundays.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of a New Zealand based startup that is focusing on promoting a natural lifestyle based on circadian rhythms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Crest Coder?

We engaged CrestCoder to develop a mobile app for the Android and Apple market.

What were your goals for this project?

To create a smooth app experience for the end-user without any glitches.

SOLUTION

How did you select Crest Coder?

We talked to various companies in the marketplace based on reviews they received on clutch.co. We decided to go with CrestCoder because we had the strongest personal connection with them and they were also the most competitive with their offer.

Describe the project in detail.

We went through a long design process with many iterations where CrestCroder provided valuable input. After the first stages of project development, we started to test functionality in an agile way and made adjustments as needed.

We also included various change requests in order to meet our high demands for functionality and design perfection. Once we were completely satisfied and had resolved all issues we launched our app to the stores.

What was the team composition?

We only worked with Maulik as the project manager. He managed the Android, iOS and backend developers in the background. This was we just had a single point of contact which made working together much easier and effective!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Only a week after release and we received only 5-star reviews in both the App and Play Store. No crashes are occurring so far and we are very happy to have a stable product that the users appreciate.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We almost communicated with the project manager daily and had skype calls when necessary. We had set up a software for logging and resolving tasks and issues which worked well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The dedication of CrestCoder team was very impressive. They worked tirelessly to meet our demands and did not rest until we were absolutely satisfied. Cannot thank them enough.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Sometimes it took a few iterations to get things resolved, this could have been more efficient. Other than that we are very happy with the work delivered.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a development company in South Africa. We build websites, mobile apps, chatbots and any other custom software our clients might require.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Crest Coder?

We hired Crest coder to create a custom insurance webapp and mobile app. The client wanted a simple solution to allow people to insure trucks and plant equipment.

But not only that, the client must be able to switch between comprehensive insurance (while the item is OUt of the yard, and limited insurance while the item is IN the yard.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a simple solution for the management of the insurance of Trucks and Plant equipment (construction eqipment). A solution that the end user could manage without having to even deal with a broker or underwriter.

SOLUTION

How did you select Crest Coder?

I have worked with Crest coder in the past on other small projects. I knew they were right for this project because I get personal attention from start to end. And I know they always produce the goods!

Describe the project in detail.

We now have Laravel webapp which will manage the entire process from registration (of clients or brokers), to quoting for both limited and comprehensive insurance, to management of insured items.

We also have a native Android and iPhone app which will allow for the management of "comprehensive" or "limited" insurance, per insured item, at the click of a switch in the app.

What was the team composition?

From our side we had a designer who supplied the basic layouts. I designed the flow of the webapp and mobile app. Crest coder supplier the technical team to build the webapp and the mobile app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project has progressed exactly as planned from the start. Crest coder sticks to the schedule we agreed. well, actually they are usually a little ahead of where I expect hem to be!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow has been great. Crest coder has a great understanding of what we are trying to achieve and constantly give us great suggestions and ideas.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The personal attention, the attention to detail and the speed of dvelopment.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No