Cypher Incorporated

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an IT administrator for Ma Vie International, a financial investment company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cypher Incorporated?

We needed help with building a web application for our company. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cypher Incorporated built a web application for us. We’re a new type of investment strategy and a project like this hasn’t really been done before, so we couldn’t use a basic template. The application had to include several regulated aspects and because of the laws surrounding the investment, members needed to fulfill certain requirements as well in order to adhere to regulations and prevent solicitation and such.

We had a basic idea of what we wanted to begin with, which we ran with for a few months. We were quite happy with the progress, but when the time came to consider the regulations, we had a long discussion about how we had to proceed. This also meant that the system needed updates, changes, and modifications.

Since the investment portfolio side is actually handled by a different team, we had to incorporate their wireframes. On our side, we provided the landing page, the member registration format, and the personalized email invitations from members that have gone through the testing system. It’s a closed-loop frontend landing page system.

For example, if I’m a member, in order for someone else to come on board, such as someone in my family, I have to carry out a series of questions, tests, and contracts so that the company is protected and I am protected from regulations. By doing that, I can open up access to sending an invitation. I would log into the client-side, put in the person’s details and how I know them, and send an invitation out to them which comes from the system, which allows them to register and add information without having to pay anything. Once they’re registered, they can then learn about the company before deciding to fill out the application and the company follows up with the process from there.

Cypher Incorporated added access restrictions and an email verification system. They also put in an admin panel that allows us to make small changes and send out broadcast emails. On top of that, there are quite a few things we can do ourselves, such as email tracking.

What is the team composition?

I’m mostly in contact with Rajesh (Founder, Cypher Incorporated). If there are any issues, he will often take care of them immediately, which has been quite helpful.

How did you come to work with Cypher Incorporated?

It wasn’t my department’s job to select them. I do know that there was someone in the company that knew of Cypher Incorporated and gave me their contact. From there, I gave them a call and we chatted. We understood each other quite well and hit it off from the get-go.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent between $4,000–$5,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on this project with them in November 2017, and the collaboration is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The system is working very nicely, and the clients that are coming on board are quite impressed with the system. While there are some features at the bottom of the menu which aren’t accessible yet because we’re still in deliberation, the overall functionality has been running perfectly for many months.

The only thing we’ve had to change was one of the questions that the clients have to answer. Other than that, we really haven’t had any problems and there has been no downtime or lag. It has been quite efficient, and members have just breezed through the system.

How did Cypher Incorporated perform from a project management standpoint?

We were using a type of task program, but lately, we’ve been mostly using Skype and email because it’s just more efficient. We work very fast, so going back to a task board wastes a little bit of time for us. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The main thing we appreciate about them is their understanding. Even though there are some language differences between us, we can still understand each other very well. Rajesh and I both have a technical background, so I do comprehend what he is working on and talking about, which makes things more efficient. He has a lot of respect for our requests, and even if it is something difficult, we can work it out.

We had worked with someone else before and it eventually became too difficult to collaborate with them because they were taking too long. When they eventually did produce something, it wasn’t at all what we were trying to achieve. I have not had any of those problems with Rajesh.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had one or two instances where we struggled to understand each other, but at the end of the day, we achieved a good understanding between us. Out of all the people I have dealt with, they are the most efficient by far. We’ve stuck with them and it has been brilliant.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When laying out the work, make sure the priorities are understood between the two parties. Clients need to pay attention to that in the beginning and keep Cypher Incorporated up to date with any future changes.