Differenz System

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I manage new customer acquisition and technical support for a company that connects people with digital methods of ensuring that employees are paid correctly on time. We developed a web-based software and mobile applications to assist agencies in becoming paperless.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Differenz System?

We were looking to design a mobile app to connect with our web app. At the time, we had developed something in-house that wasn’t expertly created. We decided to reach out to them for a better solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built iOS and Android mobile apps from the ground up that connected with our existing web app. Because we saw early success with them, we decided to keep them on our team to bulk up our mobile solutions over time.

Additionally, they provided some HTML work. All of our current projects are complete, but we plan on contracting them in 2020 to implement some of our web features on the mobile apps.

What is the team composition?

We had one point person with them. That project managed a team of engineers and ensured that everyone was on the same page throughout the development. That way, we could liaise with our team to create a solution that best fit our needs.

How did you come to work with Differenz System?

We found them on a platform in which they were listed against other development service providers. Our team was impressed with their pricing structure because it allowed us to do more with our project. We were less limited because of our choice. They were also prompt in their replies, eager to meet our needs.

How much have you invested with them?

To date, we’ve spent about $100,000 with them. Their services cost us about $10,000 each month. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between 2017–2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Internally, we enjoy the design and functionality of the final apps. We feel that their work is visually appealing, clean, and relevant. Their natural design acumen was impressive and pleasing. 

Their work has made us more competitive in the marketplace. The mobile app is something that current and potential customers wanted to see from our company. Now that we have them operating at a high level, we’ve been able to acquire new business and keep our current customers happy.

How did Differenz System perform from a project management standpoint?

We used shared Google Documents to manage the project and features. While we didn’t have official deadlines for the project, they were focused and intentional in working on our timeline. If something needed to be changed, they were helpful and asked the right questions to reach a solution.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of professionalism was consistent from the top down. Our project manager was personable, friendly, and keen on creating momentum. The turnaround time was impressive, likely due to their experience in the field.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We plan on redesigning a few things they incorporated into our web app. That isn’t a knock on the quality of their work, but rather the direction we want to take the product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of an IT consultancy that regularly outsources mobile development projects which we receive as part of larger work contracts. We are active across Europe, Northern America, and East Asia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Differenz System?

We outsourced the creation of a customer-facing mobile application to them.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to have the app developed with little input from our end and high adherence to the specifications.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We posted a job on a popular outsourcing website and were approached by the vendor. The pitch they provided was the best fit for our requirements so we started them on a small sample task. Since that task was completed to our satisfaction, we handed the entire task over to them.

Describe the project in detail.

The app is written in Xamarin and, while broadly following an MVC pattern, required a lot of custom content. We provided them with XD files and spreadsheets of tasks and left the details to their project manager.

What was the team composition?

A project manager was our main point of contact. We then set up paying work contracts with several members of the company through the outsourcing website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team implemented complex workflows with virtually no input from our side. Apart from minor tweaks, we could always ship the product to the final customer in the state that we received it in.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

All of our communications went through the project manager who was always punctual, friendly and competent.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

That we can give them a task, leave them alone and come back to a working product. This is an extremely rare skill among outsourcing developers.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Short of the PM learning German (which I explicitly do not expect), there is nothing else they could have done to make the process any easier for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a manager for Sygnal Automation, a manufacturer of electronic controls for air conditioning and lighting systems.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Differenz System?

We needed to develop a labor and part management system for our production line. It had to be able to schedule our labor and ensure we had enough parts to build what we needed to build on the production line.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the system themselves from scratch based on our specification that said what we wanted it to be able to do. They built a database and hosted it on AWS so all our users can access it at the same time. The tool allows us to put in the skills people need to perform each part of the assembly for each product, as well as what parts are needed.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people.  

How did you come to work with Differenz System?

They seemed to understand the project straightaway. We had a few people look at it, and Differenz System’s price was very reasonable.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $25,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March 2014 until August 2015.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we put production orders in, the system lets us know in advance if we have shortages in labor or parts and how to address them. We have products that can contain up to 100 components, so being out of one component can shut down the whole production line.

Beforehand, everything was manual. Now, we have an automated system that takes care of all the problems changed our business dramatically. We’re able to avoid major roadblocks and hiccups in getting our products out in the marketplace. It helps us schedule ahead.

How did Differenz System perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re communicative and good at keeping us up to date. We hardly use them now because we have so few issues with the server, but they still let us know about holidays coming up and tell us if they’re not going to be available in advance.

What did you find most impressive about them?

If I had a problem, since I’m not a technical person, I could give them an outline of how they’d do it. They’d come back with lots of options for me, including cost considerations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. I was very impressed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of a startup developing my own app for travel and tours.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Differenz System?

I wanted to develop an app that allows users to take self-guided tours with the ability to edit and save routes, build detours, and share their routes with others.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app started out as a pretty simple idea, but as I’ve worked with Differenz System over the course of the last year, it’s evolved to include more and more options in the developer platform. They’ve provided more and more support in terms of the functionalities of the app in iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

I talked to three members of their team primarily, one of whom worked on Android, one on iOS, and one managing the backend database.

How did you come to work with Differenz System?

From the beginning, I liked how flexible and well-priced they were. When I looked at other ratings where I found them originally, they had a lot of good reviews, so I decided to go with them.

When I was choosing them, I was talking to multiple companies. The thing that I liked about them is that they were a full development company and had developed a lot of different apps in the past.

They had experience working with different areas and they already had some code developed, so they’d be able to develop a little faster and would know how to integrate things on iPhone and Android as well as AWS and Google Maps.

I thought that was a really good asset because they had more experience but were also very affordable. It’s my own personal project, so I was the only one responsible for choosing.

How much have you invested with them?

My total investment so far has been a little over $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in September 2018 and are continuing to work on the project together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have totally solid metrics as I’m launching next month, but I am really satisfied with how everything works and the testing and development phase as a whole. They’ve been very patient with me and very committed to the project.

How did Differenz System perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very good at communicating. Since we’re in different time zones, we generally have a morning every morning when I get up, and at night, they send me messages about what they need for that day. They break down every process and then systematically set deadlines for each step. They almost always stick to that schedule, but if they don’t it’s because they ran into a problem and they are very clear about communicating that as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their billing structure is something I really appreciate about them as compared to other developers. Sometimes people will quote you a certain number of hours and then raise that number if they run into a problem. Differenz system will always bill you the amount they initially quote you for, regardless of how long it takes them to finish it, and I really like that aspect of them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything that I wish they did differently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a Mindfulness mobile application catered for the corporate world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Differenz System?

We hire Differenz System to develop, maintain and update our mobile application and related back-end systems.

What were your goals for this project?

To provide our customers with the best possible experience when introducing mindfulness to their organisation.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The vendor was introduced to us via word of mouth.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, developed and launched the mobile application and related back-end administration systems. All systems are continuously being maintained and updated by Differenz System based on provided designs.

What was the team composition?

The team is composed of a project lead, serving as the main interface between us and the development team; and a team of developers ranging from 4 to 6 depending on the workload in a given month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our business rests entirely on a functioning mobile application. The team at Differenz System has been amazing at solving any arising issue in a timely manner; and proposing improvements when and where possible.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

A project lead serves as the main interface between us and the development team; which makes for a very smooth and effective process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team has been continuously great at finishing the required work on time, without any surprises at the end. Once a roadmap has been defined, you can trust Differenz System to deliver.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a real estate software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Differenz System?

We hired them for development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Differenz System is developing our software for mobile and web. They used between 4–5 technologies including Node.js and MySQL.

What is the team composition? 

We’ve worked with anywhere from 2–16 team members.

How did you come to work with Differenz System?

I started out with three service providers, and Differenz System ended up having the best team, so I awarded them the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them on September 2017, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The software is still in development, but things look good so far.

How did Differenz System perform from a project management standpoint?

Shyamsunder (Project Manager, Differenz System) does a great job.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They work fast and got a lot done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Artist of Noble Studio

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Art production

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Differenz System to accomplish?

• Development of app-based artwork
• Ongoing app maintenance

SOLUTION

How did you find Differenz System?

Online Search

Why did you select Differenz System over others?

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

How many teammates from Differenz System were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Develop and maintain an app-based solution to trigger a time- and site-specific audio file at 70 international tower and skyscraper locations

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

App was featured in the inaugural NGV Triennial, Melbourne, Australia. App has been running consistently on iOS and Android since 2016, across multiple updates.

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

Items are delivered on time according to agreed deadlines, supported by consistent, responsive communication.

What was your primary form of communication with Differenz System?

Email or Messaging App

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

They exemplified excellent customer service.

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

No improvements needed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of Faith to Faith Face to Face

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Live streaming

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Differenz System to accomplish?

• Mobile Apps
• Web Site
• Sever configuration

SOLUTION

How did you find Differenz System?

Online Search

Why did you select Differenz System over others?

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

How many teammates from Differenz System were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Creation of Mobile apps
• administration back end
• website development 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Working Apps
• Functioning Websites

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

Always ontime delivery. Excellent communication

What was your primary form of communication with Differenz System?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their superb communication and rapid response to needs are unique. 

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of NIP

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We operate a digital market research platform for the global alcohol beverage ecosystem. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Differenz System to accomplish?

• develop aws & salesforce backend
• develop android and ios front end app

SOLUTION

How did you find Differenz System?

Online Search

Why did you select Differenz System over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Differenz System were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

• Develop Mobile Applications for Android/iOS - Consumer Experience, Retailer Experience
• Develop server less backend architecture - AWS Amplify with Salesforce

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Salesforce was able to communicate with AWS in real-time and at the same time mobile application with AWS.

What was your primary form of communication with Differenz System?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their response time was fast, and their ability to understand the scope and make progress independently.

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

No. The work was great. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Be Actiiv

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Be Actiiv connects users with local activities and helps businesses promote their services, making it easy to discover and book experiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Differenz System to accomplish?

• Create a user friendly app

SOLUTION

How did you find Differenz System?

Online Search

Why did you select Differenz System over others?

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

How many teammates from Differenz System were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Scope of Work for Be Actiiv App Development

1. Project Planning & Initial Setup

Milestones:

 • 1.1 Requirement Gathering & Analysis:
 • Deliverables:
 • Detailed project requirements document.
 • Technical feasibility analysis.
 • Finalized project roadmap and timeline.
 • 1.2 Wireframes & UI/UX Design:
 • Deliverables:
 • Low-fidelity wireframes for each screen.
 • High-fidelity mockups (with branding, colors, fonts).
 • Prototype demonstrating user flow.
 • Design approval.
 • 1.3 Technical Setup:
 • Deliverables:
 • Development environment setup.
 • Git repository for version control.
 • Initial project setup (frontend & backend).

2. Core Functionalities Development

Milestones:

 • 2.1 User Authentication & Profiles:
 • Deliverables:
 • User registration and login functionality (email, Google, Facebook).
 • Profile creation and management (including profile picture upload, personal details).
 • Role-based access (user vs. business owner).
 • 2.2 Activity Listings & Search:
 • Deliverables:
 • Database setup for storing activities.
 • Search functionality (by location, category, popularity).
 • Filter options (e.g., by price, rating, distance).
 • Detailed activity pages with descriptions, images, and videos.
 • 2.3 Business Sign-Up & Management:
 • Deliverables:
 • Business account creation.
 • Business dashboard for managing listings.
 • Activity creation and management (including scheduling, pricing, availability).
 • Payment integration for businesses to subscribe to premium plans.

3. Social & Community Features

Milestones:

 • 3.1 Review System:
 • Deliverables:
 • User rating and review system for activities.
 • Review moderation (admin interface to approve/report reviews).
 • Display average ratings on activity pages.
 • Notification to businesses when a new review is posted.
 • 3.2 Messaging System:
 • Deliverables:
 • Direct messaging between users and businesses.
 • Chat interface with features like attachments (images, documents).
 • Notification system for new messages.
 • Admin controls for monitoring conversations.
 • 3.3 What’s Hot / Featured Categories:
 • Deliverables:
 • Algorithm to determine trending activities (based on engagement, bookings).
 • Admin panel to manually feature activities.
 • Display “What’s Hot” and “Featured” categories prominently on the home screen.
 • Regular updates to keep content fresh.

4. Content & Marketing Tools

Milestones:

 • 4.1 Promotions & Discounts:
 • Deliverables:
 • Functionality for businesses to create discount codes.
 • Integration of promotions with the checkout process.
 • Display of active promotions on the activity pages.
 • Tracking of promotion usage and effectiveness.
 • 4.2 Blog & News Section:
 • Deliverables:
 • CMS for adding and managing blog posts.
 • Integration of blog with the app’s home screen.
 • Commenting system for user engagement.
 • SEO optimization for content discoverability.

5. App Testing & Optimization

Milestones:

 • 5.1 Quality Assurance (QA) Testing:
 • Deliverables:
 • Unit testing for individual components.
 • Integration testing for combined functionalities.
 • User acceptance testing (UAT) with a selected group of users.
 • Bug tracking and resolution.
 • 5.2 Performance Optimization:
 • Deliverables:
 • App speed and performance testing.
 • Optimization of database queries and API responses.
 • User experience (UX) testing for smooth navigation.
 • Final round of fixes and optimizations.

6. Deployment & Post-Launch

Milestones:

 • 6.1 Deployment to App Stores:
 • Deliverables:
 • App submission to iOS App Store and Google Play Store.
 • Compliance with store guidelines and requirements.
 • Final approval and go-live.
 • Backend server setup and deployment.
 • 6.2 Post-Launch Support & Iterations:
 • Deliverables:
 • Initial user feedback collection and analysis.
 • Release of version updates with bug fixes and minor improvements.
 • Ongoing support and maintenance.
 • Planning for future feature additions based on user feedback.

7. Documentation & Handover

Milestones:

 • 7.1 Comprehensive Documentation:
 • Deliverables:
 • Complete technical documentation.
 • User guides for app functionalities.
 • Admin and business owner manuals.
 • Codebase documentation.
 • 7.2 Final Handover:
 • Deliverables:
 • Transfer of all credentials and access rights.
 • Knowledge transfer session with the internal team.
 • Final project sign-off.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1. Successful Launch: Delivered a fully functional app on time, meeting all initial development goals.

2. Feature Deployment: Implemented key features like the review system, messaging platform, and "What's Hot" categories, all completed by specified milestones.

3. Performance: Achieved a 99.9% uptime with fast load times, ensuring a smooth user experience.

4. User Adoption: Integrated a seamless business sign-up process.

5. Scalability: Designed the app with a scalable architecture that supported a 200% increase in user traffic without performance degradation.

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

The project management was excellent—responsive, supportive, and consistently helpful throughout the process.

What was your primary form of communication with Differenz System?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their dedication to understanding our vision and delivering tailored solutions was exceptional.

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

They met our expectations well, but clearer timelines on certain milestones could have enhanced the process by providing more detailed timelines for each development milestone, it would have helped us better track progress and align our expectations with their delivery schedule.