Digital Mettle

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Sensible Data Solutions, and we keep networks running.

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Mettle?

Our clients often want us to provide additional services that we don’t have the expertise on, so I brought Digital Mettle onboard to get involved in that.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We contract work to them that our clients need done. Sometimes that’s custom software or linking their website to an inventory or accounting system. They’re a Microsoft shop, so they generally work with .NET framework. They also use SQL if they’re designing a database application. However, they’ve also dipped their toes into other programs that they’re less familiar with. They also help us maintain the systems and go back and fix things when needed.

They recently created a reservation system for one of our clients. We’re the network provider for a restaurant, and they weren’t able to figure out why they couldn’t use an online reservation system. When we looked into it, we found that most restaurants have a fixed number of seats. Our customer, on the other hand, redesigned their layout based on the reservations they had each night. As a result, they had a lot of variation—some nights they could fit 650 people in, and other nights only 450.

We posed this challenge to Digital Mettle and they created an algorithm that could be used to adjust for big and small parties. Then, they connected it to a reservation service.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Brian (Founder 7 Software Architect, Digital Mettle) and Jason (Founder, Lead Consultant). Though, we’ve worked with other programmers in the past. For small projects, they might do it on their own, but sometimes we have 6–7 people working on the project.

How did you come to work with Digital Mettle?

Years ago, we were looking for a partner to help us with a video projection project for one of our clients. Brian and Jason were working with another company and they gave us a quote. We decided to go with them. Then, they decided to start their own company and we continued to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $650,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2001 and our engagement is ongoing.

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

We always go back to them because they make our clients happy. In the past, I never recommended programmers because their work reflected on my company. But when it comes to Digital Mettle, I trust they’re going to do a really good job. We don’t have to worry about being dragged down—if anything, they’ll bring us up.

How did Digital Mettle perform from a project management standpoint?

They always provide accurate timeframes, while other programmers I’ve worked with commit to a timeline and can’t deliver. I appreciate their honesty because I have a more accurate representation for the customer. We’ve had companies come back to us when the partner they chose can’t deliver results in the allotted time.

During a major project, I’ll visit their offices and we’ll go over things on a whiteboard. We also have a call every week and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re not afraid to go outside their comfort zone to deliver what’s needed for the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This may be nit-picky, but they could improve their communication skills. I work around it by asking more specific questions and taking on that role in our partnership.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be involved and know your customers’ requirements. By knowing what our customers expect, you can manage communication easier.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I worked in information systems at Youth for Change.

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Mettle, LLC?

At the time, a division of Youth for Change called Strategies had a client scheduling system through which people could register for events conducted around the country. The company that had provided the database went out of business on short notice. We needed a partner to help build a new database on a short timeline.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Essentially, Digital Mettle, LLC developed a replacement for our client management system. Initially, we talked to them about two main routes for solving the problem. One route was to develop a new system from scratch. The second route was to open source a platform to modify based on our needs. Due to time constraints, we ended up going with the second solution. Their team adapted a system developed with PHP, bringing together pieces of our old product to build a new database. The system had to manage a complicated set of facilities around the country that we used for meetings. Their team integrated a scheduling component to ensure that events and calendars didn’t overlap. They also implemented a billing component because a lot of our clients paid for the session to run.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with Brian (Technology Consultant and Custom Software Architect, Digital Mettle, LLC) and Jason (Founder, Digital Mettle, LLC) for the most part. They collaborated with several subcontractors on the project, but we didn’t interact with them directly.

How did you come to work with Digital Mettle, LLC?

I’ve known of Digital Mettle, LLC since the late ’90s and had success working with them previously. Their team was available and able to help us on a short timeline, which was incredible because it’s often hard to get people to be that flexible.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $120,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We collaborated on this project between January 2014–March 2015.

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

There was minimal impact on the business. We only had a few months of an outage, which would’ve been much worse without them. Our team was happy with the feedback received from Digital Mettle, LLC. They were open to comments and responded to requests for changes quickly.

How did Digital Mettle, LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed really well. In the beginning, we had to decide on how to move forward with the system. Essentially, I gave them a pile of specs and a short time to analyze the content. Jason came back with good suggestions for ways to put existing tools into our environment and modify them. He presented really good options, laid them out nicely, and talked about the timelines that would be affected by following different routes. From the beginning, they were on top of things. Their team communicated throughout the process. We rarely went more than a week without interacting with them and providing feedback on the product.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The original database was not fully intact. We had pieces of a client database and previous bookings. This was a system that had to be substantially reverse engineered and Digital Mettle, LLC was able to bring almost all the data back into the new system. Their ability to retrieve a significant amount of data was impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I put this more on my team, but Digital Mettle, LLC could’ve coordinated with our specs more tightly or not move forward on aspects of the database without them. But my team was all over the place during the first few months.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you want when you come into the collaboration. If you can clearly define what you want, you’ll get the results you want. Digital Mettle, LLC will provide you with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We offer a SaaS product that specializes in the production and maintenance of USPS certified mail. I'm the founder, CEO, and a co-managing member of the business.

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Mettle, LLC?

We needed to create a front- and backend for our website for our new business.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They've been a consistent partner for many years. They built the entire backend of our system from scratch, and we co-designed the user interface, which they developed. They serve as our IT team, and they handle all our technology needs, excepting our ongoing frontend development. Everything else is under their purview.

What is the team composition?

At the beginning, we worked directly with their two principals. They have a good understanding and knowledge of our system.

How did you come to work with Digital Mettle, LLC?

They came to us through a referral. A friend suggested them right after they started their business.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent over $320,000 for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in summer 2005, and we continue to communicate on a daily basis. They still design, implement, and maintain services within the website.

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

Overall, the quality of their work is excellent. Like any ongoing IT project, transitions and implementations can be challenging, but we have nothing but praise for them. Over a fourteen-year relationship, they've become close business partners.

How did Digital Mettle, LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

They're excellent project managers. We're in constant contact by phone or email, and we're close enough geographically to meet face to face for planning. They have a useful development portal that we use, and we only meet in person on occasion.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I've had a long career, and I've watched programming change over time. Throughout our relationship, they've never failed to deliver on any of my requests. They have a great knowledge of web services, design, and functionality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We would love to finish projects faster, but we understand that we're not their only client. They're very responsive, and they do a very good job. The length of our relationship is a testament to the quality of their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They continue to grow and expand their resources and expertise. If you hope to build an IT solution from scratch, or if you want to change your existing products, take the time to thoroughly discuss your project and requirements with them. They have a high level of personal and professional integrity.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Legato Medical Systems, founded by Dr. William Dengler, is a medical consulting firm that specializes in heartburn and GERD disease. We collaborate with physicians and hospitals around the country to develop heartburn treatment centers. I’m Dr. Dengler’s partner and a registered nurse at the business.

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Mettle, LLC?

Since our conception in 2001, we’ve offered a web-based application for patient management. We initially reached out to Jason (Founder, Digital Mettle, LLC) to develop the software, and he’s continued to enhance the platform with new features.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Jason created a disease-specific tool for nurses that allows for the day-to-day tracking of their patients. The team worked to ensure that the web app was HIPAA compliant. It allows users to keep up with appointments, complete patient surveys, and look at their medical records. Digital Mettle consistently provides updates and revisions to the long-standing system, based on user feedback.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Jason. I know he has others on his team working on the application.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the years, we’ve spent about $127,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We were one of his first clients when we first approached him in 2001. We have an ongoing relationship since then, and we’re currently on the third version of the software.

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

Our company wouldn’t be complete without this software. It’s a tool that many of our nurses and hospitals find to be very valuable. Most of our users find that it makes their job easier.

How did Digital Mettle perform from a project management standpoint?

Jason’s very straightforward about giving me a price and a timeframe to implement a necessary revision. He’s open to talking about any issue, through e-mail or on the phone. There are sometimes slight delays in his responsiveness because he’s so busy, but it’s never been a major problem. He usually gets right on it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really appreciate Jason’s honesty, and how straightforward he is. He doesn’t have any hidden agenda; that sort of frankness is very valuable in this field. He’s an honest man who will give you a fair price and, consequently, peace of mind.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There have been a couple of times where he was a little tardy in responding to my emails. Although he’s missed a few communications, he’s still very available and collaborative.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Speech Advantage works with professionals who speak English as a second language and helps them with their English pronunciation. I am the founder, owner, and lead trainer. Together with a talented developer from Wisconsin, we developed an accent reduction training software called Accent Freedom. It was a very detailed project with over 5,000 embedded audios, recording systems, student area, and instructor area.

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Mettle, LLC?

When Speech Advantage's original developer of a custom software (Accent Freedom) left his company, I was scrambling to find a team that could take over the maintenance and new developments of this highly detailed software. This was no easy task. After the original developer quit, I rapidly went through 2 more developers who "tried and died." Digital Mettle jumped right in and was able to get up to speed learning my software in a short amount of time. They have responded to my e-mails and phone calls in a timely manner and been able to address all of the technical issues I put before them - even in an emergency on the weekends! I am so happy to have found Digital Mettle and would HIGHLY recommend them.

What were your goals for this project?

I needed a developer to take over and manage technical issues with my custom software. There was onboarding and now an ongoing working relationship.

How did you select this vendor?

I interviewed many many companies who frequently said they didn't have the skills or know the code of my software. It wasn't an easy task to find someone who could step in and take over already developed software. Digital Mettle was confident and extremely professional from the beginning. They asked good questions and just seemed to "get it" as to what I was using the software for as well as how the technical side worked.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

There was a period of onboarding where Digital Mettle learned how my custom software, Accent Freedom, was designed. We then had a few meetings, worked on updates, and they continue to be there when needed.

What was the team composition?

I met the entire team when I first started working with Digital Mettle but now I mostly work with Jason or Brian.

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

I wouldn't have the business that I do without this software and Digital Mettle SAVED me when I couldn't find a developer to handle the project.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was predictable and on time from the start.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive thing that I found with Digital Mettle was their ability to step in where someone else left off. They were easily able to understand the project and what needed to be done.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I have found! Great company!

Please describe your company and your position there.

Cal-ISBOA is a state-wide organization that supports independent school business officers. I serve as the Member Benefits Coordinator.

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Mettle, LLC?

Digital Mettle was instrumental in implementing an SSO integration between Wild Apricot AMS to Dynamic Benchmarking. They were very professional and timely.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to complete the integration by the deadline, which we did and also have our members experience a seamless flow from our website into the survey platform. Everything worked out beautifully.

How did you select this vendor?

This vendor was recommended to use by Dynamic Benchmarking.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They worked to extra the API from Wild Apricot and connect it to the API key for Dynamic Benchmarking. This included the need to write specific code to determine which pieces of information were brought through the SSO and have they would populate into the survey platform. They also needed to test the function in a sandbox site on each platform before moving to the live sites.

What was the team composition?

The project was headed by myself and Jason MacEntee. We consulted with the lead developer of Dynamic Benchmarking as well.

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

The success of this project was integral to the proper functioning of the overall survey platform. The SSO integration provided an easy entry into one of our most popular member benefits, our Annual Survey, so it was essential that the project was successful. Digital Mettle made sure to deliver.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was professional and well-executed. We kept on top of the schedule and communicated with all involved in a timely and efficient manner.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Jason was very easy to work with. He described the project in easy-to-understand terms and he was honest and unpretentious. Jason makes it about the client and the project, not about his company or his independent needs

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is very little to improve. Our needs were met.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a professional Association with more than 270 member organizations. I am the Executive Director and work with one additional staff member. We outsource critical projects and rely on our contractors to deliver on-time and effective solutions with little support from us.

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Mettle, LLC?

We hired Digital Mettle to develop single sign on capability for a new platform that all our members would use to access our most valuable member benefit.

What were your goals for this project?

Our members needed to smoothly move from our website to our new survey platform. Member contacts had various levels of permissions within the same organization and we needed to be able to control this from our Association Management System. This involved working with the AMS as well as the platform provider.

How did you select this vendor?

We received several recommendation via the survey platform developer as well as through ASAE. After talking with several, we felt that Digital Mettle understood best understood our goals, our staffing and the level of support we need as well as our tight timeline.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, developed, tested and implemented a bridge to connect the AMS with the survey platform. this included providing various levels of permissions for our member contact users that directed each person to the appropriate survey platform.

What was the team composition?

Digital Mettle had a project lead who worked with our staff person in charge of the website. They both coordinated the work with the AMS and the lead tech person for the survey platform.

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

80% of our members have accessed the platform using the SSO. We have had no complaints and everyone is very pleased. Little glitches were discovered during the Beta testing and taken care of promptly. Seemless to our the end user!

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

All deadlines were met (in a very tight time table). Digital Mettle was understanding and responsive!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are good listeners and very responsive. They were very good at translating the tech needs into terms we could understand and they were always willing to push for the right solution.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is nothing that I can think of.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide consulting services to Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Contract Research Organizations (CROs) within the commercial drug development market. Our services are focused on helping our clients deliver high quality and cost effective programming and data services in support of the clinical trials and new therapies approval process. My role is to help develop and deliver effective solutions via our people/process and technology offerings for our target clients.

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Mettle, LLC?

We believe their is a better, faster and more efficient way to deliver data and organize it for submission to the FDA in the clinical trial approval process. We have developed an open source solution to help accelerate the organization and submission of this clinical trial data. Digital Mettle was hire to help us review our design, application work flow and lead the deployment of the application.

What were your goals for this project?

The application and overall solution was developed in-house with our subject matter experts and we were looking for an efficient way to bring the application to a selection of clients in the cloud environment.

How did you select this vendor?

We had been looking for a local team and knew of the key leadership at Digital Mettle from shared business contacts and they have had a strong track record of delivery and tenure in business specifically in all aspects of custom software development, deployment and on-going support.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The Digital Mettle team reviewed our application design, development and deployment model. They provided cloud deployment and support as they led the transition for the application from a test environment to a client demonstration environment. They help train and document the deployment and support plan for the application. In addition they suggested a product road map construct for future releases.

What was the team composition?

The initial project team had 3 total resources for the deployment effort then we were able to scale down as the application use/deployment model matured.

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

We have been able to utilize this deployment to several of our largest clients and the process has enabled us to grow our services revenue within these key clients. We were able to meet the timelines and significantly enhance our relationship with our largest client thanks to Digital Mettle.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had one key lead on the Project Management side and this was an efficient way to handle the project based on the duration of the engagement.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The speed and turnaround of the deployment was the most impressive and the deep knowledge of application development saved our team significant time in this project. Digital Mettle had a super tight deadline and they delivered!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Only area which can help from more a buyer would be to make sure you engage Digital Mettle upfront. Specifically that is get their team involved early and invest in helping the Digital Mettle team understand the goal and business outcome you are trying to achieve.

We were fortunate to spend time upfront with Digital Mettle's overall business value and their insight into the overall software development cycle was and continues to be outstanding. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

Education & Resources Director for non-profit trade association providing support to independent rental housing providers in the State of Washington.

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Mettle, and what were your goals?

Our organization uses an Association Management System, similar to CMS, but specifically designed for associations. This system provides access to various levels of login access based on membership dues. We wanted to provide access to a separate learning management system through SSO, and based on membership level, assign users to different groups within the LMS.

How did you select Digital Mettle and what were the deciding factors?

Digital Mettle was recommended as a third party developer who had worked with our AMS (Novi) in the past. They submitted a reasonable detailed proposal that we accepted.

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

I met with founder Jason Mac Entee virtually to review the scope of work and determine a course of action. I worked with him to provide access to the two web applications we were connecting (Novi and SAP-Litmos) and set up test profiles in each application.

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

I only worked with Digital Mettle founder and Lead Consultant, Jason.

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

Jason was able to set up the SSO and group assignment quickly with minimal input. After implementing the SSO, our users began seeing an intermittent, unexplained error on the SAP Litmos side. We were eventually able to set up an SAML Tracer that I could use to capture the error details as it was happening. Once he had this information, he was able to quickly correct the problem.

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

Casual, easy to work with. Good follow up on troubleshooting after implementation.

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

Willingness to put in extra time to troubleshoot problem after project was completed and implemented.

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

Only that it would have been nice to catch and fix the error before implementation, but working with the LMS company (SAP-Litmos) was challenging.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our software alerts recipients with the inbound management of packages delivered to apartment leasing offices, businesses, and others. As CEO, I have worked with many develop companies over the past decade.

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Mettle?

Complete SaaS application management, software development, maintenance, bug fixes, and new project development.

What were your goals for this project?

Maintain, limit bugs, operate efficiently, find an expert to support us for the long run.

How did you select this vendor?

We reached out to our technology network and scoured the internet for a multitude of options. We narrowed down our choices to three companies, and Digital Mettle was far superior.

Describe the project in detail.

Complete SaaS application management, software development, maintenance, bug fixes, and new project development.

What was the team composition?

Our team is comprised of a Division Director, Assistant Manager, Sales Member, and participation from company CEO. Division Director and Assistant Manager are primary contacts for clients.

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

We had great success in learning about our software, poorly crafted patches (from other developers) and the need for some updates. We were very happy with the outcome and learning that occurred within such a short period.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Great work flow. Great communication. As long as our team provided enough detail, Digital Mettle was able to find and repair bug fixes as needed. Our legacy product previously had a lot of hands in it. Digital Mettle did a good job managing those difficulties.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Knowledge! Jason and the team were incredibly knowledgable and quick to understand our needs (from multiple angles). We were quite impressed from the moment we met them, to our in-person meeting, to all other communications.

Are there any areas for improvement?

A more robust ticketing tool. This was not a hinderance, but it would help for better communication. We did not have a communication problem (by email), but a ticketing system would allow for a consolidated location and to have an idea of hours used (for budgeting purposes). Again, no real concerns here, it would just be an improvement.