Emergent Software

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the sales operations manager at Electromed, a medical device company that sells smart, high-frequency vests for chest wall isolation and therapy. I’m in charge of a lot of things in the company, but the three main things I handle are CRM administration, compensation, and territory analysis. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

We had two databases and wanted to eliminate one of them because it was an old system. Our team needed to push data into a single database in our sales team's CRM system. At that time, we were working with an IT consultant, but we weren’t satisfied with their opinion. As a result, we hired Emergent to find a better and more efficient way for us to do what we wanted.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Emergent has created a system that links data from one software to another. We’ve provided them with documentation, which they’ve manipulated to work correctly. They use Microsoft Azure to create this system. Our databases are on the Brightree platform, while our CRM is Microsoft Dynamics. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve consulted with Mark (CTO) and Tom (Software Solutions Engineer). Tom has been part of the project the whole time. Then, the three main people that work on the project are Jameson (Senior Project Manager), Zack (Senior Software Architect), and Ryan (Senior Software Engineer). 

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

We interviewed a couple of companies, and then one of our IT consultants referred Emergent to us. 

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested around $100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership started in September 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

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

Everything that we ask Emergent to do works 100%. The data-sync system they’ve created pulls the exact data that we want. We’ve experienced bugs, but the team has been responsive and has a great sense of urgency. They fix any bugs we find within the same day. 

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

There’s a night and day difference between Emergent and our previous IT consultant. Jameson is highly organized and has good agenda management every time we meet. He does a great job of keeping notes. There’s never an instance where he takes days to respond or doesn’t know what we’re talking about. He knows exactly what we need. 

Meanwhile, Zack seems to be the smartest human being I’ve ever met. He’s amazing at carrying out the code we need to ensure that our data sync works. He can also communicate their work to a person that doesn’t understand technical things. Overall, the team has been highly responsive, and working with all of them has been a pleasure. 

To manage the project, they use DevOps practices. We communicate via emails, phone calls, and Teams. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Emergent isn’t only responsive and urgent; they also have integrity — they do what they say, and they do it well. They don’t only consult with us to solve our problems; they also provide us with their expert opinions. It’s rare to find someone that does everything we ask. Overall, they’re truly reliable. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you can choose, ask for Jameson. Tom is a great person that coordinates everything, while Zack is a genius. Together, they make communication truly easy. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a marketing manager at People Driven Technology, Inc. We provide IT solutions and consulting services.

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

We hired Emergent Software to build our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Emergent Software team developed our website. After consulting with us on the platform we wanted to build it in, they set up to work on the design mockup and the implementation of Umbraco, which is where we host the website. Their team did all the necessary coding so that I can manage the content of the website easily. They also took care of the backend and UX/ UI design.

We’re going to work on a second phase next summer to implement more programs to the website.

What is the team composition?

We work with Broderick (Software Engineer), Chris (Senior Software Engineer), Jameson (Senior Project Manager), Jamie (CEO), and Kyle (Senior UX Designer). 

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

I knew Jamie because I had worked with him in the past. I reached out to him, and we decided to work together.

How much have you invested with them?

The contract was for about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2021, and it’s ongoing.

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

I’d give them a 10 out of 10. They took my vision and brought it to life, always helping me understand what was feasible and what wasn’t. I’m very excited about phase two of the project because we’ll further develop the website. The team has been fantastic — I have zero regrets. I don’t think I could’ve pulled this off without them.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They use different programs that make communication easy, thorough, and timely. They’re quick to respond should I reach out with any questions or thoughts, sometimes providing more information than necessary.

Everyone on their team has been excellent at keeping me in the loop and helping me understand what we can accomplish, which makes me confident about collaborating with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Working with them has been fun, and I can see that they enjoy working with me, too.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re looking to have a sophisticated website, you must work with them, no questions asked — it will save you time, money, and headaches.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of technology for Armor Security. We install CCTVs, alarms, and access controls for various companies.

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

We were trying to find something to kind of give us an edge over our competition. To do so, we wanted to build a software system that bridges the gap between POS data and video clip.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Emergent Software built the system from the ground up. The software system connects exception reports and POS data to video clips, allowing users to produce a video with a single click.  

What is the team composition?

I worked with Nick (Senior Account Executive) during the sales process. Jameson (Senior Project Manager) was my main point of contact and project manager. Now we’re working with Bob (Senior Project Manager), who oversees the maintenance of the software as we move forward.

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

Before hiring Emergent Software, we worked with another development company on this project. Although that partnership didn’t work out,  we wanted to use some of their work, so I began looking for developers that were familiar with the programming they used. I reached out to Emergent Software, and although they determined our initial approach wasn’t effective, they were clearly a great fit.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2020 and we wrapped up in March 2021.

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

The solution meets our needs. Emergent Software was able to implement a variety of ideas to streamline the project and improve the outcome. The solution has been working well and we have our first demo with a client tomorrow. We had a few bugs, but once they addressed them, everything went smoothly.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via email and had a weekly meeting. Jameson kept track of everything, made sure everything was up to date and provided updates on what they were working on.

They did a good job of preventing scope creep and staying on track. As things came up, they communicated what it would cost so we were never caught off guard.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with their expertise. We came to them with a unique idea, and they were able to find the best solution. From networking to programming, they had to overcome several different hurdles to make it all work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The transition from the development team to the maintenance team has not been great. A few things have been lost in the shuffle, but we’ve already addressed it with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of a digital agency that focuses on digital marketing, user experience, design, and development. I focus on technology and building websites out for our clients.

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

We were working with a client that had some pretty complex requirements for a website they were building. It required a lot of integrations, external systems, and server compatibility. We worked with Emergent Software to identify what CMS would be the best fit. Eventually, we chose Umbraco. We’d worked with the system before, but we didn’t have a ton of experience with it. We needed expert help.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Emergent Software provided all of the backend development on our client’s Ubraco CMS. We provided all of the frontend development, UX, and design.

What is the team composition?

We worked with an account manager as our main point of contact. We also worked with multiple people from the engineering team as well as a backend architect. Additionally, we worked with a QA team.  

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

We had a prior relationship with Emergent Software. Our director of technology worked with them previously at a different agency.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2019, and we wrapped up in August 2020.

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

Qualitatively, our client was thrilled with the end result as well as the process. Their end users have a call center and they get hundreds of calls every day. Typically, anytime there are changes with a CMS there are tons of complaints –– that didn’t happen at all!

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

The team used Microsoft Project to keep track of everything. They were very transparent in terms of the project status and all of the different tasks. I was really happy with their project management process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were looking for technical experts in Ubraco, and Emergent Software definitely fit the bill. They had a lot of experience and it really showed through their work. The team truly delivered.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They did have some staff turnover during the project. My main contact shifted 2–3 times over the course of the project. It was frustrating at times but the person who took us over the finish line was the best one out of all of them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to trust them. They’re the experts and they know what they’re talking about. Find an agency that matches your personality and communication style. Emergent is very good at what they do. If their capabilities match your needs, they could be a great partner for you.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of operations for a premium audit vendor. We complete premium audits for insurance companies around the nation.

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

We sought to adopt best practices with a security application.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Emergent helped us adopt best practices for a security application and now supports the web portion of our product. They provide support to the portal, which customers see when they move onto web orders. We typically work with them on any changes to that portal. For example, we recently had an upgrade to our platform, so Emergent was part of that.

What is the team composition?

We will work with a designer sometimes. For our recent upgrades, we worked with a project manager.

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

I wasn’t with the company when we brought Emergent on board.

How much have you invested with them?

I don’t have access to what we spend.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our company brought Emergent onboard around March 2016, and the partnership’s ongoing.

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

Anytime I contact them, Emergent’s extremely responsive and professional, which is important. We’re able to rely on them. It’s a great partnership that we have.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re responsive. If anything arises, their team’s on call. On a scale of 1–10, I’d rate them a 10.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re able to reach out to our contact at Emergent, and they respond promptly. That’s important. There’s a personal aspect to our partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re a great partner.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Approach this as a peer-to-peer relationship. It’s important for both parties to communicate.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of IT at Business Impact Group, a loyalty recognition and brand management organization. We work with a number of Fortune 500 organizations.

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

Due to customer success and value, we wanted to expand our capability with our customers. Our customers come to us with needs for EDI and other custom development and integration implementations in order to streamline their workflows and make their interactions with us more effective and efficient. Emergent has been a great extension to our dedicated IT client solutions team.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We relied on their knowledge of software engineering to allow us to deliver custom solutions to our customers. There have been a number of different interactions with Emergent Software. It’s been as simple as building an SSO password between a customer and our online e-commerce site. 

We've also worked with our customers in their Salesforce implementation to fully expose customer information and order information from Salesforce integrated into our store and then create that 360 feedback for reporting these integrations. 

Additionally, Emergent Software has worked with us to build custom websites or landing pages that help to accommodate and facilitate a better integration experience. We have a couple of active projects we’re bidding on. We’re also looking at a recurring contract.

What is the team composition?

Our original contact was Mark (CTO). We’re also working with another architect now and a Salesforce specialist. We’ve probably engaged with 8–9 teammates thus far. 

We’re in the midst now of extending that arrangement with them to actually have a monthly contractual obligation so that they can spread the knowledge of what they’ve done for us out to others and we can engage even more people within their organization for ongoing efforts.

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

We have an e-commerce platform, and we had a customer that needed some pretty substantial modifications to the way 451 SSOs integration works. 

451 themselves have a professional services arm but they really weren’t able to do the work and they recommended that we work with Emergent Software who had been their go-to for other engagements.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent $200,000–$300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2018, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

Emergent Software wears a big hat for our customers. They’re amazing as it relates to their customer interactions, and their deliverables have been spot-on. 

They’ve actually helped our customers' IT teams to troubleshoot and get things tuned up on their side to accommodate the integrations. To date, deliverables have been bug-free and rock solid.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

In some instances, they wear the project management hat and in others, we do it. When they take the reins with that, it’s been very efficient. We give them the target and we communicate that target with our customers. 

They’ve got a pretty refined software development life cycle (SDLC) and they have always met our expectations and our customers’ expectations. There are times when customers have some misses in their scope definition but it has never been a delay by Emergent Software.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of service and professionalism makes them stand out. I can put them in front of a customer and I know they will perform in the backroom. They’re a good representation of our company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not at this point. Part of the agreement we’re moving forward with them on for more of a monthly, recurring charge is to get more people in their organization trained on the applications they build for us so that we have more touchpoints for support. 

That’s not been their issue, but more so the business model that we started with. We’ll be able to overcome that by having them train others and get that spread throughout the organization.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Involve them from the beginning. That’s been the key for us. They’re a trusted partner. We’re not spoon-feeding them because we trust them. We get them involved at the beginning and they understand the business need and not just the technical requirement.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-owner of a garden service called Botanical Blitz. We take care of the exterior floral design for window boxes and pots. We switch them out seasonally and maintain them.

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

We handled all client requests manually and only one person could make changes at a time. On top of that, our client managers didn’t have access to the plant inventory. Combined, these limitations created a lot of communication issues. We asked Emergent Software to build a cloud-based tracking system that could help us access information.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I gave them the Excel spreadsheet I was using to track orders. Then I walked them through our business and what we needed. They were able to take my ideas and create an app that would help us track inventory and client requests for each season.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a designer, a project manager, and a developer.

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

One of our employees had a connection with them. Originally, we reached out to them about our website, but once I realized that they could build an app that would help address these other problems, that became our priority.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $40,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working on the project in December 2019. Although the app launched this fall, they continue to make adjustments.

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

I was amazed by how quickly they were able to make my business run more efficiently. Even though they aren’t in my industry, they grasped what I needed immediately. They’re very bright and knowledgeable. They clearly thought through our business needs.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicated well and met all of our deadlines. They’re very quick to respond and easy to reach.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re flexible and are open to suggestions. Whenever we threw them an idea, they thought through how everything would fit together.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything that could have gone better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As long as you keep up your communication with them, it will all go well.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO of Delkor Systems. We build robotics for secondary packaging for the food industry.

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

We needed help building our Office 365 platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Emergent Software did internal interviews to gather information and to understand our business and internal processes. They did assessments and made recommendations. They built an intranet site to help us with all the communications across our organization.

They helped us with a strategy for SharePoint and streamlined business processes. They also handled information management and security, and they loaded our local network drive information to the Cloud for efficiency and employee productivity. In addition, they provided training to our employees.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two teammates.

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

I found them online. They quickly understood our business and articulated our needs, giving us confidence that they could help us achieve our goals. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $75,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–September 2020.

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

The intranet site is elegant and informative. Our communications have become more streamlined, which is especially helpful while we are working remotely. Our information management and security, as well as our processes, are also more streamlined. 

We are able to utilize the SharePoint search functionality and track who is downloading and sharing information. The web portal is an elegant place for our customers to login and get information. It was a huge win for us.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They were effective and stuck to the timelines. We had daily departmental meetings and weekly meetings for status updates. We used Microsoft Teams and Planner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were knowledgeable and experienced. I really liked their approach to understanding our business processes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The training could’ve been more specific from the start, but it’s okay.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know exactly what you want, and define it clearly for them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-owner of Game Show Battle Rooms. We create immersive game show experiences on site, with three locations in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Kansas City. Currently, we’re doing virtual game shows over Zoom.

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

We were looking to create a software for our game show content so that users could play both on site and virtually. The solution would serve as a centralized software for all of our game shows. 

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Emergent Software developed a solution to manage our game show-related content. With the software, we could update questions in real-time while feeding it to our different locations. This key feature allowed us to tailor our content depending on who was walking through the doors.

There were also different themes that we could use depending on our audience. For example, if a customer was celebrating a birthday party, had a bachelorette event, or was doing a corporate team-building session, we could create a custom theme by pulling different questions.

What is the team composition? 

They had a team of developers as well as a project manager who helped us navigate the whole process. We were pretty inexperienced when it came to software development, so they did a great job of answering our questions and helping us overcome challenges.

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

We got several bids from software companies and met with each one. Not only did we look at the price, but we also considered the overall fit. Would this team be good to work with? Do they seem trustworthy? After reading a lot of good reviews, we determined that Emergent Software was the most trusted software company that we could find in the Twin Cities area. 

How much have you invested with them?

It was over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working on our project in April 2019, and it took about a year to finish. Now, they update our software from time to time.

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

We’re really happy with the results. Many of our game show hosts and technicians who use the software daily have raved about how easy it is to use. The solution is intuitive, and people enjoy having the ability to customize content based on their audience.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Emergent Software was well-organized during the main development phase. The team made sure that we were on schedule through weekly check-ins. And, if things were a bit slower, it was usually on us because we needed to provide certain files or images. 

When we needed to dissect an issue or provide feedback, we would meet with them in the office. They would resolve all of our issues pretty quickly, so we felt taken care of.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team that we worked with did a really good job. They were responsive, and I could tell that they actually cared about our project — one of them said that it was one of the cooler products that they got to work on because there aren’t a whole lot of game show solutions out there.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would’ve been helpful if they had a more integrated design process or a design team. We ended up having to pull a lot of our own images and provide some assets, but design support would’ve made for a better experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come in with a good idea of what you want, including the key features and rough visuals. Having those references will help in terms of the overall design and can save a lot of time. The more detailed your plan, the better the outcome and the less time it’ll take.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an IT manager for Provident Agency. We provide group accident, health, and life policies for emergency response teams, including firefighters, police, and more. We also offer specialty policies to cover things such as an event. The company has been in business for over 100 years.

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

We were building a custom .NET application to help automate outreach to various emergency service entities. We needed some support and were looking for a team to partner with us. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve been involved in several projects over the years, doing software development, integration, and more for our business processes. 

They helped with the initial development of the custom .NET application. They also evaluated code and performed reviews to ensure everything was being done properly. They provided security and optimization of our SQL Microsoft Azure environment to ensure that it runs optimally and securely.

Most recently, they headed a CRM development project, which allowed us to pull data from our customer application, and filter it into the CRM, creating business opportunities for our salespeople.  Emergent Software helped with integration between all our systems, including the CRM. 

They also helped us switch domains, and have provided maintenance on our public website. We are currently working on fixing bugs, and documentation, while planning to start a new project in the near future. 

What is the team composition?

Mark (CTO) is our main point of contact. We also interact regularly with Chris (Sr. Software Engineer), who worked on the CRM, and Ben (Sr. Software Engineer), who provides part-time support and troubleshooting.

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

The president of our company had personal connections with Mark. We worked together informally before he started his company, but have since created a more formal partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $200,000–$999,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around April 2015, and it’s ongoing.

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

We have never had any issues with the quality of their work. They’ve complimented whatever project we worked on, and have provided excellent support. They bring the Azure expertise that we lack internally, and with it, peace of mind for me. We don't know where we would be without their input.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Azure DevOps, which works great. We have Scrum calls twice per week and are very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a lot of different experiences to draw from. They partner with several companies and sometimes refer us to one to handle something out of their wheelhouse. They are a great partner for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re professional, know what they’re doing, and are trustworthy. They are also very transparent about what they can't do and will recommend someone who can.