Enola Labs Software - Out of Business

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CTO at a healthcare technology company. We provide solutions to clients and help patients better understand and manage medical risks. We work with hospital systems, insurance payers, and self-funded employers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Enola Labs Software?

We were making some long-term technology investments and we needed a vendor to help us with the architecture of our products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we explained our needs and what we were looking to build to Enola Labs. Then, they helped us with the software architecture, so they worked hand-in-hand with me from our office. They built out a roadmap for developing large pieces of software and provided guidance on how to break those pieces into consumable chunks and what technical tools our development team should be using. They gave us a high-level assessment of how the system would work and how it would impact our database diagrams, API diagrams, infrastructure, and various administrative functions. Our in-house development team can now use this roadmap to implement the project.

They were also helping us with the recruiting efforts and job postings, analyzing people that aren't necessarily openly looking for work, figuring out the right candidates for us to talk to, and even conducting the initial interviews.

What is the team composition?

We had one point of contact on the architectural side and one point of contact on the recruiting side, but there was a larger team behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Enola Labs Software?

We were introduced to them by our board member.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2017, and the project was completed in April 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've been able to hire some people that they brought to us and we've been happy with the results. The financial model works very well for us because we only pay Enola Labs a flat amount if we hire people.

In terms of the software architecture, success is a lot harder to track. Internally, we're happy and we believe the decisions they outlined and the roadmap they created are appropriate for us. We'll definitely be following their blueprints.

How did Enola Labs Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They did an excellent job. We had architectural engineers in our office two days a week, so we were having constant communication with them. We had weekly check-ins and they gave us monthly high-level analysis. On the recruiting side, we had a system for tracking applicants.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They've worked in a lot of different fields with a lot of different companies, which is unique in the healthcare space. Their expertise was very important to us. We were impressed with their highly-skilled team and their level of talent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

On the recruiting side, there could be more visibility and transparency about why some candidates aren't a good fit. But we haven't had any major issues.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Transparency is the key. The more information you provide about your business needs, the better they can help you meet them. You'll definitely get more creative solutions if they fully understand why you're building the product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the graphic design communication specialist for the marketing department at a cabinetry manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Enola Labs Software?

We needed a website to be redesigned.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used existing content to design and develop our website using ExpressionEngine, and then took that site and recreated two other private label versions of it. They provide hosting for the websites and give me assistance for things I can’t accomplish on my own.

There is integration into Google Maps so that our dealer locator can display the location when it is searched for. They also implemented a program that allows people to search for specific door styles, which opens a gallery and shows the available finishes.

What is the team composition?

We initially started working with Marcus (CTO & Chief Architect, Enola Labs Software). Since then, we’ve had several different liaisons that assisted us when we needed maintenance.

How did you come to work with Enola Labs Software?

One of our reps is married to Marcus. My previous supervisor here knew him through that rep, which is how we made the connection.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $25,000/year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from 2013–2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re happy with their service as we always hear about how nice the website looks. They were always very quick to respond if we needed any help and generally, they do good work.

How did Enola Labs Software perform from a project management standpoint?

I emailed them if there’s something we need help with, and they updated me throughout with estimated dates for completion. We exclusively communicated via email, to which they would respond the same day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very professional and the work they do looks great. Working with ExpressionEngine can be pretty frustrating, but they always accomplished whatever we needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The reason we can no longer work with them is they don’t have anyone that can code in PHP, which is what our website was built in. The last designer there who worked in PHP left, which is the reason we had to find someone new.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Insight Optics is a startup based in Texas. We offer both a mobile application and web portal, which connect primary care physicians with local eye care specialists for assisted eye exams.

What is your position?

I am the chief executive officer of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Enola Labs?

We wanted to develop the second generation of our software. We initially had minimal prototypes for our website and mobile app for which we needed a professional touch.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with Enola Labs?

We were referred to them by a colleague that had previously worked with them and knew that they had experience with other medical solutions companies. Enola Labs understood HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996] compliance, encryption, and security. These were very important elements for us during development, and they were the reason why we felt comfortable working with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total development cost was between $100,000 and $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We initially contacted them in the fall of 2015, around September. The work was completed in April 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Especially for the price, Enola Labs did a good job. We're very happy with the results.

How did Enola Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Our company laid out all the features for the app, and Enola Labs was very responsive whenever we wanted to change something. We had weekly reviews through which we could exchange ideas and decide what needed to be changed. They understood our budget constraints, and we were able to pick the features which we considered to be most important for the moment, working together in order to get them developed.

What distinguishes Enola Labs from other providers?

We appreciated their responsiveness. Enola Labs had specialists on their team who could handle anything we could think of and answer very specific questions. They're based in Austin, so it was nice to work with a local shop that we could trust. Everything was kept in-house, and we could talk to them in-person if we needed to.

Is there anything Enola Labs could have improved or done differently?

Once the platform was delivered, we made some UI [user interface] changes ourselves. They were just small improvements that I'm sure that Enola Labs could have handled, had we budgeted them in the original project, or had we expressed our wishes a little better. They focused more on the technical challenges of the backend and the functionality itself.

BACKGROUND

We are a startup company focused on automotive industry, entering the market with a mobile application and digital marketing service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

We wanted to develop a viable product rapidly to establish an initial market entry point.

SOLUTION

Enola Labs provided a full turnkey service that included software architecture, software design, development, and deployment. The project duration involved phased development during a nine-month period. We selected Enola Labs through an online search for quality companies and an interview process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

[Enola Labs gave us] excellent performance on a small to medium-sized application development project. Enola assigned a small team of senior software engineers and a project manager who delivered high-quality results and kept the project on track. Their engineers are technically talented and the entire team was flexible and easy to work with.

Most impressive was the consultative aspect of the firm's approach vs. a "build-to-order" approach. The engineering team made an effort to understand the business requirements as well as the product and was therefore able to make informed recommendations for features and enhancements that made the product better.

Enola Labs is run by seasoned leaders in technology and business who really care about delivering excellent results for their clients – large and small – at a fair price. They went out of their way to work with us on a smaller-scale project.

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your company.

We are based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Our mobile solution addresses a customer service problem for the hospitality industry.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the CEO. My role was to carry out all activities surrounding the design and development of our product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge or opportunity that you were trying to address?

Valets, bellhops, and other service personnel do not want to be paid via an app. They prize actual currency. With our solution, the hospitality establishment provides a much-needed convenience that benefits these service workers and its guests. Carrying any cash, much less small bills, is increasingly rare, and getting tip change is a common aggravation for all parties at finer dining and lodging establishments.

Our aim is to solve a widely accepted problem facing hospitality clients by providing a convenient way for a patron to show a credit card to a concierge or host and receive a “strap” of small bills in standard $20 bundles of $1s and $5s. It enables that patron quickly to obtain tip funds without waiting in line for a cashier or checkout station. ATMs only dispense $20s and are not an alternative. The product includes back-end reporting to balance the cash drawer and prevent abuse. Also provided is a set of procedures for easy assemblage of the straps when cash handlers have down time. The company makes money on a service fee per strap, and the wrapper for each strap provides branding opportunities. Our technology and software selections were as follows: iOS only (no Android, Web, Blackberry or Windows); iOS 8+ only (no iOS 7 or previous versions); phones and iPods only (tablets versions are simulated); portrait mode only (no landscape mode apart for signature screen); English language only (no localization); two rounds of quality assurance (maximum); no offline mode (Wi-Fi or cellular connection is required); card reader comes with an iOS SDK (such as the IDTech iOS SDK); and payment SDK is Stripe (Stripe iOS SDK v3.1.0+).

SOLUTION

Please provide a description of the project and its scope.

Enola Labs provided strategy, architecture, design, and development for our product. Enola handled all parts of the process as well as assigning a project manager for client to team interaction throughout the eight weeks of the product’s development.

What was your process for selecting the service provider?

We selected Enola Labs to provide the solution because of their ability to provide all services needed from technical leadership to design to development. The company was more process oriented and seemed to have a better grasp on engineering quality software as opposed to the design agencies we met with. We needed a product that was secure and had robust reporting on the back-end rather than a design first front-end product. Their ability to provide technical info on the best road map from an architecture perspective to solve the problem also gave them an advantage over others we vetted as solution providers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project, and are there any metrics you can share?

We were definitely satisfied with the product they delivered. The product matches what we sought to build and what Enola Labs laid out in the scope during our discovery meetings and the product was delivered on time.

Is there anything unique or special about the service provider?

The team had more knowledge on a technical leadership standpoint than I thought we would get with our solution provider. I am glad we went with a company that had the ability to give insights on how we should build the product, based on our long-term and short-term goals, rather than strictly a “coding” company. They really worked with us through the entire process, not for us.

We are now in the process of pitching several hospitality providers and the initial feedback has been promising. Although we are in the early stages, we do feel as though we have the product we were looking for and we were pleased with our overall engagement with Enola.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the senior project manager at a mobile advertising platform. We develop software to allow advertisers and app developers a way to deliver their products to people's devices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Enola Labs Software?

We needed to hire an external resource to evaluate our new data warehouse and data model.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to understand if the approach we had in mind for the data warehouse and toolset made sense.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our CTO reached out to several vendors in the area. We felt Enola Labs Software offered the best options to meet our needs.

Describe the project in detail.

Enola Labs Software reviewed our current data model and validated our new approach to the data warehouse. 

What was the team composition?

We were assigned one consultant.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received output that allowed us to understand if the path we’ve chosen is correct. This will also allow us to understand future opportunities in a more timely fashion.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Enola Labs Software had a very easy process to schedule our work. Their consultant was highly-experienced in the data warehouse and data modeling fields.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I most appreciated the speed at which they came to understand our business.