Exploding Phone

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the professional development manager for a technical construction company. We deliver turnkey capital projects for clients in the food, pharmaceuticals, logistics, and hi-tech manufacturing industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exploding Phone?

We were adapting our pre-existing internal induction procedures and adapting to suit the world of COVID-19; adapting to the times really to update our procedures.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We asked Exploding Phone to convert our induction procedures into an electronic format so that they could be completed remotely and accommodate multiple people on an induction. In the previous iteration of our induction process with the COVID-19 situation, the numbers were limited. It was just trying to operate the same standard of business in a COVID-19 secure environment.

There is both a mobile app and web browser dashboard. It was catered to those who have smartphones and those who don’t, who would access it via a desktop computer or a laptop. The mobile app is available for iOS and Android. It was developed from scratch, and the work was based on proposals and designs that we put across to them. From there, they built the framework and developed it as we went to suit the requirements.

What is the team composition?

We are in contact with the business development director and production director.

How did you come to work with Exploding Phone?

We always get a minimum of three different quotes when we are sourcing outsourcing work. Exploding Phone had the most competitive price, and they could accommodate the timeframes we were after. We were pleased with how they presented their case for this, and the price and time schedule were on point as well. They ticked both boxes in that respect, so we went with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested around $40,000 across multiple apps that we have developed with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have an ongoing maintenance package with them originating in May 2019, so they provide support for the apps and provide updates as and when we need them. We are potentially looking to proceed with them on future projects as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, it has been a very positive experience. Our engagement is very contractual. After an update, we have an amended contract to suit those minor and lighter updates. They are happy to take on sizable updates as well. 

At the end of the day, the proposal was built in-house. It is designed purely to suit our requirements, and we feel that we have met that. Exploding Phone facilitates those requirements and the feedback we have had is overall quite positive really. There were the expected bugs and hiccups in the system, which will occur from time to time, but there can be various reasons for that.

How did Exploding Phone perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via phone and email. Obviously, COVID-19 has restricted us from meeting in person, which I would have liked to do from time to time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

If an issue was to crop up, we send them as much detail as we have on the issue. Exploding Phone is very thorough in investigating any arising issues. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Without working as a professional app developer and web developer myself, I don’t know the intricate details of the development process, but there were a couple of times where I feel like they might have worked themselves into a corner and made a piece of software that wasn’t really open to modification.

This meant they had to go back in and redevelop and republish it. Without being a professional in that field, I feel like a more modular approach would be better for client retention. If we were developing multiple apps, it would make their life easier surely if it was all interconnected. That is just my understanding without being a professional in that field.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you fully scope out your proposal with every detail you think you would need. If the development process starts, and you have changes going forward, there will understandably be costs associated with them with some costs bigger than others. I know that is more of an internal process as opposed to Exploding Phones, but just make sure your proposals are fully worked on before sharing them. I would say that goes for most businesses and that is probably a lesson learned for us to be honest.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technical director and shareholder of a wholesale distributor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Exploding Phone?

We were developing a new range of electric fireplaces controlled using a mobile app, Alexa, and smartwatches. Exploding Phone helped us create these solutions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided a list of specifications and wireframes for the app and IoT solutions. They took my brief and developed from there. The mobile app is for iOS and Android. It’s also available for iOS and Android watches and Alexa. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with the business development director initially, and then I began working with the project lead and two developers – one for iOS and one for Android. There was also a designer. 

How did you come to work with Exploding Phone?

I did a desk study and identified ten candidates. I contacted each potential candidate, and from there, I narrowed it down to three vendors. I interviewed each service provider and received a tender from them. Exploding Phone demonstrated that they were collaborative and affordable. 

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about £35,000 (approximately $48,078 USD) on the initial development.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2019, and the project went live in July 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We wanted an app that was intuitive and easy to use, and they delivered. We’ve gotten good feedback from our customers. We have a few sub-distributors that sell our products, and one of them told us how easy it is to set up these new fireplaces. 

How did Exploding Phone perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicated well and identified any issues that needed my input. We used a spreadsheet to track the project. They were responsive, and the project ran smoothly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication impressed me the most, as did their technical ability. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m happy with how the process went. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Meet with them before you make any decisions. They’re approachable and talk in plain terms. It’s easy to understand them, even if you don’t have a technical background.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Taylor Wimpey is a housing developer in the UK and we build properties across the country, from Scotland, down to England and Wales. I’m the head of digital and my focus is customer interaction from a technological point of view like website, email marketing, and social media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exploding Phone?

I’m sure we’re all aware of the challenges that businesses around the world are facing this year. But this challenge is actually from our CEO: he asked us back in May what could we do if people can’t go about and about this year. What could we do to offer a better digital experience beyond what our website is already offering?

An app would allow us to do a little bit more than what we can do. It wasn’t supposed to be a long-term plan or strategic action to build it up, so the challenge from our CEO was to build an app in six weeks.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Exploding Phone delivered an app for iOS and Android devices. The app is integrated with a number of our systems, taking data from our websites and backend ERP solutions to get data on the properties that we’re selling. This allows customers or potential customers to see properties across the UK. The app also features better functionalities than what we’ve been able to do with a mobile website.

There’s this one feature called product availability, which allows users to customize their notifications every time a property comes up that meets their requirements. Another feature that was quite interesting was video calling. They built an appointment system where a customer could go find a local housing area and book an appointment with a local sales team to do a video call and talk about the requirements and so on.

One final point which we didn’t have on our website was to allow people based on their location to find show homes that were available for viewing. 

What is the team composition?

I directly met 2–3 of them from the project management, design, and development teams, and there were about 25 people working in the background.

How did you come to work with Exploding Phone?

Our director knows the owner of Exploding Phones from their previous job, and, over the years, we’ve worked with them on much smaller pieces of work. This is actually our first real approach in the world of customer-facing mobile apps, so, knowing that they’d always done good work for us in the past, it made sense to approach them. Particularly because we set a very tight deadline and we didn’t have time to do a full RFP or pitch to the entire industry.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about £30,000 (approximately $39,000 USD) for the initial version.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in May 2020 and the app went live by the first of July 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a combination of metrics that we look at like the number of users that we’ve got in there. It doesn’t have the same level of users that our website has because we push the marketing towards the website. But we've had about 3000 users, largely based on our email marketing.

One of the most impressive metrics is the average engagement time of users on our app, which is just under 17 minutes, as compared to our website which is about three minutes. The users who have downloaded our app are spending more time looking through the properties and engaging with us. That hopefully signals a higher intensity of people purchasing a property in the future.

We love seeing the company doing more innovative things and it’s also a big boost for our sales teams because they’re getting supported.

How did Exploding Phone perform from a project management standpoint?

I work with a number of digital agencies and so far, this is probably the simplest project management process I’ve had to work with. Managing calls is absolutely fine and they did what they said they were going to do which is what you want out of an agency.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed by how simple they made the app. In the past, we’ve spoken to another agency to build our apps and it sounded like it was going to be a fairly complicated process. Exploding Phone explained everything to us very clearly and told us how they were going to design it, how it’s going to get developed, and how it’s going to get delivered to the app stores, and they supported us all the way through.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything on this question actually.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice would be to let Exploding Phone lead from where internal departments think they know best. Exploit their knowledge and trust them. They certainly did what they said they were going to do. And we didn’t really have to chase them on things. We didn’t have to go backward and forward testing what they delivered so trust that they’re going to get it right.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the group managing director. We design and develop clever sensors for sensing temperatures and pressures around wheels and tires. That data is then transmitted either to the driver or via the cloud by a telematic system.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exploding Phone?

We wanted to be able to read the sensors and position them. When the sensors are placed at a certain axel or tire, the position needs to be read. Each sensor has its own ID so that each sensor can have its own location.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I put together a dry run of the screens I wanted and roughly how to use it. Exploding Phone took those concepts and made sure they could read the Bluetooth from our accessory. They took the Bluetooth and put it all together neatly. Most people put ID codes on every sensor, then handwrite it down, and then go in and punch it into the computer system.

One of the apps is for Android and iOS. The other app is just for Android at this stage.

What is the team composition?

In total, there were three. I worked with someone for iOS and someone different for the Android. David (Business Development Director) set up the business and coordinated a lot of the work.

How did you come to work with Exploding Phone?

We found them on Google. We searched three or four companies of interest. After making a few phone calls, we gave them all brief descriptions and got quotations. Exploding Phone came out on top in pretty much every category.

They were cost-effective and appeared to be value for money. They were also close to where I work, so they were accessible. I went to visit the team, and they came across as really helpful.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we spent £19,000 (approximately $24,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Exploding Phone has made the process very simple and quick. I’ve never been involved in an app project before. Their team was incredibly supportive and did everything they said they’d do.

For one of the apps, we’re working with a big tire manufacturer, and because of COVID-19, there have been delays. The other app is something we’re going to use in low volume within the B2B space.

All feedback has been positive. They delivered a great visual experience. If there was anything that we felt a bit awkward about during implementation, they were flexible with changes and making it work better. Those adaptations helped us perfect the app.

How did Exploding Phone perform from a project management standpoint?

Exploding Phone understood our business. They were very easy to communicate with. It was really easy to coordinate the needs of the app.

They provided timely downloads, which we reviewed. After they went back and made changes, we would discuss it again. Most of it was done offline, but we did have a few face-to-face meetings. For project management, everything was pretty spot-on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Since this was my first experience doing apps, I found it incredibly reassuring. They were easy to work with. When there were educational issues from my standpoint, they were quite understanding and made the process enjoyable. That’s quite rare with something so daunting.

Their team was very easy to communicate with, and they picked up straight away what we wanted. They built my confidence up, and I’ll always go back to them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

An iOS designer left towards the end of one of the projects. It did have a little bit of an effect, but they picked it right up. They smoothed that over pretty well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be more specific at the start. If you’re specific, the quicker, easier, and less costly, it will be. In the end, I started doing detailed explanations, which made it go even quicker.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a digital services startup that focuses on providing digital provisions to university students. Our goal is to improve the wellbeing of students.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Exploding Phone?

I’ve been working in the university sector for over 15 years. After I sold my previous company, I came up with a new idea for a student wellbeing solution. I approached Exploding Phone to help me with development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re a full-stack development team that’s responsible for web services, the administration portal, and app development. We work in 4–6 week sprints to develop different aspects of the solution. They’ve developed about 10 apps so far. 

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager and about 2–3 people working on the project at any given time. We’re taking an agile approach and trying to keep a more tightknit team. 

How did you come to work with Exploding Phone?

I worked with them at my previous company where they provided app development services. For my newest project, I decided to bring them on as a full-stack team. 

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched the product in September 2019. They’re continuing to support us by making updates and improvements. Our average rating for the apps we have in the App Store is about 4.6/5 stars. The feedback from customers has been largely positive. 

How did Exploding Phone perform from a project management standpoint?

The 4–6 week sprints are working really well for us. We’ve had a few hiccups, but they always handle that well. I’m impressed with how they respond to setbacks. They make adjustments to the team in order to ensure we complete tasks on time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s great that they have a breadth of experience so they can provide full-stack development services. We have a strong product that’s really flexible. As a result, I can make changes to the product without having to go through them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. They’re really good. Even when things have gone wrong, they’ve responded quickly and gotten things back on track. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Don’t try and break up your project into different suppliers. It’s easier to work with them for the whole development process. Doing that has really paid off for me. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a waste management company that deals with new construction sites and the management of their waste during the construction phase.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exploding Phone?

We raise tickets and levy fines on waste that hasn’t been put into a bin on a construction site. Historically, this was done manually, with a book in duplicate but that was tedious and a nightmare administratively. People would say they hadn’t seen the tickets, and they wouldn’t sign to accept them, so we wanted a digital solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I brought them in to look at what we were doing manually: what wasn’t working and what could work instead. They built a software platform that would be more reactive and be able to capture all the information related to tickets.

We discussed workflows; then Exploding Phone came up with the wireframes and how the software could work. They worked on both the front- and the backend.

What is the team composition?

I worked with three people from their team.

How did you come to work with Exploding Phone?

I found them on Google. Exploding Phone is based in the city I come from, and they seemed to be on my level and more proactive than some other teams.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent £24,000 (approximately $31,500).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Exploding Phone 2–3 years ago. It took us about nine months to get from the initial meeting to deployment, between February–September 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My staff retention is now a lot better because there are fewer confrontations. Everything’s done via the app rather than face-to-face, which is preferable when delivering bad news. The revenue for that client process has gone up by 1,000%, and we’ve been more efficient in getting new clients because of it.

How did Exploding Phone perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve communicated by telephone and email, and we’ve had meetings face-to-face too. They came up with features we hadn’t thought of during our initial sessions, which made the platform a lot more user-friendly. The historical data and trends we can get from it are more than what I envisaged in the beginning.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were involved with a different company some years before this, and in comparison, Exploding Phone seemed very proactive. They grasped our idea, ran with it, and came up with some excellent solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’d always like things to be cheaper, but the amount of time they invested justified the cost.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Have a good understanding of what you wish to get from the project and the software. Think about the opportunities the app can bring and discuss those early on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the financial director of HOPS Labour Solutions Ltd. We’re a recruitment company primarily for seasonal work in the horticulture and agriculture industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exploding Phone?

We had multiple approaches for managing our clients, workers, and other partners. We needed to bring their respective information into one system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went to Exploding Phone with a fairly basic idea of what we wanted. After an initial interview, they proposed that the best solution would be a cloud-based database with multiple web frontend interfaces for the users. We then had a call with their designer to flesh out his understanding of the system. He then came back to us with wireframes and an initial design concept.

They created a database that gives various users different levels of user access. Users include our staff, job applicants, employers, and recruiting agents in other countries. The initial system has been developed, and there's been some subsequent additions. They continue to provide support for the existing system. I anticipate that there will be more development in the future as well.

What is the team composition?

Andrew (managing director, Exploding Phone) and David (business development director, Exploding Phone) were involved in the initial stages. We have regular contact with a designer and a programmer/developer.

How did you come to work with Exploding Phone?

They were recommended to us by someone who works with our parent organization. We looked at some other companies and got quotes from them as well. We decided to go with Exploding Phone partly based on the recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between £20,000–£25,000 (approximately $26,000–$32,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017 and we launched the full system in May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From our perspective, it's been fantastic to no longer have lots of different systems of varying ages and usefulness. It is an enormous step forward to have everything in one system that everybody can access. I'm pleased with how quickly they got to the implementation stage.

There was initially some resistance from the employers when the system went live. That’s normal with any major change. There were also a few bugs that immediately came up. Exploding Phone got those fixes made quickly and now we're in a much better position. People regularly tell us that the new system is much better to use than it was before.

We’ve had lots of feedback that overseas users see a big improvement as well. We didn’t have an online system available to our workers before, so this is new for them. It hasn't seen much initial uptake but we're going to push more of them to use it.

How did Exploding Phone perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is excellent. They use the Trello app, which I hadn't used before. I found it useful for managing bugs and any issues that came up. Exploding Phone dealt with problems quickly. I always felt that we knew where we were in the project. It was completed later than the initial estimate, but I expect that with IT projects. Overall, I was pleased that it got finished as soon as it did. I didn’t expect so fundamental a change to be implemented so quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We found them very easy to work with, accommodating, and understanding of our requirements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing that I can put my finger on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the design studio manager for Scolmore International Ltd. We manufacture electrical accessories and lighting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exploding Phone?

We needed development assistance for our app. We wanted the app to promote our company and products while making daily, complex tasks simpler for electricians. We had the idea but needed a team to help us execute it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided their team with the wireframes and designs we created. Exploding Phone developed the native app for iOS and Android devices, and built several tools within the platform. They integrated a range of calculation features to handle difficult, time-consuming equations, as well as a tool that scans mathematic tables to find solutions. The app also displays product information and available downloads, including a toolkit for electricians to access. Currently, they perform updates and help implement new tools.

What is the team composition?

Andrew (Managing Director, Exploding Phone) is our project manager, and they provide a team of designers, who reviewed our wireframes, and coders for development.

How did you come to work with Exploding Phone?

After finding seven developers online, I sent out our specs and received quotes from them. From there, we decided Exploding Phone had the programming and coding skills that best fit our project.

How much have you invested with them?

Throughout the project, we’ve spent around £24,000 (approximately $31,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in January 2016 and, although the platforms have launched, Exploding Phone continues to provide their services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app won awards in our industry, including the 2016 “Electrical App of the Year” award. We’ve also received positive feedback about its functionalities and performance.

How did Exploding Phone perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate over the phone and through email, plus monthly in-person meetings. They use Basecamp to share files, and we’ve never had an issue. They’ve managed the project perfectly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Exploding Phone produces quality results, and we’ve experienced only great service from them. They’re also quick to respond to our needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CIO at Taylor Wimpey. We're a house-building company in the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exploding Phone?

We needed help developing a very sensitive application and we were on a tight deadline.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them an idea of what we were looking for and they designed and coded a mobile application for iOS and Android. It was a native app and they integrated the interface into an existing backend system. In addition to the app, they did some technical due diligence and provided infrastructure services for us.

What is the team composition?

We usually worked with two people.

How did you come to work with Exploding Phone?

I worked with one of their team members at my previous organization.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2015 and the project was completed in May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We hit a very aggressive deadline. The app is secure and got a very positive feedback.

How did Exploding Phone perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive (via email or phone) and quickly addressed any issues. We also had in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very proactive and innovative. They brought a lot of great ideas to the table. Also, they're honest.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We were very happy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a two-way communication and be open to building a relationship.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Environmental Control Manager at Steeper Group, which is based in Leeds, UK. We have three divisions: environmental control, prosthetic, and orthotic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Exploding Phone?

We had an existing mobile application on the Apple platform. We needed help updating it to work on the latest version of iOS.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Exploding Phone developed several new features. They also got rid of redundant features, bringing the app more up to date and making it look better. They added an intercom integration as well. We provided them with the documentation from the previous app. We worked with them along the way to make sure that the finished product was exactly what we needed.

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with one developer. We also spoke directly with the two owners of the company.

How did you come to work with Exploding Phone?

My previous boss had seen them because they were located near his home. We looked at their website and decided to include them in our search. We narrowed it down to three companies and then went to visit them in person. We showed Exploding Phone exactly what we wanted the app to do. They were quite happy to deal with us and came to us with what seemed like a good price, so it seemed like a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

The app development itself was just over £30,000 (approximately $38,300 USD). We've also signed a three-year maintenance contract for them to resolve any issues and ensure the app stays up to date with newer versions of iOS.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The first version they delivered had issues. Our engineers provided feedback, and Exploding Phone worked quickly to resolve the issues. The app now is working fine. The engineers seem happy.

How did Exploding Phone perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is very good. Communication was excellent. We communicated mostly with phone calls and emails, and met in person several times. They provided status updates along the way as they went through the development process. Any issues were dealt with swiftly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated that they liked to work with us. That’s preferable than us giving them a spec and they come out at the other end and say “Here you go, that's what you asked for.” They were happy to work with us all the way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. They were absolutely fantastic. Someone was always there, so we were never left in the dark.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open and honest with them and they'll be open and honest back.