ExtendApps

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a Product Manager working for a travel & expense software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired ExtendApps for their expertise with the NetSuite ecosystem. Our clients require integrations between our software and various ERP solutions including NetSuite. Extendapps was referred to us by NetSuite and we began an engagement to accomplish our goals of developing a dedicate NetSuite app which would allow clients to self manage their integration.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We were referred to ExtendApps by NetSuite. The deciding factor for us was through a number of conversations about our goals, where ExtendApps clearly showed their understanding and expertise within Netsuite and fintech solutions.

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

Project included scoping product requirements, discovery to understand client needs/problems, and resource allocation between our engineers and Extendapps. Key deliverable was to submit a dedicated NetSuite app and pass their approval process for listing the app in the SuiteApp marketplace.

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

Three individuals including a Project manager, Technical expert, and Systems expert.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our project exceeded expectations in terms of delivery date and quality of the released features. We were approved by NetSuite and our app is listed in the NetSuite marketplace. Our leadership team has expressed their gratitude and overall satisfaction with ExtendApps .

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

ExtendApps scheduled a regular cadence for ongoing meetings where we can discuss prioritization, troubleshoot issues, and plan future roadmap items. We leveraged email, slack, Jira, and excel to track and communicate ongoing work. ExtendApps is very timely and flexible with scheduling.

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

ExtendApps are experts in their domain. They helped us accelerate our release timeframe by several months and continue to be the source of truth for any NetSuite obstacles we encounter. Their team is supportive and responsive to help us push through blockers and provide guidance when needed.

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

No, the team has been amazing to work with and we look forward to continuing a relationship with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the API & Integrations Product Manager. Procurify is in Procure to Pay software, making it painless, flexible and secure.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Write an integration bundle between netsuite and our software via a private set of APIs.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Introduced by a common acquaintance and expertise demonstrated (technical and social).

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

We sync from the NetSuite bundle:

• Account Codes
• Vendors
• Terms
• Item Receipts
• Purchase Orders
• Inventory

This is all done using SuiteScript and our REST API.

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

Unknown number (variable) of programmers over the years and one main consultant who interfaced with our customers at implementation and sometimes in support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The deliverables are rarely late and usually of high quality.

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

Steady and consistent in quality of results.

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

The consultant we worked with, Anthony, after being in meetings with him and the customer's NetSuite consultants, I found over the years that Anthony could walk circles around most consultants. His level of technical expertise and ability to communicate effectively is quite frankly superb. His ability to school senior NetSuite Consultants while at same ensure no one is losing face is a rare, rare quality.

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

We never asked formally and yet we would have benefited from documenting user stories with them. In my time this was never offered and I presumed it was declined before my time. Documenting user stories, edge cases, etc. is something you want to do with the SME, in any field.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a customer integration manager specializing in NetSuite customers and solutions for a global transportation broker.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ExtendApps?

We wanted to build an app that allowed our customers to easily integrate into our system, providing functionality of rating, tendering, and tracking for our customers within their NetSuite platforms.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had some development completed on our end before we met with them, and ExtendApps used that as a reference. We planned out what we wanted to do with them, and they built everything from scratch. They did not use anything from the original development. 

They built a mobile app that works for iOS and Android, and they offer continued support since we launched the app. 

What is the team composition?

We work with a team of five people, including two partners, and three developers. 

How did you come to work with ExtendApps?

We were looking for a partner to work with so we asked our NetSuite representative for their recommendation, and they pointed us toward ExtendApps. We interviewed a few other companies, but ultimately decided to move forward with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $230,000–$240,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2020, and the work is ongoing. 

We have launched the app, but are continuing to put out new releases about every two months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our metric for measuring the success of the app is comparing customers that would integrate with EDI or API development to our app. It takes a process that can be 4–5 months long and turns it into one that takes 4–5 days. 

The level of integration and information that we receive from the app to run the business is accurate and consistent throughout the entire process of our customers using this tool. They’ve helped us build a product that can get our customers on board and live in a few days. 

With their tool, we can run a massive amount of documents back and forth every day. The results they have produced for us have been fantastic.

How did ExtendApps perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication has been very impressive within the two years that we have been working with them. We can only think of one week during our entire partnership when the communication wasn’t great. 

They prioritize our work and respond to emails and questions very quickly. 

We normally set out a new release every two months. They perform thorough testing, and so do we, but if there is ever an issue they resolve it either that day, or within a day. They are also working on a long-term fix for us to solve those issues. 

We communicate with them primarily through emails, weekly phone updates, and GitHub. During the development stages, they used Jira and communicated regularly about the status of tasks and what they needed to do.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Whenever there's an issue that comes up, they want to hear about it, and they want to help fix it. They work very quickly on the issues that come up, and are fantastic about anything involving bugs or glitches. 

They are professional every step of the way, and everything they build for us is high-quality. They are also thorough in everything they do, and they want our partnership to be successful. 

ExtendApps is phenomenal to work with, and they are constantly helping us with new customers, ideas, and development. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

During the initial development phases, our timelines got pushed out further than we would have liked. We weren’t able to put out the product when we originally told our customers they would have it, but we did add a few features that weren’t originally supposed to be on there, so it wasn’t entirely their fault. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They are a great team, and if you are considering working with them you absolutely should. They are fantastic to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a b2b SaaS company called Performio. We do incentive compensation management software (automation of sales commission calculations).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed an integration with NetSuite that would be on their app store.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We were referred to ExtendApps by a partner we trust. We evaluated several other vendors and found ExtendApps to be the most knowledgable and credible.

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

ExtendApps built an integration between our product and NetSuite. It is an "app" that a NetSuite user can install in their instance of NetSuite and it works with NetSuites "saved batches" feature to push transaction data into our product. This was a key feature for us because many of our customers push data into our product from Netsuite. In addition to building the actual app, ExtendApps worked with NetSuite to ensure successful testing and that we receive the "Built for NetSuite" designation. This was critical to the project's success.

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

We worked with 3-4 people on the ExtendApps team including project managers and developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project has been a great success. ExtendApps delivered exactly what they said they would deliver. We now have a working app in the Netsuite app store that many of our customers are using to integrate with Performio.

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

ExtendApps handled all of the project management including weekly catch-ups, regular progress updates, and generally excellent communication. I can't remember exactly what tools they used but they were certainly sufficient to get the job done on time and on budget.

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

They do exactly what they say they're going to do; it sounds simple, but that is rare.

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

No, we're very happy with this project and ExtendApps continues to support us on the app.