EY Studio+

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are an online healing support portal with a patient scheduling and tracking app and educational courses.

What is your role at the company?

I'm the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We needed to update our mobile app to provide more integrated care. Specifically, we were looking to improve the onboarding experience for our users as well as deal with existing bugs. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We required the following: improving the code and analytics of current app, updating the UI [user interface] for onboarding users, build new feature screens, and improve the security and data robustness.

How did you come to work with FreshWorks Studio?

[The process included an] interview, personal referral, solid understanding of the project, and extra business planning support that made me feel very confident with Samarth [Mod, FreshWorks Studio's CEO] and Rohit [Boolchandani, FreshWorks Studio's COO]. 

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

It was between $10,000 and $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It took six months, with ongoing three-month support for usability trial. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Results are yet to be determined as there have been some challenges with the app that we are working out. I feel very supported by the team to help me make some critical decisions. 

What distinguishes FreshWorks Studio from other providers?

FreshWorks Studio has a very personal approach with excellent big picture business knowledge that was shared throughout the project. 

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve or things you might do differently?

Possibly, they could do more thorough prediction of pitfalls and previous code issues. I would rather know upfront then find out halfway through when a big issue could arise. They did act on this quickly and took responsibility, so I was impressed with that. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

The Vancouver International Wine Festival was founded in 1979. It is widely regarded as one the best wine shows in the world. The 38th annual festival, held February 20 to 28, 2016, attracted more than 25,000 admissions to 54 events throughout the city; it is headquartered at Vancouver Convention Centre. The festival served 1,470 wines from 155 wineries from 14 countries. The heart of the festival is the Acura Tasting Room at the VCC, which offer six tasting sessions – two for trade only and four for consumers – on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of festival week, and the tasting room accounts for about 18,000 of total admissions. The public International Festival Tastings offered 700 wines from 155 wineries. The two Trade Tastings offered an additional 145 wines for a combine total of 845.

What is your role in the organization?

I'm the sponsorship and marketing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with FreshWorks?

We required a free app that would enable festivalgoers to easily access information on the 155 wineries and 845 wines served in the Acura Tasting Room during the six sessions, rate the wines, and save favorites. In addition to tasting room wines, the app contained information on wines served at three special events: Spumante & Co.; Iconic Grapes Around the Globe; and 25 Under $25. We did not include information on wines served at the other 45 festival events.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

The scope of the project was to create a searchable, user-friendly database for each of the above-mentioned events with the information on the wineries and their featured wines and agents on both an iOS and Android platform. The app needed to include a section for winery notes, wine notes, favorites, wine rating system, and a "my wines" list. FreshWorks services included a complete revamp of the 2015 beta iOS version to incorporate the 2016 wish list and the development of the much sought-after Android version.

How did you come to work with FreshWorks?

They provided – under their previous name AirSenze – our 2015 app.

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

It was between $0 and $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It ran from September 2015 to February 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Two versions of the app available for festival-goers to download and use at their leisure while at the four specific events with the ability to make quick notes, no need to take a photo as this information was already included.

The feedback we have received so far has been primarily positive. In terms of metrics, we are awaiting these results.

What distinguishes FreshWorks from other providers?

We found FreshWorks to be very accommodating. They were quick to respond to all of our questions and always found solutions.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve or things you might do differently?

I would like to have at least one or two face-to-face meetings to review the updates. Of course, I recognize that we're not in the same city, which makes this a little more challenging.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

The objective of the Provincial Integrated Flood Hazard Management Program is to reduce the impacts flooding has on people, communities, and infrastructure. The program is committed to providing policies, guidelines, and information that help local governments, diking authorities, provincial ministries, and others to manage land use in flood hazard areas; manage flood protection systems and maintain dike safety; and prepare for, respond to, and recover from flood emergencies.

What is your role at the company?

I am a flood safety engineer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with FreshWorks Studios?

Local government contractors were not submitting quality inspection reports of their dike and levy infrastructure. The process was time-consuming as they had to complete reports in the field via pen and paper, and then take digital photographs. Once they got back to the office, they had to collate all the materials and send them to the head office via mail, email, or fax.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

The project was to develop a mobile application that inspectors could use in the field to fill in information, take photos and videos, and send the reports to our office electronically.                    

How did you come to work with FreshWorks Studios?

They had some experience in compliance reporting apps for restaurant inspections with the CRD [Capital Region District] Victoria. I also got their reference from a colleague who knew about some of their past successful projects.

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

It ranged from $10,000 to $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It took from 8 to 10 weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The results were great. Inspectors seemed to love being able to use modern technology in the field. The app was used at more than 200 dikes across the province of British Columbia. The usability was phenomenal, and the app was intuitive and easy to use.

What distinguishes FreshWorks Studios from other providers?

I loved FreshWorks Studios's fast turnaround time and minimal bureaucracy. I could talk to the developers directly, and they were very accommodating towards my change requests. Their company has a strong project management skills, and they provided us excellent results in a timely manner.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve or things you might do differently?

I think the project was successful, but it could have been better if we had a created a clear scope document before starting the development.