Fingent

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of IT at large transportation and logistics company. We focus on pickup and delivery, mostly for oil and gas equipment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent?

There’s a significant technology gap in our industry, particularly around order processing, invoicing, and workflow management.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fingent has developed an end-to-end transportation management solution. Customer service representatives can take orders through dispatch, who then uses the solution to assign vehicles for pickup and delivery of the cargo. The system has a web version for in-house employees and a mobile version for drivers. The latter can confirm and send documentation, as well as process tickets and billing. Our accounting team also uses the system to do invoicing, collect money from the customer, and ultimately close out the order.

What is the team composition?

The team includes one project manager, one business development resource, three web developers, one mobile developer, and one tester.

How did you come to work with Fingent?

I joined the company a year after the partnership with Fingent started. After some consideration, our leadership decided to build new management software. The company started a vetting processed and narrowed the selection down to two vendors—Fingent and one agency based in New York. We hired Fingent based on price and their ability to execute on the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We expect to spend around $500,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in summer 2016 and the partnership is ongoing. The team currently provides app support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The management system is light years ahead of anything else in our industry. Internal stakeholders love the new features. While the implementation is not yet completed, we’ve already been able to retire a significant number of user stories. The development team’s consistent performance enables us to anticipate the effort needed for each sprint.

How did Fingent perform from a project management standpoint?

We couldn’t ask for better consistency or availability. We have daily standup meetings at 7 am to go through the backlog and sprints. That timing allows us to plan our day and give Fingent direction for their next workday.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is talented and continually upgrades their expertise by bringing on knowledgeable resources. The newer employees’ impressive skills have surprised us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re still working on our professional relationship. Fingent has solid testing protocols, especially regression testing. The team ensures long-term success as well as quality development and delivery.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients should schedule regular meetings and have at least one daily touch point. Inconsistent communications can lead to an unfocused partnership. Maintaining the frequency for touch points makes the engagement more effective.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of a firm that provides localized safety metrics for travelers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Fingent?

We originally needed a native Android app based on our existing iOS app, with a focus on UX development. We also wanted help with digital marketing.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted an Android app that could handle data processing and configuring that data onto a map. We hoped to improve our consumer outreach with marketing assistance.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have continued to work with them based on the quality of previous engagements.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They incorporated Google Maps into our Android app and helped us solve data processing issues. Following app development, they did digital marketing. They contacted bloggers and other websites where links to the app could be listed.

What was the team composition?

We worked with their CEO and head of strategy.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Several industry bloggers have reviewed or published links to the app on their blogs, which has driven web traffic and increased the number of downloads.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We found their project management solid.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were highly responsive to our needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Be Strong, a national nonprofit organization focused on preventing bullying. We use a comprehensive student-led approach to encourage all students to reveal the challenges they’re facing. We’re training and equipping students to become more resilient, providing them access to local services and organizations that can help, as well as uniting them with friends and family, schools, and communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent Corp?

Several years ago, we had a plan to create what we called a “digital bridge” for students, parents, teachers, and communities. We wanted to make sure that our website had certain capabilities, including broadcasting live events, push notifications, interactive quizzes, surveys, and polls. We also wanted it to exist as a mobile app for both iOS and Android so that we could ensure content, resources, and engagement for anyone using either platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began by discussing ideas and the status of our initial desktop app as well as the challenges we’d had with live events and interacting with students on a website or mobile platform. Together, we created a list of requirements and made sure that it could all be done seamlessly. We mainly wanted to guarantee that all assets from the website could be passed onto the mobile app. Some of these requirements really needed to be specifically customized in order to ensure student security and the trust of the teachers and organizations.

Fingent Corp presented a scope of work and began the build-out once we did some tweaks to it. An important part of the app was the ability to gather feedback through the polling feature during events. The team completely handled backend development and built the APIs that would interact with the app.

The app was developed and released for both iOS and Android, as we wanted to make sure that all users could engage. The app receives several types of data, such as feedback, interaction with live events, and updated reports on where kids and parents are. All this information is relayed back to the web backend interface. Right now, we’re on the fourth iteration of the app and have just started to work on a small update.

What is the team composition?

I primarily interact with two people, one of whom is my main point of contact; the other one is an overall project manager. My main contact handles all the day-to-day interactions and is responsible for answering all our questions.

How did you come to work with Fingent Corp?

We were working with another organization, which sponsored our initial build with some of the interfacing, social media, etc. They recommended working with Fingent Corp based on the things we were looking to accomplish.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Fingent Corp in June 2015, and continue working with them on some updates and tweaks to the next iteration of the mobile app, as well as updating some of the APIs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t really have any statistics, but I can say that everything they’ve done works really well. Fingent Corp really cares about how we feel and has an incredible work ethic, which is valuable for our organization. They go above and beyond what the typical developer interaction would be.

I’ve worked with a lot of developers who did an okay job, but it was just another job to them. They didn’t seem to care much, whereas Fingent Corp cares a great deal about not only the process but also about the end result. They’re incredibly sensitive to our culture and what’s happening within our team and organization.

How did Fingent Corp perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really well organized. We’ve used several interfaces for project management over the years and it’s just been a joy to engage with them. Everything’s in one place; interactions are logged and approvals are maintained. While asset management can get pretty unruly, their process is excellent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to meet us at our location really stood out as we’re in the US and they’re in India. They’ve also been great at meeting the needs of our timeframe versus theirs. Overall, they do a stellar job at making sure our requirements are covered and that everything is working seamlessly in terms of UX.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Up until recently, whatever microphones they were using in their conference room made it very difficult to understand everyone, as there was so much reverberation. They’ve fixed that and it’s now much more pleasant to interact with them.

Furthermore, while they’re really good at meeting our time considerations, there have been some delays due to the time difference. Tight deadlines are difficult, especially since we’re working during the day, which is nighttime in their zone. Getting a US presence that could engage with the Indian team would allow us to communicate better during regular business hours, especially during time-critical or emergency issues.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If clients know what they want to accomplish, Fingent Corp’s team will come up with a plan to achieve those requests. It’s important to have a real understanding of the goal, even if the best way to solve that task isn’t known. Just knowing in detail what you want to accomplish will provide them with enough information.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Trade Alliance Group, an organization that helps small builders coordinate to increase their buying power to purchase materials at competitive rates.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent Corp.?

We hired another vendor to build a CRM system and had a terrible experience. We then engaged Fingent to create a replacement solution because off-the-shelf products couldn’t accommodate our multi-party customer relations model.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they built a test application for a premixed concrete ordering system. After its successful completion, we expanded the scope to the larger CRM. Our team supplied specifications for interactions and workflows. Fingent Corp. then built the solution while suggesting ideas to maximize efficiency. The team built the database in SQL Server and hosted the virtual machine in Azure.

Next, their team implemented the CRM, which supports our builder and supplier customers. The solution tracks interactions for both sides, which is essential to our business model because we get commissions for sales we put to a supplier. To streamline billing, Fingent Corp. added payment integrations for credit card charges and automated invoices via our internal accounting software. Once the CRM is fully-operational, we’ll use another integration to draft membership fees directly from bank accounts.

What is the team composition?

We interact with about four resources including a project manager and graphic artists. We don’t interface with the QA team.

How did you come to work with Fingent Corp.?

I advertised the purchase ordering system on a staffing site and interviewed a few different companies. Fingent Corp. was the most expensive, but also the most professional. After the bad experience, we were willing to invest in quality development work, using the ordering system in a risk-averse way to assess their capabilities for the CRM project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent nearly 500,000 AUD ($369,631 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2016 and the partnership is ongoing. Although the team implemented the CRM system, we still have a year’s worth of work scheduled. I plan to halt the partnership for about six months to save money for the next projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new CRM has increased billing efficiency and is a vast improvement over our older system. Our team refused to use the previous vendor’s solution, but happily transitioned to Fingent Corp.’s product.

How did Fingent Corp. perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re in constant contact for fixes and best practices. The team resolves issues in quick turnarounds without charging an hourly rate; they provide estimates upfront and wears the final cost, which works well for our financial situation. We communicate primarily via emails, but also phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They honor price estimates and take responsibility for all mistakes. Their communicative and proactive approach has created a seamless partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We haven’t worked with multiple development companies, but they were excellent compared to our previous vendors. Overall, there’s nothing to fault them on.

Any advice for potential customers?

Fingent Corp. knows what they’re doing, but make sure to provide clear instructions. We have complete confidence in the team and plan to use them for years to come.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the technical director for Click n Collect. Our company manufactures electronic lockers for click-and-collect e-commerce delivery and fulfillment. This includes custom electronics as well as custom web and handheld app development for our kiosks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Fingent Corp?

We wanted to develop multiple apps to support our business, including a desktop app for our kiosks, a cloud server app for management and control, and a handheld app for end users and couriers. Although we had a small in-house team, we didn’t have enough people to take on such a complex project. As a result, we needed a team that could deliver all aspects of our project's development, ranging from design, coding, and QA testing to graphics and ongoing development and maintenance.

What were your goals for this project?

At the time we were looking to complete the initial project scope at a reasonable price while still maintaining the flexibility to evolve the project over time.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them online and decided to go with them based on their professional response, quality project scope, and reasonable costs. Fingent Corp’s had an hourly pricing model for each specific resource type. This allowed us to cap the monthly development costs but still have the flexibility to continue adding features on an as-needed basis. The size of their organization and breadth of resources also played a significant factor.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

In the beginning, we submitted a high-level design overview to Fingent Corp, which we discussed in various meetings. This evolved into a high-level project scope that went over time line estimates and costs. After we cemented our engagement, their team drafted a detailed scope of the project for the initial works.

Since then, they’ve added subsequent modules and features every month since the first project release. Typically, we prepare a high-level feature request and conduct an online meeting with their staff to go over the objectives and logistics. Fingent Corp then does the rest—preparing a detailed scope, drafting wireframes for approval, and then completing the module.

So far, they’ve delivered managed software releases for a variety of different applications. We do the final QA, customer release, and documentation ourselves.

What was the team composition?

The 4–6 person team consists of a technical lead, an assistant lead, and programmers. They also assign a graphic art specialist and a QA tester part-time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

With their collaboration, we’ve developed a complete and robust software suite for our lockers at a fraction of the cost. As it stands, the product has evolved a long way from our initial scope. We’ve grown it to encompass multiple industries and locker applications. We’re currently using our application with some of the largest retailers in the world and have deployed our locker solution to companies on every continent.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management is done jointly between our team and their lead and assistant. They manage every feature, enhancement, and bug through their software, which we have access to. The tool helps us track the project by assigning each item to a specific release. We determine the releases and release dates together.

In terms of pricing, Fingent Corp has the right level of overhead to enable a successful outcome without investing unreasonable effort and costs. This is partially due to the fact that we engage them on a monthly-retainer basis. Moreover, the team’s work has remained mostly unchanged over the course of the engagement. As a result, our development is cost-effective and efficient.

As for communication, we regularly interact with the team leads on a weekly basis. I’ve also visited their headquarters, which has provided confidence in their size, structure, and capabilities. Because we’re using an Indian agency as our off-shore partner, there are no linguistic barriers.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Beyond their reasonable price structure and technical knowledge, their team is reliable and productive. It’s easy to communicate with them, and we don’t have to go through a lot of red tape. Furthermore, they approach the project with a high level of integrity.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of SimpleRent, which is property management software for single family homes, and possibly in the future for multi-complexes such as apartment complexes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent Corp?

I needed help to develop the software for my business. There’s a lot of property management software available, but most are not simple or easy to use. The property management area is a complex space and it is hard to make some of the functionalities simple.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took care of the design and development work for the .NET site, doing a very good job with it. I didn’t have wireframes, so everything for this project was done by them. They also worked on the UX.

It is a software as a service (Saas) platform. I wanted online payments and the ability to distribute rent to multiple parties. I also wanted the website to log maintenance requests and the functionality to pay property managers an editable percentage.

What is the team composition?

I worked with four or five people from their team — a project manager, developers, and their sales person.

How did you come to work with Fingent Corp?

I had posted about my requirements on a website and they reached out to me via LinkedIn, letting me know they were interested. I asked for multiple references and touched base with all of them. We then discussed what we could get done within my budget.

How much have you invested in them?

I’ve spent around $250,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in October 2016 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product is sellable right now and we are in a beta stage. I’ll be using them for features and to simplify the product even more in the coming months. The quality of their work is excellent. The UI is great and I’ve received positive feedback many times about the look and feel of the site.

How did Fingent Corp perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed well and did a great job. I met with one person from their team in person, then we mostly communicated through email and on Google Sheets. They use a project tracking software, but I used it rarely.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about them is the price. They have created a product that would have cost me a lot more with another provider.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the beginning, we had some audio issues because of the language barrier but they took care of that right away.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’ve recommended Fingent to 10 people who are doing a project right now. The time difference has been the only challenge, so we have to schedule our calls. Be prepared to know if you have a problem in the middle of the day, there is a good chance that you won’t be able to address it until their workday starts.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for an online advertising platform based in New York City.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent?

We needed to figure out how to implement an idea I’d developed based on 25 years in the commercial TV video business. I had to educate them about the industry, and convey our vision for taking this to a global level. Fingent helped us put pen to paper to figure out how to bring this plan to life.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our whole process was consulting based, rather than sales focused. We had a breakthrough moment when they really understood what our project entailed. The design work was done 100% under my directive. Rather than taking ideas at face value, they enhanced them and added more value. The development was PHP based. 95% was custom programming, rather than off the shelf development.

Fingent built a custom technology platform that uses different algorithms to achieve the common goal functionality. It’s a patented technology that enables people to upload video spots using any links, and place them in a targeted geographical region. The platform instantly calibrates user searches by zip code. We have two different types of clientele: the regular broadcast community, which is sponsor produced, and everyday sellers who want to target users in the most localized format possible.

What is the team composition?

We worked with between four and eight resources, including a project manager and developers. I never met the design team, but my points of contact always referred to them when we worked on that facet of the project.

How did you come to work with Fingent?

An associate of theirs referred them to us. He'd never worked with them, but had heard good reviews. After I looked at some of their work, we decided to move forward.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between $100,000 and $250,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in June 2016, and they provide ongoing support. After we finish the desktop, they'll begin work on the mobile and web apps.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Fingent’s philosophy focused on brainstorming flexible new ideas, rather than just selling us a generic service. The team was responsive, courteous, creative, and caring. Our success hinges on their ability to create a great product, which we created collaboratively. Our beta testers have said the platform is amazing, organized, and well put together. We had to fix a couple of things, as always, but the overall feedback has been very good.

How did Fingent perform from a project management standpoint?

The process was very organized. The team was extremely professional, warm, and inviting. They made me feel totally ease, and were able to understand my needs and solve my problems. We used Open Project as a communication tool. I met the CEO and their domestic developers in New York, and communicated with the India-based developers via Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They treated me like a business partner, instead of just a number.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The biggest area to improve on involves English translation. The copy in the site’s pre-populated fields had abstract verbiage, and their interpretation of correct diction was often off base. We had to make constant corrections, because we're communicating with a domestic audience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It's always good to talk to an owner; start top down, not bottom up. It all depends on what kind of work they want to do. Every project involves different requirements and feedback.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an IT project manager with three separate jobs. Currently, I’m building software for a business I founded to help college officials recruit high school athletes. The goal is to help the athletes fund their education with athletic scholarships.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent Corp?

I needed the right developer that would understand my goals and process. As a project manager, I work backwards from the end result in designating workflows.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The software measures athletes’ skills sets for each sport. Coaches record results in real time, which are then automatically saved to our cloud. College recruiters can subscribe to and access our database. Recording is either automated or manual depending on the data. There’s a built-in stopwatch for time-based metrics.

The app, which is in final the final development stage, will be developed for iOS and Android mobile and tablet devices. The team is waiting for me to obtain an LLC and a tax ID, which I need for the integrated Braintree payment system, before moving forward.

What is the team dynamic?

The team comprises 5 people including an account manager, project manager, and web and app developers.

How did you come to work with Fingent Corp?

I posted an online listing and contacted several companies, but found many didn’t grasp the project’s nuances. I had a few phone calls with Fingent. They were proactive in their pitch and follow-up. Their customer testimonials convinced me to hire them. The team charged more than others, but I was happy to pay extra for quality.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started January 2017 and is on-going with continued support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have personal relationships with over 1,000 coaches. Some have already tested the app and were impressed by its functionality. They’ve already stated their intent to use it.

We haven’t had any software issues. The app has yet to freeze. It’s performance advances my business plan because I can show parents and coaches a tool that works well for their objectives. I expect more parents to sign up for my business’ recruiting services.

How did Fingent Corp perform from a project management standpoint?

We used WebEx and held weekly phone calls. The project manager kept track of every timeline and deliverable and even reminded me of my deadlines. The team also helped me coordinate setting up payment centers with third parties.

The team is offshore, but spoke English very well. While there were never communication issues, I did have to make them adjust date formats from European to American styles.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Deliverables were timely and completed in a highly professional manner. The project manager was fantastic. I never had to ask for anything twice. I have nothing but the highest regard for them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been wonderful. I can’t say enough good things about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Hold several calls with the team at the project’s start and get acquainted with everyone individually. They provided a PowerPoint with head shots, which allowed me to put a face to each name. That level of familiarity made a huge difference for me.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am an associate tenure professor at the University of Toronto, in the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. I teach undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as advise theses and conduct research on ecotourism in arid landscapes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent Corp?

For the first time in the stream of research I’d been doing in the past 10 years, we decided, along with the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism, the sponsor of the program, to publish the outcome of the work through a mobile app. We needed an expert partner who could handle the technical aspects. More importantly, since it was our first time publishing research in this format, we needed someone who could help us design the user interface and advise on the best way to present and showcase the research on mobile phones. I knew what our goals were, but didn’t know how to achieve them; this is where Fingent was helpful.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fingent was understanding in finding a way to work with our limited budget. We made preliminary storyboards. We are architects and knew how to use the design tools, but the process with Fingent was collaborative from the initial brainstorming about our goals and app design.

We spent a month fine-tuning the first storyboard, after which Fingent made a full redesign. We were not specialists, and realized that our version was not at all user-friendly.

We developed a series of tours for a relatively unknown area in Morocco, and needed a mapping of all the different tourism attractions and existing infrastructure in the area. The app needed to work without internet access, since this is an issue in that part of the world. It displays the nearby attractions available within a given circuit, along with all local crafts cooperatives, hotels, restaurants, and projects being planned for the future, for the development of the region’s ecotourism.

We had all the GPS locations of the attractions, but didn’t know how to use the Google technology for actually creating the circuits. Fingent helped us better set our goals and build the correct user interface, so that the app could be accessible to not just people in academia or architecture students, but to any single person travelling to Morocco who wanted to discover the area. There are no guidebooks at all for this area, so our project was a first.

The app was only developed for iOS, but we are signing a sponsorship contract with the Ministry of Tourism for an Android version, as well as for French and Chinese translations of the app.

What is the team dynamic?

Stephen Cummings [Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Fingent] was our team leader. We also worked with the head of their development team in India, and with 2 other people. We used OpenProject, and had weekly meetings during which we discussed different points and shared wireframes. We could either approve the work or make comments on it.

How did you come to work with Fingent Corp?

I shopped around online and found their group to be the most responsive. Stephen Cummings and I are Harvard undergrads, and I looked through the alumni network. I contacted 2 other freelancers, and the big difference was that Stephen was on-point during meetings and extremely generous with his time, even before signing a contract. I wasn’t sure if they could actually build our app for the cost, so it was important to figure out how they could work with our limited budget.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was around $12,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

I first contacted Fingent in May 2017, and the project officially started in June. I spent several hours with Stephen in the beginning, brainstorming how we could make it happen within budget, and what the best approach was. The project was supposed to finish at the end of August, but we extended it until the 15th of October, simply because it was the first time we’d built an app. We didn’t realize the amount of extra work necessary for every single GPS coordinate. The territory we had to cover is a third the size of New York State.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Ministry was happy with our work, and will probably commission us to start on a new region on Morocco. This shows that our relationship with Fingent went well. We’re extremely pleased with the work and are looking forward to a new collaboration. This was the first time our school published work in the format of an app.

I have very high expectations of myself, my students, and the people I work with. Fingent has exceeded them, and we’ve struck a very strong working relationship. I respect them as professionals, and feel I’ve learned a lot from the team.

So far, we’ve done 2 improvement runs, following the testing phase. The app is functioning fine. Someone in Morocco will test it on-site within the next 2 weeks, to see how it can perform without an internet connection. It uses the Google Maps technology, so there shouldn’t be any issues, but it’s the only item we haven’t tested. Everything else we requested has functioned like Fingent told us it would.

How did Fingent Corp perform from a project management standpoint?

I highly enjoyed using OpenProject for the collaboration, and plan to use it for my own work. We communicated weekly, and any question I had was answered within 24 hours. Fingent’s management and dedication was incredible.

GPS data needed to be formatted into Excel, for them to enter, and we completely misjudged the time it would take to do. Fingent was very patient with us, which I can appreciate. They understood that it was a novel project for us, and we had a small budget. The project has made me realize how much work an app is.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated the care with which they listened to our needs, and their ability to find the most user-friendly and appealing approach. Fingent knew that this project was important to us, and that we needed to succeed, since it was the first app of its kind in Morocco. In the end, they gave us more than we expected, which I find incredible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They handle the data part of app projects as well, but, in our case, because we didn’t have enough money or experience, it took more time for us to gather the data ourselves. I wish they would have told us in advance, but it probably wasn’t something Fingent could have assessed. A future improvement would be planning for more time during projects with inexperienced customers. Fingent has been accommodating and understanding. No other firm would have accepted letting us take on that responsibility.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

For clients like myself, developing an app for the first time and without a huge budget, especially in academia, I would highly recommend working with Fingent. They taught us how to provide raw data, but planning for an extended schedule on a first-time project is recommended.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Rentmoji, a property management software platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fingent Corporation?

There was a pretty massive gap in the available out-of-the-box solutions and larger, enterprise-level solutions. That gap dealt with property management for the single-family asset client, which didn’t exist before. We wanted to create our own platform to fill that gap.

The business that we were in was willing to downturn the real estate market. Also, institutional funds were coming to the market, so it was really a trade play. They wanted to know how fast they could buy the assets. We went from buying 10–20 single-family houses a month to buying 500– 600 a month. We had to do that quickly, so we had to put solutions in place. Whatever the need of the day was, we were building that out on the fly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For Rentmoji, Fingent assisted with developing our platform as well as building our software and mobile applications. Fingent built native apps for Android and iOS, while our core software platform was built on a .NET and ASP framework. We sent information about our workflow and business methodology to Fingent, as well as some ideas and wireframes.

Our platform allows users to do real-time bidding at the acquisition of foreclosed and distressed assets. That meant we could bid on assets out in the field via mobile devices that are connected to the platform. From there, we would roll those into a construction rehab workflow. We were able to create large-scale and multiple regions on the platform.

As we rolled into property management, we had full syndication marketing with third-party services like Zillow, Trulia, and HotPads. Fingent provided some marketing pieces for us. Based on their value proposition, they had done this in the past. We had some ideas we would give to them, and they would bounce back with better ones. We would use a big portion of their market and some of their insight. Those were pieces that we used.

Fingent also helped set up our entire backend payment processing through some large merchant services. We were able to do online screening by integrating with another third-party. At the end of the day, we wanted to create a holistic platform—we didn't want our users to leave the platform in order to do all of these required actions.

How did you come to work with Fingent Corporation?

We interviewed several companies before hiring Fingent. We knew we wanted to outsource our services and wanted to find a cost-effective provider. Since we were going to be doing a lot of the work after hours, we wanted to find an offshore team that fits our working schedule. We felt we had a unique connection after talking to Sam (CEO, Fingent). They had a tremendous amount of value and other verticals in this space. It turned out to be a good fit, and choosing them added a lot of value for us.

How much have you invested with Fingent Corporation?

We’ve spent more than $2 million but less than $10 million with Fingent.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with Fingent for about four or five years. I think we started working with them in November 2011. I eventually sold that business in December 2016, which sunsetted for reasons unrelated to Fingent’s services.

I’m still working with Fingent today. We’ve actually built several platforms, including a similar one for another company I’ve started.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We were definitely able to scale our business with Fingent’s help. We grew our business from two employees to 160 employees in two years. We were able to cut our overhead significantly with the platform. Fingent would think about things we had missed, which shortened the time frame it would have taken to build the product. Having a proprietary software platform allowed us to raise massive amounts of capital. All in all, our technology platform was the catalyst for us to create enterprise value. Even today, we’re having conversations with other groups. We’re getting decent-sized enterprise valuations based on our current platform, which Fingent was a part of. The success of their original work has resulted in additional work for my new company.

Given the speed at which we were building, some bugs were expected. Our expectation of wanting everything to be perfect probably wasn’t aligned. At the end of the day, Fingent had clearly documented all the bugs, and then we re-documented a bunch back to them. They were very open to feedback. We discussed if the issue was caused by them moving too fast or by us making changes without giving real thought to what the trickle-down effect might be.

How did Fingent Corporation perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well from a project management perspective. They would come in generally at the estimated level or slightly below that. We also had a conversation about cost overruns well in advance, so we weren't caught off guard or had a “Geez, we have to spend more money just to make this thing work” scenario.

At its height, we had about 36 developers working on the platform. We also had three project managers. I would do weekly calls with the project managers and twice a week with the entire team, usually most of the tech leads. Together, we would set timelines and milestones. We would do some testing and then roll things out to production in a very Agile environment. I think they used Atlassian to do all their reporting, roll logs, bug checks, and so on.

What did you find most impressive about Fingent Corporation?

Fingent’s availability is impressive. To this day, I would call Sam 20 times a day at any hour, and he would always respond. They’re very responsive.

Are there any areas Fingent Corporation could improve?

It might be nice if Fingent adjusted their support hours. They’re in a different country and time zone, so if I have an issue at 1 p.m., that’s 2 a.m. their time.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Fingent Corporation?

I would highly recommend Fingent for any resources, whether it be for a small or large project. Given the scale of the platforms that we have built in a short period of time and the revenue that they have generated for us, it is definitely money well spent.