Flux IT

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the COO of a Financial Services Company headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to develop a new mobile application and the whole microservices infrastructure. We'd noticed a poor developer experience into our DevOps processes, so we wanted to increase our releases and improve quality and time-to-market.

Also, we wanted to gain focus in our customer needs, so we decided to develop brand new UX/UI.

SOLUTION

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

We searched for the top digital agencies and tech providers in Argentina taking into account Customer References, innovation and know-how.

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

Everything has been under normal parameters regarding project structure and steps.

Key deliverables are: A mobile app for iOS and Android built with IONIC/Capacitor; More than 30 .NETCore microservices; a brand new deployment process built on top of Azure Cloud; All the artifacts involved in a UX/UI process (Design Systems, Wireframes, etc).

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

More than 10, some of those key resources are: Account Manager, Scrum Master, Devs, UXers, Architects, QA Engineers, and so on.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A whole new experience in our key products: accounts, payments, credit cards and loans. A new onboarding process for our customers. It's been just one week since we released the app, there is no relevant NPS impact so far. But I am confident that will be.

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

The whole project was delivered remotely, regular meetings under scrum methodology. Regarding the tools, nothing weird, JIRA, Git, Slack, Sketch and mails.

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

Culture and Detailing, these guys are freaks about details, but in a good way.

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

Gain more visibility to key business stakeholders.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product management at Blueleaf Wealth. We’re a software company that builds software for investment advisors, wealth managers, and other financial advisors, so they can use it to run their firms. Our platform has features like billing, rebalancing, and client communication tools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Flux IT?

I brought in Flux IT to help us develop the mobile application for the client engagement part of our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Flux IT worked with us to build out a client mobile app that financial advisors who license our platform can use with their clients. The mobile app shows data like financial performance and the status of someone’s financial accounts.

Another of the key features that we’re really excited about is the push notification functionality. The app has an automated messaging set up that sends a push notification on a weekly basis to people using the app, so they can come in and view their financial performance over the past week.

We already had the UI/UX designs, and Flux IT helped us bring the app to life. Our product team had already done all the research and discovery necessary, and they worked with the UX designers to come up with the concept, so Flux IT was mainly in charge of the execution. Currently, we retain them for mobile app development for Android and iOS.

What is the team composition?

I believe we have four people working on our account. One person is the project manager and our main point of contact, and we also have contact with two developers and a business development person.

How did you come to work with Flux IT?

We had a few companies shortlisted by our director of engineering, and he sorted out who brought the right amount of mobile app development experience to the table. The cost was one of the factors in our decision, but we also wanted to go with someone who had brought apps to the market previously, so they knew what the App Store review process looked like and how to navigate it.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $13,000 per month on the retainer contract.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2020, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The result that excites me the most is the app’s impact on our sales demos. It has become a highlight in the demo flow that we run through with prospects, and it brings a spotlight on client experience for the advisors that we talk to who don’t work yet with us. This is an indirect effect, but it has freshened up our sales process.

We’ve recently launched the app, but we’re not going for a huge amount of monthly active users. We care more about converting our customer’s clients onto it, so it is a gated experience.

How did Flux IT perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is very flexible in different ways of working, and this has worked well for both sides – they’re really great. 

Before I joined the team, we shifted the way that we were running the project. Our team formalized the process, and Flux IT was very adaptable in our direction of shifting. They’ve also been very timely, and they have great communication with our team.

We have a Slack channel set up to communicate both companies back and forth — it has worked really well. We also use ZenHub and GitHub, so we try to put everything there in the context of each corresponding issue. Any other higher-level communication is done through our Slack channel, and occasionally, we have calls with them to check in on things.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really appreciate Flux IT's timeliness. Working with other development teams in the past, when we can expect an update to come through has been a little unclear. However, Flux IT has done a really good job interacting with us.

For anything that we need to fix, they push out an update before I even have the chance to ask about it. It has been really nice to see how responsive they are.

They were also proactive about calling our attention to the fact that, if we made any changes to the API, we needed to let them know so they could do relevant testing. That was something remarkable about them because they gave it a lot of forethought. This was way before we needed to make any changes, so it was nice to see that they were thinking ahead.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have much constructive criticism for Flux IT — they’re great and bring a lot of experience to the table. I just wonder if they have taken an easy direction for our project, given their background and the amount of experience they have with mobile apps.

I consider that our project is a big opportunity for them to help consult with us a little more. However, this isn’t the first time that our product owner launches an app, so maybe they’ve consulted with him in ways that I haven’t seen.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It is ok to have multiple communication channels but try to keep everything in the ZenHub board and in the context of each individual issue. That way, it is easier to catch up and see the project's history. 

I came to the project when it was about to launch, so it was nice for me to see its history — I was really appreciative about that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I`m the CEO at a payment processing company headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The company has about 20 employees and our clients are all around the country. I supervise the production of digital services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Flux IT?

We hire FLUX IT por the UX and UI design for a new mobile app, with the incorporation of new services for our customers.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to create an app that deliver integral solutions for the commerce, promoting the financial inclusion.

SOLUTION

How did you select Flux IT?

Some of our clients recommended us FLUX IT, so we did a research on their website, then we asked for a budget and we hired them.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected FLUX IT we had several meetings to discuss our goals and objectives, within the first two weeks they interviewed a few people of our company to understand us better, and they also interviewed some clients and distributors to understand their needs. Then we received mockups and the initial designs and with feedback, interactions and discussion about the theme they came out with the final result.

What was the team composition?

Throughout the Project we were assigned a multidisciplinary team of 5 people that included product design, business analysis, UI Design and UX Design.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After two months of work, they gave us a product that left us very happy. We received the UX and UI designs that fit exactly on what we were looking for. They also worked hard to understand the needs of our clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between both teams was very fluid and with a lot of communication. The Flux team was always attentive to suggestions and needs for improvements.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What impressed us and surprised us was their willingness and interest in achieving the best possible product.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We have no suggestions for improvement because they came out with a very good result.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm Talent Manager/ Staffing Manager at Rokk3r

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Flux IT?

We Hire FluxIT for a Staff Augmentation model an open position we had of a Senior BackEnd Developer

What were your goals for this project?

In general have the perfect resource and the best fit for the project

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Because they have the same mission and vision in terms of outsourcing that is Team Augmentation, they provide a quality resources and in other hand they are easy going in terms of communication and relation with the team in general.

Describe the project in detail.

Basically is the Staff augmentation model we hire them

What was the team composition?

In this case, one BackEnd Senior Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We hired the Backend Developer in July 2019, that they shared with us , and he is still active yet, almost 7 months working with us, because his performance, commitment, and quality are what we were looking for.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Proficient

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have a quality team with professionalism, quality, commitment, and good communication.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

shareGRO is a tailored wealth management platform built on simple and powerful peer-to-peer sharing. I'm the COO at shareGRO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Flux IT?

We hired Flux IT for design and front-end development

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal is to release a beta into the market

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have worked with a few members on the team and like the rate we were paying for at the moment.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Flux IT provide two people a designer and front end developers where we have daily standups and bi-weekly demos.

What was the team composition?

Our tech team has about 5 developers using the scrum methodology. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are still in development, but it has been great working with the Flux IT team.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management has been great. We used Jira and Slack to keep track of the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

How easy it is to add more people to the team and response time.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We have been making a lot of improvements along the way and think we are on a solid path of how we develop technology

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We’re introducing a social media and lifestyle commerce platform driven by AI. We want to allow online shoppers to buy desired products from a simple photo.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Flux IT?

We needed iOS and Android app development.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop a minimum viable product within several months and launch thereafter.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I spent over half a year searching for the perfect development partner who understood our technology and could deliver on our vision.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Their full-stack mobile development included a backend service for payment processing, along with image recognition and several other AI dependencies.

What was the team composition?

They assembled a capable team that understood our development requirements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any metrics at this time as the development process is ongoing.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We hold weekly update meetings and correspond through email, Slack, and Asana. They’ve been very accommodating of our strict delivery deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’ve responded quickly and they have the agility to make quick pivots.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re satisfied at this stage.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a digital media production supervisor for Cartoon Network.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Flux IT?

We needed app maintenance and web development for our site, CN Anything.

How did you select this vendor?

It was selected based on their skills by the technology and infrastructure department at Turner.

SOLUTION

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They first worked on fixes and improvements for our app before moving into web development. Their work on the app included backend and UX, and they used that same backend and CMS for the website. Other services included QA and bug fixing.

What was the team composition?

Depending on the project, we would work with an account manager, a project manager or tech lead, an Android developer, an iOS developer, a backend developer, and a QA lead.

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

They delivered on time and helped us meet our goal when we launched the website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered on time and helped us meet our goal when we launched the website.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We communicated very well with all of the team, not just with the project manager. I thought that was a more effective way to work considering our time constraints. We met weekly, sometimes daily through Google Hangouts or Skype.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their commitment to the project and the team. They worked more as a partner than a vendor and put their full effort into the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

In the event that they switch teams, they need to document everything to help the transition.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the COO of Relocation Insurance Group. We offer coverage for goods being transported within the US or internationally. We offer many different types of policies and needed systems to help issue and manage those policies.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Flux IT?

Our aging policy issuance/management platform could no longer expand to meet the complex requirements of our new products. Because of this, we were forced to quote, issue, and manage coverages manually. Tracking sales channels, reporting, and claims management all suffered because we lacked a framework capable of handling all of our business needs.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to design a framework that allowed us to offer new products quickly and integrate them into our reporting. We required a CRM with customizable integration points, and a rules/process engine to define custom behavior. Our focus was to design short project phases (each with 1 or more sprints) that could be iterated on, with deliverables that provided a revenue-generating solution at the end of each phase.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for a vendor with the necessary design, implementation, and maintenance knowledge to work with a system based heavily on a rules/process engine (Drools and jBPM). This company also had to be interested in our business as a whole, and not just with this single project.

After interviewing many vendors, we settled on Flux IT because they provided realistic and achievable timelines and budgets. They tried to understand what we wanted and displayed authentic interest in developing the specifications for each phase. They also took the time to grasp our core business needs.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Flux IT is responsible for the ongoing development and maintenance of our web platform framework, which is core to our business success. They worked with us on the initial project specification and scope and helped us identify metrics to track revenue growth as a result of each phase.

Their team created tools to manage the project, and they document status every week. I also meet with the developers and PM multiple times per week and have always found them available when I needed something. They were essential in helping us select components to use and adapt for our framework. As a result, they were able to consistently deliver more than we asked for at the completion of each phase.

What was the team composition?

The team consists of a project manager (PM) and one full-time lead developer. If there’s a deadline or urgent issue, they'll add more people to deliver on time. Scaling up and down has been simple, and the PM has always accommodated our schedule and timing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Post-launch, we’ve seen increased conversion rates and more customer attention paid to our products. The platform is more automated than we could have hoped, and it’s made our sales process more efficient. We've also gained better insights into performance through reporting enhancements and standard data models. The platform has helped us grow as a business. It’s become critical to our success.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project managers were assigned at different stages of the initial development, and they’ve all been great to work with. The language barrier was a concern in the beginning, but their team hasn’t had a problem conversing with us or with any written responses. Collaboration feels natural, and I never worry I'm being misunderstood. I’ve gotten very comfortable speaking with the PM and developers, to the point where now I don’t even think about the language barrier because there is none. Developers and PM’s are always responsive on Google Hangouts, even outside normal work hours, and Trello is great for managing tasks and ongoing improvements.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Flux IT stands out because of the time they spent (and continue to spend) getting to know our business and anticipating development tasks that might have been left out of the initial specification. They’ve worked with us from the start, providing advice and estimations that were accurate and honest. They’re willing to meet and discuss the direction we want to go, all on their own dime, whereas other development houses I’ve worked with are quick to bill an hour for a 15-minute conversation.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I truthfully can't think of any areas I'd suggest they improve. They've done everything we asked and more while delivering on time and under budget. Their solutions and management are far better than those of any other development company we've worked with. They’ve been the perfect fit for our business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

IMS operates in Latin America and represents many major online platforms. We sell advertising space within the functionalities of those platforms, creating the market, looking for the market, and selling and dealing with payments as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Flux IT?

We needed help developing our web platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve developed a web-based platform to automate advertising campaign orders, incorporating LinkedIn, Twitter, and Spotify, and are working on adding Snapchat. It also includes a campaign management tool to track the campaigns and control them. We're thinking about adding other sophisticated campaign management tools. They used NodeJS, Mongo, and PHP for the frontend and Angular for the backend.

What is the team composition?

They assigned UX designers at first and then the developers later on. We had about five developers, a project manager, Joaquin (Business Developer, Flux IT), and Santiago (CEO, Flux IT).

How did you come to work with Flux IT?

We started working with another provider on this project and it was a big failure, so we looked elsewhere. During the decision process, we evaluated four candidates and found Flux IT understood the business and gave suggestions for UX and functionalities. They knew how to solve issues in the best possible way and seemed to be a solid company to work with.

How much have you invested in them?

We invested around $600,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in August 2016, then we launched our beta version around January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their interaction with us was good and we now have a functional product which works work with our internal processes. It interacts with APIs from other platforms. The product keeps evolving and we keep integrating it with other systems.

I'm very happy with their work. I've worked with several development companies and it can be complex. They've demonstrated flexibility, good treatment, a solid know-how, and they're responsive and committed. They have UX expertise but have developed their digital marketing knowledge quickly. We’re seeing their impact internally already and it will have a revolutionary effect within the platform.

How did Flux IT perform from a project management standpoint?

The communications were fluid and they were accessible. They’ve been flexible and were a solid company to work with. We worked with them within a limited timeframe and they delivered. The project evolved in its specifications and requirements and they were able to adapt to that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their UX skills. The product needed to be easy to use, intuitive, and its accessibility needed to be high. Their campaign building was great, as was their commitment, flexibility, and disposition.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a digital marketing learning curve, but there's nothing major to add in terms of areas for improvement.