GoApps

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the co-founder of diet catering marketplace. We help customers find and order online their perfect diet with home delivery.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our outdated website did not offer online purchase. Back then we had informational site only. We hired GoApps for 2 purposes. Firstly, they were supposed to redesign (UX + UI) whole website to meet modern ecommerce standards. Secondly, they were to implement the code since we didn’t have in-house developers. Ever since, we continue working with GoApps in day-to-day website development.

SOLUTION

How did you select GoApps and what were the deciding factors?

Word-of-mouth. A business friend recommended GoApps to me.

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

We "clicked" with GoApps team straight away. Our first meeting turned to be a project kick-off. We expressed our needs and doubts. They assigned to our project UX designer and full stack developer who without further ado began their work.

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

1 UX/UI designer + 1 full stack developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We gained transactional website, which gave us major revenue boost. Futhermore, we continue developing this website adding new features every sprint.

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

I'm happy to share that GoApps is nothing but fully adaptable to your business style. Since I represent dynamic and highly informal start-up-like way of working they catered to my style,

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

It has always impressed me a lot that they can easily fit into both large corporations as well as small start-ups. Regardless the style, they do deliver on time with matters to me most.

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

Not that I can think of. I wouldn't change a thing so far.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of Go View It. We have an automotive imaging/photography application to take photos of cars for the youth market as well as to document damage on vehicles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GoApps?

We’d previously kept the application development in-house, but we started looking at outsourcing certain elements of the application. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

GoApps was instrumental in developing our approve/reject process. We laid out the functional specifications. They took the concept and put it into a user-friendly environment. Now they're engaged on a maintenance package with an agreed-upon number of hours per month. Occasionally we still need out of scope development. They’ll give us a quote and then get it going. 

What is the team composition? 

We work with three people. I’ve primarily worked with Robert (President, GoApps) and one other person on the development side. We've had an account manager only for the last three months. 

How did you come to work with GoApps?

I started the project with a different provider. It didn't work out but it did lay the groundwork for the development. Then our Group Director got me in contact with GoApps. He’d met them or heard of them. We liked that their price was very competitive. Their ability to bring boardroom concepts into real-life was also important in their selection. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between £40,000–£45,000 (approximately $49,000–$55,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in November 2016, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application is live and available on the App Store. Development never stops so it's an ongoing project. Their uptime is really great. I can count on one hand the number of times in the last three years when we've been down. That's very important to me. Also, the speed of use has improved as GoApps releases newer versions. 

How did GoApps perform from a project management standpoint? 

GoApps has been more proactive since we've had a project manager. We communicate via email, phone, or Asana. We schedule biweekly or bi-monthly conference calls to highlight anything that we want to discuss. The calls last anywhere from 2–10 minutes, which is the best approach. I like the way it's working now for app maintenance. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I've given a lot of positive feedback.  

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No. GoApps has a good process in place and we have a good working relationship. Everything is going swimmingly, so if it's not broke why change it. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that your goals and ideas are clear. GoApps is good at making sure they understand your requirements. When you agree on timelines, allow a little wiggle room in case something goes wrong and you will have a good experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of MyShop.mobi. We have a mobile app that allows customers to find local businesses and their promotions. We also provide SaaS applications for small businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GoApps?

We needed to rebuild our mobile app to update its functionalities. We also needed it to be in order with regulations laid out in the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). 

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted the iOS version to have the same functionalities as the Android version.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We compared the skills and costs of several companies in the market. After multiple discussions about the project details, we decided to bring them on board.

Describe the project in detail.

We described the project needs and the GoApps team made the needed developments in our app. They did everything in the schedule we laid out. We had weekly Sprints and communicated through Jira and Slack.

What was the team composition?

We had our product owner and backend developer working with their team leader and two backend developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app works as it should and everything went according to plan during our collaboration. They met our expectations.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicated through Jira and Slack. The collaboration had no misunderstandings or lack in communication. We also had weekly sprints. They’re a great team with a good, clear workflow.  

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciate the direct communication and the way they viewed our ideas on the same level of thinking as theirs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the sole owner and CEO of Hermax. The product we're developing is called Kcalmar. It's a software for dieticians, in the form of a mobile app and website for patients and professionals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GoApps?

We started the project two or three years ago. We needed our mobile applications for Android and iOS developing. After a year on the market, we had them redesigned, but they aren't yet in the app stores. The version currently available for download is the older MVP.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked solely on our mobile applications. We prepared a specifications document for them. Regarding the new version, they’ve been responsible for preparing wireframes, graphic designs, and the whole onboarding process. They were completely responsible for the development, from A to Z. There was a lot of input and consultation from their side.

The core feature of the product is the API integration with our system. It gives users the ability to seek new plans, to go through particular meals, review recipes and nutritional values, and to see shopping lists. The app also integrates with a calendar through which can schedule meetings with our nutritionist.

What is the team composition?

I’ve been in contact with Robert (President, GoApps), with whom I’ve made decisions on the project, pricing, payment, and staff. There was a project manager from our side involved, while they assigned a graphic designer and one or two developers, depending on the platform.

How did you come to work with GoApps?

When I started the business, I didn’t have my own IT resources. I was working with external IT firms, and I wasn’t happy with that. I finally managed to find two developers but was still lacking mobile development competencies.

I looked on websites that listed IT development companies and sent out a brief to some. We had a meeting with GoApps and I checked their references. We had a good conversation and they seemed trustworthy, so we started working together.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of the new version was $20,000. The previous one was a bit cheaper as it was less complicated. Overall, we’ve spent over $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We currently have 2–3 ongoing projects, including the patient platform. The project is ongoing, but we're not putting any pressure on it.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have more than 200,000 patients using the platform. It's been received quite well.

How did GoApps perform from a project management standpoint?

I'm not aware of postponed deadlines, or anything else that could have affected our business. The new version of the application had a delivery date of December 2017, around Christmas time as we wanted to launch it in January. Although it was the holiday season, they managed to deliver. I never heard anything bad about their team.

We used Slack for daily communication, while we kept tasks and descriptions using Jira. Those were approved by us first. We also communicated over phone and Skype. The design part of the project—when we were working on wireframes—was done through Trello.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve appreciated their flexibility around payment. It was something I found impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The communication could be a bit better. They worked remotely and we only met a couple of times. It would be an improvement to have their team located nearer to us, so that we could meet and chat. We had some different approaches to some things, different opinions, and different expectations. The mockups and wireframes should have been better prepared. However, we didn’t have any significant issues.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I would truly recommend them. I’ve always referred people who are looking for a software house to them. We will use them again ourselves when building a new mobile app.