Gravit-e Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of Ontario College QA Service. We’re responsible for managing the QA of Ontario public colleges — there are around 24 public colleges in the system — and we do program validation. Every new program by colleges comes through us to ensure it meets ministry requirements. We also do institutional audits with the colleges once every six years. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gravit-e Technologies?

We engaged Gravit-e Technologies to support our program validation tool. For context, my predecessor hired a one-person development company in 2013 to develop a tool that automated our program validation service. We released the tool in 2018, and it was extremely successful. The tool was easy to use, and the documents could be re-used and resubmit to the ministry. 

The tool became our bread and butter. Because our developer was a one-person shop, the board wanted to move to a new company that could give us the support we needed. We did that in 2020. Unfortunately, this move didn’t work for us in any way, shape, or form. The new development company didn’t understand the tool and didn’t want to learn it. They constantly pushed us to redevelop it for a high monetary cost. 

Because of that, I decided to move to a new development team again, and I engaged Gravit-e Technologies for the job. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gravit-e Technologies has dedicated 1–2 teammates to support our tool. They’ve worked on the tool’s issues and moved it up to PHP 8 from PHP 7.4. Moreover, they provide maintenance and monitoring services for this tool. They’ve implemented features such as a reporting structure that tells me how many validations have been done by which colleges. The feature also tells me how many programs were funded and not funded. 

At present, we're working with them to develop an AI bot for vocational learning outcomes. They’ve created a prototype for it. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve interacted with Nick (President) and his assistant, who organizes our meetings. They’ve assigned a project lead who’s also a developer. That project lead has gone on maternity leave, but she’s handed us off to other project leads. We’ve worked with a QA specialist, too. 

How did you come to work with Gravit-e Technologies?

One of my colleagues recommended Gravit-e Technologies. I started having conversations with them after six months of going back and forth with other developers. Those developers wanted to charge us money but never asked to see the tool. However, when I talked to Gravit-e Technologies, they asked if I could give them access to the tool. 

I was incredibly pleased with them even before signing a contract. Just by reviewing the tool, they told me the exact issues our previous developers had. That previous developer told us the product had a humongous security issue, and they needed to rebuild the entire tool. When Gravit-e Technologies looked into the tool, they said the product was good — there was no issue, and they could slowly move us up to PHP 7.8. I was happy with this, so we engaged them. 

How much have you invested with them?

The technical move and the PHP 8 update cost less than $40,000, while the AI bot’s prototype costs around $8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started using Gravit-e Technologies’ services in November 2023, and the partnership is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Moving our tool to Gravit-e Technologies has been successful. They’ve implemented 15 new features for our validation tool — the reporting feature they’ve created has saved me about three hours of work per month.

Overall, our engagement has been extraordinary. Gravit-e Technologies’ service, knowledge, and ability to understand our tool have been great. The developer they’ve assigned to us has been fully devoted and immersed in what we need to do. The service and support they’ve provided has been night and day compared to our previous development team. 

How did Gravit-e Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Their responsiveness has been incredible. If there’s an issue, we hear back from them quickly. We have a three-hour difference in time, but they resolve issues within just two hours. Moreover, they always try to understand us. If our emails don’t make sense, they try to clarify things by comparing notes with us. They’re happy to hear from us and help us.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I have nothing but praise for all of them. The developers take responsibility, and Nick is always updated. For instance, if he doesn’t hear back from developers when we have an issue, he assigns another teammate and gets back to us in an hour. In other words, Nick is professional and hands-on. The developers themselves are so responsive and amazing. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Gravit-e Technologies has been professional and responsive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. My interactions with them have been so pleasant and professional. I’m so pleased with their services. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be transparent, communicative, and accountable to your own actions. Show Gravit-e Technologies the same level of professionalism, transparency, and accountability in the role that you play as a client. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at an investment management firm. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gravit-e Technologies?

We wanted to streamline our reporting.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gravit-e Technologies designed and developed a web application for us. The app’s goal was to enable us to send quarterly reports to a subset of our end client base in an automated format. 

The app managed a subset of our end client database, and Gravit-e Technologies built features that enabled us to input limited data on a quarterly basis. From there, the app sent a report to each end client that looked personalized even though the process was automated. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with around three teammates from Gravit-e Technologies, including the president and one other teammate in charge of maintenance. 

How did you come to work with Gravit-e Technologies?

We found them through Clutch using a filtered search. We narrowed our options to a few firms we wanted to interview and met with 3–4. At the end of that process, we chose Gravit-e Technologies because they were the most capable of completing our project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent close to $30,000 on the development project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The development project lasted from January–July 2019. Currently, Gravit-e Technologies still provides maintenance. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Gravit-e Technologies’ work saved us a significant amount of time on a quarterly basis. Their work was high-quality; the team built exactly what we were looking for. Additionally, they continue to maintain the product with better than adequate service.

How did Gravit-e Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated through email and phone calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed by Gravit-e Technologies’ speed, level of service, and high level of communication. The application’s speed is also impressive — faster than any website.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have improved their design. However, we didn’t hire them for their design skills, so this wasn’t a significant issue.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear picture in mind but be willing to listen to Gravit-e Technologies’ experts about what’s possible regarding technology. Additionally, consider outside consultation for the design work. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Drive CX

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We connect companies to their customers and teams in real-time on the front lines to create amazing consumer and workplace experiences that drive growth.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Gravit-e Technologies to accomplish?

• A platform for collecting customer, employee, sales and marketing data
• API based technology that connects easily to external systems
• A mobile system for acting of feedback in real-time at the store level.
• Advanced analytics for performance benchmarking and manager alerts.
• Custom branded comment cards that can be created and deployed in minutes.

SOLUTION

How did you find Gravit-e Technologies?

Referral

Why did you select Gravit-e Technologies over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Gravit-e Technologies were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The key deliverable was a total experience management software platform that connects companies to their customers and teams in real-time on the frontlines. The core engagement component is a custom branded comment card that can be presented after POS transactions, on payment devices, with QR codes and on websites, to gather customer feedback. If the feedback is positive, it can be promoted to social sites. If negative, a manager is sent a text alert and an action flag. 

The platform collects data from Sales, customer reviews, employee reviews and marketing engagement. Then provides snapshot views, trends and detailed source data analysis. The platform has API endpoints to connect to external data systems to realize synergies in functionality and consolidated data for AI applications.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• We set quarterly goals for what functionality we want to add to our platform. These are consistently met. Our clients are happy with the functionality and we have not experienced any data integrity breaches or down time.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We track progress through sprints managed with "Unfuddle" sprint ticket management software. We set biweekly sprint goals that were consistently met.

What was your primary form of communication with Gravit-e Technologies?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Flexibility, and the willingness to go the distance to make sure we get something our clients want.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Gravit-e Technologies could have done differently?

Keeping a running total of budget spend, so that we can make informed decisions about how to allocate our development funds.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Exectuvie Director of Resource Centre, Registrar of Nidus Registry of Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre and Registry

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Educate about legal documents people can make in case of incapacity and for after death and how to store and arrange access in our online registry (repository).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Gravit-e Technologies to accomplish?

• Establish secure online registry (repository) service for British Columbians.
• Provide ongoing management of database for registry service.
• Enable access to information and documents stores in Registry by authorized users.

SOLUTION

How did you find Gravit-e Technologies?

Referral

Why did you select Gravit-e Technologies over others?

Good value for cost

How many teammates from Gravit-e Technologies were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We contracted with Gravit-e Technologies to design an online repository for important information and documents a British Columbian might have and need in future - if health crisis or other emergency (like fire or flood). This Registry (repository) is self-managed so people can enter and access their own data. 

We also needed a function for authorized lawyer and notary firms to enter and view data for clients. We also needed a function for authorized parties (like the Public Guardian & Trustee, health authorities, financial institutions, etc.) to access data as relevant to their role and authority (i.e. we needed a way to differentiate the type of data different parties can access). 

This is an ongoing project and we need Gravit-e to ensure the Registry service is responsive to changes in technology and circumstances/needs. Deliverables:

• a system that functions as promoted
• emergency measures for our database if Gravit-e is affected by a disaster (like an earthquake)
• being pro-active about security of data including arranging for SSL Certificate and back-up of database
• providing hosting and maintenance functions

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Increased use of service. Accommodation and responsiveness of Gravit-e to need for changes and consultation. Their experience and knowledge have helped streamline and make this project more user-friendly.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes. Gravit-e has been very supportive and accommodating as we are a non-profit, charitable organization and we are promoting a service that is new.

What was your primary form of communication with Gravit-e Technologies?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The president, Nick, has a wealth of knowledge and is able to explain technical issues in very practical terms for the layperson (like me). This is a gift!! I also feel that Nick and the company acts with integrity and honesty - these are very important values for our organization and to me.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Gravit-e Technologies could have done differently?

Nothing that comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Program Director of Tax-Aid

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Tax-Aid (non-profit 501c3 organization) provides free tax preparation services for those who have low to moderate income.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Gravit-e Technologies to accomplish?

• Build the custom database for our website
• Modernize our website
• Host our website
• Develop tracking database
• On going monthly support

SOLUTION

How did you find Gravit-e Technologies?

Referral

Why did you select Gravit-e Technologies over others?

• Referred to me
• Fantastic service.

How many teammates from Gravit-e Technologies were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Our first engagement with Gravit-e involved building and developing a custom volunteer database. Over the years the projects have grown to include hosting, internal website support, website development, mobile optimization, and much more. We continue to use Gravit-e on a monthly basis for all our on going technical needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Usable data base, working website, website that doesn't crash, secure data and website.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

It's important to note that all of our interactions with the team have been virtual since 2011 which is amazing. Working with the entire Gravit-e team over the years has been a real pleasure. It is evident that providing excellent services is their core company value.

What was your primary form of communication with Gravit-e Technologies?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I have spoken to many different IT companies in the past who are more focused on selling a product/services. Gravit-e genuinely cares about Tax-Aid as a client. Nick is always able to decipher the description of our projects which we present in non technical terms. He always has multiple options for us to consider. I appreciate that he takes into account that we are a non profit with limited resources. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Gravit-e Technologies could have done differently?

none.