INCOAlliance

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the connected retail lead at MJ Flood Technology. We're an IT-focused organization that offers both traditional IT services and specialized business units. I manage our suite of consumer-facing technologies for the retail sector which ranges from digital signage solutions and IT camera technology to interactive touch screens and corresponding mobile app development. We offer solutions for analysis, Intel, in-store customer journey, monitoring, and assessment. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with INCOAlliance?

We used to have internal resources for software development. Since many of our applications had sporadic development requirements and we didn't always have ongoing projects, it was difficult to keep a software development team in-house. It made more sense for us to outsource that function. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We've asked INCOAlliance to develop and maintain a couple of different applications. One in particular was for a company that wanted to launch a suite of new finance-related products.

Our suite of products can be deployed on many different devices. Functionally, they serve as assistive consumer-focused applications to guide users through a particular customer journey or sales process. 

INCOAlliance can develop using a full suite of different skills and technologies like .NET. Their team affords the due diligence necessary to work with a wide breadth of tools. They seem to check all the boxes we need concerning programming languages and databases. Currently, we’re focused on developing wayfinding applications for use in shopping malls.

What is the team composition? 

We interact with multiple project managers from INCOAlliance. We don't tend to speak directly with individual engineers working on the different solutions. The team sends us messages through a project manager, who lets us know what content they need from our end.  A wide range of resources are always copied in our emails. 

How did you come to work with INCOAlliance?

Another company we’ve worked with recommended INCOAlliance. We did our due diligence to assess their quality of service. They sent us examples of past work, and we spoke to their previous clients. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since July 2017, for 18 months now. All the separate projects ranged in length from about 3–6 months each. We're just starting to work on new client projects we have in our pipeline. At the moment, we have our in-house applications in development. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our most significant metric for success is that our clients are happy with the quality of work. All of INCOAlliance’s application design models and mockups have been well-received by both the end client in question and us. We've actually gone on to sell the products they’ve delivered. INCOAlliance has a very high win rate of projects they pitch for within their industry sector.

How did INCOAlliance perform from a project management standpoint?

INCOAlliance plan the project proactively and efficiently sets up sprints. They’re straightforward about which digital assets, links, video content, and information they need from us. They keep us updated about deadlines to send materials and indicate potential repercussions from delays. Communication has worked well. Since they're only a couple hours ahead of us, the time zone difference hasn’t been an issue. I don't have any real concerns.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about INCOAlliance is their wide breadth of skill sets. They’ve capably turned over almost all our requests. Other companies we worked with in the past were limited to just one area of expertise, like NET development or native mobile apps. INCOAlliance has the full suite of frontend and database expertise we need. They’ve worked very well as a partner for us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We've been happy with the team so far. They’ve been capable of fulfilling everything we’ve requested.  We would love for the prices to be cheaper, but I say that about all of our providers. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise making sure the requirements are well-defined before engaging with INCOAlliance. This step can take a considerable amount of time. They have teams based in different areas of Eastern Europe, so a clear scope will ease any potential language barriers and prevent miscommunications. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the COO of a company that delivers software services. We specialize in backend development in the healthcare segment, storing and saving data and analytics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire INCOAlliance?

We wanted to create a hybrid app for a healthcare startup we were working with based on PhoneGap (formerly Apache Cordova). Specifically, we needed frontend services.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to build a cost-effective MVP that could quickly be used in marketing activities.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A friend who was working with them on another project recommended INCOAlliance to us. Their resources and pricing were competitive.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We had the backend done already, but because of the technology we were stuck with, we were going to have to write native code for the frontend. INCOAlliance’s CTO suggested we switch to Apache Cordova. We created the requirements together and built up the team.

What was the team composition?

We worked with two hybrid developers and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still raising funds for our solution, but we’re on our way to being successful. INCOAlliance has had a great impact in helping us feel confident in our future.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project manager was great. He was technical and results-oriented. We didn’t think we needed a project manager at first, but then we brought him on full-time and permitted him to manage our backend team as well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their speed, personal approach, and commitment were highly valuable.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wish they provided QA automation teams on a time and materials basis. It would help customers who don't require full-time resources in that regard move faster. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former VP of Products for Forcepoint, a cyber security firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with INCOAlliance?

We needed QA and software development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

INCOAlliance works on multiple projects. They augment our QA team, helping them with daily tasks and integrating into the agile scrum. They also research communications between certain enterprises and their cloud services, reverse engineering the communication protocols. They then develop specific code to translate the protocols into something meaningful that our customers can understand.

What is the team composition?

The team was quite large when I left, with about four QA analysts, seven software developers, and three cloud researchers.

How did you come to work with INCOAlliance?

They reached out to us when we needed to augment our internal team. I did my own research into two other companies but found INCOAlliance to be more professional, more focused, and less expensive, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $4 million–$5 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s hard to measure their work, but if they weren’t doing a good job then our end users wouldn’t be able to use our products.

How did INCOAlliance perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re incredibly fast and efficient at filling open positions, and we’re happy with their work. The entire team is professional, especially their founder and senior leadership. We just have to give them our goals, requirements, and timeline, and they accomplish everything.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their service is outstanding, and they’re always available. We get whatever we ask for and haven’t ever been let down. The technical abilities of their team members are also highly impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They're a great team.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Have a good relationship with the management team. They're in control of everything, so make sure you get along well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We’re a HealthTech agency that develops mobile health applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire INCOAlliance?

We needed resources to help us develop an innovative health app using the best available technologies.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to have a one-of-a-kind project that had the most advanced features on the market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our colleagues recommended INCOAlliance to us, and they’ve exceeded our expectations.

Describe the project in detail.

They’ve worked with our in-house team to build an MVP of our app on Apache Cordova. We’re now expanding the product and working on new features.

What was the team composition?

The team consists of two frontend developers, one backend developer, one designer, and one project manager. We also work with the CTO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still in development, but they’ve managed to put together an MVP of the app, which we’ve demonstrated to professionals from Google and other top companies.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow is almost flawless thanks to their team’s project manager and high motivation.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Within a short period, they recruited a group of the best available talent to work perfectly with our existing team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It would be nice if we could see the psychological profiles of each developer along with their resumes.