Iversoft

Please describe your company.

We're a SAS platform for charities to host their events and do fundraising. We operate with big browsers, mobile Web and mobile applications. Iversoft works on the mobile apps.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the product manager for the platform, so I’m responsible for the overall roadmap, vision, features, and functionality of the Artez platform.

What was the strategy behind the app?

The app is for fundraisers to register for an event that they can download, and keep up to date on their fundraising progress, reach out to friends and family for donations, and so on. The main thing that we looked to address was user engagement, making sure people liked it, and were using it on a regular basis to track their fundraising. The more engaged they were with the app, the more engaged they would be with fundraising itself. The other aspect was a communication channel from the charity to the fundraiser, making sure that any pertinent messages were being passed along to the fundraiser, and ensuring they’re aware of where the money is going. It also passes along information about the event.

Please describe the scope of their work.

In this case, they worked on development for Android as well as iOS apps. That included integration to third parties for things like push notifications. All of the design and support is done in-house by our company.

What was your process for selecting Iversoft Solutions?

That is outside of my hands. I believe they were here when I started.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It's fairly large across the two apps. With our most recent release, the work was in the range of 100 man-hours across the different platforms and the integrations we had to do.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

The last major project was completed in January of 2013, but we have used them for minor projects and things like iOS 7 updates. They are definitely still engaged on a smaller basis.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

An Australian client was the first big organization to use the new app platform. In overall fundraising, they saw year-over-year growth of 10 percent, which is really good. I believe that 28 percent of their event participants actually downloaded the app and logged in to it. On average, app users came back to the app 36 or 40 times in the three-month period. Every couple of days, they were logging into the app. That is a big deal because we launched it in January, and this particular event was in the middle of March. There wasn’t much time between the app launch and the event, and the fact that people were logged in on average so much meant that they were engaged with it.

Do you still feel you selected the right platform for the app?

Absolutely. Android and iOS meet our needs.

How did Iversoft Solutions perform throughout the work?

They were great. They were always quick to respond, very helpful, very willing to make changes as necessary if there was a change in the original scope. They were very adaptive and perfect for the project. That’s why we continue to work with them.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

The engagement that they show in wanting to make it a success and really understanding the use is unique. They provided feedback on anything that came up, whether it was a design issue, functionality or making suggestions. The overall engagement to deliver on the project, and to make sure the project is a success was strong. That included working on the defined scope or making suggestions on how it could be better.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

I don’t think so. Everything has been very smooth, and I have nothing but positives to say.

Please provide some background on your company.

We’re essentially an agency. We work with clients directly, and then outsource a portion of that work to partners such as Iversoft.

What was your main objective in working with Iversoft?

Well, I’ve used them for many projects. Usually, however, it’s development.

Is it basically anytime you need mobile development, they’re the ones that you call up?

Correct.

How did you originally find Iversoft, and choose to work with them?

It’s been five years now. Originally, they were referred to me by a colleague.

Could you tell me about the scope of a typical project that you worked with them on, and what parts they might be involved in?

They’re all over that map. There’s probably been 15 over the last five years. But it’s straight deep-dive, large-scale mobile apps.

Do they handle the design, and the development of the app?

Yes, end to end as well as a little bit of account management.

What operating systems have they developed for you?  iOS or Android?

Both of those two.

Do they actually interact with you and the client?

Depending on the need sometimes, yes. But, when they do, they’re always great.

When working with them, is there anything that you found to be unique or special compared to other developers that you’ve worked with?

They’re very thorough, especially in the documentation, which is always important for our clients.

When working with them, is there anything that you would do differently or think they could improve on?

No. We’ve never had a bad experience.

Do you think you could sum up your experience with them in a sentence or two?

Just outstanding, intense solutions in the mobile space.