Konstant Infosolutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and president of Global Smart Logistics Group. I’m developing a solution for the logistic and transport industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Konstant Infosolutions?

I wanted to develop a booking app for transportation companies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a transport booking app with two major features. The first feature allows transportation companies to receive bookings before suppliers reach the container port. Companies can use the platform to define the booking parameters for the order. Suppliers receive the container number, confirm it, and fulfill the booking. Since a lot of people in Africa don't have smartphones, they built the app to work via short message service (SMS).

The second major feature is a freight exchange solution for desktop devices. They created a platform where charters can send offers for transport services. For example, if I need to transport something from London to Manchester on a specific date, I can go on the platform and put out a request. After I sign the offer, different transport companies can bid on it.

We've finished the proof of concept for the booking system, and I'm waiting for my client in Africa to place a purchase order. Once approved, we'll proceed to fully develop the booking system.

What is the team composition?

I don’t know how many developers there are.

How did you come to work with Konstant Infosolutions?

I found them online. I sent them a request for a quotation, and they contacted me. It’s been a very successful partnership.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform is working well so far and is exactly what I was looking for. We don't have any users yet because there’s some additional work to be done. However, we plan to launch it in November 2018.

How did Konstant Infosolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a good partnership because we work to find solutions together. They always give me feedback, so it’s a very good collaboration. There are never any surprises, and it’s very easy to work with them.

When I sent my request to the project manager, he got back to me to make sure he understood what I wanted. We’re delivering a very specific solution, so I appreciated that he made sure he understood our project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered a very good product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are additional fees when we request something. Perhaps they could improvise on this kind of thing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I have no advice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own zAmerican English. We teach English to native Arabic speakers in the Middle East.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Konstant Infosolutions?

After my YouTube channel grew in popularity, people asked me to develop an application. I hired Konstant Infosolutions to build the solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created wireframes from my illustrations and then walked me through the development process. We use Vimeo for the app’s video content. Each lesson has notes, audio vocabulary lists, and links for extra skill development. Each lesson is locked until the user passes the previous lesson and answer the quiz. In addition, there is a going to be a chat room function that is coming in the new version of the application. The app contains some of my YouTube content, but other videos will be available for subscription only. Currently, we are still in phase one with a completed beta version. We are launching the iOS version shortly and also have an Android app planned.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager who had about five or six teammates working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Konstant Infosolutions?

I read some reviews about their company and people only had good things to say about them. I interviewed a few companies and chose Konstant Infosolutions because their cost was fair. I appreciated they were able to lower the price when I asked them for a discount. They don’t try to take advantage of their customers by assuming the client doesn’t know anything about programming.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent between $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Immediately after its launch, the app trended number one for education in the Middle East. I have about 81,700 active users and average around 11,000 daily downloads. Recently, I asked Konstant Infosolutions if I should change one of the app providers because they couldn’t give me a full-screen option. The team told me other providers would be more expensive and the one I was had provided the best value for my market. I felt they were trying to save me money, and they asked me for 48 hours to see if this is something they could do even though it was something they don’t support. They were able to tweak the code and were able to get it to work. I was astonished; they saved me a ton of money and didn’t charge me anything for the extra service.

How did Konstant Infosolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They stick to their promised deliverables and timelines. Only one or twice was the team not ready to share on a particular day, but they had good reasons for the delay.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would choose them again over other vendors because the team has my best interest at heart. I also appreciate that they try to make me money as well as save me money when they can. My entire experience has been positive.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them because they know their stuff and deliver what they promise. I don’t have a negative thing to say about them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Cloudkontrol. We are a pre-launch startup that develops software as service (SaaS) based products to manage licensing for medium to large corporations. We work to save our clients’ money by migrating all of their cloud estates to one location and providing information on topics like current and future spending, contract terminations, and expiry renewals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Konstant Infosolutions?

I was looking to build a short-term solution, but wanted to initiate a long-term strategy to best help me reach my ultimate goals for the startup.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided Konstant with foundational information on what the product was and the desired functionalities. They build the program using AngularJS 4 for the frontend, Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the backend, and MongoDB for the database. They developed a cloud-based environment with the ability to have multiple digital tenants on the same database. The program features complex functionalities including six-decimal currency exchange, licensing information, and a ledger for each line within the system to track individual progress. Konstant also provided full security and data separation and an authorization system for the individual profiles. A channel called “manager” allows users to view all of this information, as well as create accounts, manage contacts, pricing agreements, additional records, and a future planning and scenario modeling tool. The user’s homepage is built to provide data on top vendors, top spends, and top projects.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one business development representative.

How did you come to work with Konstant Infosolutions?

After deciding to pass on another company, I started to research other development firms in India. I found Konstant Infosolutions on Clutch and reached out to get a sense of what they offered and if they were a proper fit for the project. I needed a company that could handle the complexity of the product as well as question, challenge, and then help direct the future of the company.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $60,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2017—June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I am happy with the quality of work and the product Konstant delivered. I am a slight perfectionist, so we redid a few elements before we got it right, but that is expected with a complex project. The final results exceeded all of my initial expectations.

How did Konstant Infosolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Konstant’s project management is satisfactory overall, but definitely not an area of opportunity. At the beginning of the engagement, I had to monitor how they spent their time and had them record their work in a logging document. Aside from sharing information through that channel, we also communicated via Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are simply a high-quality group of people. I find that they stand out from other Indian development houses in the fact that they don’t just agree to project terms, they question and challenge the idea. They developed a deep understanding of what I wanted and provided informed strategies to generate something even better. By the end, we had developed a mutually beneficial and respectful relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As a general comment on software developers, I would say a common weakness is being able to quickly and concisely estimate the cost of a project. This isn’t a specific weakness for Konstant, I found that they were reasonable and willing in budgetary conversations.

Any advice for potential customers?

Clients should be able to clearly communicate their goals. Konstant is very skilled in understanding ideas, but they need to be articulated concisely. I would also recommend a flexible budget to accommodate any changes that may occur during development. Finally, allow them some freedom on the creative side. They have a lot of valuable insight that can really improve your product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Myancare, a telemedicine company. We’re trying to improve access to medical care, since Myanmar has both transportation issues and a lack of doctors, especially in rural areas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Konstant Infosolutions?

Myanmar has one doctor for every 2,000 patients, so we needed help to create an app that allows doctors and patients to communicate using iOS and Android devices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Konstant developed all three version of our app: Android, iOS, and web-based. We have a freemium model through which patients and doctors can download any version free of charge. Patients can see doctors' schedules and book consultations at any available time. They can also chat via voice, video, and text.

What is the team composition?

They assigned us a single point of contact, whom we connected with 95% of the time. There was a project manager above that person though.

How did you come to work with Konstant Infosolutions?

We made the decision to outsource development at the very beginning, and we received quotes from multiple companies. We saw that Konstant had a good reputation and we liked the projects we saw in their portfolio. In terms of experience and capability, we believed that Konstant could deliver. They also met our budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $40,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2017, and the development is 95% complete at this point.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re currently in the beta stage, so the application hasn’t been commercially launched. The project has taken much longer than we expected due to limitations on both sides. We’ve had some issues, which they took too much time to resolve. We have our own programmer group, and I could’ve used them to solve those issues much faster. 

How did Konstant Infosolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a single point of contact, who’s a nice person, and he’s done whatever he could to support us. But, at an organizational level, there are a lot of things that are outside of his control. He’s handling at least two or three other projects so he hasn’t been able to focus on just our work. Our project was started last May, but we still haven’t gotten to the commercial launch. From a project management perspective, they’ve been too silent at times, just waiting for communication from our side.

We’re using Aha! as a cloud project and work management tool, and we normally communicate through Skype and email. I’ve worked as a project manager in the past, and I can say that their approach is not the best. I am fully satisfied with our single point of contact, but, if he or she was to become too busy with other projects, they wouldn’t fully focus on ours anymore. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re professional and have professional resources. It’s been a great experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need to approach things from a business perspective, and not only from a project management or vendor perspective. They need to think from the owner’s point of view as well: how would an owner manage a task, and how would they take care of certain issues?

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The project is still ongoing, so I’m not sure what advice I could give. I’m not sure that Konstant will perform well in terms of aftersales service, but they’ve been a good organization to work with so far, in terms of technical skills and experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of an on demand laundry application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Konstant Infosolutions?

I had the idea for the app and needed someone to build it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I brought my idea to Konstant Infosolutions and they developed the app from scratch. They did both the UI/UX design and the backend development. It is a native app on both the iOS and Android platforms. There’s a user app where people can request laundry service and their order is sent directly to a provider. There’s also a merchant version of the app where they receive the orders.

What is the team composition?

There’s a team of 4 people. I worked with a business analyst, an iOS developer, an Android developer, and a supervisor.

How did you come to work with Konstant Infosolutions?

I found them on Clutch. They seemed to have good quality people, and their prices are affordable.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent about $60,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The main phase of the project took place from September–December 2017. They’ve done additional work as I keep adding on features.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has around 5000 signups and 1500 active users.

How did Konstant Infosolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

I like communicating via Skype so we used that as well as email. They offered to give me other tools but I wasn't comfortable with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was great. They were open and helpful, and really tried to deliver what I wanted. I feel like they did much more than what I paid for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In terms of communication, there’s some room for improvement in them making sure that they understand all of the project requirements.

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure they understand the requirements before you go into development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a startup for a social media, nightlife-oriented application for iPhone. I’m the company founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Konstant Infosolutions?

We were initially looking for a team to help us create the app for iPhone. We have limited technical resources and needed assistance.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did everything, from start to finish. The app has a user-friendly activity tab that shows the bars, clubs, and restaurants within a 50-mile radius of a user’s location. The app relies on GPS and Google Maps. Users can select their profile and view a list of venues, starting with the closest. The app shows venue information, including closing times, cover charges, photos, and menus. Businesses can modify their profiles within the app and create more detailed profiles.

The iOS version is completed and we’ll eventually have Konstant mimic the app for Android as well. They developed a backend and administrative panel for web so we can manage users separately from the app.

What is the team composition?

We’re in direct contact with a project manager and a developer. They both know a lot about the industry and the technical aspects.

How did you come to work with Konstant Infosolutions?

We did an extensive online search and came up with a list of 30–40 developers. Based on our budget, we decided to outsource to an overseas company. We had a long vetting process and asked each company to fill out a document to see how they would respond. The easy part was comparing timelines and prices, but their project management and communicativeness was a little tricky without some interaction. Konstant returned a very thorough response and included extra sheets, past awards, and a sample app for us to look over. They went above and beyond the prompt, which we liked.

How much have you invested with them?

We originally projected around $27,000 for the budget but we changed the scope. The initial project ultimately cost around $40,000–$45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2017 and finished the initial project in January 2018. They’re still working on the updates we request.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve only been on the market for a few months and just hired a marketing agency, so we are still working on building our numbers. We currently have about 100 users and are working to increase that.

How did Konstant Infosolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They know a lot. In the preliminary stages, we worked fairly strictly with just email. Their whole team had access to our account and were copied on all our emails. They also introduced a project management desk function for us to use. We communicate there now and it operates like a giant group message.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like their communication style. They reach out regularly on Skype at various times and we can talk right away. They’re always willing to hop on a call and respond immediately to emails. We get things resolved quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We initially wanted to move at a somewhat unrealistic pace. They needed to create templates, designs, and finish a lot of work behind the scenes, so we couldn’t see what they were working on right away. Our price went up because of decisions we made on our side. We had never built an app before and should have been more informed about the whole process. All that aside, the only thing Konstant could have done better on their side was open their availability on the weekends and strengthened communication at the beginning.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They will be as responsive as you are. Set the benchmarks and limits you want and streamline the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of a startup geared toward traveling gymgoers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Konstant Infosolutions?

We needed to develop the iOS and Android platforms for our app, and do some database integration.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our graphics designer and interface engineer constructed the screens we wanted, and we presented those to them. We relied on them to make the changes that we wanted.

What is the team composition?

We had one program manager, which made the project much easier. All communications would go through him, and he would relay that back to the developers. There was an open level of communication.

How did you come to work with Konstant Infosolutions?

A part of the selection criteria was them being able to show us other work — and especially other work local to Australia. I spoke with another client of theirs and also searched through online reviews.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are beta testing right now, so we don't have any yet. 

How did Konstant Infosolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

I was very annoying in terms of changing very nitty gritty things, and they accepted it. They made it really easy to work with them and work with my ability.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There were separate Android and iOS teams, each led by an engineer. There was a technical lead that looked over all the technical aspects and guided all of the engineers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of any. Overall, it was really good working with them. It was generally a pleasant relationship.

Any advice for potential customers?

Give them a go and communicate with them. I’m confident other clients will be as happy as I am with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder of a fantasy sports startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Konstant Infosolutions?

We wanted to build a social platform for people to play fantasy sports, so we were looking for a company to handle all the development for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re building a responsive website for us using PHP and JavaScript. The frontend is very interactive, allowing users to draft in real time. The website also includes the statistics that gets updated every couple of minutes. They developed our backend, so we have an admin access to all the settings, users, and leads. All communication is done with API. Our in-house developers help us document different features we need to build.

What is the team composition?

Initially, we worked with two developers, including the lead product manager. Later, we increased that team to five full-time developers.

How did you come to work with them?

We were referred to them by someone who used them in the past. We don't have a technical background, so we listened to the recommendations and everything has worked out well.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them between $13,000–$17,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2015 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've had a great experience. They're always willing to go above and beyond to meet our needs. We have a good way to track the tasks they're working on and how long it takes them.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They're in a different time zone, but they’re very responsive and we can call them any time of the day or night if we have an issue. We talk to their developers daily via Skype and we also use Jira and an Excel spreadsheet for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They've become part of our team. They work for another company, but they're always ready to put in extra hours to fix any issues we're having, even if it's the nighttime for them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with them and ask questions. There are a lot of horror stories about offshore developers, so clear communication is the key to a smooth process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a mobile app for downloading and listening to audiobooks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Konstant Infosolutions?

We were looking for someone to develop our website and app; we already had the specifications and design layouts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted Konstant to build iOS and Android apps natively. We divided development into three phases, with the first focusing on requirements and wireframes. We created the flow of the app and the landing page, which was static and minimally functional.

The first phase centered around the core functionality of each stage. The app was supposed to have multiple end-user functionalities, including a marketplace to build and buy content sold through the app, but we ran into a problem. We discovered that Apple had a policy around in-app purchases that Konstant wasn’t fully aligned on. That oversight delayed our iOS launch by about three months. The second phase which included app enhancements, website rollout and back-end reporting is still not finalized and causing us lots of trouble.

How did you come to work with Konstant Infosolutions?

I found them on Clutch. We looked into multiple vendors, and the selection process was long and in-depth. We selected Konstant based on their proposal, client references, price, and our discussions with them.

How much have you invested with them?

Our contract value with them is $45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have about 13,000 registered users out of 30,000–40,000 downloads. Around 2,500 books have been downloaded so far, and we just started in June of last year. Both our book userbase and downloads are growing, even though we haven’t put much into marketing since we’re having tech issues.

The functionalities for the website aren’t finished yet, so it’s not released. The financial reports aren’t done yet, which is a serious problem because it’s put me at risk of a lawsuit from the producers of the content on the app. The reports were due in December, and we’re still waiting for them. The tremendous delays in phase two are impacting me very negatively.

Once, when our app was operational, Konstant took it completely out of the system. Instead of just upgrading the app, they withdrew it from the store, and all our users lost access. It took three days to fix and was incredibly damaging to our brand. Their QA isn’t very effective, and I often have to find issues myself that they overlooked.

How did Konstant Infosolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve had to check in with them a lot in order to get things finished. Whenever I talk to them, they say they’ll do something, but it requires a lot of oversight on my end for it to actually get accomplished.

They don’t clearly explain what’s going on. I’ve asked for a project plan multiple times, but they’ve seldom provided a concrete plan.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have smart and skilled people, but they seem to be overloaded. They don’t have a system in place for escalations, and I have a hard time getting in contact with any of the partners that sold us the project at Konstant.

They don’t provide any strategic direction or proper QA. For example, our subscription engine hasn’t been working properly for over six months. After customers pay, they still don’t get access to our services, and that’s a huge problem. It’s happened to half of our customers. We’ve told this to Konstant, but it’s still not solved. The quality of the products they’ve built isn’t where it should be.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Only hire Konstant if you know very specifically what you want and don’t have a strict timeline. Their price makes them worth it. Otherwise, if you don’t fully know what you want or need it by a certain time, don’t use them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a global online platform for interpreters. We remove the agencies in-between by making the interpreters visible to businesses and individuals and enable clients to have direct phone calls on-demand to the interpreters.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Konstant Infosolutions?

They are building the app and website for us. The app is for the on-demand client function and the site is for the booking function.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They completed the first version of the app, an MVP [minimum viable product], with many of the hardest to build functionalities. That took around a month and we are now developing more features and functionalities of the app, as well as the website with its booking function. We are going to launch the first version next week.

They built native apps for both iOS and Android concurrently. It's important for the apps to be native because we need to take care of the quality and speed. We are leveraging Twilio for the core function. It was difficult to make Twilio work and we had several iterations where it took some time to overcome challenges, but everything works now.

The app is free for users to download and they can sign up through email, Facebook, or Google. After signing up and logging in, they'll be able to see a list of all the interpreters around the world, and you will be able to click on their profiles. From their profiles, you can see the language pairs that they speak or interpret into and their price per minute, as well as their rating and comments from clients. You can also filter the lists not only by language pair but also by their expertise, fields, industry, and certifications. You can even sort by price. There are many different sorting and filtering functions. Once you decide which interpreter you want to call, you can immediately with just one click.

What is the team dynamic?

I have a dedicated team of 6 people. Initially, there were 4 people and then we increased it to 6. There's a Scrum master who also works as a project manager. She's the communicator and delegator within the team, who is in between me and the developers. That makes everything very easy. In addition to her, there's 1 iOS frontend developer, 1 Android frontend developer, 1 web service person handling all the backend development, 2 web developers, and 1 half-time designer.

How did you come to work with Konstant Infosolutions?

I found them as a result of online research. I was looking to outsource the development so I was searching for some software companies. I read reviews of them on Clutch and they were convincing. I talked to other companies too, and Konstant sounded like they know what they're doing. They built my trust and that's why I decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

I've been paying around $12,000–$13,000 per month since August 2017.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since the beginning of August 2017. We’ve been building the website since the end of September.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're a new startup so we have to move fast. They were quick and the product was really high-quality. In everything they built, all the functions were working almost perfectly from the beginning. Of course, we had ups and downs and some issues that we couldn't predict, but so far my experience with them has been excellent. I've tested the apps in various conditions, such as internet quality in different locations, and there's almost no discrepancy. It works very well.

How did Konstant Infosolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They were pretty good, especially my main point of communication. We had hard, urgent deadlines and milestones due to some events in the US and we had to make things happen in a short time. They managed that pretty well and I was really surprised.

The communication was good. Whenever there was a problem, we were always in touch. We could prioritize things so that we made things happen by removing functionalities that are not necessary, which was important.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re good at prioritizing things, putting in place effective milestones, and making right predictions about the timescales so we can finalize the development of the functions. They made the project happen and they kept their promises.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have some flexibility in pricing. It's becoming more and more expensive because we need more resources to speed things up. They have no pricing bundles or flexibility, and this is one thing that they should consider for their well-paying customers.