Mutual Mobile (A Grid Dynamics Company)

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital communications administrator for Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County. We’re a government administration that ensures children are raised healthy, free from abuse and neglect, and have access to quality childcare and afterschool programs. We developed an app for our county's parents to access critical information about raising children in our community, as a part of our EveryParent Campaign. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mutual Mobile?

We needed development assistance for both the iOS and Android versions of the app. The platforms had to be accessible, have push notification capability, and be interactive, so we needed a team of experienced developers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began with a two-day deep dive discussion about our goals and capabilities for the project. Their team gave us their ideas on how the app would function best, and we discussed the specific details of the outline. From there, we provided them with wireframes, and they produced mockups, designs, and graphics. They developed the apps using Swift programming language for the iOS version, and Java for the Android model. When it came time for needing analytics, they helped us measure those metrics.

Additionally, they provided support when we presented the product to our community and counsel, giving us key data when necessary. We launched the app, and, though the development is completed, their team provides maintenance support for issues.

What is the team composition?

Mutual Mobile provided a project manager, three developers with iOS and Android expertise, and an analytics expert. Though they likely had more staff dedicated to the project, these were the teammates we worked with directly.

How did you come to work with Mutual Mobile?

We sent out an RFP, and their knowledge in Swift programming impressed us the most. We wanted a team that knew about the direction of the industry, and their expertise made them the best choice.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $500,000–$600,000 up to this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2016, and they continue to maintain the platforms.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has received stellar ratings, and we’ve achieved triple the number of subscribers that we expected within the first two years. The feedback has been phenomenal, and people are excited about the app’s capabilities.

How did Mutual Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked on the development in sprints, which made for effective communication. They would show us their deliverables for approval and continue with the next task, ensuring we were always informed on the project's status. The team responded swiftly and correctly to any of our questions within a 12– 24-hour timeframe.

What did you find most impressive about them?

From the beginning, their expertise and knowledge within the industry distinguished them from other companies. They really knew the technology and were ahead of the curve with changes coming to the programming languages. In addition, their proactivity, creativity, and communicative nature made the experience seamless. I think highly of their work, and I’m thrilled with the work they’ve done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The key to a successful project is knowing your goal, but being open to their ideas. We had a better experience because we incorporated their feedback into our plan.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of TechDen, a parenting tool. It combines an app that helps parents manage screen time with hardware that charges and stores devices. It encourages family collaboration and cooperation while balancing relationships with screens.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mutual Mobile?

We wanted to develop, test, and deliver the TechDen Jr. mobile app, a companion to our app for parents.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to produce an easy-to-use app for children to track their screen time and monitor their progress against goals set by their parents.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through an industry recommendation. 

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected Mutual Mobile, we had discovery video conferences to discuss our goals and budget. Since the team quickly understood our objectives and timeline, we knew that we were in safe hands.

They cooperated with our in-house developer to expedite the project and hit an important deadline. They broke the project into distinct sections, including the design of seven features and screens. They built the app to work on both Android and iOS.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a project manager to support us and serve as our main point of contact. We also spoke to two frontend and two backend developers, who verified code and worked closely with our in-house developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our app hasn't launched. Although internal feedback and initial testing has performed well, we haven't received feedback from end users.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was easy and effective, and our project manager was attentive. We used Slack to ensure smooth progress, deliver feedback, and include all parties in relevant communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their professionalism reassured us that they would meet our deadline. Time was of the essence, so they delivered the app on time and within budget.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Our project was straightforward, so Mutual Mobile handled it with relative ease.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the senior digital product manager for a manufacturer that primarily provides pool and household chemicals for various customers across the country. We partner and sell products to mass retailers and a professional dealer network.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mutual Mobile?

We needed help to develop both an app and a corresponding website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We developed a kiosk for a mass retailer that would allow us to test consumers’ water in-store. We asked Mutual Mobile to develop a hybrid, Cordova-based mobile version of that kiosk that would work for mobile web and app—over both Android and iOS platforms— and for a desktop site. That way, we could accomplish the same task for different brands within our portfolio.

We came to them with the idea and camera scanning technology that needed to be integrated into an app experience. From there, they had the responsibility of wireframes and further. The app enables the camera to scan a test strip, recognize the color, and provide a recommendation based on that color.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager that is supported by one lead engineer, two or three other engineers, a few QA testers, a creative director, a designer, and a UX lead. The team totaled to close to ten members.

How did you come to work with Mutual Mobile?

My director found them a few years ago, and we were impressed with the owner’s involvement and his ideas for the project. We sent them the initial project on a bit of a short notice, were impressed with their work, and have been going back to them ever since.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $1 million–$10 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2015, and they still develop products and apps for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t sell directly to consumers, but their work has put us in pretty high regard with our customers—especially the mass retailers that we work with. They see us as leading in the technology space as far as innovations of new products or technology. Mutual Mobile has helped us establish a good foothold as a business or brand that’s serious about the next generation of applications. We’ve received good feedback from our partners in regards to our products.

How did Mutual Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate over Jira, Confluence, Slack, or email. They’re very invested in our immediate and future roadmap. The founder has been close to our business and goals since day one, and they hire competent, helpful people that are always available.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Mutual Mobile team is competent without having to be overly process driven, which is different from other agencies I’ve worked with that set up unnecessary meetings just because it is part of a standard process. They are very flexible and engage with each other and with my team. Engineers, QA testers, and UX designers all collaborate with each other. Their internal processes work well without requiring external oversight from us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There aren’t any processes that come to mind. They’re currently revisiting some of the previous work and products they’ve produced for us to see if there are any areas for improvement or redesign. I appreciate them re-engaging and keeping our retrospectives fresh by approaching them from a completely different angle; it keeps things from becoming stale.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The Mutual Mobile team is interested in long-term projects, ones that extend beyond on-trend prototypes or ideas. They can provide new ideas and work with new technology, but ultimately they want to embed themselves into a long-term strategy and vision for their partners. I would suggest that potential partners come to them with solid, long-standing business goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of contractor solutions for Southwire. We are a leading global wire and cable company and we’ve recently expanded into the tools and equipment market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mutual Mobile?

We had a customer-facing mobile iOS app that allowed our customers to order wire and choose the way it would be configured on the reel. Our clients voiced concerns that this service was only available through Apple products. With this feedback in mind, we decided to replace the mobile system with a web-based platform to give our users more options. We wanted a partner to develop the new app and make sure it was easily accessible for phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a three-day discovery phase. Over the course of many discussions, we built a storyboard that detailed what parts of the current app we wanted to be carried over and a series of new features we wanted to be included in the next iteration. After setting a timeline for completion, Mutual Mobile started development.

They decided to use a Google Firebase platform as the base, then used other development technology that prioritized speed and accessibility. The platform lets users input a wire order with different options for size and type. Then, they are prompted to use a configuration feature to structure the way the wire will appear on the delivered reel. After they fill in where and when they want the product delivered, we can pull that request into our internal system to generate a price, which is sent back to the customer.

What is the team composition?

I worked closely with a project manager, lead developer, and sales representative, but there was a total of 10–12 people on the team total.

How did you come to work with Mutual Mobile?

Several years ago, Mutual Mobile worked with another part of our business on an app development project and a coworker from that team recommended their services. I interviewed about eight different agencies, but their proposal stood out from the rest.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $750,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this app from September 2017–March 2018. We’re currently in negotiations to start the second version.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our original mobile iOS app had about 230 users. A month after the web apps’ launch, that number grew to over 400 and now we’ve reached over 1,300. So, the web app generated nearly a 700% increase in business.

How did Mutual Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, we got along very well with their team. Our project manager switched near the end of the project, but the replacement was fantastic. The change allowed for a fresh take on the project and really pushed us through the final development stages. We met once a week with the whole team and scheduled three conference calls a week with the project manager and lead developer. Mutual mobile also actively updated our Jira queue to keep us in the loop in terms of what was completed and what to expect with the next sprint.

To help them better understand the project, four of their senior developers and designers visited our company headquarters and training facility. We gave them a tour and explained the details of our business. With that understanding of our internal operations, they developed a product that appropriately met our requirements. Their attention to detail made it an easy process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really appreciated their dedication and their willingness to accommodate based on our needs. I’ve worked on a lot of different projects and Mutual Mobile provided the best communication methods and the highest level of availability that I’ve experienced. We never had to wait for an answer and always felt supported by their team.

Additionally, I was extremely impressed with how prepared they were. In our first meeting, it was clear that they had researched our company because they already presented ideas and solutions. Based on this experience, it was clear we made the right choice.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only obstacle we ran into was when their company moved building locations. The move was scheduled before we started working their them, so we can’t really fault them for that. It wasn’t a huge issue, but caused small disruptions in our workflow for a day or two. Now that they’re in a permanent residence, I doubt this kind of delay will happen in the future.

Any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend Mutual Mobile. Currently, we’re looking for ways to use their services in other parts of our business.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Adtech Corp, an enterprise product development company. We provide project and engineering services to help our customers develop technology solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mutual Mobile?

We needed to engage someone to augment our iOS development team.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking to bring on quality engineers with mobile technology expertise.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had a discussion with their team, which helped us understand their mobile development capabilities. It was an easy decision once we were convinced of their technical strength and ability to execute.

Describe the project in detail.

We worked with Mutual Mobile to build an IoT-enabled mobile healthcare solution.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a senior iOS engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been working with us on the same project for two years and are critical to our ability to deliver.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They work with us seamlessly, demonstrating great flexibility and open communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The quality of their engineers, their skillful execution, and the engagement of their leadership team is outstanding.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t think of anything specific.