Norbsoft

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the sales coordinator and executive assistant to the VP for an electronics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Norbsoft?

We were trying to create a rewards app for one of our customers for their store reps to download.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided them with high-resolution images of the products and the product descriptions that we wanted to showcase on the app along with their points values, which they uploaded. We also provided them with all the store rep names and IDs so they could build a backend server, which allows us to upload that template. They built the backend framework so we would be able to upload our data monthly, and they built the app in both iOS and Android, all from scratch.

It’s in English and was translated into French, and they made test accounts so it goes back and forth. They took care of it from start to finish. It’s available publicly on the Google Play Store and through B2B in the App Store.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one person.

How did you come to work with Norbsoft?

A company that used Norbsoft in the past recommended them to us. We looked at two other companies and decided to go ahead with Norbsoft based on price, quality, and timelines.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent $20,000–$30,000 CAD (approximately $15,087–$22,632 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from April–July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app runs smoothly. We haven’t had any crashes, maintenance issues, or downtime. The quality of the work is good.

We received feedback saying that it’s put together well and easy to use and to navigate. It’s basic, but it’s also personable. The reps like it. We want to expand it out to our other customers.

We had challenges from our end and needed changes to be made. When we reached out, they updated things for us in a timely manner.

How did Norbsoft perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning, they gave us deadlines for when parts of the project would be completed, and they completed their work long before those timelines. They are always quick.

We mostly communicated via email and telephone. Any time we had an issue or question or needed a change or our client needed clarity on the app, they responded within an hour and provided the help that we requested.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication and deliverables were the most impressive. They were extremely effective in communicating and delivering results in a short timeframe.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The quality and timing of the work based on the price are the best I’ve seen in the industry. They are an amazing company to work with and I recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m in charge of talent management for Labatt Breweries of Canada. My focus is on recruitment, engagement, performance reviews, retention, and turnover.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Norbsoft?

We needed help with building a candidate evaluation tool for one of our recruitment activities.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to easily measure candidate success in order to make objective recruitment decisions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through an agency we use, who have used them in the past to create microsites for their events.

Describe the project in detail.

Norbsoft created a microsite that included a home page with details of the event, a schedule, and our assessment parameters. It also has a login page for evaluators, which leads to a list of all the candidates and has a search tool. The microsite also has candidate profiles with photos, a rating tool, and a comment section. If an evaluator wishes to see more information, they can download the candidate's resume. All candidate ratings feed into a dashboard that we use to help identify our top talent to move onto the next round.

What was the team composition?

The team comprised of the lead project manager and a few of his developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a lot of positive feedback from our employees (evaluators) regarding the ease of use and simplicity of the app. In addition, we were able to use the dashboard at the end to easily pull up comments and the candidates’ final scores. This reduced the debrief time by 50%, which was significant for our team.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had a very effective workflow despite having only a three-week timeframe to get this product launched. Not only did the team get this done on time, but were also able to easily customize it to our needs and helped us upload all candidate profiles thus eliminating a great deal of work for my team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their quick turnaround and responsiveness were outstanding. They were able to make changes quickly, were very adaptable, and provided a simple solution to our needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Any areas of improvement fall within how we can customize the microsite to better work for our specific needs. We already have a follow-up call set up in order to see how we can use this product in the future.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are the Polish representative of a Swedish truck manufacturer. We are responsible for distribution and servicing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Norbsoft Mobile?

We were undergoing a reorganization of our sales process. During this process, we found that we should give salespeople an assistance tool that could provide additional information about customers. The tool needed to be simple and accessible, so we chose a mobile option. We asked Norbsoft Mobile for support in building it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Parts of the project were prepared by our team. We needed to create the connection points and related interfaces, but Norbsoft Mobile provided help on this end. They have a skilled team and have a lot of knowledge on how interfaces should be designed. We have built the application for iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

How did you come to work with Norbsoft Mobile?

They had sent us some information about their services a few months previously, offering help for any related projects we may have. We did check different solutions providers, but Norbsoft Mobile’s proposal sounded the best, so we chose them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Norbsoft Mobile in 2015. We have continued to make small changes to the application using their team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have only received a few comments and requests in terms of functionality, mostly about changes. Around 90% of users have been satisfied with the app’s functionality and performance. I find this to be amazing.

How did Norbsoft Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was communicated well and delivered on time. If we had a question, we could contact Norbsoft Mobile’s team, and we also organized frequent meetings in order to be kept up to date with the status of the work. The process was professional and fast.

What did you find most impressive about Norbsoft Mobile?

Norbsoft Mobile’s price is not the lowest on the market, but they are professional overall, which has shown in the work, starting with functionality definitions, and going through the discussions with their experts, creating layouts, and so on. They have very good people for these purposes.

Are there any areas Norbsoft Mobile could improve?

It’s hard to find something. I have nothing negative to say about them. It’s not often that I’ve seen this level of support.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a business applications manager working out of Warsaw for a direct-selling company in Sweden specializing in cosmetics and wellness products. We operate in more than 60 markets. We have 8,000 employees and 3 million sales consultants globally. I am responsible for supplying consultants with the online tools that allow them to understand their business status.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Norbsoft Mobile?

We had decided to change the layout of our business section. When we started the initiative, we understood that it would be a two-year project, so we limited its scope in order to achieve targets sooner. We also decided that, instead of developing an entire web section for consultants, we would build an app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially built one big Android and an iOS application called Oriflame Business. Norbsoft Mobile also built four or five smaller applications for us, which are less popular. They have been involved in full frontend development, project management, and design. Their designer is extremely skilled and has provided training during a Google Campus in Warsaw.

The European Union has very strict data protection rules, but they are especially so in Poland. Norbsoft Mobile has been involved in more than application development, providing expertise in the area of personal data protection.

How did you come to work with Norbsoft Mobile?

Most of our programmers are located in the Czech Republic, so we started looking there. We were looking for a medium-sized company which would be eager to work with us and expand their skills. We didn’t find the right vendor, so we expanded to Ukraine and Poland and tested four companies from there, and finally chose Norbsoft Mobile.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Norbsoft Mobile in 2014. The relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

So far, we’ve been happy. This was our first professional app project, and we didn’t know what to expect. The application has had 700,000 downloads on Android, and around 80,000 on iOS. This is mainly because we’re stronger in countries which are not that rich—general emerging markets where Android is king. We have 75,000 to 80,000 users every day, with the average session using seven to eight screens. The rating is currently 4.7, and the yearly average is 4.2. The app has been loved by consultants across the world.

Our other applications aren’t all as successful, which is partly our fault. We have no complaints about the app quality, but rather our ideas were insufficiently tested before starting the projects. One of them, called Oriflame Dream Express, is a very important application for our internal target. It has been quite satisfactory for our company.

How did Norbsoft Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

Any delays were usually triggered by us, as the client. We have requested additional features on short notice. During the last two years, Norbsoft Mobile’s development team has managed our projects. They have also assigned a dedicated project manager for us, which was a step forward.

What did you find most impressive about Norbsoft Mobile?

I’ve worked with many vendors for building web and mobile applications, as well as email campaigns. Norbsoft Mobile is one of my favorite vendors. They are professional, responsive, and innovative. They deliver solutions fast without being given detailed specs. I generally give them a problem to solve, based on which Norbsoft Mobile will design an application. Creativity is one of their strong qualities. They have proposed unusual solutions for us at times, but everything has worked.

We’re a more traditional company using consultants for sales. We also use paper catalogs, for example. This can sometimes block us from being inventive. We will see a problem and try to solve it in a conservative way, but having Norbsoft Mobile on board for discussing new challenges will give us creative proposals, which is something I like very much.

Are there any areas Norbsoft Mobile could improve?

I have no complaints about them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Bookm is an app which helps users locate open beauty services appointments. I am the CEO of the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Norbsoft Mobile?

We needed help with application development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Norbsoft Mobile developed our app for multiple platforms. They helped us with the design and vision for the app. Our teams brought ideas to the table, and we had a nice arrangement. We essentially moved the business to a web platform, so Norbsoft Mobile provided development for that as well.

How did you come to work with Norbsoft Mobile?

Norbsoft Mobile was recommended to me by a company in Waterloo called Communitech, which helps people with their ideas to find the proper providers for developing and growing their concept. I interviewed several companies but enjoyed my conversation with Paul, Norbsoft Mobile’s President, so we moved forward.

How much have you invested with Norbsoft Mobile?

The cost of Norbsoft Mobile’s work was around $45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Norbsoft Mobile two years ago. We have an ongoing relationship for making small tweaks to the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

To this day, people have remained impressed with the look and the experience provided by our app. It’s still a small and local app, but it’s growing, and the people who do come across it are very impressed by it.

How did Norbsoft Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything has been good. I sat down and discussed costs and timelines with Norbsoft Mobile’s principal. They were always on point, except for a few delays. The price was always accurate.

I mainly interface with Paul, who is based in Waterloo. He relayed our conversations back to the team, which worked fine for me.

What did you find most impressive about Norbsoft Mobile?

Norbsoft Mobile listens. I’ve come across many companies which were constantly trying to change or tweak my idea. Norbsoft Mobile understood that it was my vision.

Are there any areas Norbsoft Mobile could improve?

My background is not in technology, so I may not have realized how much time is required to write code. My overall experience with Norbsoft Mobile has been great, and I’ve referred them three or four times to other clients. I don’t typically put my neck out, but I was completely confident in Norbsoft Mobile’s work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Biliztik Sports has produced a multimedia sports app with gaming, social media, and digital media capabilities. I am one of the company’s co-founders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Norbsoft Mobile?

We had been dealing with another coding company, but things went wrong quickly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had already wasted one year with our previous partner, so Norbsoft Mobile worked closely with us in order to get our coding work done quickly for our iOS app and get us to market.

We provided some screenshots of the app, but Norbsoft Mobile handled most of the design.

How did you come to work with Norbsoft Mobile?

We found Norbsoft Mobile online. They were one of the original companies which responded to our quote, so, when things went wrong with the first company we selected, we got in touch with Norbsoft Mobile. Our relationship grew from there, and we switched things to them.

How much have you invested with Norbsoft Mobile?

The cost of Norbsoft Mobile’s work was around $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Norbsoft Mobile in late-2015. They finished the Android version of our app two months ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

All the co-founders in our business have had different experiences, but nothing in the tech industry. We didn’t have a clue what was going on, and it’s the reason we were taken advantage of easily by the original company we chose. Norbsoft Mobile held our hand and walked us through the whole process, including dealing with website modules which needed to be connected to the app. Norbsoft Mobile is our point of contact for any server related issues. I feel that they have gone above and beyond for our project because they knew we were green in the process.

We tested the app on a group of 300 people to determine its stability. Whenever we did have an issue, it was handled quickly.

How did Norbsoft Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

Norbsoft Mobile communicated very well. The timelines were off by a bit, but we expected that. Norbsoft Mobile had a reason for any delays, and they communicated when an issue would occur. The price was what they quoted; there were no surprises. Norbsoft Mobile was overall pleasant to work with.

We had conversations multiple times a week, and Norbsoft Mobile called us about background issues we didn’t even know about. They were very good when it came to communication.

What did you find most impressive about Norbsoft Mobile?

Norbsoft Mobile’s communication is impressive. We always knew what was going on, even when things weren’t ideal. This made our lives much easier since we at least knew why something was occurring.

Are there any areas Norbsoft Mobile could improve?

Nothing stands out, even if it may sound weird. We’ve had a very pleasant experience with Norbsoft Mobile. It may have seemed better in contrast with our previous developer, but I don’t have much to say on the improvement side for Norbsoft Mobile.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Mosaic Sales Solutions launches integrated marketing campaigns for clients. Our biggest client is Samsung. I am a senior account manager for the company, and I have been working here for seven years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Norbsoft Mobile?

We wanted to showcase the quality of the camera of a Samsung phone. Our approach was to allow people to take pictures of themselves using the camera and send those to their own emails so that they could post them online.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Norbsoft Mobile has worked with us on Samsung-related projects. Whatever phone we're launching and promoting will be the one they're building an app for, starting with Galaxy S4, and continuing with S5, S6, and S7. We've also worked on an app for S8 and have done work on the Galaxy Notes as well. Norbsoft Mobile has designed and developed these apps.

How did you come to work with Norbsoft Mobile?

We found Norbsoft Mobile through a referral from an employee who had worked with them. It was an easy decision, and we have been working together ever since.

How much have you invested with Norbsoft Mobile?

Everything we do with them is different, so the brief will dictate the cost. If we only have to reskin and repurpose an existing product, the cost will be at the $3,000 mark, while a new build can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000, depending on what we're asking Norbsoft Mobile to do.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Norbsoft Mobile four years ago. We have an ongoing project building an app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I've been working with technology vendors for four or five years. Norbsoft Mobile's work has always been the most dependable. I consider them the most independent and best to work with.

How did Norbsoft Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

I fail to hold up my end of the bargain on this front more often than Norbsoft Mobile. We work in an intense fashion, and I will often be chasing approvals. Norbsoft Mobile always delivers on time.

What did you find most impressive about Norbsoft Mobile?

I was impressed by their flexibility. We will often get feedback from other vendors about how something should be done, but Norbsoft Mobile's developers are good at taking what we're looking for and making it happen. Across the board, they have been able to achieve what we were looking for at a reasonable price. Many of our projects are generic reskins of past work, and Norbsoft Mobile's prices are appropriate.

Are there any areas Norbsoft Mobile could improve?

It's hard to think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Canada’s largest wine review web site and mobile newsletter application. The purpose of the app is to help wine consumers to find wines at the right price, in the style that they want, with the food matches they want, easily and intuitively in the liquor store. This app is especially for consumers in Canada but worldwide as well because it does have use outside of Canada. To that end, the apps are loaded with data, but what makes them really work well is that they have both a barcode reader for the UPC code and they can also read the front label of the wine, which is an optical reader. These are two very different functions with two ways of getting the same information, but that’s what makes the app easy to use.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Norbsoft Mobile?

The key role that Norbsoft played was in developing both the iOS and Android apps for that business. There’s a whole lot of technical know-how that goes into that, and that is what Norbsoft brought to the table with the app. I brought the wine expertise through my wine reviews; they brought the ability to deliver that in an intuitive way to the consumers. Wine is a very confusing category for most people—thousands of wines, wineries around the world, the vintage changes every year—so the complexity of the product category is enormous. An app makes a big difference.

The label reader is extremely complex. There are only about three wine apps that have a front label reader, and we’re the only app that has that plus the barcode reader, so just imagine the technical expertise that’s needed. Wine labels are always on a round surface. Unlike a label scanner that would work on a flat box, this is a different technical challenge because you got the curvature and light conditions. And when you are trying to differentiate a Chianti 1998 from a 1999 from Winery X, the difference is one number. It’s a big challenge.

It’s a free app, and what happens is everyone gets a 30-day trial access to my wine reviews. After the 30 days are up, it’s not that the app stops working—users can keep using the app and have access to more than 95% of the content. What becomes the paid feature is access to my wine reviews for the last 20 days. You can still bring up all the wines and find out everything about them, except my score and tasting note if I reviewed them in the last 20 days. That piece of content is how we monetize.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We outsourced all the development to Norbsoft. I didn’t give them wireframes or documentation for the app. Some of the content was there in terms of my reviews, but that didn’t give them any guidance for the UI [user interface] or navigation. I had an app that I had worked on previously with other developers, but for the existing app, they completely redid it. Even following the old format, the old app wouldn’t have worked. This new app has so much more functionality, including the barcode reader and label optical scanner. What they also did was provide a way for users to submit wine labels that are missing. We still approve of them as wine experts on our end to make sure we’re not getting junk in there. The app gets better because of that ability to submit correct or missing labels for wine.

Norbsoft worked well as a team, which is good. They dealt with a lot of backend issues themselves. From my perspective, what was ideal was that I was always dealing with one main person. There was Paul, who owns the company, and then the lead tech person, who I was always dealing with. And then he, in turn, would deal with the developers in the iOS and Android team. I liked that they were quite well coordinated.

They put me in touch with a couple of writers who wanted to review apps, so I was happy to act as a customer success story. That wasn’t part of the contract. That was just a bonus, and it was nice of them to do.

How did you come to work with Norbsoft Mobile?

The challenge in finding an app developer, apart from reasonable cost and good technical expertise, is that can they handle both iOS and Android. There tends to be a lot of specialists mostly on iOS, but I wanted both.  I originally also had BlackBerry, and from talking to BlackBerry, they recommended Norbsoft because they had originally been able to do all three platforms: Blackberry, Android, and iOS. I decided not to do Blackberry and focus only on Android and iOS. There were other companies I looked at alongside Norbsoft, but nobody except Norbsoft could bring together reasonable cost, technical expertise, and the two platforms.

How much have you invested with Norbsoft?

For the most recent one, their cost was about CA$25,000-$30,000 [Approx. $18,700–$22,500].

What is the status of this engagement?

Norbsoft Mobile has done two iterations with the app, and the most recent one was to add the label reader. They completely overhauled the app and added the barcode reader. That was iteration one which was a few years ago, but the label reader was a nine-month project that took place in 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I think of the reviews. When a US wine consumer downloads my app on iTunes, the content is not targeted exactly at them because I’ve got a real-time inventory of all the Canadian liquor stores in there. 

I don’t even check the US reviews, but it’s gravy if people want to use it. In Canada, the ratings are really high and have been consistently for years. Having four and five stars is very hard to get because people like to take out their frustrations on iTunes. It works very well and gets better all the time as the label database expands.

I have 178,000 subscribers to my wine newsletter, and about 65 of them beta tested the heck out of that app. As you can imagine, people who are very into wine are very picky. We went multiple rounds on it until there was nothing left. It was so clean that we couldn’t find any bugs then or now. The only thing that’s going to cause any disruption in that app is if Apple or Android creates a new OS that we need to adapt to.

How did Norbsoft perform from a project management standpoint?

We all tried to be optimistic and realistic at the beginning on project goals and dates, and I must say I didn’t have a problem with Norbsoft's project management. It’s just the complexity of this project was enormous, and they managed as best they could with a very new frontier of technology regarding what we were trying to do.

What did you find most impressive about Norbsoft?

I have worked with other developers before, so I do have context for comparison. Norbsoft came up with several suggestions that I hadn’t thought of that would make the user experience far easier. For example, they would say, “Why don’t we do it this way, and then users could skip those six steps?” and I’ll be like “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Are there any areas Norbsoft could improve?

The improvement comes with getting more technical knowledge. Norbsoft Mobile's team is very tech-savvy, but what we were doing was right on the edge of what no one else had done. The improvement will come as they master and keep pushing forward those technical barriers of what they know how to do, and they are.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the program manager of an IoT [internet of things] and cloud company. We collect information from various coolers through the intelligent controllers inside of them and provide insight for engineering and maintenance support. I am in charge of the cloud side of the software and mobile app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Norbsoft Mobile?

The company engaged Norbsoft Mobile for developing the first version of our mobile app. We've had to grow together and have come to a mature position.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Norbsoft Mobile is developing our native Android and iOS apps. They have been in charge of the full lifecycle of our apps, from architecture to low-level design, coding, and quality assurance. Norbsoft Mobile has done some work on the portal backend as well, but not to the same extent.

How did you come to work with Norbsoft Mobile?

Norbsoft Mobile was working with the company before I joined.

How much have you invested with Norbsoft Mobile?

I can't divulge this information. I can say that our projects range from small to medium.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Norbsoft Mobile three years ago, and have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We've worked together with Norbsoft Mobile, and they've learned to become a partner. In terms of quality of work, the results are good. Norbsoft Mobile's team has good attention to detail.

How did Norbsoft Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

I give them high marks for timely delivery. Norbsoft Mobile has remained communicative and responsive throughout the process. We communicate on a daily and project basis.

What did you find most impressive about Norbsoft Mobile?

I appreciate their responsiveness. I'm able to engage the project management and development teams very quickly.

Are there any areas Norbsoft Mobile could improve?

I know that they're a growing company, so the size and strength of the team could be scaled up.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a digital project manager at Costa Coffee, an international coffee company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Norbsoft?

We needed to develop native iOS and Android mobile apps.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted mobile apps to support a new digital loyalty program.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We went through a specific assessment process.

Describe the project in detail.

They managed the entire development process, writing specifications, designing the UX, developing native iOS and Android apps, and doing quality testing.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, an architect, and multiple UX designers, iOS and Android developers, and QA resources.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Users downloaded each app over 10,000 times in the first week and reviewed them positively. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our teams cooperated quite well together. In many cases, Norbsoft provided alternative ideas and plans that were better than our originals.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They showed us why they’re famous for mobile app development.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not that I saw.