Softarex Technologies

Please describe your company and your position there.

I serve as the Executive Director for a non-profit Healthcare IT Community of Practice called BPM+ Health. Our organization is affiliated with industry standards groups, and operates in the public good to advance healthcare interoperability and process portability.

For what projects/services did your company hire Softarex Technologies, and what were your goals?

As a global community of healthcare IT professionals, when the COVID pandemic was taking hold we wanted to contribute as good global citizens. Led by stakeholders in the Emergency Medicine and Public Health fields, we determined that one of the big challenges facing caregivers was to find a way to remain abreast of what were constantly changing care pathways and care guidelines, and that search engines were inadequate to discover collateral interests which were essential in providing quality COVID care

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I had seen prior work from Softarex, and had a relationship with their CEO through joint industry standards work. What attracted me to the company was their understanding of the landscape, and their involvement in open standards. The ask of them was particularly difficult, as our program was an industry volunteer effort with zero budget. I could not have been more impressed with the response.

Within 24 hours of an e-mail inquiry asking for help and donations, Softarex had already assigned a development team and a program manager for the effort, we had a scoping meeting kick-off, and work began that week. With no remuneration, Softarex has been providing us with dedicated development support and project management for over a year now. The web application has gone from concept into a full global Beta, within the input of dozens of HIT professionals the world over, and testing from hundreds.

Their ability to support our deep technical needs, understand the complexities of the health IT domain and work with us on some very specific user interface requirements, constantly evolving needs, and a willingness to contirbute this as a public good were commendable. Moreso, the work that they have done is all being contributed as open-source, which was one of the key considerations of the project. We have been treated as a top-paying customer and with outstanding and compelling results.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The scope of the project was to build a visual knowledge graph to depict complex interrelationships among healthcare assets to allow for their dynamic discovery, filtering, and navigation among them. In a nutshell, to find "a needle in a haystack" when the user doesn't know precisely what they were looking for. We had a rich metadata model considering multiple ways that content could be classified and interrelated. The challenge was to depict this information is such a way that it could be traversed by someone non-technical, where they begin exploring along one set of interests and then pivot to a new direction based upon a discovery.

The work involved agile iterative development, with a team of functional experts identifying and prioritizing system capabilities and placing them into a Kanban board. The Program Manager was the key intersect between the functional leads and the developers. We would group and prioritize functionality, jointly curating the project backlog.

The Softarex team would sequence and accept specific requirements into each sprint, with the community providing validation testing upon completion. We had development and production environments available, with Softarex providing the hosting. In terms of the specific implementation technologies, there was use of some open source JSON frameworks, Wordpress on the front end. We gave them full freedom on the implementation technology stack and I have not tracked that closely.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The development has been "black box" to our team, save the direct interactions with their program manager/business analyst, whom has been outstanding. I should also note that during the project, our assigned PM made a career change and the transition to the new PM was seamless.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our effort is still in Beta. Early user feedback has been very positive. We have seen a substantial progression over the course of our Alpha to Beta release in terms of application stability and usability, but outcome measures are not yet available.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Softarex delivers using offshore resources, and we found that precision in requirements was essential to avoid rework, particularly around user experience elements. That said, when we gave precise requirements the adherence was outstanding, and our interactions with the program manager were great. They would provide interactive mock-ups to validate their understanding, and then push implementation sprints into a dev/test environment for us to validate.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their approach toward the work has been "we will find a way to get it done". They have been tremendous partners, even when we were asking for some very challenging things. For example, we were adapting an open source framework and had some essential requirements that were not natively supported. While it took some time, they were able to find a way around the issues, and ultimately found a solution that was an ideal fit. They have been a delight to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I am not sure if it was just our project, but in the earlier phases establishing the right cadence of the SCRUM processes and documentation interaction with the technical team went through some iterations before finding an approach that was seamless. It was certainly professional and effective throughout , but this start-up mode went through a few small stumbles before hitting a stride. Nothing that caused big concern, but something that possible could be smoothed.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Welkinhealth, a computer software company. I’m the VP of engineering, and I’m responsible for the development and design of technology products.

What challenge were you trying to address with Softarex Technologies?

We were looking for a partner to build custom software.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Softarex is providing back- and frontend development, as well as design services, for a custom web application software. They build and deliver features to our customers.

They use Java for backend, and React.js for frontend. For UX/UI, they mainly use Balsamiq and Figma. I give them an assignment, and they provide mockups.

One person from their team does DevOps, helping create all the infrastructures used to ensure operations are done properly and meet our security requirements. Also, a QA engineer was just hired to take over the majority of product testing.

What is the team composition?

There are 16 people working on the project — two are designers and the rest are engineers.

How did you come to work with Softarex Technologies?

I spoke to many different resources in different areas. Someone introduced this team to us. We started working with a few people from their team as a test, and the engagement has grown from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $700,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around April 2020, and the relationship is ongoing.

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

We launched the product at the end of 2020, and we hit the customer milestone we were aiming for in April 2021. They continually work with us to make the product better, keeping the number of bugs low and performing manual testing to improve performance.

How did Softarex Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We handle project management internally. They’ve helped us refine our processes, and they do a good job following them. We have daily meetings via Google Meets and a Slack channel for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re extremely reliable and consistent. When they introduce a new engineer to the project, they provide full disclosure of their background, including schooling, experience, and their onboarding. While the team has grown, nobody from their team has left the project since we started, allowing us to work with the same people consistently, which is important to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At some point, we’ll need to review management structure and bring in some project management from their side as well. We’ll need to track that closely.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

For someone looking to work with them as we are, it would be good to have someone on your team that speaks Russian. It’s their native language, and this type of engagement requires constant communication. For a short-term project, they do have people who speak fluent English.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of FA_MUS, a unique video shopping platform that enables retailers and brands to create and deliver video content to their customers. The video content can consist of everything from personalized assortments of looks and outfits to uploaded videos of runway fashion shows, new product releases, and makeup demos.

What challenge were you trying to address with Softarex Technologies?

We needed to build an app where video content could be delivered to and viewed by customers, and Softarex is helping us do that.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started by describing to Softarex exactly what we wanted the app experience to be. They created a Product Requirements Document (PRD) that details everything they would build for us in the app, which we then reviewed, edited, and approved. We worked together over a five-month period and built the first version of the app for iOS. We’re planning to have the team build an Android version of it as well. 

Softarex has built our platform in a way that when content is delivered to the customer, it comes through as a push notification, giving the customer the ability to decide when, where, and how they want to view the video. When the content is viewed, the customer could click on little product icons or thumbnails that take them directly to a store’s website. All products in the video could also be tagged so that their information is associated with the location where the video was taken. 

What is the team composition?

We’re working with a lead engineer, a project manager, and around 5–6 front- and backend developers and architects. 

How did you come to work with Softarex Technologies?

A former colleague had experience working with Softarex, so he introduced us. We did our due diligence, met with the team a few times, and thought that they were ideally suited for what we needed to do, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around more than $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We were introduced to Softarex around March–April 2020 and started the project in May 2020. We’ve finished the iOS version of the app last December 2020 and are planning to work with the team through the next phases of development. 

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

We’ve done a lot of internal testing and have done demos for our clients. We’ve found that the app was built according to how we wanted, is very seamless, and works extremely well.

How did Softarex Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We do daily stand-ups three times a week and Softarex presents progress reports using Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Softarex’s speed and accuracy are impressive. They’re also very well-organized and efficient. They follow the plan very carefully.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This not on Softarex’s end, but we did not anticipate that we would want to see some more features other than those already outlined in the PRD. However, when there is something we want, Softarex would accommodate it, add it to the scope of work, and build it. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you know exactly what you want Softarex to build.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief procurement officer (CPO) of Waitbusters, LLC. We offer guest management and marketing software to restaurants to facilitate front-of-house operations.

What challenge were you trying to address with Softarex Technologies?

We hired Softarex Technologies to build our platform and replace our in-house team that couldn't meet the timeframe. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their developers built the system with multiple key features. The process was smooth, as we give them our product requirement document and they return their work for review. They developed the platform to supply guest management, online ordering, table booking, reservation management, and other tools. Their team also incorporated a loyalty program for users to opt into.

The developers used MEAN stack to build the system. Additionally, they created an Android and iOS app and integrated AWS services. They’ve implemented SMS marketing and social media marketing for the platform.

What is the team composition?

I work with Alex (CEO, Softarex Technologies) for our budget needs. They also provide a dedicated account manager who handles our schedules, sprints, and other tasks. We interact with the rest of their team on a quarterly basis to review progress and priorities. Depending on the size of the work, they supply between 5–15 developers.

How did you come to work with Softarex Technologies?

We had worked with Softarex Technologies in the past on other consulting projects, so we trusted their skills.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent around $1.4 million on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in January 2017 and the work is ongoing—we’re continuously working on updates and enhancements.

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

Working with Softarex Technologies helped save my company close to $800,000 because they improved our time to market for the product. Launching quicker helped increase our profits and reduce our costs.

How did Softarex Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

The Softarex Technologies team manage the project outstandingly. Although there is an occasional language barrier, all issues are resolved quickly. They use Jira, and we always feel the project is in capable hands.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team’s patience and flexibility stand out. They’re able to adapt to changing priorities and find new solutions when needed. They ensure their developers can work during our hours, which is crucial for us and makes them valuable.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to be as clear as possible from the beginning—Softarex Technologies produces exactly what you ask of them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Mainspring Legal is an international legal recruitment agency with offices in over a dozen cities across the United States and Asia. It has thousands of successful placements for a wide range of clients including Am Law 200 firms and Fortune 500 companies.

I am an IT contractor.

What challenge were you trying to address with Softarex Technologies?

We needed to upgrade and enhance our custom-built applicant tracking system (ATS). Our requirements include improved user experience, rebranding, bug fixes, better security, and an upgrade of the application platform. It was a full-scope project, including mockups, HTML coding, and migration. We’ve also been working on smaller add-on projects.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Softarex Technologies delivered an optimized and improved version of the existing product. Its enriched list of functions and enhanced performance allows recruiters to adjust their working process and handle the analysis of both candidates’ applications and employers’ requirements and conditions on a whole new level.

Softarex was in charge of several tasks. They updated all the technologies used in the app to their latest version while preserving the system’s diverse functionality. They extended the list of available features to simplify the work for recruiters of finding the best people matching employers’ requirements. They also had to optimize existing workflows and make the system performance more user-friendly, as well as design a new user interface that would conform to the latest trends while keeping its resemblance to the old version. Lastly, they enforced system security to assure data confidentiality.

How did you come to work with Softarex Technologies?

We started our collaboration with this project and it turned into an outsourcing business partnership.

How much have you invested with Softarex Technologies?

We have invested $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in June 2016. The project is still under development with Softarex.

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

The solution performance fully met our expectations in terms of design and programming. The app is user oriented and includes all the functionality we need. The modernization of the existing solution allowed us to improve marketability, effectiveness, and capability. The stylish and responsive design made it more attractive for our target audience—legal talent looking for a job. It only needed some minor tweaks to make sure the recruiters had access to all necessary features.

How did Softarex Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We had strict time frames for this project. We scheduled our interactions and also used email, Skype, and JIRA for keeping in touch.

What did you find most impressive about Softarex Technologies?

Softarex provided us with complex business analysis concerning our future projects. They also had a flexible approach towards management. The professionalism and support from Softarex were excellent.

Are there any areas Softarex Technologies could improve?

They have been generally good and there haven’t been any problems.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I lead the IT Innovation and Emerging Technology group within the IT department.

What challenge were you trying to address with Softarex Technologies?

We wanted to do a proof of concept to explore how camera vision driven software might be able to assist with automating parts of a process. The proof-of-concept software is being used in our innovation lab to showcase the possibilities of computer vision software.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The computer vision software is used to determine if various products could be recognized based on their container, as well as calculate the quantity of the product based on their volume consumed within the container. It’s used to determine the feasibility of using cameras to “see” particular products, including their quantity, and automate a task based on that information.

How did you come to work with Softarex Technologies?

We started with online research and sought out work with Softarex based on their experience with computer vision software.

How much have you invested with Softarex Technologies?

The project was less than $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Currently, the project is on hold awaiting additional funding. We accomplished the initial goal, which was to prove out the feasibility of using camera vision technology as an input for our systems.

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

It was only a proof-of-concept project, so I don’t have any metrics. The software shows the potential for leveraging more technology in our stores to automate tasks.

I think there is a lot of potential. Since we were only producing a proof of concept, there are more considerations if going to production to ensure the system is supportable.

How did Softarex Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Softarex performed great. They coordinated weekly calls and frequent emails to ensure we were aware of the progress.

Are there any areas Softarex Technologies could improve?

This isn’t a con, but we haven’t yet done some things to prepare it for production, as the initial goal was only a proof of concept, which was successful.

Please describe your organization.

SYBE Medical Management’s approach to your medical practice is to make it more profitable. Starting with an in-depth analysis of the client company billing history, existing concerns and evolving needs, SYBE develops a road map for integration. Then, SYBE assigns one of our highly experienced team managers that best matches the client’s practice. All team managers and team members are in house, in the USA.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Softarex Technologies?

We needed to develop a web application software for medical billing. This software needed to integrate the latest technology and industry standards into the new solution, maintain high productivity levels after the new billing system's implementation, optimize the process of submitting and following up on CMS-1500 claims to insurance companies, and make the system compliant with HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] and HL7 [Health Level-7] regulations. We needed a firm to train the team on using the new software.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

All features were created especially for our company. As an example, it became evident that a customer's billing system that was in use since the 1980s lacked the necessary functionality and was no longer current with technology. The system was DOS-based and had not changed much since its initial development. As the customer's employees grew accustomed to Windows programs, operating this system – that also inconsistently wrote checks and randomly froze up and shut down – became increasingly difficult. As a result, it was decided to replace the old automated system with something modern and easy to use. We used the new medical billing software.

How did you come to work with Softarex Technologies?

Our partnership has lasted more than 5 years. Everything started from the reference of a Softarex former client.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

These two projects took us 3 years and approximately $200,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Softarex is keeping the system up-to-date and provides technical support.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The implementation of the new solution has allowed our customer to improve its competitiveness, compliance, and efficiency. The claims status and payments tracking ability resulted in a 30% increase in the number of clients. The productivity of each employee increased by 27% through the reduction in time spent on each claim.

This tool was created according to our business needs, which is why it is so easy to use. Each function in the software reflects a separate business process and results in productivity raise.

How did Softarex Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We had strict project time frames for each interaction. We’ve scheduled our interactions and used emails, Skype, and Jira for keeping in touch.

What distinguishes Softarex Technologies from other providers?

Softarex Technologies provided us with complex business analysis concerning our future projects. They also have a flexible approach towards management.

Is there anything Softarex Technologies could have improved or done differently?

I’d love to have better scheduled delivery and better video webinars for our staff.

Please describe your organization.

We are a Dutch software solution company focusing on mobile app creation for a diverse range of clients all over the world.

What is your position?

I am the founder, owner, and IT Director.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Softarex Technologies?

We needed a cross-platform mobile application developed on iOS and Android. The application wasn't created for internal company needs, it was created for our client.

We wanted to conquer a free market niche with a new flexible sport application.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Softarex Technologies has developed a mobile platform that connects individuals with a community of national and international clubs and scouts. With this application, users can upload highlights and share their best skills.

They developed two apps, one on iOS and one on Android. They also developed the web portal. They did it all start-to-finish. Most of the design was done by another party, but we’ve started a new project with project with Softarex that includes design.

How did you come to work with Softarex Technologies?

We met through a shared developer contact. We set up a meeting and they flew over. We started our collaboration with small development tasks, and as a result, it became an outsourcing business partnership.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in February of 2015, and our relationship remains ongoing. They currently work on support and new feature implementation.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The performance of the solution fully met our expectations in terms of design and programming. The app is user-friendly and includes all the functionality we need.

We have great plans for further application development, that’s why there are a lot of things to be done.

We had a small budget on this project, but Softarex made due with it. Considering the budget, they did an outstanding job with the quality and functionality of the application.

How did Softarex Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We had strict project time frames for this project. We scheduled our interactions and used emails, Skype, and Jira for keeping in touch.

What distinguishes Softarex Technologies from other providers?

Softarex provided us with complex business analysis concerning our future projects. They used a flexible approach towards management.

Is there anything Softarex Technologies could have improved or done differently?

Maybe their estimates could be a bit more detailed, but that’s a minor thing. Overall, the project was done on time and within budget.

Please describe your organization.

Enetronx provides clients with a fully automated system for remote readout, management, processing, transmission, and storage of the consumption data from multiple smart meters (heating, water, gas, electricity) via GPRS/EDGE mobile network using the most advanced and secure technologies.

What is your position?

I am the Chief Executive Officer of the company.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Softarex Technologies, Inc.?

We wanted to conquer a free market niche with a new and flexible Energy and Utilities solution. Actually, the solution wasn't created for internal company needs. It was created for commercial purposes, as we’ve noticed a new market opportunity and spare niche.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We teamed up with Softarex Technologies, Inc. to deliver a Software-as-a-Service [SaaS] solution to help property owners, tenants, and other end-users access billing and metering data on their gas, water, and electricity consumption.

How did you come to work with Softarex Technologies, Inc.?

I had worked with Softarex at a previous company. After I left, we renewed our partnership once more.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

This project took us 3 years and we spent approximately $200,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are still working with them for support and the implementation of new features.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Apart from the fact that the solution is secure, user friendly, and meets industry standards, it's quite flexible and easily scalable. The solution supports a diverse set of devices and has no geo-referencing.

How did Softarex Technologies, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We had strict project time frames for each interaction. We scheduled our interactions, and used emails, Skype and Jira for keeping in touch. They performed with a flexible approach towards management.

What distinguishes Softarex Technologies, Inc. from other providers?

The performance of the solution fully met our expectations. Softarex even provided us with a complex business analysis concerning our future projects.

Is there anything Softarex Technologies, Inc. could have improved or done differently?

Some improvements could be done concerning user interface. It would also be wonderful to level up the billing system according to other countries’ standards.

Please describe your organization.

What we're doing with our platform is what I call a channel marketplace as live channels – linear channels – on demand as well as live events. It's a combination of television and subscription content.

What is your position?

I am the president.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Softarex Technologies?

I met the CEO of Softarex [Alexander Lipanov] at an event in October 2012. I was just starting to look into development at that time. I got to know him and part of his team at the trade show. Then, I followed up with him and told him what we were trying to do accomplish. I asked if he would be able to take it on and make it successful. I started working on this eight years ago, but the technology wasn't there. The challenge was getting exactly what we wanted, which is what everyone wants with his or her development. We had some very specific requirements that we presented. 

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We needed a custom video platform that performed flawlessly and had to be integrated with multiple technologies and additional platforms. The challenge was I didn't have time to write the code myself. I might be able to do it in Xcode and iOS, but I wouldn't be able to handle Android and Windows. We brought the project to them, reviewed the requirements, and they said they'd done something similar in the past. They thought with new technologies, it would be simpler to accomplish what I wanted.

How did you come to work with Softarex Technologies?

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to meet the development leadership and team at an industry event. Having the opportunity to review their work in person and get to know them made a significant difference in selecting them to develop our project. This led directly to our contracting Softarex for our platform development.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total project is set to be near $350,000. The current status is around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is in ongoing development.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Currently, our platform is downloaded in more than 60 countries, and we've received great feedback.

How did Softarex Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager who is assigned to our project is someone I have been extremely happy with. I've worked for several companies through the years. I've lived in a lot of places and dealt with a lot of PMs. In my entire career, there's maybe one or two PMs that were on the ball and knew what they were doing. Alex is one of the most solid PMs I've come across. He understands when we give requirements. We don't have to hold his hand. He's able to take it forward and build out the project plan and I don't think I can think of any situations where I've had to tell him he's taking it in the wrong direction. He understands our goals and is able to keep the project going. I'm happy with how they've overseen the project. I recommend them to everyone I know who's looking for contract developers. I can't say enough things about the PM to the CEO. We're in different time zones, but he makes it a point to make himself available. He's usually available about half of my day, which means he's working until 9 or 10 or 11 at night. He's always available to take care of something that needs to be done.

What distinguishes Softarex Technologies from other providers?

They don't try to upsell me. I've had other development groups that approach me and tell me they can do the development and before we start talking, they're telling me what else they can do. I'm not looking for another developer. I'm super happy with who I have. They've been straightforward. I do track the progress. The other nice thing about the PM is we get weekly updates. If I requested updates more often, I would get them. It's broken down into all the different components for each phase. They don't try to pad their schedule. I don't have time to write the code, but I do understand what's going on. They're not trying to tack on stuff and get more money. I know some people do that. I appreciate that. The times I've been a consultant, I've had PMs I've worked under approach me and ask why I bill them in 15-minute increments. I tell them they're not going to pay for something they're not getting. These guys have that approach. Softarex is not just looking to get paid. They're looking to get the work done.

Is there anything Softarex Technologies could have improved or done differently?

We have been extremely pleased with their performance and would not change a thing.