SoftGrid Computers

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a physician innovator for a company called Veda Grace, and we develop highly personalized skin care products for users. We have a tool that clips onto a cell phone and allows us to do layer-by-layer diagnostics on people’s skin while they’re at home.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SoftGrid Computers?

We needed to develop a web platform to start testing a new concept with our existing clients, and we wanted it to be able to handle our image processing requirements and have an integrated secure patient portal on iOS.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SoftGrid Computers developed the platform completely from the ground up, but the diagnostic tools and image recognition software were previously existing. The main challenge they faced then was integrating those programs into the platform in a way that would maintain security but also allow our users to communicate, process payments, and allow us to access information for things like shipping and logistics on the backend as well.

The security was difficult to set up because of the cross-platform functionalities required by the app. Their team spent a lot of time architecting solutions and testing their weaknesses in order to make sure that all of the payment information being processed on them would be safe.

We started out doing custom development with AWS infrastructure and PHP, but then we realized that we could cut down costs significantly and speed things up at the same time by leveraging their experience with WordPress WooCommerce. We were able to get an initial site off the ground with WordPress and both existing and custom plugins from there.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Anuj (Business Development Manager, SoftGrid Computers) but he has several other members of his company working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with SoftGrid Computers?

They came to us from a word of mouth referral because of their reputation for working with clients in the US. We started out with several smaller projects to just test the working relationship before starting on our bigger goal, and they lived up to our expectations.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a little over $30,000 at this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2019 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The best feedback is user experience, so we have a software that allows us to track how users move through our site. The experience of watching people go step by step without having hiccups and have to go back a screen really speaks to their ability to take a mediocre user experience and create something that is really enjoyable for people to use.

How did SoftGrid Computers perform from a project management standpoint?

In terms of project management, we use Trello, and that has been very helpful in breaking down larger tasks and setting deadlines that keep us moving at a quick pace. They’ve been able to complete all of our project goals in close to a sixth of the average amount of time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One thing we’ve really nailed down is communication because working with someone in the exact opposite time zone can often be very difficult. We realized early on, however, that they have great methods of communicating without needing to touch base, like using highlighted screenshots or request boards to get specific tasks taken care of.

They also put a lot of thought into the work we do, and the specific knowledge that they have around whether or not different features will integrate well into the platform and how much they will cost to implement has been really helpful to our overall success as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Unfortunately, it’s difficult for us to scale development with them, because of the limit on their personnel. I don’t blame them for having that sort of shortcoming, obviously, but it is something I wish that we had a little bit more capability for.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you start with something bite-size so that you can kind of have a test round to find a project manager, test the Trello process for communication, and just see how it goes.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I founded an event platform for the Human Resources and Recruitment industry. The website is to manage all elements of events that I run.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SoftGrid Computers?

SoftGrid designed my website and also did a redesign/refresh.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals included to boost the user experience, make the website mobile responsive and provide more functionality for event management.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have been working with SoftGrid for a number of years on various projects and they've been stellar on each.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project was a design of the website and then a redesign/refresh. This included all development work from inception to completion.

What was the team composition?

The team was myself and one member of the SoftGrid team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

They have always been fantastic to work with. They're responsive and timely with deliverables and communicate perfectly given our geographic differences (they in India and me in Canada).

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was very much a partnership and highly collaborative effort between myself and SoftGrid. It has always worked out very well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They're highly responsive, excellent communicators, cost-effective, and highly supportive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.