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    Fremont, CA
    +1.510.744.1528

People have infinite ideas, SJ gives them life

4.7
3 reviews 

At Softjourn, we always find a creative approach to any solution, whether it’s for a money transfer system, mobile payment software, box office ticketing solution or video streaming platform. What makes our people so creative?

Our experience, looking for a solution together with many people from different backgrounds, realizing that no idea is too far fetched, day dreaming, having pillows under our desks for break time, reading Kafka, thinking happy thoughts, all these aspects set the stage for idea generation. 
 
Financial: Cards, Mobile Payments, POS, Remittance, Prepaid
We are a software development partner for financial services companies and Fintech companies providing payment processing, online money transfer, remittance services, mobile payments, managing ATM networks, payment processing, prepaid cards/payroll cards, mobile wallets, and more. For example, we developed and maintained the prepaid card solution for PayPartners, as well as built a retail bank solution. PayPartners was later sold to TransCard.
 
Media and Entertainment
In the entertainment industry we have expertise in developing platforms for VOD, live video and live events. We’ve worked with some of the highest rated shows including: “The Daily Show
with Jon Stewart;” “Jersey Shore;” “Nickelodeon;” “The Colbert Report,” and more. Solutions include browser as well as mobile. See SnappyTV later sold to Twitter.
 
Ticketing
Softjourn has worked in Ticketing for 10+ years. Including on core product such as: packages, group sales, refunds & exchanges, CRM functionality & more. Additionally on mobile apps for validating tickets, selling tickets at the door, apps for venue owners to track ticket sales and break even points, etc. Mobile apps have been developed for Android, and iOS using a range of scanning and swiping devices (Infinite Peripherals, & more), and EMV readers. 

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Undisclosed
 
$25 - $49 / hr
 
50 - 249
 Founded
2001
Show all +
Fremont, CA
headquaters
  • Softjourn
    39270 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Suite 251
    Fremont, CA 94538
    United States
    +1.510.744.1528
other locations
  • Softjourn
    Tychyny
    Ivano-Frankivsk
    Ukraine
    +1.510.943.6217

Portfolio

Key clients: 

TicketRiver/Ticketprinting.com

PEXCard

Reviews

4.7
3 reviews 
Sort by

Long Term Resource Arrangement with Internet Ticketing Firm

"The overall quality and competency [they offer] are the best we've encountered."

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5.0

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Confidential
 
2007 - 2016
Project summary: 

Softjourn supplied ad hoc .NET/Java developers whenever project demand exceeded available resources. 

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Bozeman, Montana
CEO
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Core strengths include access to a wide range of expert-level resources, professionalism, and a demonstrated understanding of Agile best practices. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The company was founded in 1997, with a specialization in e-commerce event products including VIP passes, event badges, printed tickets, raffle tickets, wristbands, etc. We also operate another brand, which has a software-as-a-service (SaaS) tool focused on online event management, marketing, and ticket retail. I am the chief executive officer. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Softjourn?

We needed more execution power around software development capabilities to help us cope with increasing demand and prevent quality dilution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Softjourn was initially hired for development work on our main ticketing site, but we eventually expanded their involvement to the separate brand. We have used a team of 5 people from Softjourn at peak capacity, and have been involved in the selection process. Our team included .NET senior developers and Java junior developers. We have interacted with most of them directly. There was no unexpected turnover during our collaboration.

How did you come to work with Softjourn?

We were referred to Softjourn by a colleague, but also had a shortlist of 3 companies. Softjourn not only had a very strong and qualified reference but also stood out through the quality of their management and senior developers.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with Softjourn since 2011. Our latest project was concluded in June 2015. We're not currently engaged with them but anticipate contacting Softjourn within the next 6 months for upcoming projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of software development processes, Softjourn is very competent in handling the cadence of Agile sprints. It was made clear that they really internalize the methodology when it comes to development and design. The code quality was good, deliverables were brought in on time, and Softjourn's team was very pleasant to work with.

How did Softjourn perform from a project management standpoint?

Softjourn delivered the work on time and within budget. We used Skype for a lot of our real-time collaboration, as well as Google Hangouts, Basecamp, and Pivotal tracker.

What did you find most impressive about Softjourn?

The overall quality and competency offered by Softjourn are the best that we've encountered, in terms of outsourced software development.

Are there any areas Softjourn could improve?

No. Softjourn did a great job.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Long Term Resource Arrangement for Financial Tech Firm

"I appreciated Softjourn's flexibility.... When we wanted to ramp up our team, even more, we received additional talent quickly."

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4.0

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
4.5
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
4.5
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
 
2014 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

In order to cope with increasing demand, Softjourn was hired to supply dedicated developers for an unspecified period. The engagement remains ongoing.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 Employees
 
Greater New York City Area
Associate VP of Engineering
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Core strengths include resource flexibility, uncompromising responsiveness, and exceptional timeliness when it comes to key deliverables. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the associate vice president of engineering for the company. We offer a pre-paid expense platform. Our customers can use a card combined with our software in order to manage their expenses. Corporate credit cards can require a lot of credit. They also aren't the best fit for companies who offer a lot of consulting work. Our customers use our product because they don't want to use credit or they don't want to hand over corporate credit cards to non-employees. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Softjourn?

We needed software development. As we grew, Softjourn continued to provide development on more features for our own customers. The resource pool grew accordingly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have a domestic engineering team and Softjourn is essentially a virtual extension of it. Our ongoing work requires a dedicated team of software developers and QA testers from Softjourn. We're currently using 12 dedicated resources from Softjourn. From time to time, we also engage them in one-off projects. They would also provide design work, planning, and other standalone activities.   

How did you come to work with Softjourn?

We were already engaged with Softjourn when I started with the company. There was a request for proposal process which led to selecting Softjourn as a vendor, but I don't have specifics.

How much have you invested with Softjourn?

The cost of Softjourn's services is around $500,000 per year, depending on how many fixed-bid projects we engage in.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with Softjourn for at least 2 years. It is a completely remote engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's hard to gauge success, given that we operate as one big team. This in itself is a great success story; Softjourn seems to be very flexible in this type of engagement and it works well for us. Overall, we've been able to accelerate development. We have also been putting out monthly releases since engaging in this model. This is a significant result, considering the complexity of our platform.

How did Softjourn perform from a project management standpoint?

Softjourn has provided resources as needed and was flexible in order to accelerate our delivery timelines. For the most part, Softjourn has delivered the work within schedule and budget.

We use Visual Studio Team Services for managing our internal team and Softjourn’s team. They operate in the same way as our domestic staff. Going over that tool, there isn't a difference between someone delivering work in New York, compared to a Ukrainian developer.

What did you find most impressive about Softjourn?

I appreciated Softjourn's flexibility. They're responsive. When we wanted to ramp up the team even more, we received additional talent quickly. We're always fighting for resources in New York, so it's good to have access to good-quality developers when needed.

Are there any areas Softjourn could improve?

This type of collaboration is a new model for Softjourn. They've been good at it and, if Softjourn truly mastered this model, it would be helpful for us. Being able to stretch our team into a virtual offshore location is a valuable asset. Softjourn should keep doing what they're doing and get better at it. 

4.0
Overall Score
  • 4.5 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    I've dealt significantly with offshore developers, primarily ones from India. I expected that the cost in Ukraine would be higher, but Softjourn seems comparable to past partners.
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 4.5 NPS
    Willing to refer

Long-term Resource Arrangement for IT Firm

“We wouldn't have stayed with Softjourn for so long if we weren't satisfied with their performance.”

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Confidential
 
2013 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

In the course of this long term partnership Softjourn has provided regular resources to support backend development on a number of projects. 

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Toronto, Canada
Chief Technology Officer
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Softjourn has remained a reliable and beneficial development partner. Their flexibility in project management style and tools is a differentiator that’s won them repeat business, which is expected to continue. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We provide a mobile and web ordering platform for the hospitality industry. We enable customers to order foods and drinks, as well as any other retail items from their phone or the web, within various environments. We're fully integrated with point-of-sale vendors, payment solutions, and loyalty platforms.

What is your position?

I am the chief technology officer of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Softjourn?

We needed development resources for our back-end system.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

All of our development is done through resources from Softjourn. I work with a lead from Softjourn's team, and I am in charge of defining the product strategy as well as how the system should work. Softjourn has made some designs for us, but not in terms of strategy or road mapping.

We follow a certain development process that determines how the product will be designed and implemented and how defects are addressed.

The main technology used for our platform is .NET. We have a SQL server, and we've used Softjourn for integrations with third-party systems.

We've been working with anywhere from three to 10 people from Softjourn at any point in time. There have been changes in our team. There were times when we needed fewer people and some resources adapted to the project better than others. We do have a group of core developers who have been with us from the beginning.

How did you come to work with Softjourn?

We worked with an offshore sales company that introduced us to a number of people, out of which we selected Softjourn.

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

The total cost of Softjourn's services has been between $200,000 and $1million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with Softjourn for three years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I selected my own team from Softjourn. I have been working with the same people for three years, and I've recently brought them to Toronto. I wanted to have face-to-face time as well. Softjourn has been collaborating with us from the very beginning, so we've built our product with them. From a development perspective, Softjourn has had a major impact. We own the intellectual property for it, and we've road mapped it, but Softjourn has handled all development.

How did Softjourn perform from a project management standpoint?

We wouldn't have stayed with Softjourn for so long if we weren't satisfied with their performance. Softjourn is very competent from a technology perspective. They also care a lot about what they do and put pride in their deliverables. I treat Softjourn as my own team.

Softjourn adapted to whatever the needs of the client were, in terms of project management style and tools. This is much more important than having experience with a specific tool.

What distinguishes Softjourn from other providers?

Softjourn's flexibility gave them the ability to adjust to client needs. Ultimately, the delivery is what matters and providing value for the client. Softjourn is very focused on that.

Softjourn has good-quality people. I've worked with a number of technology companies, including offshore providers. The reason for sticking to Softjourn is that they are the best company out of all the rest, providing the best value and caring the most about the client's needs.

Is there anything Softjourn could have improved or done differently?

No. We've had a very good relationship with Softjourn, and I cannot think of anything negative about them.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    Softjourn could improve in terms of timing and communication.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    The main reason for doing offshore development is to reduce costs, compared to hiring a local vendor.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    I have worked with high-quality people from Softjourn, who are very competent. Our work has been cost-effective for a startup.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I have recommended Softjourn, and my colleagues had a good experience.