What evidence can you share to illustrate the success of the engagement?
The prototype of our Dream product was successful enough to begin the first steps of a medical trial. We shopped the product around to see if it was good enough to even be considered for trials and found a firm in Texas which considered it a fantastic idea. It was designed well and should have an impact in the healthcare space. SoftServe is working with us in establishing that medical trial, which is phenomenal. It has the potential to completely disrupt the healthcare space.
We're looking to use our Dream product to alleviate the dependence on opioid use by providing physicians with the ability to monitor patients' fifth vital sign remotely. (In the medical world, the fifth vital sign is a term used for pain.) We are working with a doctor named Amit Mirchandani running a practice called Texas Cell Institute. He has endorsed our product, which is another important point for us. He had never seen a product that could accurately measure the fifth vital sign before. He has stated that this has the potential to revolutionize pain treatment and eliminate America's opioid dependence. Drugs are being over-prescribed, and many people inadvertently get hooked on them. Pro athletes are starting to talk about this. It all starts with a doctor doing what they thought was best with the tools available to them, namely pain medicine.
Between product ideation and development, we were able to get a doctor who is far ahead of his field in pain management, as well as a company that specializes in massive clinical studies, to say that our product not only has legs but [also] is extremely viable. We were shocked at the response, given that the medical field moves slowly. We needed to have a product that had a welcoming design since it was so drastically different and emotionally sensitive. This is where SoftServe helped us most through their designs.
When we entered the NHS contest and initially partnered up with SoftServe, we wouldn't have imagined how quickly the medical field would respond favorably to our idea. We provide real-time pain management from a physician to a patient, essentially expanding a hospital and provider's network well beyond the reaches of their brick-and-mortar walls.
The involvement of our healthcare partner is beyond just a consideration at this point. If our software passes trials, they will be involved. The partnership with SoftServe will remain, which goes to show that they not only have technical skills but also are subject-matter experts within healthcare.
SoftServe has a leadership presence which understands the industry and our specific problems and challenges. A big consideration on our part was finding a partner which was not only technically savvy but had the subject-matter experience and respect within the medical industry.
How did SoftServe perform from a project management perspective?
The wonderful thing about SoftServe is that they don't have to be managed. They're all eager and self-motivated enough to be the ones challenging us to get more work done. I worked directly with SoftServe's team in Austin, Texas on the design side of the product. SoftServe not only provided project management, but they also assigned vice-president-level people on the project for us, without having to be asked.
We did use project management tools, but this isn't an important focus to me. Usually, this software becomes useful when there are difficulties in managing people. We never had any problems in this regard. SoftServe was so proactive and professional as to make the use of project management tools unnecessary. SoftServe's passion for the work transcended the standard consulting experience.
Is there anything unique about their business practice?
SoftServe has a willingness to help and look at the client as more than a source of revenue. They saw us as a company trying to make a difference and went out of their way to help us outside of the financially motivated relationship. This was the primary reason for us wanting to continue working with SoftServe.
Are there some areas for improvement?
We've had zero issues with SoftServe. The only improvement we could ask for would be an even bigger presence from SoftServe.
Key advantages include rigorous manual testing and access to an exceptionally large and diverse talent pool.