Sparkfish

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive of a company that builds branded mobile apps for martial arts schools and other member-based services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sparkfish?

We were using developers, and the communication with our vendor wasn’t sufficient. Moreover, their work wasn’t of good enough quality, and our time zone differences didn’t work well, so we decided to switch vendors. I reached out to Sparkfish to help solve our communication, time, and quality issues.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sparkfish helps us develop cross-platform apps. They use Ionic in order to manage a single codebase for Android and iOS. Our primary focus is a communication and retention tool for martial arts schools or other adjacent businesses such as yoga, gymnastics, and dance. The apps are branded with our clients’ names and logos. 

Our apps allow our clients to make announcements that notify their members of any important information immediately. Users have direct and group messaging within the app, and they can check into classes and earn rewards and badges. The apps have videos where users can stay updated with class instructions, and schools can post videos with news or other information. Users can also view their schedules all in one place. Our main request for the design and development is simplicity. At the start of each project, we give Sparkfish the idea, rough mock-ups, and the functionality and UX we want. The team focuses on making everything clean, simple, and easy to navigate. 

Additionally, they’ve taken over our legacy software system that functions as member management — similar to a CRM. The platform used to have an accompanying app we broke off and redeveloped to sell separately. Sparkfish now handles its development and continues to maintain the software for our legacy customers. 

What is the team composition?

I work with Jonathan (CEO), two developers, a tester, and Scott (CFO), who acts as our project manager. I’ve worked with a business development manager who got us onboarded. 

How did you come to work with Sparkfish?

I found them through online research. When I started experiencing issues with our previous vendor, I found Sparkfish because they were local to my area. I had a meeting with them, and although we didn’t begin working together right away, they kept in communication with me; they would send me emails over the next year. 

As the issues became more and more prevalent and we decided to change developers, I reached back out to Sparkfish and set up a meeting. They discussed what they could do to solve our issues, and we decided to move our development to their team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $130,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Rather than concrete metrics, we measure the project’s success based on whether the apps are functioning and the work is done well. We also look at the relationship we’ve had since changing vendors. Overall, Sparkfish has delivered on all our requirements. 

How did Sparkfish perform from a project management standpoint?

They handle the entire project management. Working with them is like having a CTO that looks over an internal development team without having to staff them; they feel like they’re a part of my team instead of a company I’ve hired. They meet deadlines and stay within the budget. I give the team a monthly budget they work within; if we ask for something that falls outside it, they let us know. 

We use Trello, Google Drive, and Bitbucket for project management. Our primary communication tool is email, and we also meet via Zoom every week and use phone calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sparkfish’s number one strength is that they’re US-based and within my region, so there’s little loss of nuance and no language barriers between us. On top of that, they’re very skilled and experienced at what they do.

I don’t feel like I’m working for a large corporation that treats us like a number. Our relationship feels like we’re all a part of the same organization — there’s no distinction between our companies. I worked briefly with another company that promised that same integration, but they outsourced their development overseas, and I never felt like part of their team. Even though I pay more for Sparkfish, their quality and service are worth the price.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they need to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d recommend being very clear about your goals and understanding what kind of UX you want and its benefits for the end user. It would help if you thought through your processes and the product before you hire someone to build it; think about it like a maze with every possible scenario. That way, you can convey to Sparkfish what the UX should be so that they can bring you back an accurate plan for development and an accurate quote. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of data science and analytics at a private equity firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sparkfish?

We needed help with data infrastructure and data analytics.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sparkfish is helping us set up the data infrastructure for portfolio companies in different industries and at different stages of their data maturing, as well as build reporting tools to facilitate data-driven decision-making. We’re currently working on 10–20 different projects. As for the technology stack involved, we use AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, Python, and C#.

What is the team composition?

I work with four people from Sparkfish: the CEO, the COO, and two data engineers.

How did you come to work with Sparkfish?

I was referred to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around February 2022, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve done surveys with our different company executives, and Sparkfish has gotten top marks in all of those surveys. Additionally, the tools they’ve developed for us have really high utilization rates of over 90%.

How did Sparkfish perform from a project management standpoint?

Sparkfish offers top-tier project management. Their performance has been incredible both in terms of their communication and their technical ability. We have a weekly meeting where we cover the different tasks in our pipeline, and Sparkfish works with us to ensure all the projects are progressing and on time and everything is being addressed; they keep us updated on the progress. We use Trello to manage the project and Slack, Microsoft Teams, and email to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sparkfish has been an absolute pleasure to work with. They offer very strong technical skills and great communication, stakeholder interaction, and engagement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to have regular touchpoints with them to discuss progress and align on the next steps — that has been very helpful for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at a trailer manufacturing plant, and we build various trailers such as car haulers and utility trailers that people can use for their business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sparkfish?

We hired Sparkfish to help us create a report on how much it would cost to build a trailer and how much we needed to sell our products. We had to identify those things because the market was massively fluctuating.

On top of that, we hired them to help us figure out how much we would be able to pay our employees. In addition, they supported us in automating a lot of our processes in the factory.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We told Sparkfish what we wanted, and they had an architect on their end who created our mockups. We also went back and forth with them so that we could modify the mockups they built. After we were satisfied with the mockups, they started developing our software. 

Sparkfish did a lot of research and told us the best ways on how we could implement our software. They also asked for our inputs throughout the process. In the end, they enabled us to click one button that could tell us exactly the cost of building a certain model. Most of their work is done in JavaScript and Windows Server. We continue to work with them, and at this point, there’s no end in sight.

What is the team composition?

We communicate with 6–7 people from Sparkfish, including our main point of contact. We communicate with at least two employees on a daily basis and communicate with at least four employees on a weekly basis.

How did you come to work with Sparkfish?

We were looking to expand because we were quickly growing our business. As a result, we searched for software development companies on Google. After that, we found out that Sparkfish was pretty close to our neighborhood and we decided to give them a shot.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $30,000 on our current project, and our last project was probably close to $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in June 2021, and we continue to collaborate.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been extremely happy with them.

How did Sparkfish perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, everything’s been working well so far. They send us screenshots of their progress down to the minutes of how much time they spend working on our project. They also communicate with us every week on Zoom and Skype, and they share what work they still need to finish. Moreover, they have a Trello Board where we can see who’s working on specific parts of our project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed by their clear and straightforward communication skills.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they have no areas to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear with your intentions and with what you want to achieve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP at a chemical database provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sparkfish?

We needed someone to rewrite our database and website into a more modern application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sparkfish is working on our client-facing website, which is where we house our database. They're rewriting it using a modern programming language. We didn't have an existing source code, so they've been writing everything from scratch. 

With each phase of the project, they have us test what they've done so far. One of the improvements they've made is optimizing the connection between the client-facing database and the internal database where we enter data.

In terms of the design, they're updating the look and feel of it. They've also optimized the search functions to help our customers look up information by selecting a set of criteria.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with four teammates, including Jonathan (Co-Founder), a software architect, a project manager, and a sales representative.

How did you come to work with Sparkfish?

I found them through a Google search of top IT companies for small businesses in Dallas. I vetted three different companies, but we liked Sparkfish the best.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from April 2021 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have yet to complete the project, but they've been easy to work with so far. Sparkfish has done everything they said they were going to do. We've asked for a couple of tweaks, but overall, they've done a great job. 

Every time they let us test the software, it looks great and feels exactly how we want it to. It works a lot better than we ever imagined it could.

How did Sparkfish perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is excellent. Our project manager is very responsive and transparent when it comes to delays. We appreciate how upfront the team is whenever something takes longer than anticipated.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sparkfish has done a great job in all aspects of the project. They truly understand our vision and are helping us achieve it. They're very invested in what we're doing, and it truly feels like the whole team is focused on us.

The team is also highly intelligent, which helps because we're not very tech-savvy. They use their expertise to explain things in a way that we'd understand. Overall, Sparkfish is a fantastic team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our only complaint is that they've taken longer than we thought they would. However, we understand that software development can take a long time. Other than that, Sparkfish has been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend Sparkfish. They're a great company that's super easy to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner for JDS & Associates. We’re a healthcare firm that specializes in conducting audit investigations in the healthcare profession.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sparkfish?

We have about 30­–35 associates and were manually entering timekeeping and payroll into Excel spreadsheets. All of our employees manually input their own time, and then we had to consolidate spreadsheets. There was a lot of room for error and it was getting quite complicated, so we needed an automated and efficient time keeping system. So we hired Sparkfish to design a specialized system to suit our needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve provided three services — developing the timekeeping service, designing our website, managing the contract with the website host, and selecting an integrated email system.

We gave them flexibility on the timekeeping system; we just wanted it to be user-friendly. We gave them guidelines on what we need to track, how to generate reports, and our billing systems. It tracks all staffing information and maintains our history. I can access reports from any time period.

What is the team composition?

I interface with one individual, and they were our go-to person whenever we had issues or wanted to add features. There may have been other people on the team.

How did you come to work with Sparkfish?

One of our partners was familiar with them and suggested we consider them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working around January 2017 and they continue to provide maintenance work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

 It used to take days to do payroll, but now they can do it in a matter of hours. It’s a tremendous time-saver. It’s user-friendly, intuitive, and fast. Several users have been able to use the system without a training manual. It’s a great asset to the company.

How did Sparkfish perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve always addressed our needs and concerns. We went over the requirement for the design, and they came back with an excellent proposal.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their solution really fits our needs. Several of our team members are older and are less familiar with technology like this, but our solution is so easy to use. On top of that, new users can onboard really quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything negative to say about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a try; their prices are competitive and they’re very skilled.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of VoiceHIT and Better Day Health. We provide EMR software to medical practices and hospitals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sparkfish?

We shifted our strategy and wanted to expand our software development expertise stateside. We had part of our development team in Lithuania, which presented challenges. We needed to expedite project completion this year in support of our overall business strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sparkfish completely revamped our process management. Specifically, they dedicated an individual who serves as a development manager. This team member fills a critical role in our organization, managing our development cycle with our current team and the additional team members. 

They align their expertise with our team in Lithuania, supplementing that team's resources with their service offerings. Their team further develops our software too.

What is the team composition?

We work with anywhere between 3–4 Sparkfish team members, including a project manager.

How did you come to work with Sparkfish?

I searched for development companies that saved projects and came across that language on Sparkfish’s website, specifically in testimonials from previous software development projects. I reached out and talked with their CEO about the scope of the project. After having these discussions, we decided to move forward with the engagement.

How much have you invested with them?

We have flexibility in their hours. The cost can run up to $45,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We executed an agreement with Sparkfish towards the end of January 2020, and it’s still in place. This is a longer-term relationship until I stabilize a team within our organization.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This is a long-term relationship, so I'm pleased. They're now able to leverage their knowledge of our organization to keep furthering our strategy. Overall, they’ve had a positive and significant impact on our organization.

We decreased our cycle times and noticed significant improvements in our software. They helped us to improve our software performance, accelerating our services for our customers.

Their team decreased the number of communication barriers with our developers. There have been significant improvements in our ability to communicate our development needs with our team in Lithuania because Sparkfish translates our requirements into technical terms for them.

If we don’t have the resources needed to meet our timelines, we’re able to leverage the Sparkfish team too. That’s accelerated our progress towards our goal, which is to move beyond soft market entry.

We’ve hit almost every milestone and timeline this year in partnership with Sparkfish. Our team feels that we made the right changes to make our work more efficient. There’s been positive feedback.

How did Sparkfish perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m able to reach out to any person on the Sparkfish team. I can call and access their team ay any time of the day. As the relationship progresses, it will be important to have a more structured feedback process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The bottom line is that they understand our business challenges. I don’t waste time trying to explain challenges multiple times.

Their team gets projects done following best practices. They provided highly skilled individuals who completed complex projects, which allowed us to hit the ground running.

Their team accelerated our change process with their experience. It’s satisfying to have a partner that’s tenured. We're in the same mindset, so we've just worked.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really, but project management could be improved. Communication of projects' statuses isn’t formalized. I’d prefer to have a structured, weekly update on where our projects stand.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Allow the process to happen. Be open and honest about what you need. Set expectations from the beginning.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Bank Compensation Consulting assists our clients with designing, implementing, and servicing non-qualified deferred compensation plans as well as the sales and service of bank-owned and corporate-owned life insurance. I am the Director of Research and Project Management. I am responsible for overseeing the company's IT footprint from network infrastructure to proprietary software solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sparkfish?

We needed to overhaul and upgrade our client portal. We had outgrown our previous solution using Wordpress as the framework. We needed a solution that was both secure and scalable with an eye on future enhancements that keep our client experience on the cutting edge of our industry. As a small business, the cost to hire the resources internally was and is cost-prohibitive, so finding a trusted partner to complete the project was imperative. Sparkfish helped us with a custom site hosted on Azure that provides both security and a robust interface allowing our customers and internal staff to easily and efficiently perform the necessary tasks.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project was to eliminate the security concerns inherent in Wordpress and to establish the framework for future enhancements and features. We are also looking for better integrations with our reporting system that will provide more timely information to our clients. The portal provides for those capabilities. Sparkfish used a combination of C++, Java, and SQL to create the site. They also established our hosting environment in Azure. They continue to assist us with managing the Azure environment while maintaining proper controls and separation of duties. The project helps to establish our company at the forefront of the online resources we provide to our clients.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Sparkfish came to our attention at a time when we needed to finish a SQL database project where the original company we hired shifted their corporate focus to bigger projects and clients. We interviewed a few different replacements and Sparkfish fit our needs as a smaller, but responsive company that can grow with us. Their pricing was also very competitive and generally less than their competition.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Sparkfish provided a consultative experience where they sought out our needs and wants to design a custom client portal. They made recommendations that fit our needs and were flexible as the process played out to adjust to our changing needs. We needed a site that allows our clients to log into a secure portal to download the reports and statements they need to understand and account for the benefits plans and life insurance assets. Sparkfish provided a more efficient and user-friendly interface as well as a more robust search, filtering, and organization of the documents. They also recommended and set up a new hosting environment in Microsoft Azure that allowed us to remain compliant with the technical requirements of our external auditors for a SOC 1 Type II report.

What was the team composition?

Sparkfish provided a project lead as a point of contact that provided weekly feedback on the project status. We were always informed and aware of the status and any issues that arose. They provided several developers to keep our project moving along in a timely manner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site was delivered on time with all the technical specifications working properly. They were very thorough in their design and testing. The site has received very favorable feedback from our clients and consultants.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Sparkfish presented their project plan and specifications. They established a realistic timeline and kept us updated at least weekly through a detailed email breaking down hours spent and work completed and in progress. We had in-person meetings along the way to demonstrate the progress allowing us to provide feedback and request changes. They use a combination of Trello and Azure DevOps to manage the specifications and developement.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Everyone we have worked with at Sparkfish from the CEO down has been responsive to our needs while being the consultant we need to tell us what we don't know. They go to great lengths to find solutions to issues even if the solution is outside of their comfort zone. All this at an unbeatable price. Our company has had several developers overpromise and underdeliver, even failing to deliver anything. Sparkfish has yet to let us down always delivering what they promise.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don't have any recommendations for areas to improve at this time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and communications for a cheerleading uniform designer and manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sparkfish?

We hired Sparkfish to develop an app for our website, enabling customers to design, color, and customize their cheerleading uniforms on our site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve handled the entire process in developing the app. Their team used our existing art and put it in a format to allow users to select their colors and uniform designs on the platform. The way they created the app enables customers to customize their orders. From there, they’ve helped put it on our website and launch it, so it’s desktop-based for now. 

What is the team composition?

There have been around four people working on the project, including a project manager, salesperson, and two business analysts. 

How did you come to work with Sparkfish?

I found them on Google. Their office is right down the street from us, which was a big selling point. We had a meeting and began the project shortly after. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $15,000, so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in May 2019 and it is ongoing. Although the main part of the project is complete, there are a few additional features we’ll be working on with Sparkfish.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s too early to tell any impact the app has had, but the quality of their work has been amazing. We’re pleased with it. 

How did Sparkfish perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve perfectly managed the work. We’ve done everything via email, so no phone calls have been needed. It’s been great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve done everything they promised to do. We’ve been way ahead of schedule. I can’t say anything better about them—they’re good. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing at all for them to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions because they will answer everything. They really do a great job getting your product launched. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the marketing manager for a mobile location-based technology company that marketers use to leverage their offers and sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sparkfish?

We hired Sparkfish to help us overhaul and rebuild our infrastructure. We wanted to improve the application to address our business needs and challenges.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sparkfish overhauled our infrastructure and helped build mobile passes as part of our robust service offerings. They supported our efforts to enable Apple Pay and Android Pay, and built other features according to the wireframes we provided. Their team translated our ideas and helped create a strategy.  

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Jonathan (CEO, Sparkfish), but there were between 4–5 other developers and teammates supporting the project.

How did you come to work with Sparkfish?

Our former CEO connected us with Sparkfish and we really liked their style. Their mentality and approach to operating were appealing to us, so we selected them for the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2018 and our engagement has ended.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sparkfish did a great job rebuilding our application. Every need that we articulated was handled well and they understood what we envisioned. Their technical abilities resulted in a strong final product.

How did Sparkfish perform from a project management standpoint?

Whenever we set expectations, their team met them. We had no issues communicating, as we used Slack, Trello, Google Docs, and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They intently listened to our needs and produced a successful final product that matched our vision. They did a very good job ensuring they fully understood our goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I can think of for them to improve.