System Plus

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a funded proptech startup

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire System Plus, and what were your goals?

We had an immediate need to build a web platform that would deepen our relationship with our clients and add useful tools to our core services.

SOLUTION

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

We looked at platforms that had been developed in our industry that we liked and happened to find System Plus. After some vetting and initial conversations, great communication and what appeared to be a desire to truly work with us on building something great we decided to move ahead with them as our preferred vendor.

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

We worked with them to design the platform from the ground up, building wireframe designs and functionality. They used ruby on rails and angular, and also did custom work with our own API to build a stable scalable platform.

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

We worked with 3 main people at System Plus and communicated primarily through Slack which was perfect for our team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered a solid, stable platform with virtually no bugs from day one that has gained almost 2000 users in the first 3 months. We are now on development round 3 with them and are continuing to rely on them as our outsourced front end team (most of our team internally is AI/PHP focused).

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

They communicate extremely well and are autonomous, but respond quickly and act fast on anything urgent.

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

They deliver a great value and also understand basic architectural functions that need to be included that we did not have to ask for. They take feedback well and are very detail-oriented.

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

Speed of delivery could be improved, but again it takes time to build something well planned and stable. As a startup it's tempting to move fast so maybe it's actually a benefit to have a steadying hand.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder of a leading sports management group, (OPSMPRO) representing and providing pathways for athletes and organizations. We provide digital solutions for soccer communities around the globe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire System Plus?

We were trying to bring the North American Soccer community together and enable them to get connected with the relevant people in the soccer industry. We wanted to create a recruitment networking platform and employment-oriented online service that operates via the website and mobile apps.

What were your goals for this project?

System Plus provided us with end to end services for this project. They evaluated our idea and helped us improve it via discovery workshops. After that, they designed UI/UX of mobile apps as well as web app. They also took care of the development/deployments of all apps and app store submissions. The company is providing us with after development support as well.

SOLUTION

How did you select System Plus?

My Web developer and I were searching on Fiver for the right team for the job. I connected with Sohail and the system plus team shortly after on a zoom call. After I was sent an outline on the plan of action I was sold and still work with the team today.

Describe the project in detail.

We were trying to bring the North American Soccer community together and enable them get connected with the relevant people in the soccer industry. We wanted to create a recruitment networking platform and employment-oriented online service that operates via the website and mobile apps. System Plus provided us with end to end services for this project. They evaluated our idea and helped us improve it via discovery workshops. After that, they designed UI/UX of mobile apps as well as web app. They also took care of the development/deployments of all apps and app store submissions. The company is providing us with after development support as well.

What was the team composition?

My communication was with the project manager who had a team of designers and developers working along with him. The project manager was very efficient, and organized the whole project very professionally. At that time, there was a lockdown going on, but he still made it very easy for me. I am very happy that I found them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

10 weeks following the launch of our App, we now have over 1000 active users. This is incredible and the growth is still occurring today under the system plus management.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow has been very effective and easy. At first, I thought the time change would be very difficult. However, the team managed to meet all appointments always on time and plenty of times added additional calls for extra support. I personally as a business owner really appreciate the 24/7 support I receive from the team even today.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their commitment and understanding of the project's scope have been outstanding. The team is uniquely bright and intelligent. Even with issues we never could have seen coming we were also able to find a solution. As a joke I refer to their team internally as "Solution Plus."

Are there any areas for improvement?

I have no real areas of improvement I would suggest based on my experience. Any issue or problem as I said was always able to result in a solution and that's all that matters to me.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder & CEO for Service Raider, a cloud based platform that enables businesses to manage field service operations. The platform provides tools to boost productivity, enhance the customer experience, manage operations, invoice & process payments & more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire System Plus, and what were your goals?

The goal of the project was to create a platform/app where service businesses throughout N. America can manage their clients, jobs, and finances all at one place.

The platform/app enables a customer to request services from a vendor so that he/she can create jobs and dispatch them to employees, while automatically notifying the customer of the job details.

The platform/app also ensures the vendor can convert an estimate to a job to send it to the client, process payments, view job history, manage inventory and control employee permissions.

SOLUTION

How did you select System Plus and what were the deciding factors?

We researched different software firms online and discovered System Plus. We contacted them and set up a discovery session and were very impressed with them.

They provided us with a clear scope of work right after the initial discovery call which raised our comfort level and demonstrated their acumen and tenacity, which we're all about. I also appreciated their professionalism and obvious knowledge regarding how to take us from concept to clickable prototype and eventually, a market ready product.

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

System Plus has been our technology partner in the true sense. They not only provided us with a turnkey development team, they were able to provide us with an interim CTO, which we're optimistic could lead to a permanent position.

One of the most valuable aspects of their service is how their ability to provide a cost and benefit assessment of technology choices. They also provided quality assurance services and offer ongoing support for keeping the system up and running.

The original development of the platform/app was through a phase by phase payment contract, and after that we've migrated to a service-level agreement, by which System Plus provides us bug fixes and upgrades on a necessity basis.

There is a base price fixed during the discovery call for their services, and we're charged extra for time and materials for any work that was out of scope of work.

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

Depending on the current stage of the project, System Plus used a team of up to five people. This included a CTO/Project Manager, two web app engineers and two mobile app engineers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform has finished alpha and beta testing phases and is yet to be made available publicly, although we plan to go live sometime in February of 2021.

We are focused on mobile app development currently and want to make sure that our all apps are ready for launch before we go to the market. So far, our best achievement is that we have secured seed funding for the project.

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

Development work is hard and needs to be a concentrated effort. I'm not an advocate of outsourcing work because ideas need to be bounced around directly between the client and those doing the work. Developers need to know what it is they are building and why, before they start building it.

Simply handing off specs to a firm and getting software back will not work. Because System Plus is an outsourced company in a different country and time zone, I was surprised how few problems we encountered.

In terms of project management, though, System Plus is virtually bulletproof. They use Hubstaff for timelog management. On top of that, they use Slack for smooth communication. They respond to things quickly. They don't cut corners by doing bare minimum work to achieve the specs, they go above and beyond the scope of work.

Most importantly, they produce solutions extremely fast and exactly as planned. We've also maintained weekly scrum video calls, usually 2x per week, especially as we got closer to the end of each phase.

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

I don't know what hours they keep, but they're always available. When I'm in the office at 9 o'clock, there will usually be a message waiting for me. Even though they are ten hours ahead of us, they are still available. This is a fantastic distinguishing feature compared to other agencies and individuals I've worked with, even those here in the US.

System Plus's turnaround time is great and they're outstanding communicators. Everything is handled by one person [CTO/Project Manager], who does an excellent job.

Whenever they have a holiday to observe or any deviation from the plan or schedule issue, I am notified immediately or in advance whenever possible. I haven't had that experience with any other offshore software development company.

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

I honestly can't think of a single area of improvement for System Plus. They have literally set the bar for all other to follow in terms of communication, professionalism, capabilities and cost. I plan to continue to work with System Plus indefinitely. If possible, I hope to be able to recruit their entire organization to my business asap. I'm a fan for life. Great job, System Plus!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder and CEO of a company that provides SaaS-Based solutions to real estate agents and connects them to the buyers and sellers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire System Plus?

Real-estate agencies face this problem of manual communication among the property sellers and buyers.

All agents associated with these companies struggle with manual scheduling of buyers’ appointments with the sellers and keeping their schedules in sync to their calendars as well. Rescheduling of appointments becomes a challenge for them keeping both parties content at the same time.

We hired System Plus to build an automation tool that will aid in enhancing the sales and make the entire user-experience better for the customers.

What were your goals for this project?

The purpose of this project was to bridge the communication barrier between the seller and buyer through an automated real-estate agents’ channel in a consistent and interactive way.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of the representatives from System Plus sent me an email describing the companý’s vision, services, and areas of expertise. Later, I had a discovery call with their account executive. I discussed the company with my team and we decided to partner with them because of the strong portfolio of the company and their ability to understand our vision.

Describe the project in detail.

We contacted System Plus and briefed them about our B2B and B2C side of the business and presented the complete idea of the software service we wanted. We started with the complete requirement analysis of our system with proper feedback and design implications for the listed requirements.

After finalizing the requirements, a detailed proposal, along with preliminary design samples, was drafted by System Plus with all the phases and their stipulated deadlines. Slack and Jira were used throughout this process. The production started right after the proposal was accepted.

Trello was used as a primary platform for gauging the pace and progress of the project and transparency was maintained in starting and closing the sprints. Repository links were shared as well for timely analysis of Quality code.

Weekly calls and meetings were conducted to brief the process, speed, and deliverables. In a series of iterations, our product came into the desired shape, rigorously tested and ready for deployment.

All deliverables were strictly delivered within the stipulated deadlines ensuring the quality of the software product and user-experience.

What was the team composition?

There were five members working on this project, one Project Manager, two Front-end and two Back-end Developers. The Project Manager was the primary point of contact and he was easily accessible when required on Skype and WhatsApp platform. Contacts of developers were shared with us for any additional briefing regarding the current sprint in action and assigned roles.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The application was built as desired and it was ready in a few months. We presented it to our clients and within weeks the sales were magnificently growing than before. And now, an agency having more than 2000 real-estate agents working for them is interested in buying our services to enhance their sales.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The drafted proposal was strictly followed throughout the process and every phase was moved in an agile manner. Agile methodology remained in action throughout where feedback and suggestions made the system adapt to minor design changes and feature additions. The whole team collaborated and responded in a professional way. Communication skills were extraordinary.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Project management was well-thought and planned. All the major phases of the project were documented. Meetings followed the mutually agreed schedule and punctuality and discipline were observed throughout.

Emergency meetings were properly entertained. All the briefings on bug-fixes and necessary changes and updates were conveyed to us in a timely manner. Each phase and sprint were completed on time. Skype meeting sessions were properly divided into time slots to discuss the progress of the previous sprint, future sprint, and feedback from us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The team was totally professional. Meanwhile, minor suggestions were conveyed to the team during the process and the team was very responsive to act upon them. It was great collaborating with System Plus. I would certainly look forward to them for future projects and initiatives.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO & Co-founder of a company that provides Diet management and healthcare software to fitness enthusiasts using the software as a service (SaaS) model.

Our company is headquartered in the United Kingdom and we have customers from around the globe. I oversee the technical side of our product and work closely with the development teams engaged with us.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire System Plus?

I belong to a fitness enthusiast community and we used to have multiple problems with diets, foods and weight management. All of us would take notes of our progress manually or in excel as available software/apps were not designed according to our needs. The idea of a customized software led us to start a project with System Plus.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create a user-friendly software with customized features to attract people working on their fitness goals around the globe. We also needed features to increase client engagement and loyalty.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

System Plus was referred to us by a UK based organization that had already worked with them and received excellent services.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

System Plus prototyped, designed, developed and deployed our software. The company is also providing maintenance and ongoing support now. The team at System Plus was very detail-oriented.

Once we started working with them, we had multiple calls and they understood our goals and objectives of the project. After that, the design was created that was way above our expectations.

During the development, the agile methodology was followed. We had 14 days sprints and the team kept us informed about all the progress. Our project manager also helped us refine the functionality of some areas that led to improved user onboarding process and conversion.

What was the team composition?

There were four team members. The first point of contact was the project manager who remained in touch about the nitty-gritty throughout the project. On the project manager’s suggestion, my team also communicated with the frontend developer for design-related coordination. There were two backend developers who ensured smooth software operations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application was ready within a few weeks after unit and feature testing and now we no longer need to count the calories manually or on Excel. Our software has naturally brought an element of play in our trainees’ daily diet plan and has increased our global client reach.

Our period of onboarding and conversion has shortened significantly due to software efficiency. The software has proved to be a potential motivator for both the trainers and trainees of the fitness community.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The days and time-slots of the communication were locked on a mutual consensus by the proposal closure period. The project manager provided access to the trello boards for transparent communication regarding progress. We used Github for communication with the developers and scheduled Skype calls every Friday.

Access to online code repository coupled with live video tutorials was made available every Friday which helped us learn the software functions along the way. We had the weekend to assess and play around with the product and shared further ideas via Github.

All the layers of the vertical slice of the project were divided effectively by the project manager in the scheduled calls. Fifteen minutes were reserved for our feedback after every call. We would call it a successful cooperation.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

For us, the two most impressive aspects of System Plus were agility and client communication. Furthermore, the front-end developer playing the role of a product manager and a design thinker was fantastic. The prototypes were amazing.

Their team also helped us learn a lot along the way through tutorials. The app was delivered way before the stipulated deadline due to the transparent internal and external communication of the System Plus team via calls, code-sharing, and video tutorials.

We will definitely revert to the team for further software related help and recommend System Plus to all medium and large enterprises.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The team did an impressive work in developing and designing the product even if a short project timeline made us hold back some ideas for additional software features. Nevertheless, the four System Plus representatives have proved to be a hardworking team as the agility was way above the bar considering the size of the team.