Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a manager at a software company. We provide software and services for the education industry, including learning management software. My team develops custom applications per-request to provide functionalities that we aren’t going to build into our core SaaS platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Tech9?

We wanted to augment our custom development team. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

After our engineer was selected, he came onsite for a couple of weeks to learn our processes.  He performs full stack development for us. The scope of work includes submitting code to our internal QA team and receiving feedback before starting on another branch of code. We’ve been structuring the work in three month increments, and we’re currently on the third statement of work.
 
What is the team composition?

The team consists of one remote developer and an account lead. 

How did you come to work with Tech9?

We were looking for quality, nearshore talent within our budget. We provided a requisition of our needs and reviewed incoming resumes. After looking over applications and interviewing two teams, we chose Tech9. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2018, and the project is ongoing.

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

The vendor delivers the quality required to achieve our projects. I’m continuing to hear good things about their work. We haven’t had any negative experiences with Tech9. 

How did Tech9 perform from a project management standpoint?

All communication has been collaborative, and the process of working with the resource is easy to understand. We’ve even been able to meet with the leadership team and the account manager in-person. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We had tried to work with four vendors before, and Tech9 was the first vendor to offer an effective partnership. They were very receptive to my requirements from the beginning. They maintained straightforward conversations so they could deliver the resource we needed without wasting time or effort. 
 
Are there any areas they could improve?

I found out later on that they were subcontracting with another firm, and I wish they had been more transparent about that upfront. It wouldn’t have changed my decision to bring on the engineer, but it would have been good to know.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We were very thorough about our expectations from the beginning, and future clients should do the same. For example, we offered a clear project write up and asked to see a sample of code.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Tesani Companies is a holding company with property management, real estate, and software technology companies. I do the operations and finance for each company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Tech9?

We wanted to create an online loan application for one of our companies.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created an online loan web app that gives our customers more visibility into the loan terms, responsibilities, and required documentation. They continue to provide maintenance on the app. They’re able to get notified directly of certain bugs. Other issues require our team to alert them to a problem that needs fixing.

Since that initial project, they went on to do a second and third version of the original web app. We’ve also used them for several website projects. Most recently they created an applicant tracking system for an HR department.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager that we met with on every project. A number of developers worked on each project. We have an in-house designer but Tech9 also offered design suggestions.

How did you come to work with Tech9?

We’d reached out to some of our contacts and asked for recommendations. They were a referral from someone that we knew. We met with a few companies in regards to the web app. They asked all the right questions. We gave each company feedback on what we were looking for and asked them to take the concept further. Tech9 had the best ideas and the most thorough understanding of the scope.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first worked together about four years ago. They completed their most recent project for us last month.

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

The web app makes the process really smooth for our customers. We've seen huge increases in the click-through rate and submission rate. As they created new versions throughout the years, they improved the process every time. Each version resulted in a higher submission rate than the previous application. We tried out other developers on small projects but we keep going back to Tech9 because they do a great job.

How did Tech9 perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was great to work with. If there was a problem, they responded quickly. There’s always a few hiccups on these types of projects but there were no big problems. They’d do an unlimited amount of edits to make sure that we were happy before they signed off. We mostly communicated via text, email, or phone calls with some in-person visits. If we had an idea, they’d help us understand the magnitude of the project and give us a quick and dirty breakdown of potential costs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their honesty, communication, and quality of work made them stand out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This goes for all developers but we would like to know all the hiccups that are going to happen before they happen. That’s being nitpicky because that's probably beyond their control. There’s nothing else I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Working with them is it as good as you make it. The project moves quicker if you give them feedback when they ask for it. If you drag your feet, it stops them from working. Communication is key.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of new projects and research at Lashbrook Designs. We’re a wholesale manufacturer of men's wedding rings. We do mass customization allowing the end user to combine design elements and create their own unique ring.

What make were you trying to address with Tech9?

We needed a solution that could marry our infinite design possibilities with a UI on our basic website. We wanted to give customers the ability to replicate the in-store experience of mixing and matching design elements.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tech9 designed and built a custom ring builder. From our home page, users can build their own design or pick one of our existing designs. It’s a complex challenge to allow users to customize rings or start from scratch without creating an overwhelming experience. We'd worked with several other developers and each experience was a disaster. The complexity was overwhelming. Tech9 took some of the design elements we'd already created and then essentially rewrote everything and built an entire new website from scratch.

In addition to the UI interface, they also dealt with structuring our data. It’s important that users aren’t able to choose two design elements that are incompatible. They limited the options in a matrix in such a way that it's intelligent and dynamic. As users move through the design process, it limits or expands their options and subsequent steps.

They continued to debug, add new features, and update the site. It's fully launched and functional but they continue to push the bounds of what we can do. They employ an API structure and AWS Lambda service. They use Amazon CloudFront to host the image part of the layering on the ring builder.

What is the team composition?

They have a software engineer that does all the architecture and the backend development. Depending on the phase of the project, they sub in and out people from the local office and the offshore office in India.

How did you come to work with Tech9?

We were a bit desperate. We'd already spent a lot of money on previous developers and had almost nothing to show for it. We started reaching out on social media and somebody recommended Tech9. We interviewed a bunch of companies. Part of the reason we chose them was their ability to save us money in devolvement by using their offshore team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

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

We’re making big waves in the industry. The functionality of the website that Tech9 created sets us apart from any competition. We've yet to find a website in any industry that offers as many dynamic options as ours. They created well over 10 billion combinations that are represented with SKUs, descriptions, prices, and images. As we expand the product line to new accounts, the website is essential to the sales process.

How did Tech9 perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is excellent. They always answer our emails, instant messages, and phone calls. That sounds really straightforward but other developers weren't great at being responsive. I often found myself managing other firms’ project managers. I don't have to do that with Tech9.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our project was and continues to be complex from a data perspective. Their team is phenomenal at looking for intelligent ways to structure that data. They’re also quite good at looking for solutions for the website. We don't have the expertise or the technical background to do those tasks in-house, so it’s very helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I'm not quiet when something's not working. They hear from me often and typically resolve things pretty quickly. The only thing I can think of is I’d like more transparency into what they're working on at any given time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Fully understand the complexity of your project before beginning work. That helped us accurately set timelines and expectations. They're great at working with us to keep costs on budget. They’re also flexible in shrinking the team when possible to conserve money.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of outreach at The Younique Foundation. We work with survivors of childhood sexual abuse, providing parents with preventative information and healing resources for survivors.

What challenge were you trying to address with Tech9?

We wanted to redesign and rebuild our existing websites: one for preventative resources, and the other for healing services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted Tech9 to redevelop both of our informational websites. They created application pages and transitioned our donation and shop functions over to a Shopify plugin. The current site they’re working has a login feature that’s location-based.

Our team completed the design and graphics. We brought in content writers and graphic designers, and they augmented the staff. It was a perfect meshing of both companies.

Tech9 is currently working on additional web-based projects for our company.

What is the team composition?

We have a point of contact, Adam (Director of Web Development, Tech9).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tech9 in May 2017, and the work is ongoing.

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

Tech9 hit this one out of the park. I was impressed with the look and feel of the wireframes — the work their team put in reflected in the final product. Tech9 has strongly impacted us because they’re maintained our brand identity throughout the project.

How did Tech9 perform from a project management standpoint?

Tech9’s project management was excellent. We had an internal project manager, but their team helped us focus on what needed to get done. They were communicative and pushed the project professionally.

We had a weekly call with Adam, and a Slack channel to communicate with other team members. A few times a year, I have lunch with their CEO and check on the status.

We opted into a mid-tier dev resource package with their company, which means we don’t receive their full attention. Some elements took a little longer but didn’t slow the project down. It was because of added features and the package we selected, not because of hang-ups on their end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tech9 has realistic communication styles. They explained every impact as far as workflow and timing. Their team did quality work on the websites. Everything looked how we requested and functioned well. They can offer more, but I appreciate Tech9’s ability to work with what we provided and augmented it to make it better.

Are there any areas they could approve?

I wish their team took on even more of a consulting role. Tech9 did at some level, but that service could be amplified. Their team could provide the pros and cons, and other crucial decision-making information.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Involve Tech9 at the beginning when the project’s scope is developed. They can give you valuable feedback and advice on where difficulties could arise.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior VP of operations at Total Care Auto, an automotive warranty provider. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Tech9?

We didn’t have a policy administrative system, so we had to manage all our contracts manually. To improve business efficiency, we needed a software developer who could build a comprehensive digital fulfillment platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an unfortunate experience with the original developers, so we brought Tech9 on board to reverse the mistakes that were made. They rewrote a majority of the code and made the platform more user-friendly for our non-technical team to manage. Their team is currently building individual systems for our internal departments, which will be amassed into a single platform at the end of the engagement. Prominent features include accounting tools, software for streamlined claims processing and underwriting, and secure document management. After building the platform’s functionalities, they plan to replace the data management system through data migration.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager who oversees frontend development, and we have another project manager who supervises backend development. Their team is comprised of two frontend developers and 9 programmers who work on the backend.

How did you come to work with Tech9?

They were highly recommended by one of our employees who had success with them in the past.

What is the status of this engagement?

Tech9 took over development in 2016, and they plan to launch the finalized platform in March 2019.

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

Although only 70% of the platform has been completed, it has already made a significant impact on business development. Now that we’re able to fulfill and deliver contracts to our customers digitally, productivity within the organization has increased by 30%. Meanwhile, our personnel expenses have reduced by 31%. 

How did Tech9 perform from a project management standpoint?

Unlike most of the developers that we’ve worked with in the past, Tech9 has an incredibly organized team that adheres closely to the estimated timeline. During our weekly meetings, we discuss priority management and status updates. We use their ticket management system to submit service requests, and our assigned project managers delegate the tasks to the appropriate team. Impressed by their efficiency, we adopted some of their management procedures internally.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They offer the most cost-effective web solutions on the market, and they deliver amazing results. We had a difficult time communicating with the vendor who previously worked on the project, but Tech9 is excellent at bridging the gap between tech and sales.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a steep learning curve on their end regarding our company, but we didn’t expect them to have specialized knowledge in the automotive industry.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Establishing weekly meetings was the catalyst for our success. Whether we’re discussing high or low priority items, the frequent communication has improved our partnership tremendously.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a not for profit organization. Our mission is to close the gender gap in companies at the board and C-suite level.

What challenge were you trying to address with Tech9?

We hired Tech9 to develop and design our website with customized features. We wanted companies to sign our pledge.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tech9 developed and designed the website on WordPress. We had various parts we wanted on the website. They prepared our landing page with specialized tabs. Their team created our contact form and About Us section.

Tech9 built a sponsorship page that allows companies to sponsor us and a donation page that collects and records donations. Their team created an index that brings in data from thousands of companies and produced a dashboard that companies can use to register for our index. It is quite complex, and they've done a super job so far.

Tech9 developed everything a website could need with a little more functionality than most because our pages are interactive. We knew what we wanted to see and Tech9 provided it. They also perform maintenance and troubleshooting when needed.

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with a web designer, a product manager, and another product manager for the index. Their development team did all the coding and other development aspects.

How did you come to work with Tech9?

I came to know Tech9 through another company we were working with. Their team started working on our website while we were working with the other company. Tech9 was very instrumental, and we continued to work with them when our engagement with the other company ended.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Tech9 from April 2017 to 2018.

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

We’ve used Google Ads to drive people to our website. We’ve had a 2% conversion rate. Companies have visited our website and signed our pledge. Users can come to our site through social media as well. Regarding the index, we’ve had companies register for that. It’s performing well. We haven’t received any negative feedback, and everything is working as it should. That’s a statement in itself.

How did Tech9 perform from a project management standpoint?

Tech9 has an organized team. They use a project management tool, and we use that for covering all our projects. Their team is responsive and gets back to us within an hour. Tech9 is transparent about the whole process. We have a weekly meeting. They are our web and product design team. Tech9’s team is a great partner to work with on projects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness and creativity are the biggest highlights. The creativity around the creation of the index stood out. Tech9 worked well with our consultants and put out a credible product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m on the board of a few tech companies and work with tech companies with advising. I’m very familiar with the field. Nothing stands out.

Any advice for potential customers?

In general, it’s helpful to have a regularly scheduled meeting to monitor and track progress. I would recommend that for anybody working for any vendor. It’s the key to a successful relationship.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of orders and design at Best Vinyl & Deck. We provide decks and also wood, metal, ornamental, or chain-link fencing. I started working here a year ago, and I also handle our marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Tech9?

The president, founder, and operations manager were having trouble finding a good software solution for the fencing industry around five years ago. They decided to use another firm to start developing their own, and although they were given a large lump sum bid, it still wasn’t going where they wanted. The firm had taken a lot longer than expected to fulfill the agreement but still didn’t deliver a working product. Our president moved on only to receive similar results.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tech9 created a new line of business for us because the software is not only used in-house but also by other companies.

They improved the already-existing website by reviewing and finding gaping holes within the estate management code. Things were being handled in multiple places at once, but Tech9 helped find solutions and bring a lot of clarity as to the cause.

Previously, users would have to download the program onto their devices, but it now runs as a website with logins for each user to access anytime they have internet access. The software also simultaneously builds a parts list in the background while it helps users create fencing layouts, elevations, and designs.

Our solution saves times by allowing on-site reps to use tablets to create a layout, then immediately provide an offer to the customer. There are also program management functionalities within the software through which we’re able to comprehensively take care of clients. Their data is saved on our digital system so we can track orders, put them into calendars, schedule tasks, and provide follow-up.

The sales rep can attach notes and photos from the initial walkthrough to the layout or bid so the installation crew can use it on their tablets. This eliminates the possibility of disappearing information between the sales crew and homeowners.

Tech9 has also helped us make our services and goods more API accessible and friendly. We’re also trying to integrate plugins like Quickbooks and other features requested by our clientele.

What is the team dynamic?

We had 1–2 weekly meetings to make sure we were on the same page, and they also had daily standups with their teams. We occasionally contacted each other via phone for extra clarification and prioritization, and we also worked in two-week sprints. This was a refreshing and reliable routine compared to previous companies we’ve worked with.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a little over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2016. The engagement is currently ongoing while we work some things out.

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

The previous company that worked for us failed to take responsibility for coding issues, and oftentimes, their search for a solution would cause more damage. Tech9 was able to come in and fix all the bugs without creating new ones. They were able to more rapidly build new features, and also made a regression analysis to prevent damage to the existing software during implementation.

The software is now more easily adopted by users. Tech9 has been proactively involved, and they always provide feedback without us having to ask. Their ability to make informed decisions ultimately helps us save money by preventing the use of unnecessary resources.

How did Tech9 perform from a project management standpoint?

They were ramping up and learning about the fencing industry as a whole when we first started working together. They’ve doubled their output capacity since that time.

If we have to make a push for a certain deadline, they'll provide more resources at no extra charge or at a subsidized cost. We have more of a partnership than a client-vendor relationship.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Communication is one of their strengths, and it was revitalizing to have a dedicated team backed by QA resources specifically assigned to us. I understand how important this balance is as someone who has worked on other software products.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Prompt user-acceptance feedback is important to us, so I’ve asked Tech9 to build a framework to streamline this process once a new sprint is released. It will allow our team to see what’s new and what needs to be tested, as well as how to give the best feedback in a timely manner.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Tech9 has a team that is more effectively engaged if they are aware of the overall vision and goals. It not only helps with strategizing but also in bringing all the project pieces together to bring the end-goal to fruition. Tech9 is more of a partner and strategic player than a development team.

Please describe your company and your position there.

The project is a CRM and task management system designed for agencies.

For what projects/services did your company hire Tech9?

Development.

What were your goals for this project?

To release a working model as quick as possible.

How did you select this vendor?

Referral from work associates.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

To design a scalable model from the back end to the front end design.

What was the team composition?

We had one senior developer stationed in the United States and two others in India.

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

I have very happy with how quickly and nice the project has turned out so far.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The senior developer did most of the project management.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The cost savings was the most impressive, the quality was second; it was fantastic.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I cannot think of any.