TechNeed

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior manager of training and community engagement at the American Bible Society, a nonprofit based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Our vision is to have people engage with scripture in many different ways. 

I work on a team called the Trauma Healing Enterprise; our mission is to help people overcome pain, grief, and loss by equipping churches and communities with the resources they need to respond to people's needs. I oversee program development and the technology ecosystem that supports our programs. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechNeed?

We had a technology ecosystem and didn’t know much about it. The ecosystem included a database of records and a web application, and we needed to figure out how these two worked well together. Therefore, we hired TechNeed. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechNeed provides web and mobile app development for us. Initially, we had a discovery phase that lasted 6–9 months, where TechNeed learned about us and us about them. The team took that time to figure out what was in our ecosystem. We had ideas of what we wanted to do, but TechNeed recommended some critical issues they found within the ecosystem first.

Since then, TechNeed has fixed the ecosystem and the relationship between its different aspects. They’ve done automation work within our ecosystem. The team has also developed an Android and iOS mobile app from scratch. Currently, TechNeed helps us with our entire ecosystem. The team uses technologies like Flutter and Firebase. We plan to hire them for other projects in the future. 

What is the team composition?

We regularly interact with Brendan, Craig (Founding Partners), and Roman (Partner). A team of subcontractors also works on the project, including developers, engineers, and designers. 

How did you come to work with TechNeed?

A former colleague found them on Clutch. We chose TechNeed because they were among the best listeners, most caring, and most professional vendors I had ever interacted with. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $875,000 with TechNeed.

What is the status of this engagement?

We hired them in August 2021, started working with them in May 2022, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measure TechNeed’s success by looking at how we used our ecosystem before compared to what we’re accomplishing now. Previously, many of our processes were manual, tedious, and time-consuming. TechNeed has created an automated, user-friendly system for us. 

Additionally, we can receive more reporting from our end users and have higher engagement in our ecosystem thanks to TechNeed’s work. Moreover, we now have a mobile app in the app stores market available globally. The app increases our scale and scalability.

TechNeed has helped us learn what’s at our fingertips and how to utilize it best. They’re now experts in our entire ecosystem; they’ve taken the time to fully understand our needs, respond thoughtfully, and create a strategic plan. Moreover, TechNeed’s team is easy to work with and highly knowledgeable in their field. I hope to continue working with them for as long as I can. 

How did TechNeed perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always on time. As for communication, we use email, meet through Zoom often, and also use Slack. TechNeed is responsive and professional. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

TechNeed is brilliant and has helped solve many of our issues. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve never had any significant issues with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Highly consider TechNeed, take the time to enjoy the discovery process, and get to know them. The team genuinely wants to be invested in what you’re doing and will help you achieve your goals. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the director of marketing at a medical device manufacturer when I worked with TechNeed.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechNeed?

We needed to upgrade our existing website to market our new product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially relayed our brand guidelines to TechNeed’s through a discovery phase, and they worked with us in finalizing the brand elements to incorporate into our new website. Their team also set up meetings with our stakeholders to learn more about our products and the industry that we operated in.

We specifically wanted a landing page that thoroughly explained the ins and outs of our new medical product, so their team came up with tailored solutions to emphasize that. Additionally, TechNeed integrated UX/UI features that streamlined the navigation experience of our users and made the information more accessible to them.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Craig (Founding Partner).

How did you come to work with TechNeed?

One of my colleagues who worked with TechNeed in the past recommended their team to me. They also pitched their services to our team, and we liked what we heard and found their price points reasonable.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from January–June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Unfortunately, I never got to see the website come to fruition as I exited the organization early on — however, I could confirm that TechNeed’s expertise was apparent in their work. Everyone was excited for our go-live date because TechNeed’s initial deliverables were creatively accomplished.

How did TechNeed perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicated via email. I couldn’t say enough great things about TechNeed’s project management skills — their services and communication channels remained accessible, and they kept us in the loop at all times. Any minor delays were relayed transparently to our team, so we never had to chase them for anything.

What did you find most impressive about them?

TechNeed was a talented and respectful partner that established a smooth and harmonious working relationship with our team. They took a great deal of their time and energy to understand what we wanted to accomplish and used their expertise to deliver that. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were a great partner from the beginning.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be transparent in identifying your goals, and they’ll work with you to achieve those.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of MyBundle.TV. We help consumers and streaming services meet. Our main tool is helping people get rid of their cable or satellite and then assisting them in finding personalized streaming services that are right for them. Our second major tool is our streaming marketplace which brings over 130 streaming services to each consumer as well as building tools to help find the ones that are most interesting to them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechNeed?

We had built a prototype of our site done by my co-founder Danny with the help of one outsourced developer. Essentially, we had a lot of big plans related to where we wanted to take this and needed to bring in a professional development team to build it the right way. That’s when we started working with TechNeed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The initial intent was to rebuild our site on a more stable foundation. Danny built the site and it worked; however, we knew it wasn’t going to scale as we built more features. It was sort of a duct tape version of the site. TechNeed rebuilt everything so we can scale both vertically and horizontally. We’ve been happy with that service so we kept going. We’re continuing to add features and utilize them as our full development team. They use React.

They rebuilt the algorithm, which is core to what we are, as well as the streaming marketplace. Their team also built a blog, using WordPress, that’s fully integrated into our site. They’re building show pages that integrate into our main database and data warehouse.

The TechNeed team is also helping us with strategy. They’re consulting us on the process of development and roadmaps. It’s more than just hiring a couple of engineers to execute our vision. They’re almost like a partner in this.

What is the team composition?

Brendan (Founding Partner) manages a team of 4–5 developers.

How did you come to work with TechNeed?

Our accounting and growth consulting firm recommended TechNeed to us. We went with TechNeed because their pricing was right in the middle. It was a nice setup that Brendan would run the project and Danny would work with them. As the technical founder, Danny is almost a part of that team, but he doesn’t have the experience to hire three developers and have them sit there and code. It was a happy medium where they gave a little bit of everything.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re in the $200,000 range right now.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in February 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They work in weekly springs and keep to it. Their team executes what they say they’ll do on a weekly basis. We’re very happy with the website. It works as it should. As we build it, we ask them to come up with something, they do it, and it’s often better than we expect. That’s why we’ve kept going.

How did TechNeed perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through Slack and email. Our teams hold two weekly calls with the management team. The development team has a daily standup that Danny joins in to listen to. They use Trello, and we’re able to see what they’re developing. They’re transparent, and we have a very open-book partnership and two-way communication path.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Brendan has done a great job guiding the process. I can’t really imagine how the engagement could be better, because it’s going so well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. Obviously, like everyone else, I want more done quicker. However, they’re working as hard as they can without breaking things. I view them as a partner.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you don’t want the same collaborative nature as our engagement with them, they could definitely leave out the strategy and the fact that they bring opinions. They’ll meet your needs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a non-profit advocating for a healthy and positive environment for the children in our community to participate in recreational activities. I am the co-president of the foundation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechNeed?

Our organization has a new board and changed our focus from fundraising/field building to advocating for a healthier environment within youth recreation activities. The foundations website was outdated, not visually appealing, nor user friendly or mobile compatible. We needed to create an entirely new site with new capabilities to interact with today's parents so we can share our message.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to create a new website that was immediately functional for our current activities while also having the ability to adjust it's functionality as we expand our services to the community. We needed a site that was visually appealing, easy to use for visitors and mobile friendly. As a non-profit, we had a limited budget. None of our board members are IT specialists so we also needed to create a website that we could easily manage information updating without the need to hire someone.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We heard of TechNeed via contacts in our local community. When we initially reached out them, they were very responsive and incredibly patient as we explained our organization, background, etc. We talked through our evolving ideas of what we wanted to do with a new website. Before we agreed to hire them, they provided detailed insight into what they thought might work/might not work from our ideas. We appreciated their honesty in regards to not just agreeing to do things because we thought it was a good idea. They likely could have made more money by simply agreeing to do everything we wanted. However, they helped walk us through what made sense for the short term and how to design the site so that it could evolve based on our long term goals.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed a completely new site for us. In addition, because of our board's lack of experience in website construction & design, they assisted us with quite a bit of background work we needed to complete. The walked us through how to purchase the new site name, cancel our current vendor while getting needed info from them, plus guiding us on various behind the scenes information we needed to get from prior board members who were involved in the outdated site.

What was the team composition?

Besides working with the project engineer, we had several conversations with the founders of the company. They worked with us like we were part of their team and they were part of our board.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Due to the transition of our board and an upcoming Foundation sponsored event in our community, we were on a very tight timeline. We needed to roll out quickly for the event that we needed to publicize through the site in order to maximize interest and attendance. We received great feedback from our attendees about the new site. As noted earlier, TechNeed guided us through all of the other web logistics, including having the domain transferred and handling DNS setup. All of this was work that we had no idea how to tackle and would have never been able to accomplish it on our own in the timeline we needed.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They arranged a kickoff call and routine followup meetings, all around our schedule. They were flexible with scheduling and responsive before, during, and after meetings. They used good collaborative tools that allowed us to keep all of our thoughts in one place, making sure we were all on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They delivered a great solution on time and on budget. They were consistently personable and responsive. They made us feel like they were part of our organization rather than just a business to business relationship.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It's hard to find areas for improvement. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Local solo practice law firm handling a variety of matters in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechNeed?

Redesign and overhaul of professional website.

What were your goals for this project?

Better visuals and an enhanced user experience. Simplifying and consolidating information. Drawing better visual lines to make a more attractive space for potential clients. Establishing a better platform and call to action.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Networking and local connection.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Total revamp and establishment of new website platform and hosting as well as all content.

What was the team composition?

Worked with Craig and Brendan and web developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Impact is heavy. The website wasn't working as designed (unfortunately by me). Increase in search-ability on Google and other engines was a plus not originally thought of. Increase in ability for potential clients to contact me about matters pending is a real plus also.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Scheduled meetings and lots of input from me was very helpful. Great communication and hit all the time line goals.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by our personal interaction with the owners and their attention to the details of the project. Great time management and a successful build-out.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Would recommend to others for this and other services offered.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the company, professional website used for showcasing my personal story, background and work history related to sport and motivational speaking engagements.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechNeed?

Needed to outsource entire website creative design from storyboard to implementation.

What were your goals for this project?

To give my website a new design and update to a fully responsive and easy to manage platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Referred through my network.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, configured and launched my new website - they walked through design best practices and provided examples demonstrating the meaningful impact of site upgrades. Numerous communications back and forth on a regular basis which was appreciated and ultimately a transition, project hand off that included a drive of all source materials and explanation/walk through of how I should easily be able to maintain myself going forward.

What was the team composition?

Primary communication was with one of the founders and the web developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The sites reception has been extremely positive. It has allowed my positioning in the marketplace a best in class online presence.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Good, constant communications, flexible and organized, that moved to completion within our agreed upon deadlines [even when the majority of the time I was holding things up]!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They delivered what I needed. I'm not a subject matter expert, I wanted to outsource to somebody that was fully capable, and they delivered a product that exceeded my expectations without me having to get too involved and in the weeds.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I would highly recommend.