Tepia

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of corporate branding and marketing for Omnicia. We are an FDA regulatory submissions and publishing company. We do all the regulatory paperwork for new drugs around getting submissions approved by the FDA and introduced to the market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tepia Co?

I was brought into the company to refresh the website, the designs, and how they were talking about it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did a lot of backend work. We had them build search features and a password protected area. We also had them convert the entire site to HTTPS. They did the front- and the backend for us. It’s all in of a WordPress template that they customized for us.

What is the team composition?

I met with Abe [President, Tepia Co] and told him what we were trying to do. He listened to everything I was saying and we came up with a temporary plan of action. He put me in touch with their project manager, Dustin [Project Manager, Tepia Co]. Dustin was the middleman between me and their team of developers.

How did you come to work with Tepia Co?

A friend of mine, who we hired as our designer, recommended them. He met them at a networking event and chatted with them about what they’re doing and their philosophy around how to do it. I chose them because they had a portfolio that I really liked of modern web design. They were very eager to talk and willing to listen when I had requests.

How much have you invested with them?

$14,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2017 until February 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a hard deadline three months after we started development for a live version of the site because of an industry event we wanted to be ready for. They were really quick and worked really hard to get it ready for this event and di so successfully. It was very impressive.

It’s extremely readable and looks very modern. A lot of people commented that it fits the feel of the company a lot more than our last site. They went out of their way to make sure they were listening to me when I was asking them to represent us, instead of just making a bland website.

How did Tepia Co perform from a project management standpoint?

They built full spreadsheet schedules. They had goal points and deliverables, and a really well thought out schedule. They were extremely responsive to all my questions and any of our concerns, and were communicative and professional. They also had a tiered pricing scheme, which was very flexible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very committed to making sure that we’re happy. If I had concerns or if they weren’t sure they were doing exactly what I wanted, they would stop, check, and listen until I was happy. They always made it work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our organization is a software development company, developing software for college students. I’m the COO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tepia Co?

I don’t have a technical background, but I had to manage this project. We wanted to have a low-cost development team that could explain things in a context understandable to someone who is not a developer. I also needed to be able to manage that development project myself.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It’s a web-based app. We had it mostly on smartphones, but it was also possible to access through desktop on a web browser. Their work was a full stack of both frontend and backend. Tepia Co used a web-based system that worked across platforms, not a native app for iOS or Android. They used a lot of existing plug-ins and frameworks. We used PubNub for the messaging part of our app and used existing pieces from plug-ins rather than mostly raw code. I assume they used a mix of different languages. This way, we could bring the cost down. Their team was made up of one project manager and two engineers, with one being on-site.

How did you come to work with Tepia Co?

One of my friends recommended Tepia Co to us. At the time, we were looking for a local developer, and they were in Orange County, which is where we are too, so that was great. We went to their office and sat down with Abe, the founder of Tepia Co. He gave us a very thorough road map to how this could be done, and he seemed the most competent and professional out of all the options that we had. The fact that he was nearby and he had an office was great. Their website was also very well done. I also feel like they positioned themselves best image-wise. Many engineers don’t care about how their website looks or aren’t trying to advertise as much, but Tepia’s image was very good. That’s why we thought they’d be a good partner for us.

How much have you invested with Tepia Co?

We have invested $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tepia Co in September 2016 and had a few stages during our engagement. By January 2017 we had the app on our phones.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

From our standpoint, the managers of this project delivered very quickly. Once we gave them the design, they gave us a raw app quickly. We ended up doing all the designs ourselves. We built the UIs [user interface] and mock-ups, and then they worked off of that. It was a collaborative effort. That’s how we were able to save costs.

Feedback-wise, their work was solid. We gave Tepia Co a breakdown of edits, and they would return with all the completed edits the next day. That was very good. Once the app was up and running, we got feedback from our customers that the app was slow at first because of bugs, but Tepia Co fixed those very quickly. It’s running great now.

How did Tepia Co perform from a project management standpoint?

Tepia Co was well above par. They did very well. They worked very quickly in their turnaround time. Tepia Co worked overnight because one of their engineers is in a different time zone, so it worked out very well. Their project managers are able to enroll very well, which is good.

What did you find most impressive about Tepia Co?

I found that Tepia Co's ability to explain complex technical issues to non-engineers was notable. They’re very good at that. Their project managers have a good understanding of the technology and can translate that into basic English, which is great. They’re very responsive. Our project manager would respond within two hours all the time, which was great too.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My organization is a social health platform that allows you to read and write reviews on food products. I’m the CEO and founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tepia Co?

We needed the development of the actual application. I contacted Tepia to develop an iOS app for me.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tepia did all the backend and frontend—from mock-ups to actual development. They were actually a second go-round for what had been previously developed. There were flaws in what I had given them, but they worked well to minimize the flaws. Tepia used MySQL, Objective-C, Python, and another language to develop the app. Tepia devoted one person to report to me, but I’m assuming they had a few developers and designers on board.

How did you come to work with Tepia Co?

I have worked with development agencies before, but I found Tepia through AngelList. I looked them up on Yelp as well after I found them. I read a lot of what people had written about them, I went and spoke to them once or twice, and then did a little due diligence speaking to past clients. From there, I decided to move forward with Tepia.

How much have you invested with Tepia?

Our investment was $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Tepia in February 2016 and completed the project in October 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

There is nothing I could share because we decided not to launch what Tepia gave us. It wasn’t Tepia’s fault. My prior developer had developed a poor app. When Tepia came in and tried to repair what had already been damaged, the mistake was in determining it was repairable. I decided against launching it due to the poor user interface, but I’m still looking around to see alternative options for development because I’m trying to minimize costs at this moment.

However, I could give feedback on Dustin, the project manager I worked with directly. He was very proactive and communicative with what they were doing. I appreciated Tepia in giving me a learning experience because, from the way they worked, they taught me the ins and outs of development which I hadn’t known before working with them.

How did Tepia perform from a project management standpoint?

Tepia performed very well in project management. They reported what was going on, and I felt informed throughout the whole process.

What did you find most impressive about Tepia?

Tepia's team is honest. You don’t deal with honesty everywhere you go. They are on point about what needs to get done, which I really appreciated.

Are there any areas Tepia could improve?

I will suggest Tepia not to guide the client as much and open to taking other routes. Had they informed me of alternative routes, I may have made other decisions, but I don’t blame them for that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are the Orange County Wine Society, a 1,000-member nonprofit organization with the stated purpose of the education and promotion of making wine, growing grapes, and wine appreciation—pretty much anything to do with the production to the enjoyment of wine. I’m currently one of nine directors of the organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tepia Co?

The organization started with a very simple website 17 years ago, so you can imagine the state of websites at that point in time. A volunteer created that site 17 years ago and maintained it, but it really started to show its age both from a visual and navigational aspect. It was externally hard to maintain because it required a PHP programmer to make any changes. We posted monthly changes of events every month when a winemaker would come in and talk to the group about their company’s wine. It was always a changing website and our volunteer wanted to retire from it, so we had to find a PHP programmer to replace her. There were other issues because of its age, but the main purpose was the cost of maintaining it. The maintenance updates were extremely expensive and time-consuming.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tepia Co did design work for us. I’ve been doing job enterprise and programming for many years so I’m pretty adept and knowledgeable in at least some of the backend processes of Java Enterprise but I am not experienced in website frontend. I knew what I wanted: a Joomla or WordPress site that wouldn’t require a technical expert to run. When we found Tepia, one of our goals was to create something that wouldn’t require a technical expert to run. We wanted it so that somebody who had a little bit of technical knowledge could come in and maintain the site so we wouldn't have to pay the big bucks. Instead, we could find somebody who was inside the organization to do it on a volunteer basis. When we went to them, we showed them the old site and its problems and we told them to take it away. The website was ultimately developed on WordPress.         

How did you come to work with Tepia Co?

Since we’re California-based, we only deal in California wines. That’s our platform. Therefore, I wanted somebody who was located in California, preferably Southern California. I did an online search and came up with 10-12 possible firms, but I ran into some problems with many of the website development companies because they were more into search engine optimization and analytics. Even though there were loads of companies down here in the Orange County area, I found that they were very few people percentage-wise that were going to do just a website. We also required some customization which filtered out a lot of other companies; there were a lot of pop-up WordPress developers but very few of them knew how to make modifications that we might have needed. We whittled it down to five groups that met all of our requirements.

When we got into the details—I wrote up a 20-page specification of what I wanted and what it had to do—two out of the five dropped out immediately, saying it was too big for them. With the other three, it basically came down to cost, can you work with them, and are they knowledgeable people. Not only was Tepia local, but our feeling with them was that they were the only group able to regurgitate what I wanted. I felt that they understood exactly what I was looking for, and it wasn’t just them nodding their heads saying “Yes, we can do this.” They were able to restate the goals in their own terms, which made me feel a lot better about them knowing what we wanted.

How much have you invested with Tepia Co?

The contract was issued for $10,000, and that’s what it came in at. We also spent $200-$300 more on WordPress plug-ins because there was a need to buy them as we were going through the project. It was my own conscious choice that we would buy those plug-ins because I wanted them licensed in our organization’s name and not under Tepia’s name. We also spent a little bit more over the past year because we wanted a different way of getting the data out of custom reports in our accounting system. We’re also using a plug-in from WooCommerce for memberships and needed two to three different reports pulled out of there for mailing addresses for the renewal of memberships. We went back over the last year asking for updates and changes where some were either given to us gratis or were paid for. This would all be an extra $3,000 on top of the initial $10,000 that we knew we were going to incur as we used the system and realized the additional things we needed. It wasn’t a cost overrun. It was just additional money that we spent to get to where we wanted it.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2015, and it finished in April 2016. We were so happy with what they did to our website that we actually did three other smaller sites with them in the last year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

One of the things is acceptance of the website. We’re a group of people from 40 to 70 years old, and some of these people don’t like change at all, especially when you’ve been dealing with the same website for 17 years and you’ve got something new and modern all of a sudden. We had very little blowback on the site, less than I ever expected. I expected people to say, “It’s not like the old one. Why did you do that?” Out of the 1,000 members, I only had one or two people who asked me why we changed it.

Another thing I have noticed now that everybody has had a year with the new website is that now everyone is into it and understands it. Now that everybody has gotten used to the normal way that a website should work, we’re finding that we’re selling out every event, where before we would have one out of five sell out. That is a good indicator that the process of buying tickets to our events is much easier and less stressful. The old way was really archaic because you had to do two things: buy it on the old site and then call into the office to pay for it. However, it was really chaotic before because we didn’t have tickets. It was manually entered into a spreadsheet. There were instances where someone would show up and not be on the list or would be on the list and never paid. The new site eliminated all that confusion. All the accounting now balances out. We were only PayPal oriented before; we now do PayPal and credit cards.

How did Tepia Co perform from a project management standpoint?

Their #1 strength was the project management because it worked so smoothly and they understood exactly what it was. I dealt with both Dave and Jared from Tepia. Jared was the assigned project manager, and he’s the one that sold us during the presale cycle. Jared and I went back and forth for him to understand what we wanted and needed to run the implementation. I mandated that we had a weekly meeting every Friday. The fact that Jared and I met every week helped us to not get sidetracked if anything came up. We kept the project on schedule. Jared was the middleman to the developers. I could have talked to the developers, but I didn’t really want to.

What did you most impressive about Tepia Co?

What impressed me is what they’ve done from a support standpoint. Being in the programming business myself, there’s some point of time where you’ve got to start charging for support or when clients start taking up too much of your time. I’m a technical person so I don’t abuse that kind of stuff. But anytime I called them about questions of why does this plug-in work this way or is there any way of getting around this kind of procedure, I never had any blowback on that. They always answered my questions within a day.

Are there any areas Tepia Co could improve?

I can’t think of anything right now. If I did, it would be minor nitpicky stuff. I’ve been really happy with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a manufacturer of networking products. We make wireless access points and network switches. My role is as design and documentation manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tepia Co.?

I was tasked to build us a new website. We needed to come to an agreement with a developer to create a new WordPress theme that really accomplished everything we were trying to get done as far as being mobile responsive within our budget.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

What we were looking for was a little bit unusual. We wanted full creative control over not only designing the website but also building it out and populating it with content and graphics. We only wanted Tepia to build a functional WordPress theme from our PSDs [Photoshop documents]. We mocked up thirteen different types of pages. They then took that and basically built it into a theme. We worked to develop the smallest mobile view all the way up to a full desktop view. We designed both of those in PSDs and they built everything in between with different breakpoints.

How did you come to work with Tepia Co.?

We talked to six different local companies. Not only was Tepia’s proposal on price very good but we were the most impressed with them by just meeting in person. Three of us met with Tepia and we walked away feeling pretty strong.

How much have you invested with Tepia Co.?

It was $4,000, which was significantly less than others we talked to. The highest of the bids we received for doing the same amount of work was close to $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began talking to them in August 2016 and started with the work on the template in October 2016. Our website went live at the end of December 2016. Until the day we went live, they were still making changes and helping us out.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’ve gotten lots of positive feedback on the site. Our old site wasn’t responsive, so we would often hear negative comments about the mobile experience. Technically, I think they went well beyond the original scope because what we were asking for was pretty complex. They never said that they had reached the point where they had gone beyond our scope or that they needed more money. They were really good at back and forth communication, and they stuck with it until it was all done.

How did Tepia Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

If I look at the project as a whole, I think the project management was strong. We did hit a minor snag in the beginning where they didn’t hit a milestone date, but they really did a great job of catching back up. When I made it clear that we had to hit certain dates, they really did a good job in making sure that they could make up that time in other areas.

What did you find most impressive about Tepia Co.?

It’s hard because I don’t have a comparison. We used to be on a different platform of Joomla. We’ve had the learning curve of trying to learn WordPress quickly. To me, they really seem to know WordPress. I was definitely impressed by their strength in building the template.

Are there any areas Tepia Co. could improve?

Nothing’s jumping out at me.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

My company is an online cigar retail company. We sell cigars as well as other tobacco products and accessories.

What is your position?

I am the president and chief executive officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tepia Co?

We wanted to revamp the website that we had used since our initial launch. The aim was to make it mobile-friendly, have blogging functionalities, and able to update regularly or instantly. Our old site was not very user-friendly nor mobile-friendly, and we were often confronted with problems. We needed a responsive and communicative developer to fix it.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Tepia provided a modern, new-age website with all the features we wanted and none of the limitations of our previous page. We haven't built a mobile app, but we did want to focus on the traffic coming from mobile devices.

I wanted to be able to apply coupons on the site and have interactive pop-ups. I also wanted to be able to create brands, categories, and lines of products on the fly – to have a better organization in general. In the cigar industry, taxes are an important issue. We needed to display tobacco taxes properly as well as to calculate shipping costs correctly. Making activity reports was another important concern. I was assigned a project manager who was fantastic. I work with that person to this day.

How did you come to work with Tepia Co?

I spoke to a few different people. A friend referred to me to Tepia, and we hit it off. We met in person, listed out all our requirements, received quotes, and moved forward from there.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We received a good deal with Tepia, mainly because we committed to using them for other projects. The redesign cost was around $8,000 to $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2015. They estimated that the site would be finished by the end of January. We actually hoped to launch it at the end of December, but since there were many complex issues tied to the tobacco industry, we took our time in order to get things right. We ended up finishing on target. The total development time was around three months. We're continuing to make changes to the site and have other upcoming projects for which we'll use Tepia.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

If there's ever a problem with the site, Tepia will address it within the hour. On top of designing and delivering the product, they provide a warranty period for their work. Anything that they worked on and hasn't been tampered with will be solved without question.

Because the new site was tied to analytics, we are able to make accurate traffic measurements. However, the site has only been live for over a month, so we don't yet have accurate numbers. It's important that we can track everything, and every element has worked perfectly so far. E-commerce tracking is something we weren't able to do before, but now we can track everything from cart abandonment to customer reviews.

What distinguishes Tepia Co from other providers?

They're attentive and on top of their stuff. Expertise is the defining label for Tepia. If they don't have an answer for us right away, they will work to obtain one. Response time, diligence, organization – everything has been fantastic.

Is there anything Tepia Co could have improved or done differently?

Not really.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

VS Athletics is a rating and reviews site for coaches, trainers, tools, and camps.

What is your position?

I am the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tepia?

Ratings and reviews are mostly done online, so we needed a better solution than a cookie-cutter website. We needed some finesse and custom coding, which Tepia was very willing to do for us.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We needed to have a good search engine, and provide ease-of-use for the people using our site. It wasn't a typical blog that we could have built ourselves. It required complex coding on Tepia's part.

How did you come to work with Tepia?

We went through a couple of different companies in our search. We interviewed them in order to get a feel for the people we'd be working with. There are many options for programming, including overseas companies. We wanted a domestic collaboration in order to get in touch easier, and to have oversight for the work that would constitute an integral part of our business. We interviewed a couple of companies, out of which Tepia gave us the warmest experience. They were very gracious, accommodating, and explained everything to perfection.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

As a startup, we didn't have the budget to engage in a project for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Tepia gave us a number of options. We started out with a mid-range solution, starting from $10,000. It enabled us to test our idea.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started at the end of August, 2015. It finalized last week.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Tepia has performed above and beyond. They did everything that we needed and more, adding things to the site which we wouldn't have thought of. They took the time to make sure that everything was working. There were times in which they could have released a feature two months early, but they also polished every aspect of the site, from server to email hosting. They were quick, professional, available, and stuck to the timelines. We communicated feedback among our teams constantly, and Tepia catered to our desires.

We're planning a soft-launch at the beginning of April 2016. There is a lot of data to be entered into it. In terms of how it's behaving during our internal tests, we've liked everything so far.

What distinguishes Tepia from other providers?

They did things which they didn't need to do. We could have set up the server and admin tools ourselves, but Tepia took care of this because they wanted to make our experience easy for us. They went above and beyond, getting to know our team and becoming friends in the process.

Is there anything Tepia could have improved or done differently?

I can’t think of anything. Everything was exactly what we signed on for.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

NewportMed is a specialty-specific revenue cycle management company that offers our clients a unique, blended approach to running the business of their practice. Instead of focusing on one aspect of the practice, NewportMed brings expertise on multiple levels to ensure financial stability and promote practice growth. Utilizing technology as a key resource enables us to capture our client's revenue while minimizing their staffing overhead and costs.

What is your role or position at the company?

I am the chief information officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tepia Co?

We had an analog marketing tool that needed to catch up with the digital age. Already recognized as a leader in the integration of the ICD-10 medical billing code system, we were seeking to improve our reputation by providing current and prospective clients with a new tool in the form of a mobile app that would help, educate, and impress them.

What were your company's specific goals for the project?

The purpose of the app that Tepia built for us was to solidify our position as an authority on the integration of the ICD-10 medical billing code system. To do so, Tepia conceived, designed, and built a creative digital solution to replace a paper marketing tool. This digital solution was a significant step up from our old paper solution and much easier to use.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Our project with Tepia was to create an app that matched the premade "Top Orthopedic ICD-10 Codes" booklet created by NewportMed's specialty healthcare management. The basis of the app was to search for different ailments or procedures and display their corresponding insurance codes. By drilling down the hierarchy, a user could confirm a code and what it stands for. The app had to function on both Android and iOS devices with a central database, managed via an administrative portal. 

Specifically, we wanted the app to have the ability to:

• Add new top-level code categories
• Add/edit/delete codes
• Organize codes
• Search by code
• Search by keyword (such as ailments or procedures)
• Add multiple administrative users
• Set status of welcome message
• Edit in-app welcome message
• Add codes for other specialties (non-orthopedic)

How did you come to work with Tepia Co?

During our initial discussions, we were impressed with Tepia's genuine passion for their craft. We recognized that they had the skill, ability, and drive that would guarantee a successful partnership.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It cost more than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tepia in November 2014, and the app was finished in May 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The ICD-10 app that Tepia built surpassed expectations. The app was unveiled at a large conference and received great reviews. Not only did TopOrthoApps.com write a great review about it, they also went so far as to negotiate for their name and branding to be included on the next version. The reception of the app was so great that we returned to Tepia for repeat business to build versions 1.1, 1.2, and the current 1.3 version. The app provided additional proof of NewportMed's authority on ICD-10. 

How did Tepia Co perform overall?

Excellent. I am very pleased with their performance.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve or things you might do differently?

Not really. Tepia's app addressed all our needs and was very well received. Their project manager actually told me later that he wished he pushed harder for the inclusion of higher quality graphics. No one complained about the graphics quality, but I appreciated that he still saw room for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our company wanted to develop an application for credit card security.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tepia Co?

I needed Tepia Co to develop a mobile app prototype, which included both hardware and software. They needed to integrate the two and, thankfully, they had a team that had the ability to do that. What I was developing was essentially a credit authentication application, which involved using hardware to recognize card information and sync that with the app side. They developed a holistic solution to accomplish all of this, and I was happy with the result.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They worked on mobile application development, predominantly for iOS. They built the application exclusively for me. There was no need to go out to the marketplace to launch the product.

They managed to come up with a wireframe and solution quickly. We would iron out all of the details and refine the process. We would identify what was realistic and what could be achieved. They also performed stress testing. It was important for me to work closely with the team, to identify what was working and what wasn't working and have them fix any problems accordingly. I thought the face-to-face interaction and close rapport was important. I was able to work closely with the team and get the product that I wanted.

In my case, I had already envisioned the app and how I wanted it to work. I knew exactly what I wanted, so I didn't need them to give me any help with that. I just wanted to know how long the project would take. They would let me know what hurdles they came across, and then I would give them whatever feedback or suggestions I could. They would build the product and ask me to check it out. They would send me the app, I'd play around with it, stress test it, and let them know what I thought.

How did you come to work with Tepia Co?

I used Google to look for a developer that was close to where I live. I did find a few other developers online, but they were all remote. The big plus for me was that Tepia Co was close to where I live, so I had the chance to go visit them and discuss the problem and the solution I needed. I think the face-to-face interaction was important.

If I had used one of the remote sources, I would have needed to sign up on their website, then tell them what I wanted, and they would try to communicate through email and phone calls. I didn't think this would be the best way to go because there will always be issues, they would always need feedback and we would always need to go back and forth. The biggest plus with Tepia Co is that they are close to where I live, so I could pop into the office to see what's going on and discuss any issues that needed to be resolved. Thankfully, they were very responsive.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

A ballpark figure for my project would be something less than $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in the beginning of May and is now complete.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics, or other feedback from this engagement?

I thought the quality of the work Tepia Co did was very good. It was about a 90 percent match to what we had discussed, so they delivered 90 percent of what was expected. The other 10 percent was mainly me being picky and because of my personal preferences. That 10 percent was not very material – it was more about aesthetics or process, but it wasn't a big deal. Ninety percent of the result was exactly as I envisioned it. I was very pleased with the result.

The time needed to fine tune the product did go slightly beyond what was expected, but I kind of knew that would happen, given the complexity of the project.

What distinguishes Tepia Co from other providers?

They're very responsive, and they worked on what needed to be done when it counted. They were very responsive to my feedback and to taking calls at odd hours. I was very pleased with that. I liked Tepia Co's responsiveness. It was almost like I was part of their team, and that I could give constructive feedback whenever it was needed. They would work on a part of the project, let me test it, then respond to my feedback.

They were building the product from scratch and keeping me posted on how they were doing and what issues were coming up. They were very amendable to work with. I really enjoyed the experience—I thought it was good. I actually became friends with the owner, so we had a good working relationship. If I needed something to get done, he would work on it to make sure it happened.

Is there anything Tepia Co could have improved or done differently?

Keeping on schedule could have been a bit better, but I expected that issues would crop up. They could do more due diligence on their abilities, because a lot of times they told me they could do something but then needed time to actually figure out how to do it. That meant that things sometimes took longer than anticipated, that issues would come up that they had trouble resolving or that needed more time or resources.

I would say they could do a little more homework on what would be possible in completing the requirements of a project before committing to the client, but for me it wasn't a big issue.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Vokl TV is a social media network specifically for television fans. We're located in Los Angeles. I think this will be our third television season at this point.

Vokl TV has evolved since we've started working with Tepia during the last three years. Originally, it allowed audiences to register their emotions while they're watching a live television event, with either a positive or negative response. As the audience does this, we are able to tally those stats in real time and display them back to the user through an app.

For example, we're coming up to an election year. If you're watching a debate, you can sit there with Vokl TV as you're watching the debate and as the candidates are talking about topics, you can register what you like and don't like versus trying to think of something to say on social media, like Facebook or Twitter. We found that if you're posting to Facebook, there are certain topics that you kind of stay away from – politics especially. On Twitter, if you're not a big celebrity or influencer, you're not really going to get a lot of engagement. You can post your opinion, but it's very rare you're going to get any type of feedback.

What is your position?

I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tepia Co?

We needed to make our concept Vokl TV into a mobile application.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Working with Tepia, we realized that our platform could become very powerful, especially during elections or for very simple reality-type shows. When you feel some type of emotion, you can register it and compare how the entire audience is feeling versus your response. During the last three years and with Tepia's help, we have evolved. We still do the trends, but we also became a social media aggregator for your favorite shows as well. You don't have to go to Twitter, Facebook, a YouTube channel, or Instagram. We're bringing it all to you so you can have one aggregator to keep up with your shows or favorite celebrities.

Our contract with Tepia says mobile app development, but they have brought in additional value as well. They've been involved in business development and technology innovation, but that's the kind of thing that is not going to show up in a contract. This is how the relationship has evolved during the last two or three years.

How did you come to work with Tepia Co?

The first firm we worked with did not meet our needs fully, so we started looking for another company.

This time I went through the entire process, and I must have interviewed about 10 teams. I covered just about everybody, from a guy on Craigslist who wanted to charge almost nothing while making huge promises, all the way up to Northern California startup-type teams who worked only on big apps. I finally found Tepia through a Craigslist ad. They were just starting out, and I met the owner [Abraham Agopian] at a Starbucks.

Right off the bat, he impressed me. He was low key and inviting – a cool guy. He is very technically savvy, but he speaks like a normal person, like someone who is not in technology. He makes technology very easy to understand. He's an entrepreneur himself, so he kind of understood where we were coming from and where we wanted to go because he's been there as well.

We noticed his pricing was on the lower side, and usually that's a red flag in technology. You don't want to pay too much and you don't want to pay too little. There's some kind of sweet spot in the middle. He was kind of low to middle. I asked him about that, and it was his answer that convinced me that this is our man. He gave me a shocking answer when he said, "I'm just starting out. This would be great for our company's resume. There's only one direction for my company to go, and it's up." My guess would be that a year from now, he might not even take my project.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We've spent just less than $50,000 working with Tepia.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think the relationship started in January 2013, and I'm still currently working with them. At this point, we've had five iterations since the first version of the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or other feedback from this engagement?

Tepia didn't just develop the app and move on to the next one. As I said, when we engaged with them all the paperwork was specifically just to develop the app. The added-value services that we got, from marketing and defining the mission of the company, these are among the additional things that Tepia helped us with, even though they were well outside the scope of the original contract.

I remember our first launch. Tepia's marketing and public relations had created a buzz even before we launched. We were being talked about, and people really anticipated our launch. When we launched, it was like all hell broke loose – we didn't expect that many sign-ons. In the first hour, almost 2,000 people signed on. I literally just tweeted, "Hey, it's available!" and then all hell started breaking loose. Tepia helped us with everything. I can't even describe how much they helped us with trying to define what we are, from a technology point of view, to marketing, to business development. It's been really great.

What distinguishes Tepia Co from other providers?

There's a lot of outsourcing that's going on in most companies, and that's both good and bad. Outsourcing is good because it might keep your costs down, but from an innovation point of view it's bad. Sometimes when you outsource something – either abroad or in the United States – if you come with a wireframe, you're going to tell your provider exactly what you want in your website or app. Then, they will develop exactly what you want and would meet all the requirements. But, they are not likely to push the envelope to try something new and creative. Outsourcing is both a good and a bad thing.

For example, if you are asking for a function that actually has no value or no impact on the customer, maybe even a detrimental impact, some teams won't tell you. What I liked about the team at Tepia Co was they looked at the project as it was progressing and would point out possible problems and suggest different approaches. I really appreciated that. I don't think most people would do that. They are going to do exactly what you want, especially if you are working with outsourced teams. That really is the differentiator, because Tepia doesn't come across as a vendor that does your project and then moves on. I really felt like we were partners. If I could afford an in-house team, it would probably be exactly like them.

Is there anything Tepia Co could have improved or done differently?

I don't think so. I can't think of anything.