Tepia

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a Southern California technology startup that has created a mobile and a web-based platform for the staffing industry. We are right now an Uber for staffing services for local companies, but we're planning on going nationwide.

What is your position?

I am the chief executive officer of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tepia?

We needed mobile app development services, specifically Android, as well as website development.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

As a startup, we had some big ideas. We came to Tepia with those big ideas, but we weren't too technologically savvy. We came to them with our ideas and concepts and how we wanted potentially to move forward. They worked with us on the technology side on how to help us build our mobile and web-based strategies. They did a terrific job on that.

How did you come to work with Tepia?

We looked at several different companies. I went through Yelp and some referrals from friends. Tepia had a great Yelp rating, and that was important to us. We interviewed a couple different developers in the area, but Tepia seemed to be the most knowledgeable and seemed to have the best reviews. A couple of people that I knew indirectly had worked with them as well, and their references were great. All of that helped me make the decision to go with Tepia.

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

We've spent about $20,000 to $30,000 working with Tepia, along with a few other minor charges.

What is the status of this engagement?

We initially started working with Tepia in the summer of 2014 and finalized everything in November. We had started talking to developers in the summer, found Tepia, and finalized everything with them around October or November. We're still working with them. We want to do an iOS version, so we'll probably go back to them for our Apple app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The engagement has been great, and all our customers love the app. It has been bug-free, which was the most important thing for me. The design is beautiful and elegant, just like I wanted. Even though we ran into minor problems or changes because we're a startup and things change quickly, Tepia was flexible enough to move with us, which was great. That's probably the most important thing about Tepia, their flexibility, especially for a startup like ours. Things change – customers want new things and want to make changes. Tepia was there through the whole thing, which was important.

What distinguishes Tepia from other providers?

They're local, which is good, and they are very friendly. They have a nice office environment that we visited a few times – very cozy and very nice. That was definitely helpful for us. Tepia is just very knowledgeable and has a very strong technical team. That's obviously extremely important in this field. They got things done quickly and efficiently, and that was definitely important to us.

Is there anything Tepia could have improved or done differently?

I'm happy with everything. All my concerns were dealt with in a timely manner. If we had any issues or delays, they were probably caused on my end. I could probably have prepared my work better. I could probably have done better on our features sets, wireframes and things like that. They were patient with us. I can't really complain about anything. They were very good on everything on their side. If there were any delays, it was more on our end.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Umami Food Service

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Food Service distrubtion company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tepia to accomplish?

• app development

SOLUTION

How did you find Tepia?

Online Search

Why did you select Tepia over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Tepia were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Mobile app and web app development 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

1) our customer mobile app is working properly after Tepia helped us redevelop it

2) Tepia is supporting us with our admin web app

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Tepia does a great job at managing the project scope and timeline. 

What was your primary form of communication with Tepia?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I'm impressed with Tepia staff... They bring a great amount of knowledge and ideas to the table. 

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

Area of improvement - stage and quality control app better before release

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of The Worktool

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The Worktool is a social media platform that connects small business owners with their customers and provides digital tools for our users to manage their business. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tepia to accomplish?

• App Development
• App Design

SOLUTION

How did you find Tepia?

Referral

Why did you select Tepia over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Other

How many teammates from Tepia were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Build and launch a social media platform with built in digital tools including a directory, direct and group messaging, full service CRM, and build foundation to add future tools. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Deliverables as contracted. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management has been exceptional. There were slight delays in timelines but for the size and scope of our project that was expected. I have had very scheduled and timely virtual meetings with my project manager throughout our project. Tepia is accommodating with working with a new to tech founder and their process shows their professional ability. I highly recommend hiring Tepia for any size development project. 

What was your primary form of communication with Tepia?

Virtual Meeting

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

Tepia's team is very professional and cares about achieving the results they are hired to accomplish. 

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CFO of EstateRX

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a document storage company, storing Wills and Trusts for delivery at a time of need.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tepia to accomplish?

• Software Development

SOLUTION

How did you find Tepia?

Referral

Why did you select Tepia over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Tepia were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We asked Tepia Co. to create a browser-based application to store and deliver documents based on specific criteria. They started from scratch, building the program, working through bugs and creating fixes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have gone from an idea to a working program that matches all the desired criteria.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The Tepia team was highly focused and paid close attention to details. Communicating clearly and efficiently during creation, development and delivery. 

What was your primary form of communication with Tepia?

Virtual Meeting

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

Tepia was incredibly detail-oriented and laser-focused on the goal and final product.

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

Nothing

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and CEO of a dating application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tepia?

We needed support to develop our app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tepia supports the development of our mobile application. I worked with two development companies before I engaged with Tepia and had a difficult time. The previous vendors couldn't fulfill our project's requirements or deliver work in a timely manner. Tepia has revamped and fixed all the app's existing code. Initially, I gave Tepia access to the app's entire code, and the team conducted a deep dive diagnostic and identified issues that needed to be fixed for the app to work correctly. 

Our app is available for Android and iOS devices and offers a dating application with a gamification ability. The app also has traditional dating app swiping functionalities and a bank of questions for users to ask questions directly to each other and get the tougher questions out of the way before they go on a date. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with Brianna (Director of Engineering) and Jacob (Project Manager). 

How did you come to work with Tepia?

After my negative experience with previous vendors, I conducted an extensive Google search throughout the US for the proper development partner and had a clear idea of what I wanted from a potential vendor. Tepia was honest and upfront from the beginning, and I appreciated it since the previous vendors were good at selling but not delivering the required work. 

How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent around $20,000–$25,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Tepia started in the first quarter of 2023 and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Tepia has successfully launched our mobile application and delivered good-quality work. We haven't experienced any problems regarding their work quality. 

How did Tepia perform from a project management standpoint?

Tepia has worked very hard fixing the code the previous developers had worked on. Although the team has missed deadlines, I don't consider it a success measure since Tepia has had a heavy workload with many issues to fix. We communicate via email to set up 30–45 minute calls. We also send text messages if something needs to be addressed quickly, although it doesn't happen frequently. 

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I've worked closely with Brianna, and she is absolutely amazing. 

What did you find most impressive about them?
Tepia has become a partner to me. I appreciate that I not only direct and tell them what to do, but Tepia helps me think differently about my product and challenges my thoughts to improve my application. Tepia offers suggestions and is aware of our budget since we're a small company, being direct about the functionalities required for the app. We have a collaborative process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything for Tepia to improve on. Brianna and Jacob have performed an amazing job and understood what I was looking for.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I recommend potential clients have a clear plan of their development requirements and be open to suggestions from an experienced development team. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of Mother's Nutritional Center

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Retail Sales

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tepia to accomplish?

• Develop IOS/Android App

SOLUTION

How did you find Tepia?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Tepia over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Tepia were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Develop Ios and Android apps. Develop back end web portals.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Project completion.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Management team was phenomenal. They always addressed all of my requirements and concerns in a very timely and professional manner.

What was your primary form of communication with Tepia?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Project managment and end product was very on point.

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

none.