Xminds Infotech

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an app-based startup called ESPP Capital/Fund Buddie. We’re a fintech app that facilitates loans for individuals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xminds Infotech?

We engaged Xminds Infotech (Xminds) to help us with the back- and frontend of our iOS application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We've broken the project into several milestones. The first one started in mid-April and was completed at the beginning of May. The second one started a week and a half ago, with a due date of mid-June, and then we’ll go into the third. Each of those milestones includes certain components of back- and frontend development.

First, we had a demo app in an Android environment. Xminds took that particular app and converted it into an iOS environment. Since all of the development was based on the app itself, they took all of the calculations and actually put them in the back-office environment. Basically, Xminds took all the code and put it in a secured environment, like AWS or cloud services.

For milestone one, they worked on different functionalities from the onboarding platform. We had the user coming in, signing up through the onboarding platform, and all the way through to the performance tracking on the backend. Additionally, they worked on different APIs, connecting the app to third-party service providers.

Currently, Xminds is working on the second milestone, adding features — face recognition depending on the user’s mobile device, the referral button through the contact information, enhancing and adding another payment processing API on the backend, and adding 1–2 different graphs into the performance tracking. They’ve done pretty much everything from A to Z.

What is the team composition?

They’ve created a Slack channel with about 10 people. With the exception of the three of us who are part of our startup, everyone else is from Xminds. They’ve put a lot of development resources into our relationship. We have at least 3–4 different developers; some of them are backend, and some of them are frontend developers working on the project.

On top of that, they’ve assigned a project manager to our account. He’s the connecting point between the three of us and the development team. I’ve also talked to the CFO and someone else for billing and business purposes.

How did you come to work with Xminds Infotech?

Just like any other startup, we have an advisory board who we trust, run our ideas by, and ask for feedback. One of the advisors is the VP of another startup in the Bay area, and he had worked with Xminds in previous projects and companies, so he was the one who recommended them.

We gave them and another agency a call, but we decided to go with Xminds because they promised a 2–3 week timeline for milestone one. Going into it, I was very skeptical, but they surprised me and met the deadline.

How much have you invested in them?

So far, it’s been about $15,000. I expect it’ll be another $5,000–$10,000 for milestone three.

What is the status of this engagement?

We initiated discussions with Xminds at the beginning of April 2021, and we’re still working with them. We expect to get into a relationship where they support us on an ongoing basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From my point of view, it has been their timeliness and quality, which kind of build off each other because you have to have both of them to call it a success. There were challenges along the way, but running into challenges is part of any work. Nonetheless, they delivered on the timelines they promised, and the quality of their work was such that I could easily sign off on it.

Given the timelines and so forth, I think their performance was perfect. They delivered milestone one right away, and we ended up delivering it to about 25 beta users, so it was good enough for us to actually release it.

How did Xminds Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

From a performance point of view, our relationship with Xminds has been great. Going into milestone one, I knew well that the timelines we’d provided were extremely tight for the amount of work we were expecting. I was surprised they even agreed to those terms. However, they went far and beyond, brought in a lot of resources, and met the timeline within a couple of hours — it was close, but they delivered.

On the other hand, I’m an accountant by profession, so I couldn’t have hoped for a better partner. We have scheduled calls with them and our own project manager. Also, they took the initiative of creating the Slack channel for all of us to connect, and they provide us with nightly updates. Overall, it has been a great relationship, especially since we’re working remotely and this far apart.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re quite open to changes and flexible in making those changes. They’ve got 1–2 people — at least one in particular that comes to mind — who are incredibly knowledgeable on iOS architecture and development. I found them to be a great technical resource for everything that we do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the first milestone, there was an issue from both sides with being really clear as to what would be delivered, but as time progressed, we got better at it. We also gave them feedback earlier about performing a review of the developer’s work prior to coming to the user or us as the client, and they took it to heart and ran with it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

For the cost and the quality that we get, it’s a no-brainer. I think they're a great firm to work with, especially if something is not time-sensitive or won’t require a lot of review and supervision.

Additionally, they’re very cost-effective, and for the most part, they know what needs to be done. Xminds is also very knowledgeable on the technological side. If the project doesn’t really require a lot of tech review and supervision, get them involved.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager for General Civil Aviation Authority UAE. We conduct aircraft accident investigations that happen in UAE’s jurisdiction.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xminds Infotech?

We needed to have a software built to help automate the investigation processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We presented the requirements to them and educated them on the processes. They developed the software to automate the entire process in one platform.

Some of the automation includes notification of an accident, creating a case file with all the required elements, required scope of investigation based on severity of the accident, elements that should be included in the investigation, and task assignments to team members with due dates and reminders. 

Once team members have their data collected, they submit it and it will be organized chronologically in one place, allowing the manager to see and finalize the report. 

Data is automatically put into Microsoft Word format and there is also a safety recommendation made based on the investigation report submitted.

What is the team composition?

There was a project lead, server support person, and three developers.

How did you come to work with Xminds Infotech? 

We selected three companies out of the registered vendors available. We chose Xminds Infotech because they were the best fit for the best price.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent in the range of $50,000 – $199,999

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2017 – June 2018. They completed the development in March, but due to travel constraints, they didn’t get it to us physically until June.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The software works well. After implementation, they were supportive and flexible, making all the changes to processes that we requested. The program saves manual labor and reduces the time of the investigator. We’re very pleased with their work.

How did Xminds Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered on time. We used Jira and communicated mainly via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical innovation is very good in terms of understanding the process. They made suggestions to improve and shorten the process, eliminating steps. They thought outside the box, and gave us some good ideas which we have adopted.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s a minor thing, but if the team had been more experienced, I wouldn’t have needed to spend so much time and effort. The team was young so they were inexperienced and it required that I take extra time to teach them about the industry. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared with the processes, and present your expectations in proper documentation to avoid delays.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the technology manager of a small start-up called biNu, which has been around for years. We are focused on developing countries.

In developing countries, internet data on mobile devices is very expensive relative to people’s incomes. People don’t use internet services on their mobiles that much because they can’t afford data. 

We have developed a platform that allows publishers and companies to reverse-bill data on their apps and websites so that they can provide data-free services. That way, people are able to use Android apps or visit their website without getting charged for the data they’re using.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xminds Infotech?

We had built the actual platform, but we wanted to develop a proof of concept for a video ad server that would deliver video ads to Android apps data-free. Standard ad server platforms aren’t conducive to delivering apps without charging for data.
We also wanted to develop a UI for our platform that allowed companies to register their apps and websites, allowing them to develop them data-free.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I have a particular work model. So, fundamentally I am utilizing them as an outsource development team. The overall design, specifications, and requirements were developed with us and then sent to them to implement the physical development.

They worked to create a proof of concept for an ad server. Since we had a specific concept in regard to being data free, we needed a server that worked within that environment. 

We also wanted them to develop an SDK that could be plugged into Android apps to allow video ads to be delivered data-free.

Also, we wanted to develop a UI that would allow people to register their applications. It would give them access to tools that would allow them to develop their applications and websites data-free. 

At times, we have asked them to do a proof of concept or MVP. After they develop it, we will go through a testing and review stage where we pass feedback to them. They will then develop any additional features into the software. 

What is the team composition?

It varies over time, dependent upon the amount of work that we have for them. We have had anywhere up to four or five people, but I have one main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Xminds Infotech?

I had a similar role in another startup company, and I worked with them then. 
I found them to be good quality and easy to work with. I knew their capabilities in terms of development, and I knew they had Android and iOS developers, as well as backend server developers. 

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent close to $150,000–$250,000 AUD (approximately $102,958–$171,595 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in June of 2017, and the work is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The software they developed is now a core element of our overall platform. The ad server is being used, and we are making revenue out of it. The UX platform is essential to allowing companies to utilize our product. They have become a central part of our development team and our delivery.

The reliability of their developed solutions is very good. Communication is extremely good. There is ongoing collaboration between us and the team. We don’t feel like we’re throwing stuff into a black hole — we hear back from them.

When we test the software, we’ve seen that it’s good quality. They always delivered on time and within budget, and if they didn’t, it was for good reasons. If they didn’t think they would be able to deliver, they would explain why, and we’d talk through how to go about the next steps.

How did Xminds Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

My main contact is the team leader and project manager. He is the person I would deliver specs and requirements to. From that standpoint, I think they’re good at project management.

They communicate their progress and any roadblocks they have come against, giving details or seeking further clarification. All of that works very well, and they manage me very well. 

We use Jira for development, and that is our main source of communication. We also use email and Skype calls where necessary.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One thing I am always impressed with is that they are always available. They are very quick to respond. If there’s an issue that needs to be resolved quickly, they will be on the case. 

Despite the time differences and all the rest, I find it very easy to get in touch with my main contact, and I consider him a part of the team as opposed to an outsourced outfit.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I am sure there are things, but nothing springs to mind immediately.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Quite early on in the engagement, I went to India and met them. I met the team, the directors of the company, and my main contact. 

Sitting down with them to talk about the business and what we were trying to achieve has made the communication so much easier. 

Once you have a face-to-face with someone, you understand them better and they understand you better. While it is an expense, I find that it definitely paid off in dividends. It was worth taking that trip.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-founder of two digital financial advice businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xminds Infotech?

My business partners and I don’t have any development skills, so we hired Xminds Infotech as an outsourced partner to build our initial platform. After that project, we also relied on them to create the platform for our other business, which is similar to an extent but also unique in its own right.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our platform is web-based and mobile-friendly. It utilizes a PHP backend and a CSS and HTML frontend. They’ve integrated select APIs into the platform as well.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 2–4 people, in addition to a project manager.

How did you come to work with Xminds Infotech?

A past client of theirs referred Xminds Infotech to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $300,000 AUD ($217,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March 2015–January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They built our platform, so we see their impact every day. We interact with the software daily.

How did Xminds Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

We primarily used Skype and emails to communicate, and we always found them very responsive. As the scope of the work changed, their project management remained consistent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There were a lot of moving parts with our platform, but they were able to handle almost all the work we gave them. They brought our project to life. They worked very hard on the project, and they worked well with the technical elements they hadn’t seen before.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If we had used an internal team, it would have been quicker but more expensive. With a remote partner, it can be difficult to find the right partner and receive exactly what you’re after. Some tasks took longer than we would have liked, and we experienced some scaling issues with the backend.

Further, they could have been more transparent in which staff was working with the project. There was some staff turnover that we had no say over, which was frustrating. Overall, they could have been more realistic of how long it would take to build the platforms.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Xminds Infotech would be very good at handling most projects, however, if your business tech is very complex, I would recommend having an internal CTO to manage Xminds Infotech’s team. Our lack of a tech background made it more challenging for us to oversee their work, particularly as the complexity of the project grew. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our business is the Australian Clinical Psychology Association. I recently stepped down as the Inaugural President and am transitioning into another role.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xmind Infotech?

Our business had grown and we felt that we had out grown our former website. We wanted the site to be on a more flexible platform so that we could continue to develop it into the future and add onto it as needed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have a very complicated site, and when we realized we wanted to be able to development it more we learned that a WordPress site would give us the best options. Xminds replicated the original site as a WordPress site and added some new functionalities. They are now getting ready for a second round of development where they will add a variety of new features and plug-ins.

During the initial phase they added an integrated listserv that allows members to add and delete their emails as needed and deletes a member automatically if their membership expires. For the second phase, they are going to integrate MYOB to help us sync orders, and they are going to develop a logging system for continuous professional develop that meets the requirements of the Psychology Board of Australia. We also did a trial run of a system that reinstates members whose membership has lapsed and updates membership categories as needed. That trial went very well, and we are going to fully integrate the feature during phase two of development.

What is the team composition?

We initially hired a go-between person who did not work for Xminds to manage the project for us. I am not sure of the make-up of the Xminds’ team during that time, but he eventually left and I began working directly with a developer and his boss.

How did you come to work with Xminds Infotech?

Our go-between person found them for us.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost $7,000 AUD ($5,189 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in November 2016 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new website has helped our membership services run more smoothly and has greatly reduced administration costs as we no longer need to employ people to do the work manually. Our users have been very happy with the new site, and so far it has proven invaluable to us. The site runs all our orders, manages application renewals and membership reinstatements, and manages changes in membership categories. Simply put, the site makes it possible for us to run our company.

How did Xminds Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

We are very happy with their responsiveness and project management. They are in India, but I always know the times they are available. They are careful and listen to our feedback to make sure the changes we want are made. We communicate over email, but we also use a Google spreadsheet to track ticket items and production.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their generosity, kindness, and responsiveness have been outstanding. While this is in no way their fault, the initial development took a lot longer than we expected because our original independent project manager did not deliver a proper scope. However, they stayed with it until phase one was completed, and they didn’t charge us any more even though it went well over the initial timeframe.

Additionally, I recently deleted a plug-in on accident and reached out to them to fix it. Even though they could have said no because they do not manage the website for us, they immediately fixed it without a second thought. It’s that kindness and generosity of doing minor things here and there to help us move along that has really meant so much to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have suggested to them that they work on making the backend a little bit easier at enabling administration without any coding. This would help administrators without a technical background who need to get in to change things such as wording, emails, etc. They have heard that feedback and been very responsive to it.

BACKGROUND

Can you provide background info on what your company does?

My company is a little software firm and consulting agency for security issues in ICP and we provide custom software to our customers.  We provide mainly integration and consulting. We mainly operate in Italy but lately we have done some foreign projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address?

We wanted to try outsourcing to enhance our capabilities. We thought this would help us grow and win more projects.

SOLUTION

What was your main goal going into the project with Xminds or why did you choose outsourcing?

Everything started a couple of years ago when we were working with an Indian software house. We did the screening and the first steps to look into care and health in India. We selected some companies for the proposal based on capabilities and experience working in the industry. I talked with the company's management. I’ve been there a couple of times and started to work with them on little projects with open-source technology.

We did PHP projects and work with MySQL databases. There were also some other projects that used their knowledge and expertise of Cloud computing. We now have a healthy relationship with them and work on IT development things like design and mobile.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How satisfied are you with the work they’ve provided?

They are doing great work and I have experienced very few problems so far. From the results, I need to improve some fields to interact with different customers and different methods to should be tested. I’m satisfied and I want to keep carrying on this project with them.

When working with Xminds, is there anything that you find to be unique or special compared to other developers?

One thing that caught my attention was their commitment to my needs. They tried hard to finish the work even if they didn't understand the requirements. They have a commitment to their clients and got all of the projects done correctly.

Looking back on the project, is there anything that you would do differently or something that Xminds could improve on?

It’s real technical.  Anybody can improve their skills but I’m not in the position to say what they need to improve. There are issues mainly related to communication.  They always pay attention to what we need, however, and they get the job done even if it takes multiple iterations and explanations.

BACKGROUND

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

• Provide food to the deserving community
• Skill Development programs for youth and women
• Awareness pograms against drugs abuse
• Health Care Programs
• Home for homeless
• Educational Aid programs
• Save the nature, save the earth

SOLUTION

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder and CEO of a music tech company that streamlines the music licensing process.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xminds Infotech, and what were your goals?

We hired Xminds to redesign and develop a custom website that would host our AI/ML applications.

SOLUTION

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

They were excellent in their design and development skills. Also, they were very good at communicating and staying on top of their work.

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

I provided them a full scope of work, with every detail requested. From there we scheduled calls to align ourselves and proceeded to work together on reasonable deadlines.

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

From the head of the web development department, a project manager, the developer, and designer worked with me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website design is excellent and the web site's functionality is great!

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

Daily communication through Skype and email. They are quick to making website adjustments.

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

I appreciate the company's attitude and liveliness!

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

None!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Commercial Director @ Global Staffing Business, HQ in London, UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xminds Infotech, and what were your goals?

We wanted to move away from our templated SaaS Solution websites to a more agile open source platform. We don't have a development team in house so outsourced after rigorous due diligence.

SOLUTION

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

Good testimonials and references, backed up by technical expertise that shone through early on in our discovery phase.

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

Create English and German language WP websites, with a data presentation layer and integrations into CRM and several platforms.

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

A varied team of around 7 people across all tech disciplines.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Successful launch of the new websites, with no technical issues.

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

Comms are regular, updates are daily, and a shared platform carries all status updates. The team is very responsive on Skype and usually replies to messages within an hour or so.

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

I was impressed with their technical expertise and quick response times, a nice team of people to deal with, solid results, no problems.

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

Attention to detail when completing change request lists would have saved me time and repetition.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Hi, I am the project manager of ELSA IT.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xminds Infotech?

Xminds helped as to create a online Scheduler Application.

What were your goals for this project?

We would like to see the profit from the project.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They're a very technically advanced company.

Describe the project in detail.

Online Scheduler Application

What was the team composition?

They helped to development of some modules

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped to development of some modules

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They helped to development of some modules

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They helped to development of some modules

Are there any areas for improvement?

They helped to development of some modules