Yalantis

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

We just finished Android at the end of April. In June we did some user testing, and there are some tweaks that we need to make. So, we just started talking to people about the app. We haven’t actually launched into market yet.

How did Yalantis perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been excellent. Their project management and the communications from the project manager were top-notch. We communicated mostly through Slack and video chats as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re professional and willing to learn. They’re willing to acknowledge if they’ve made a mistake and own it. If there’s miscommunication in the process or if delays happen, they manage that well. I couldn’t have asked for a better response or better professionalism.

One thing I want to note is that Yalantis is not just an outsource company that’s writing code for you. They truly take on the role of a partner and understand what your motivations are, what your obstacles are, and what you’re trying to achieve. They take the time to understand that. That’s why we worked so well together. The things that I cared about became the things that the team cared about—things like timelines and shuffling priorities so that we could share progress with advisors and folks that are interested or investing. So they really took that to heart.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had great conversations around understanding the process, but maybe just early on, they might be able to improve on asking more questions. I’d hate to even say that’s something that they should improve on, though. There’s a huge difference between real estate in the United States and real estate all over the world. There was a bit of a learning curve to understand what that process looks like in the U.S.

They did a great job asking the questions. With some of these things, you just had to dive in and really start building the tools to really understand what the nuances are. They did all the right things, which is why we stuck with them and gave them the Android version as well. There wasn’t too much that I would say they need to improve on because the communication, which is key when you’re managing an offshore, was top-notch. There was never a time when I felt like communication wasn’t flowing.

What advice would you have for people who are considering outsourcing?

If you’ve never outsourced, it can be difficult. I recommend that you find somebody that you trust who has experience with doing outsourcing and bring them along with you. Secondly, ask a ton of questions. Yalantis had done some work in the real estate space before, but it was kind of different. Ask smart questions and then, the key indicator is if the folks that you’re interviewing are asking smart questions as well, because the communication is going to be what makes or breaks your project when it comes to offshore.

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

Our products are B2B2C. We launched our first service last week, so we’re still ramping up the numbers. We don’t have many users at this time. We’re quite happy with the response we’ve received internally as well as externally from friendly testers, users, partners, and clients to whom we pitched our services. The feedback, in general, has been quite positive, specifically on the app and its branding.

How did Yalantis perform from a project management standpoint?

One of Yalantis’ greatest strengths is their project management processes. We used Slack to communicate, and we usually had about 4 or 5 active people involved in our projects at Yalantis.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In general, Yalantis’ UI design stands out. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more nimble. 

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Unfortunately, it is too early to share any statistics or metrics. We worked with Yalantis to build the application, and I think that it was done beautifully. We're working with a small group of people, but the application has not gone to market. As far as their performance, it was first rate and a 100 percent fit to what we believe clients look for. People that we have had use the application are definitely pleased with its functionality and the way it looks and what it does. However, there are always things to improve. This is not only my opinion, but the opinion of people we recruited to test out the application.

What distinguishes Yalantis from other providers?

Yalantis worked with our company as partners instead of just simply being an outsourced vendor. There are many companies that are concerned about their billable hours and the segments of project that they complete. These guys are far more involved in the overall. They give the user insight into how things could be done better. I'm pretty sure there are third-party developers out there who would just follow along with the client's initial specifications without any suggestion on how the process could have been better.

Is there anything Yalantis could have improved or done differently?

Some things are an inevitable part of the process. When you're building an application, you run into many unexpected issues in the sense that you build things that end up not being used. This is not because it is not needed, but because the market shows that some features are unnecessary. At the same time, I felt the delays that we experienced or the wrinkles in the process sometimes could have been handled more quickly on their end. That being said, I think many of the delays were caused on my end. Overall, communication with small details could be improved.