Zensoft.io

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the founder and CEO of a social marketing platform, which provided marketing software solutions for small businesses. We shut down at the start of 2019, but we managed a web app, website builder, a mobile iOS app, a small CRM, newsletter, and social media publishing. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Zensoft.io?

We were looking for software development services. At first, we thought outsourcing was the right move because it would likely cut costs. Although, after working with Zensoft.io and seeing the quality of their work, we kept them on. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

In sum, their work consisted of developing a website builder, web app, CRM, newsletters, and payment system.

We definitely prioritized front- and backend development in our partnership with them. Additionally, they handled our DevOps. Most of the code was written in Java and JavaScript. At one point, we were moving away from GWT, and they helped accommodate that shift. For our iOS app, they allocated Apple developers to the project, skilled in Objective-C.

Our teams made several architectural decisions together, including deciding on optimal tech stacks for our customers. They also put together all the needed documentation and dedicated QA professionals to our projects.  

What is the team composition?

Depending on our resource needs, the team size fluctuated. There were probably about 7–8 teammates working on the projects at any given time. We worked with a project manager, developers, the product team, designers, and QA personnel.

How did you come to work with Zensoft.io?

I became familiar with the company through a referral. 

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we invested between $950,000–$1,000,000 in their services. During the engagement, we were spending about $30,000–$40,000 each month.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership lasted from May 2016–November 2018.

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

After six months, we were consistently growing 30% in our number of users. That was a huge deal for us. The payment system they created was also able to process high volumes of traffic right off the bat. That was very important because we couldn’t afford to have bugs in the payment system. They knew this and set up a rigorous QA pipeline to ensure everything functioned well.   

How did Zensoft.io perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management skills were one of my favorite things about working with them. When entering an outsourced working relationship, it’s easy to be paranoid about your partner not caring as much about our work as we did. But, the Zensoft.io team delivered really high-quality work. All tasks were accurately tracked. We used Slack, Jira, and email to communicate between teams. Their ability to manage the project effectively was a strong suit.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team’s work quality, technical expertise, and culture impressed us. They really became part of our team. Our companies were culturally similar, which helped us easily understand each other. Zensoft.io would work nights and weekends just to make sure we were up to speed.

Additionally, they had several talented developers that were willing to stick with us after we switched stacks from GWT to iOS. Doing so required completely different development skills, so it was great that they could offer us that range of technical abilities. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We were an early partner for them, so they were still figuring things out at that point. There may have been small communication issues in the beginning, but they have everything down pretty well now.

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company makes it easy for anyone to build their own website. We focus on simple features and easy to use interface.

For what projects/services did your company hire Zensoft.io?

They helped me plan out what software I wanted to use and what would be the best for the amount of money I wanted to spend. The whole interaction was extremely professional and easy for me.

What were your goals for this project?

It was a new project, so we wanted to get the product built correctly. Good coding design, proper linters, and basic test coverage.

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended to us from someone who knew they were the best in the business.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We were able to walk through our ideas and see a quick wireframe and details that clarified what we wanted. Then they came back to us with beautiful designs and shortly thereafter they started building it.

What was the team composition?

There was a manager, lead software engineer, designer and another developer we had dedicated to us. It felt like we had our own dev team.

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

We now have a great working product that we can now maintain easily. Most startups have a horrible codebase, so we are already attracting great talent to help us keep growing this product.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

There were daily check-ins and constant feedback. We had a schedule that we were able to sync with the team. It helped set expectations and keep things moving fast.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They can produce anything you want. Zensoft.io were all very professional and helpful.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I'd recommend they advertise more. Word of mouth is great but I really think they should be a more common name.

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m one of the co-founders and also the CEO of Asprodental. It’s a SaaS practice management platform for dental offices.

What challenge were you trying to address with Zensoft.io? 

I was working in the dental industry with my co-founder for years. We were researching new software to upgrade our office system. We did a year of demos of what was already out there, which were quite subpar and antiquated. Programs were cluttered, sterile, and difficult to learn. We needed something that was streamlined and behaved like a modern product. We jokingly said that we wanted to build our own software. Then we started to take it more seriously but realized that neither of us had the technical expertise.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Zensoft.io has been helping us with every phase throughout the project. The first phase was very design-heavy. We worked with a team of their designers to draw out the wireframes and the colored screens that I’d sketched out on paper. Then we discussed the actual workflow of the web application and they moved on to the actual coding and testing. They used Kotlin on the backend; Spring and PostgreSQL for the framework and database; and TypeScript and React.js on the frontend.

The web app manages a patient through their visit to the dental office. It handles scheduling, electronic health records, clinical notes, X-rays, insurance, and billing. The American Dental Association releases new procedure codes every year. Those are automatically updated in the web app. We also have X-ray integration to be compatible with most X-ray centers. Claims to dental clearinghouses and consent forms are sent electronically. All of those features historically required separate third-party software. Zensoft.io combined it into one service. The web app can also send patient reminder messages. 

What is the team composition? 

The team fluctuates depending on the project phase. We worked with a number of designers at the beginning. Then we worked with two QA experts, several front- and backend developers, and a project manager. Initially, our main point of contact was our project manager in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. As we started growing and bringing on more clients, we have a point of contact in Irvine, California. 

How did you come to work with Zensoft.io?

One of my colleagues is a well-established and well-respected name in the technology world. He’d met the CEO of Zensoft.io thought they would be a really good fit for us. We’d talked to a few other friends about outsourced development. Most firms seemed to want to just crank out the work in an impersonal fashion. Because we were so new to this space, we wanted a firm that could actually be more of a partner. Zensoft.io fit the bill.

How much have you invested with them? 

We’ve invested around $300,000 between us co-founders, an angel investor, and other colleagues.

What is the status of this engagement? 

Work started in November 2017, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

We incorporated the company in January got our first official paying client in February. The web app is live and supporting dental offices with running their business. We’ve gotten feedback from clients that it’s much more user-friendly than anything they've used in the past. Our first client was the largest free clinic in California. They do a lot of events where doctors show up in the morning and have to learn the system and then run a full day of patients. They’re able to learn our program in five minutes.

The web app is working seamlessly. It eliminates the need for offices to print out X-rays or take a physical file to a second location, which is a huge waste of time. Since our platform is cloud-based, they're now able to log in to the site and access all information from any location. All records are in a shared database for that specific office. It also greatly reduces work for the receptionist who previously had to call each patient to remind them they’re due for a cleaning. 

How did Zensoft.io perform from a project management standpoint? 

Their communication is good, and they all speak English quite well. We use Jira and Slack for anything that the full team needs eyes on. The project manager and I use WhatsApp for any immediate questions during the day. I use regular texting with their people in California. We have official check-in calls twice a week. They’re very responsive, to the point where I actually have to tell them not to answer until their workday. Sometimes I have a quick question and they'll answer me at 2 o'clock in the morning their time.

Zensoft.io’s on-time performance is hugely important for us. We'll have clients make requests that are mission-critical. It’s important that we’re able to trust their team when they say they'll be done in one week. They're the ones doing the work, but we're accountable for it to our clients. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Zensoft.io is so responsive and personable. They do great work, but the true value is when they share their great ideas with us. They've seen a lot of different approaches and have established best practices that work really well. They could just develop exactly what I describe, but the ideas they bring to the table have become big hits with our users. 

It’s really impressive because we weren't expecting them to be so hands-on. We’d heard that outsourced development is more about cranking out a product. We talk to the Zensoft.io team every day. Even now that the main design phase is over, our favorite designers are still available if we need any new screens. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

In the beginning, we were trying to do a mobile app alongside the web app. It took longer than it should have to realize that it was more effort than it's worth to do the two in parallel. Also, the first month after launching was a bit rocky. I think that's pretty normal, and Zensoft.io address any issues right away. Overall, it's been pretty good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

They have many more resources and a variety of human capital available than we realized. Zensoft.io can play a part in marketing and SEO for your website, for example. You should request a list of everything they offer, which will help you determine what makes sense for your company.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of SHOCK Training LLC, a mobile app for iOS specializing in Women's Health and Fitness. SHOCK gives women a new way to get fit, tone up, and build muscle. Enjoy workouts at home or in the gym to help you feel strong and confident. Push it to the limit, crush your fitness goals, and feel unstoppable!

For what projects/services did your company hire Zensoft.io?

The development of an iOS mobile application integrated with Apple Watch.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create a fitness application with a huge database of strength and cardio workouts for women with different goals and levels of training. The application should show users short video exercises as well as guide them. It should also track their progress and allow taking photos and sharing them on social media. We wanted it to be compatible with Apple watch to make it possible for users to work out hands-free.

How did you select this vendor?

I looked for App developers for over a year. We actually started working with a local developer, who we quickly realized could not manage a project of this size. I talked to a friend who recently started a large Banking Software Company. He told me he know the owner of Zensoft, and gave them much praise for their skilled app development. Based on his experience with the industry, we decided to give Zensoft a try. And, we are very glad we did! We have been with them ever since.

Describe the project in detail.

The development team did a great job of creating the project from scratch. The following main functionalities were implemented: heart rate, steps, and distance tracking, video player, music player. Also, alpha and beta testing were conducted during the project. Daily project progress reports and weekly check-in meetings made the process of working on the product transparent and reliable.

What was the team composition?

A project manager, an iOS developer, a backend developer (Python), and a QA.

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

The application received a lot of positive feedback and reviews during the beta-testing and App store release. Currently, the app has a high 4.8 rating on the App Store. We are growing every day in users and we are excited about what the future will bring.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. Of course, as to be expected, it started out with both teams trying to figure out the best way to communicate. My team knows fitness, their team knows development. So, it was like two foreign languages. However, after a few months, communication got better and better — and today we have a seamless workflow. The rough start would have happened with any company, it's just part of the process!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Zensoft is trustworthy. It's hard to put a value on that. We had several word of mouth agreements — they came through and fulfilled each agreement whether it was on paper or not. Zensoft has skilled developers. They have incredible developers. Our app has had very few bugs. When we have had a bug, they fixed them quickly. They created a very stable high-performance app. Zensoft works with you and your budget.

This app was created by literally a husband and a wife, with a small budget. They worked with us and met us where we are, they created an app that is as good as the best fitness apps on the market, including Nike, and some of the large companies. Our fitness app performs just as good as the best of the best on the App Store!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of, I am more than happy with every aspect of our experience with Zensoft.