Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an EHR systems provider. I am the owner.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cayugasoft Tech?

We needed an iOS app as an alternative to the existing web application.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cayugasoft Tech developed our app. It’s a stripped-down version of the web app, and it provides scheduling and messaging on-the-move. There was one Swift developer assigned to our project.

How did you come to work with Cayugasoft Tech?

I interviewed a couple of companies, and Cayugasoft Tech seemed nice in comparison. They seemed to know what they were talking about, and they were affordable.

How much have you invested with Cayugasoft Tech?

The cost of Cayugasoft Tech’s work was about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Cayugasoft Tech in 2015. The project was completed in 2016.

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

The code was clean and it worked. There was nothing else we measured Cayugasoft Tech against.

How did Cayugasoft Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a fairly simple project involving a developer and project manager. The project manager was available all the time, and we had no roadblocks. The communication was fairly straightforward.

What did you find most impressive about Cayugasoft Tech?

I’ve only worked with Cayugasoft Tech, so I couldn’t compare them with anyone else. They were competent, though.

Are there any areas Cayugasoft Tech could improve?

No. I was overall satisfied and have no complaints.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

itagit technologies is a digital media startup where we developed a proprietary platform that enhances digital experiences for users. Our core function is that we create applications that allow real-time interactivity between the user and content for radio, TV, or live events. Users are able to capture and interact with audio/video content being broadcasted from that source in real-time. I am an Egyptian entrepreneur and am founder and CEO of itagit. 

What challenge were you trying to address with EGO Creative?

The primary reason I reached out to EGO Creative was that our internal technical department decided to develop our Apple iOS and Android mobile applications using the Xamarin platform. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

EGO Creative was commissioned to develop the iOS mobile application for 2 of my mobile brands. The first brand is a music discovery-related application called Tether, which they developed from scratch. My other brand is called TV Tag, which is related to TV interactivity and capturing real-time video via TV without using the camera phone. The applications were designed by an external third party, and we were developing the Android apps internally. We went through several scoping exercises to clearly identify the features, functions, and user flow within each application to reflect the designs that were created. They came back to me with a time and cost estimate, and we negotiated to come to an agreement with them. There was an NDA signed because we were dealing with proprietary technology.

We went through the phases of the development based on prioritization that I had set up. In the beginning, we didn’t have a certain number of resources from their team assigned to us. But, when the workload ramped up and it was clear that we would be engaged for 3 months, then we had dedicated resources, including iOS and Android developers and QA testers.

How did you come to work with EGO Creative?

I was recommended to search for developers on Upwork. I did a lot of research on different companies and individual developers. EGO Creative was shortlisted, along with 3 other providers. We chose them based on their experience and testimonials on the site, along with the fact that they had certified developers and were partners with Xamarin. They also gave a reasonable estimate on the cost.

How much have you invested with EGO Creative?

We have spent between $30,000 and $35,000 over the course of our relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2016, and the work is ongoing. 

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

Our apps have only been on the market for 2 months. The apps that we created were quite innovative. There was no point of reference that you could compare either brand to. We are offering what we call never-seen-before mobile-based user experiences. We would not have been able to get the positive feedback we’ve gotten from the market and our investors without EGO Creative’s role in the project. Our investors and other people are intrigued with how we’re able to create these digital experiences.

How did EGO Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m in constant communication with a single project manager who’s responsible for the deliveries and any issues that come up. They are very clear on what tasks are being done and which are being prioritized. If we have any issues with testing, they’re quick to respond. We have a personal relationship as well as professional, which helps build rapport. We invited one of their developers to come to our offices for a week, and that helped build a stronger bond between our organizations. They helped us solve certain problems with how to scale certain parts of the application.

What did you find most impressive about EGO Creative?

I’ve dealt with 2 project managers over the course of our relationship. I’m very happy with the responsiveness of the second project manager. She’s always available over Skype, even during night hours when we need help with a live event. At one point, we had a cash flow problem, but they had a lot of patience with our situation, and we really appreciated that.

Are there any areas EGO Creative could improve?

I think there are certain key areas that any company can improve. One of those is reporting on a more periodic basis. Even though they are responding quickly already, they can work to make it even better. They could also expand their presence beyond Europe. With their expertise in Xamarin, it would be a good opportunity for them to improve and expand their reach. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a software solutions provider for the automotive industry, and I’m one of the directors. We’re located in England and we currently have five employees. Our software prepares reports which allow customers to inspect end-of-lease vehicles.

What challenge were you trying to address with EGO Creative Media Solutions?

We had some legacy software on older technology which we needed to migrate over to a new mobile paradigm of Android and iOS. We didn’t have the skills in-house to do that, and we decided that it was better to outsource the mobile development part of the work rather than upskill.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first engaged their project managers to help scope out the project. We also have experience in that area, so it was a joint effort to come up with a solution that we liked. They then brought on board one of their technical architects, with whom we worked closely. We completed the wireframing and progressed to the MVP [minimum viable product stage]. We went through testing scenarios, and then we were able to launch.

In the early stages, we had quite a close interaction with them because we were new to outsourcing. As time went on, we’ve been able to step back from that day-by-day management. Initially, we engaged a project manager part-time, and then we brought in a developer on an hourly rate. We then switched to a fixed monthly contract, so the developer was working solely for us on a three-month rolling contract. We have the option of extending that to around 40–60 hours per week if necessary.

I liaise closely with their team lead, who either works on the project himself or delegates to another developer. As a result, we don’t have only one individual developer. There are a number of resources they can use who have knowledge across the project.

How did you come to work with EGO Creative Media Solutions?

It was a fairly brief process. We’ve not really outsourced before, so we were sort of sticking our toe in the water to test how the relationship would work. We went through Elance originally and had a number of responses back. After more in-depth interviewing with the providers, we felt that EGO Creative gave us confidence that they understood what we were after. They had experience in both Android and iOS development, so we decided to hire them.

How much have you invested with EGO Creative Media Solutions?

We’ve spent around $5,000 to $7,000 per month throughout the course of the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in the first quarter of 2014 and launched at the end of 2014. It’s an ongoing project, as we have customers who are forever looking to bring more aspects of their business into our product. We’ve also used EGO Creative for other smaller applications we’ve needed over time.

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

We have a specialized product, so we don’t have a huge volume of customers. However, our customers use it quite intensively. They are happy with the product, and we’ve had very positive feedback on the user interfaces. EGO Creative has a good understanding of how to make an app feel natural within the Android and iOS environments.

There have been times when we experienced slight misunderstandings, but that may have been due to a lack of specific explanations on our part. Those instances were quickly rectified, and we’ve overcome those challenges very easily.

How did EGO Creative Media Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a dedicated project manager who understands the product very well. She and her team have gone over and above when we had hard deadlines. We’ve been very pleased with the project management. We have regular Skype meetings, and we also use Atlassian’s JIRA and Confluence to track the project. We use the wiki quite extensively as a central repository to store knowledge of the project. We’ll write scope and feature requests within Confluence, which EGO Creative then translates into JIRA tasks for the developers.

What did you find most impressive about EGO Creative Media Solutions?

I don’t have much experience with outsourcing, so it’s difficult for me to compare. In my opinion, the most impressive aspects are the relationship we’ve developed, their understanding, and the pride they take in ensuring the product has an impact to the end user. They really appreciate positive feedback about how their work has benefited our customers. I believe that shows a level of care within the project.

Are there any areas EGO Creative Media Solutions could improve?

There have been some occasional misunderstandings due to the language difference, but we’ve been able to rectify them quickly. Because an outsourced team is not as close to the business as we are, there may be information missing from their knowledge base. It’s a two-way process to fill those gaps.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an early-stage startup providing a marketplace for wellness services. I am the founder of the company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I have been working in the tech world for a long time on the business side, but choosing a language for my current platform was a challenge. I asked CayugaSoft to explain to me in plain English why they would choose one platform over another. I was told that, although there are newer languages available, the advantage of established ones is that they offer many tools and widgets which we can leverage. The recommendation made sense to me, and I liked CayugaSoft's ability to deal with me at a non-technical level.

CayugaSoft assigned one lead and one part-time developer, as well as a testing team. I had regular meetings with the lead developer.

How did you come to work with CayugaSoft Technologies?

I never had a connection with this market before. I found CayugaSoft through a European service for matching clients with software development companies and reviewed them along with 15 other candidates. I could see that CayugaSoft could clearly see what I wanted to do, based on their high-level briefing. They went beyond what was being asked by our group, giving me more details about what could be done in a way that made me confident in CayugaSoft's skills.

How much have you invested with CayugaSoft Technologies?

The cost of CayugaSoft's services has been between $50,000 and $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with CayugaSoft in February 2016, and have an ongoing collaboration. The progress has been slow, given that I'm doing this while still working a full-time job. We are in the final stages of development. It has been a wonderful experience so far, and I would love to work with CayugaSoft in the future.

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

CayugaSoft Technologies has delivered a functional product. It has a few bugs, but not to an overwhelming degree. I found CayugaSoft easy to work with, especially at this stage.

How did CayugaSoft Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was amazing. I could not have dreamt of having a better project manager than the one assigned by CayugaSoft. She was understanding and knew what to say in order to reassure me.

We used JIRA, Slack, and Google Docs. CayugaSoft has been much more organized than me in terms of managing my ideas, following up, and delivering on time. I was usually late for our scheduled calls.

What did you find most impressive about CayugaSoft Technologies?

CayugaSoft has a team of very nice people. I received messages for Christmas and Thanksgiving, even though they are based in East Europe. CayugaSoft handles outsourcing very well.

From a technology point of view, I had a hard time understanding test-driven development. CayugaSoft was able to explain it to me, allowing me to make the right decision in terms of cost and good-quality code. CayugaSoft has gone above and beyond, treating my project as their own and bringing a creative approach to solving problems. There were times when I didn't know how a certain feature could be created, and CayugaSoft came up with good solutions every time.

Are there any areas CayugaSoft Technologies could improve?

The cost could be lower, but I don't think that this is a realistic possibility.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Divigner, which builds websites and different flavors of mobile apps for industries. We service all types of industries but mainly focus on the medical field. We also do 2D and 3D animations as well as static and interactive infographics.

What challenge were you trying to address with EGO Creative?

We use companies like EGO Creative to access the more technical pieces of our website and mobile app builds. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked with them on 2 large projects. The first job I had with them was building out “blueprints” for mobile apps. EGO helped me mature that process. The blueprint basically states what you're getting, what the client wants, and what they’re trying to do. Then we move through the process of creating wireframes, mock-ups, and prototypes. EGO will create a clickable prototype that works on any device—iPad, tablet, Android, iOS, Windows—that can be sent via URL. The client simply downloads an application and then they can interact with the design. At that point, we stop and reassess what functionality the client wants based on what we’ve created so far. Basically, that allows the client to stick their toe into the pool little by little before they commit to a big upfront investment. It allows them to control their expenses.

Right now, EGO Creative is helping me build an app for municipalities in New Jersey that takes advantage of the native capability of smartphones. Mainly, it’s a tool for municipalities to reach out to current and prospective residents as well as local business owners. The goal is to deliver the city’s information to them via their phones, giving municipalities yet another way to stay in touch with their communities. As New Jersey matures its infrastructure, we’ll see more mobile-friendly interfaces for paying parking tickets, EZ Pass, etc. We hope we can integrate with those systems and share 1 database in order to make these processes faster. The platform will be a semi-open architecture. This allows for integration into databases of third-party tools and things like that, so it can work for a lot of other organizations. There’s a module within it that is dedicated to municipalities that will allow me to resell this platform.

How did you come to work with EGO Creative?

I was impressed by Xamarin and what it offered in terms of its framework, cutting app time by more than half. I looked at Xamarin’s list of recommended vendors. I knew that there is a lot of talent in Eastern Europe, so I focused on the ones that were located there. I reached out to several of them and EGO gave me the best response. That’s how we got connected.

How much have you invested with EGO Creative?

I would say we have invested about $5,000 to $10,000 on planning and prototyping.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with EGO Creative in November 2014, and our relationship is ongoing. 

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

They took my blueprint process to another level, augmenting and refining it so I could present it easily to app development clients in a tiered fashion. They took my idea and they wrapped the process around it. My clients so far have received it well, and that is directly attributed to what EGO brought to the table. EGO Creative understood the concept of an MVP [minimum viable product], and they focused on making sure clients understand the MVP of what they need so they can control costs. Between blueprinting and the MVP, we’re able to pitch a lot more.

How did EGO Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good and I’m happy with them. They’re thorough and they’re on time for meetings. They all speak English well, considering that’s their second language and they’re from Eastern Europe. I’ve brought my clients on the line with them, and they’re courteous and respectful to them. Although I'm always on the phone, they speak freely and update my clients directly. They’re sensitive to their clients’ cultural differences, holidays, things like that. They’re what you would expect from a good project management team.

The project usually starts with a conversation with their COO, and from there, it gets handed down to their engagement or project manager who I work with. I’m usually working with the project manager and a designer, someone that’s skilled at putting together the wireframes, mock-ups, and prototypes. If the project goes past that point, I might talk directly to their CEO and work with him. If projects move forward, then other team members, like the developer types, are introduced to the project and brought on board. Mainly, I've been working with their CEO, COO and project manager.

What did you find most impressive about EGO Creative?

They’re resilient. They were located in the region of Ukraine that was invaded and business was disrupted, but it continued. They redistributed their team members within the country. It was as if they had a master disaster recovery plan. They’re serious about conducting business. I like that about them.

Are there any areas EGO Creative could improve?

I would suggest cosmetic things like making their website a little glossier and checking it for grammar. It’s in English and it’s being projected to folks in North America. Depending on who’s looking at it, poor grammar could ruin their repetition and their credibility. I would hate for them to lose a good client over grammatical errors because some people are really picky. Everything else has been exactly what I expected.