“Technology Rivers was able to take what we envisioned and develop something that matches our expectation.”
Technology Rivers developed a SaaS platform and a mobile app for Android and iOS for a healthcare startup. The products are used to facilitate communication between hospitals and assisted living communities.
“Technology Rivers was able to take what we envisioned and develop something that matches our expectation.”
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am a co-founder and chief science officer of a healthcare startup. We take a data-driven approach to connect patients with post-acute facilities after they are discharged from hospitals.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
We hired Technology Rivers to develop our SaaS platform and mobile application that connect case managers at hospitals with clinical staff at post-acute facilities.
What was the scope of their involvement?
For our website platform, we tasked Technology Rivers with developing a set of features that allowed case managers to indicate clinical needs for a patient, who would then be matched to an appropriate facility based on those needs and other factors (i.e., geography). They also developed the mobile app for Android and iOS so that staff at assisted living communities could send clinical data, receive patient information, and communicate with case managers via a chat function.
What is the team composition?
We work directly with Ghazenfer (Founder, Technology Rivers) and 2–3 developers.
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
My co-founder selected Technology Rivers because they could accomplish the work within our budget, and they have extensive experience developing HIPAA-compliant software for websites and mobile applications.
What is the status of this engagement?
We’ve had ongoing work with Technology Rivers since 2017.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We are currently in the process of launching and testing our applications; Technology Rivers has been instrumental in developing these applications as well as beta versions that we can put in front of our clients. It’s been impactful for us to show clients something tangible instead of just talking about an idea.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
The majority of our interaction is through Slack with conference calls every other week. They're responsive to feedback, and they complete their tasks pretty quickly to make sure our deadlines are met. They’ve managed the project well, which has allowed us to test beta versions internally and externally according to our timeline.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I’ve been particularly happy with the mobile app development. Technology Rivers was able to take what we envisioned and develop something that matches our expectations. They’ve also been very responsive when we need them to be. We take our internal testing very seriously, and Technology Rivers regularly updates us to how and when each bug is resolved.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, they have met our budget and have been focused on delivering our products. We have no complaints.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
It’s worthwhile to conduct research before development to make sure that your product will fill a real customer need in the marketplace.
“Despite the tight timeframe, they delivered the projects on schedule.”
After reviewing legacy code for a carpooling app, Technology Rivers fixed the bugs, redesigned the UX, and added new features. They then developed and launched a voter transportation app for iOS and Android.
“Despite the tight timeframe, they delivered the projects on schedule.”
Technology Rivers delivered the apps while meeting strict timelines and is now discussing future work. As a smaller team, they’re nimble and focused. While they could have offered more alternative solutions to technical challenges, direct communication channels helped ensure project success.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CEO of Go Together, Inc. Our mission is to help people get where they need to go through their trusted network. Using our transportation technology, people can sign up to request or give rides as a shared resource. Our current verticals include schools, youth sports, and voter carpooling.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
After our acquisition of CarpooltoSchool, we continued to work with a West Coast developer on contract. However, it can be difficult to work with a vendor that’s primarily in a different time zone, so we wanted to find a resource who could work more closely with our product development process.
Technology Rivers joined the project to help us refine our CarpooltoSchool mobile apps. Since then, they’ve developed our second mobile app product and are now helping us revamp our first product’s web app.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We’ve completed two major projects together. For the first project, they resolved the bugs in our CarpooltoSchool mobile apps before enhancing existing features. The team then created a new UX design and added new features to match. We’re currently discussing potential ways to revamp the web version of the app in the near future.
Technology Rivers also developed and launched the MVP of our second product called GoTogethertoVote. It’s an iOS/Android app that targets campaigners and campaign-related organizations that are trying to galvanize new voters. With our product, campaigners can give a larger portion of their constituency access to reliable transportation to and from polls.
The app features a driver side and a passenger side. After creating a profile, people can offer or request rides to the polls. Our technology automatically connects users based on their submitted schedules. Campaigners can also see a log of all transactions in real time, which helps them ensure that their constituency is actually getting to the polls.
What is the team composition?
Ghazenfer Mansoor (Founder, Technology Rivers) oversees all of the development processes, but we also have direct access to a project manager and a minimum of two developers on a consistent basis. The team size varies depending on the project; at our highest, we’ve worked with seven technical resources.
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
We met each other through the Washington DC tech community and struck up a conversation. At the time, we had worked with a larger development firm to deploy our mobile apps. We decided we wanted to work with a smaller, more agile shop that could work on our legacy technology and also develop future offerings.
After talking to Ghazenfer, I felt confident moving forward with the project, and his past clients gave nothing but positive feedback. The most important factors were communicating regularly and having clear access to the project management and development team. This allowed us to ensure that everyone understood our goals and would build our product accordingly.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent between $50,000–$199,999 so far.
What is the status of this engagement?
Their work started in June 2017 and is ongoing. We launched the MVP of GoTogethertoVote to meet the 2018 election cycle and are currently working to implement additional features this year. We’re also discussing ways to revisit the CarpooltoSchool web app.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Technology Rivers completed the work as requested, keeping our first product live while reimagining its mobile experience. The GoTogethertoVote project was particularly intense because we needed to launch in time for the 2018 election cycle. The team working with our technical lead divided the tasks into comprehensive sprints, delivering the app in about six weeks.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
We use Slack to communicate and have stand-up calls as necessary. For the carpooling revamp, we had weekly calls, and the voting product involved five calls a week. We did face a few challenges; since their developers were offshore, they weren’t always available on our schedule. However, they met our deadlines.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Despite the tight timeframe, they delivered the projects on schedule.
Are there any areas they could improve?
As with any outsourced tech partner, it’s important to prioritize the customer’s feedback and needs. Providing alternative solutions and laying out all options ahead of time are critical.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
You should discuss your project’s complexity in the initial stages. Have written specifications and solutions the teams mutually agreed upon before getting started on the development.
"Technology Rivers has been able to deploy early stage beta forms of our platform really quickly."
Technology Rivers provides ongoing software development and iteration of a healthcare IT SaaS platform. They developed a web app as well as iOS and Android mobile apps.
"Technology Rivers has been able to deploy early stage beta forms of our platform really quickly."
Still in beta, the platform has received positive feedback from key stakeholders. Technology Rivers' ability to adapt to and communicate about ambiguous specifications helps make their code relatively bug-free. Their speed and high-quality deliverables make them a valuable partner.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I'm the co-founder and CEO of Mind Halo. We’re a healthcare IT SaaS platform that connects hospital systems to assisted living operators.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
We needed a partner that had clear expertise in the healthcare IT SaaS area to help us build our platform.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Technology Rivers is our software developer and helped do the actual development function for our platform. We gave them a wireframe and they developed both the web application and mobile apps for iOS and Android. They also help us look at the big picture by playing a strategic role. They’re focusing on building the architecture the right way in order to make our platform scalable for the long run.
What is the team composition?
We work with at least four developers.
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
They were recommended to us by another company. They spoke highly of them so we reached out for an introductory conversation. We talked to a handful of other potential outfits to lead this effort. Technology Rivers had a proven track record of successfully developing and deploying scalable applications.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent in the range of $150,000–$250,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in August 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Being a lean startup, we need to work fast. Technology Rivers has been able to deploy early stage beta forms of our platform really quickly. We got feedback on those pieces, and they’re able to iterate and make some tweaks and changes. We’ve been through that process dozens of times with them. Now the platform and its many elements are ready to be rigorously tested. Their code is outstanding and well-documented. Thanks to them, we know that it works.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
I’m pleased with their project management skills. We need to understand exactly what we're developing in order for them to give us detailed project milestones. Even in the face of ambiguity, they’re able to put together a high-level project framework. They gave us an estimate of what it might cost and the time frame. They proposed strategies to make sure the project gets to where we need it to be, even if we didn’t have exact requirements.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their biggest strength is being able to develop, test, and iterate in fast developmental sprints. They're really good about thinking about the larger architectural picture. For example, how to get our platform where it needs to be in a way that's going to scale so we’re not rebuilding everything. I’ve been extremely pleased with their work.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I don't have anything negative to say. Sometime we have to do calls late at night because of time zones, but that's a very acceptable annoyance.
“The confidence that our customers enjoy is directly related to the rate, pace, and quality that they produce.”
Technology Rivers enhanced the technological framework of an existing platform. They built out the system’s database using basic SQL development principles and Amazon RDS. They’re able to design original code.
“The confidence that our customers enjoy is directly related to the rate, pace, and quality that they produce.”
Technology Rivers provides high-quality code that facilitates an innovative platform. Executive-level engagement ensures a transparent and communicative experience. They listen to client concerns and develop viable solutions that can be delivered within established deadlines.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the founder of a social shopping company. Our members receive a percentage of the company’s revenue by meeting specific participation requirements. We’re a continually iterating company that returns value to our users.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
Being a decent coder myself, I created an entity that programmed the crucial aspects of our social network. However, I needed full-scale development firm to build out the platform’s framework and integrate it with new features. My ultimate goal is to restructure the entire codebase.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Technology Rivers helps us improve our software by introducing new features and functionalities into the source code. We sell discounted gift cards as a revenue generator, so their team integrated aftermarket and newly purchased e-gift cards into our system's inventory. They tied the inventory back to merchant accounts so that our constituents can buy those products seamlessly. That feature allows users to text us the value they want to spend at a specific establishment. Then, we send a gift card to their phone via text. The gift card can also be redeemed by accessing our platform’s interface. Technology Rivers made that by possible by integrating original code with software packages like Twilio.
They also maintain a dashboard that enables our constituents to view what they’ve saved and what they owe. That dashboard also ties into other licensed software that we utilize, so they’ve done a great job of bridging that space.
From a technological perspective, they’re able to use code templates and can script their own as well. They’re using a combination of basic SQL server functionalities and Amazon RDS to create the database code that integrates with our graphical UI. In addition to scripting a unique codebase, they also implemented code that’s been previously formatted into templates.
What is the team composition?
We interact with 5–6 resources from Technology Rivers. That includes their VP, the director of operations, and several developers.
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
I found them by looking for vendors on Clutch.co. The categories, reviews, and ratings on Clutch’s website provided enough visibility for me to answer the right questions. I considered several firms, but Technology Rivers offered competitive pricing and geographical accessibility. Considering those factors, I decided to hire them.
How much have you invested with them?
We expect to spend $250,000–$500,000. The total cost might even go beyond that if everything goes well.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with Technology Rivers in November 2017 and it’s an ongoing engagement. We continue to grow, so I expect our relationship to continue if they’re willing to provide the kind of support we need.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The confidence that our customers enjoy is directly related to the rate, pace, and quality that they produce. Considering the platform has 1,200 clients so far, their satisfaction is important to us. Technology Rivers identifies and explains the tasks they plan to accomplish. They send updates if minor issues occur, but they’ve never missed a final deadline.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
Their VP and director of operations actively provide recommendations and counsel. I appreciate how they interact with us. They listen to client concerns and extend value independently by presenting actionable solutions. We have a daily call with their offshore developers, and it’s often a rolling conversation. We’re opposites in terms of culture, but I appreciate the international aspect of the process. The time zone difference hasn’t been an issue thus far.
Overall, their responsiveness and ability to meet deadlines are top-notch. They allowed us to communicate via our preferred channel but eventually made recommendations that improved our productivity. We initially used Slack to convey our requirements, but they suggested we switch over to Twilio. Using a single program to prioritize our needs and communicate objectives made managing the project more efficient.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their availability, attentiveness, and communication skills set them apart from similar vendors.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Despite being a tough critic with high expectations, I don’t have an issue with how they perform. They help me understand the platform’s needs through conversation, and that process has worked well thus far. I’m interested to see how they’re going to scale, but I can’t provide constructive feedback regarding that at this time.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Embrace their nimbleness and communicate the project’s requirements from the onset.
"With Technology Rivers, their team delivers what they promise and ahead of schedule."
Technology Rivers developed an educational, social media platform. Installed on AWS, the platform acts as a resource for information. Their team continues to provide maintenance when needed.
"With Technology Rivers, their team delivers what they promise and ahead of schedule."
Technology Rivers delivered a reliable, well-designed educational tool. Students and teachers are pleased with the functionality and stability. Their team is filled with responsive and proactive software experts.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the co-founder of WeLearnOn, an educational, social media platform.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
We needed a company to develop our custom educational software.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Technology Rivers built our social media platform using MEAN stack and deployed it on AWS. In the platform, students can ask questions to teachers. Teachers and members in the learning group can chime in with answers. The purpose of the platform is to function as an informational resource, as opposed to searching the web for an answer.
The platform launched in March 2018 and Technology Rivers continues to provide updates and enhancements as needed.
What is the team composition?
My main point of contact was Ghazenfer (Founder & CEO, Technology Rivers)
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
Technology Rivers had numerous references. We had a couple of vendors provide us quotes, and other startups mentioned that Technology Rivers only charges for completed work and it's often lower than the original quote.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent between $20,000 to $50,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from February–March 2018.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Technology Rivers has built a reliable product, with a fantastic quality of work. All of our users are happy with it. The platform is stable, fast, and functional. It’s simple and straightforward to use.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
When we were in active development, I spoke to Ghazenfer twice a week. If there is any maintenance needed, I talk to him two to three times a month when necessary.
He’s always available and responds immediately. I can call, text, or use Slack to communicate with him. Their team finishes their work ahead of time.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I’ve worked with other software vendors in the software world and usually, the time of deployment gets pushed back. With Technology Rivers, their team delivers what they promise and ahead of schedule. They also only bill for the time needed.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, nothing during our engagement.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be clear and specific with what features and requirements you want in the software. Once they have those guidelines, Technology Rivers will accurately follow them and make your product a reality.
Technology Rivers has proven to be a valuable development partner by delivering beta versions to attract an early client base. They respond to and address all program bugs in short order. They are well-suited for startup projects with strict budgets and timelines.