"They had a great turnaround time and they wrote quality code."
Technology Rivers worked on a web platform, using React Native, Ruby on Rails, Amazon Web Services, and GitHub. They worked on the back- and frontend, while adding functionalities.
"They had a great turnaround time and they wrote quality code."
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We’re a company that helps college students graduate. I’m the CEO.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
We were looking to build the next iteration of our web platform. We needed a mobile-friendly UI. We had a built out version, but we needed it to really be responsive, have a good design, and be open to integrations with university systems, if necessary. We knew we had a great designer in-house, but we needed to find a dev team that could keep up with his ability to test and work quickly.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They worked off our pre-existing platform and in-house designs. They brought those designs to life and got them working, code wise. They revamped our backend that had some of the features and they added a couple of feature functionalities into our backend and frontend. They made it a smoother and easier process. They used React Native, Ruby on Rails, Amazon Web Services, and GitHub.
What is the team composition?
I worked with Ghazenfer (Founder, Technology Rivers), who acted as project manager, as well as two developers.
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
We heard about them through a connection who is also running a startup. We were looking for a team that could build incredible work. Our previous team was not up to par. We had a conversation with Ghazenfer, felt he was a good fit, and went from there.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from 2017 until 2018.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We tested parts of the UI and received feedback that our users loved it. Our designer designed it, but Technology Rivers was flexible enough to be able to make any changes that our designer needed in real time to make our product a lot better for our users. They had a great turnaround time and they wrote quality code. They ran the whole project effectively.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
They were spot on all across the board. They did a great job. They’re responsive, have high quality of communication, and really walked us through a lot of the key steps along the way. They gave us suggestions on how to make changes. I have a lot of respect for them.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re really professional. I wanted it to be mechanical and it was. Our experience with our last development team was a very haphazard process. Ghazenfer is very professional, very streamline, and you know what you’re getting. I like that we knew what we were going to get and that there were clear expectations.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Have a basic understanding of where your technology lives and understand how to get access to your own databases. It maximizes the time and efficiency of working with them.
“They’re very good at communicating in a user-friendly way to non-technical people.”
Technology Rivers is a development partner for a healthcare software firm. Based on pilot group feedback, they made spending suggestions and expanded features and functionality for existing software.
“They’re very good at communicating in a user-friendly way to non-technical people.”
User feedback is positive and the UX is strong. Technology Rivers transforms ideas into tangible functionality and are easy to work with. They are responsive problem solvers who regularly exceed expectations.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We develop healthcare education software. I am the CEO of the company.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
I was brought in to commercialize the technology and bring it to the next level. I immediately recognized the need for a good partner to help finish the software for the 2.0 version. A talented team that could bring us to that next stage was critical for our success.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They added features and functionality based on customer feedback from our pilot phase. We had an MVP but needed to make it more valuable for our clients. Software compliance was a key part of the project. They also improved the user experience and helped us with strategic places to focus our spending. Whenever they develop new versions or functionality, we evaluate each element and troubleshoot it together until it works. If something breaks, they fix it immediately.
What is the team composition?
I mainly work with the CEO but have also interacted with other team members. Everyone in the team is great.
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
I drew on my network connections and heard wonderful things about them. I reached out to their CEO and asked for their help. He was excited about the timing and we started working together.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in late 2016.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We hear from users on a daily basis and can track their use of the software. We have great feedback from university users and specific functions we can incorporate into the next version. User experiences with this software are great.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
They know how to take feedback and transform it into something tangible. Their questions are phenomenal and they translate customer needs into actual functionality. I’m not a coder, and their solutions almost feel like magic. They’re very good at communicating in a user-friendly way to non-technical people.
Everyone from the team is great and we have a good working relationship. It’s occasionally difficult to coordinate schedules with the team in Pakistan but they’re always responsive. My contact in the U.S. can relay my needs to the rest of the team directly, so we have a couple options open for communication.
We use Trello to track changes and a variety of conference call capabilities, including Google Hangouts and UberConference.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re a delight to work with. They are problem solvers, down to earth, and easy to talk to. They’re much more sympathetic than other companies I’ve worked with in the past and explain their process in a way that is easy to understand.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They occasionally take a little longer than we would hope but that’s normal for this kind of relationship. Even though we wish some development timelines moved faster, Technology Rivers is very good at setting expectations and then exceeding them.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Communication is key. Be open and upfront about your expectations and your time horizon. If you can bundle your needs together and work for a contiguous period of time, you’ll have an easier time than running smaller projects. We worked intensely for several months, then waited for customer feedback before resuming work. In retrospect, we would have benefited from more continuity. This is a fairly general suggestion, and not specific to them.
“Our team trusts them, so if we have a challenging project that requires creative solutions, we know we can go to them.”
Technology Rivers worked on two major projects: building a mobile app and using advanced analytics to support an existing web platform. They currently do requirements analysis and UX for a web app.
“Our team trusts them, so if we have a challenging project that requires creative solutions, we know we can go to them.”
The team’s timeliness, expertise, and industry knowledge allow for more accurate interpretation of product development and reception. The skill and reliability at Technology Rivers enables their developers to provide insightful project management solutions.
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 the vice president of a national healthcare company that provides information services to the healthcare industry and government groups. We offer a wide range of services, including consulting, data analytics, machine learning, and software product development.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
We were trying to expand our software product portfolio to bring more expertise and new technology from the industry, especially in the mobile and web applications space.
What was the scope of their involvement?
When we started our engagement they provided solution architecture and UX design to build a mobile application for iOS and Android. For their second project for us, they used advanced analytics to support an existing web platform.
The team is currently conducting requirements analysis and UX work for a new web application we’re creating.
What is the team composition?
Their CEO was our solution architect for our mobile product and we worked with a different developer for the web project. For our current project, we're working with the business requirements analyst, who also designs the user experience.
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
The team was recommended to us by a colleague.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent roughly $500,000 with them.
What is the status of this engagement?
We’ve worked with Technology Rivers on several projects since 2015, and are currently working on a web application.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Technology Rivers provided us the expertise we wanted—they know how to ask the right questions in order to determine how to best reach a solution. As a result of their problem-solving and timely communication, I'm better able to interpret how our products are being received.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
We have an internal project management office, so we don’t have a specific manager with Technology Rivers. However, the requirements analyst for our current web application project is very experienced, so we can rely on her to suggest ideas and solutions. Even though she's not a project manager, she has the insight to help us with project management.
They’ve always responded in a timely manner and always make deadlines. We communicate via email, phone calls, web meetings, screen share, and instant messenger.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They have the skill and reliability we need. Our team trusts them, so if we have a challenging project that requires creative solutions, we know we can go to them.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
I would start big picture: approach Technology Rivers with your design or idea and be open to their suggestions, rather than simply hiring them to complete the work you think you need. Even if a future client already has a mature technology or existing product, they can still benefit from a consultation, especially about solution design.
"They made helpful recommendations, and I was always confident that they knew what they were talking about."
Technology Rivers created one web app and one iOS app for workplace and personal learning respectively. The former fosters a competitive learning environment and the latter adapts to user profiles in real time.
"They made helpful recommendations, and I was always confident that they knew what they were talking about."
By using an iterative process for product review and development, Technology Rivers ensured that feedback was implemented efficiently. Their project management tools fostered transparency and easy communication, and the CEO regularly scheduled in-person meetings.
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 the former chief creative officer of Carney, a company primarily focused on technology-facilitated training products typically—but not exclusively—for federal government agencies. I managed a cross-functional team of digital artist programmers and quality assurance professionals.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
We needed to develop two separate iOS-based applications for workplace training and personalized learning.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They developed two iOS applications. One was a web-mobile hybrid app for leadership skills training and the other was a mobile personalized learning health app that integrated with fitness trackers. For both, we worked collaboratively on the design. We provided graphic mockups of what we wanted the applications to look like, especially on the frontend, Technology Rivers would make suggestions, create it, we would review their work, and the product would continue from there.
The training application provided customizable trivia that agencies could put into their leadership training toolbox and use as a formal training or a performance support tool—either in the classroom or over e-learning—for a particular set of skills. We included a competition leaderboard that connected leadership networks and allowed the experience to become like a game.
We developed that app with web technologies but made it available over mobile devices using iOS and a single code base.
The second application was a mobile app and allowed the user to input assessment information about themselves. The app would develop and adapt based on the user's education. It develops content that takes advantage of the data and leads the user down a certain learning path. It’s a constant loop of evaluation and adjusting.
What is the team composition?
I interfaced directly with Ghazenfer (CEO, Technology Rivers) and he was really the face of the project. Additionally, we worked with offshore backend and frontend software engineers.
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
I let my colleagues know that I was looking for software engineers, and an employee of mine introduced me to Ghazenfer.
How much have you invested with them?
These two projects were within the $50,000 range.
What is the status of this engagement?
I worked with them on these two projects, which lasted from 2014–2016. However, Carney developed a sister company who is currently working with Technology Rivers.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We measured project success by comparing our progress and results with the project brief. We wanted to make sure that we met all of our goals in terms of schedule, quality, and functionality. If in our reviews, we felt like those expectations weren’t met, we would go back and work on it until we were satisfied. We ended up with a product that we were all proud of.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
With each project, Ghazenfer wanted to make sure that we, as clients, had complete access to the project so we used cloud-based management tools like Basecamp and Amazon Cloud Services, which made the project management easy and transparent. We were able to look at project progress at any point in time, which was especially helpful working with an offshore agency. We found that our review comments and feedback were typically implemented within 24–48 hours.
Ghazenfer always made himself available and would regularly come in for face-to-face meetings. He was very responsive in regards to our feedback, and we would always see evidence of that in future iterations.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Technology Rivers has a wide variety of platform toolsets. I always had confidence that they knew what they were talking about and could make helpful recommendations based off of our requirements.
There is also a very strong client focus that Ghazenfer brings to the company. He wants to make sure that every client is satisfied with the product outcome. He’s extremely focused on customer satisfaction in his work.
Are there any areas they could improve?
There is nothing that stands out as a real pain point. With every software development project, I look back and try to identify areas where we could improve, for example having more efficient iterations or better iterative quality, but there is nothing I would suggest Technology Rivers changing.
“The work ethic I’ve seen from Technology Rivers is unparalleled. They make magic happen.”
Technology Rivers developed multiple HIPAA compliant mobile apps that perform functions related to healthcare. They provide the design team feedback and are currently engaged to deliver three more apps.
“The work ethic I’ve seen from Technology Rivers is unparalleled. They make magic happen.”
Their work undergoes frequent code reviews and is praised for its excellence and consistency. Technology Rivers has a devoted staff that’s willing to perform above expectations to produce an outstanding product. They’re comfortable working under strict deadlines and offer a transparent experience.
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 CTO and co-founder of a healthcare startup.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
My development team was working on several projects with tight timelines. We engaged to Technology Rivers to provide resources and assist with product development.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Technology Rivers has acted as our development team for multiple projects. They’ve built HIPAA compliant mobile apps using React Native and the MEAN stack. Our internal team provides the design work. However, it’s a collaborative process. Both teams give each other feedback throughout development. Their deliverables are essentially healthcare apps related to education or public health. They’ve also created apps that connect users to healthcare providers or solely revolve around patient safety. They’re currently working on three separate projects for us.
What is the team composition?
A project manager is our primary point of contact. We also work directly with the software engineers building the products.
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
They were introduced to me by another company I’m a shareholder in. One of my developers quit close to a project deadline and Technology Rivers was the first company that came to mind. They were able to quickly join development and help us out. After that, we realized they could be valuable partners.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in May 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We conduct code reviews of their work and never have issues with quality. Everything they deliver is polished, so I assume they implement similar procedures. Bugs do come up, but we’re very transparent about them.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
Working with their team has been great. They have a lot of engineers with different experiences and expertise, so talking with them is always enlightening. They meet every deadline I assign to them and we’ve never had issues. They’ve even pulled sleepless nights to ensure prompt delivery. I prefer not to do that to people, but crunch times are sometimes necessary.
We use Slack to communicate and have periodic check-ins. We also use Jira for project management. This allows us to see what they prioritize and what they’ve accomplished in real time.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The work ethic I’ve seen from Technology Rivers is unparalleled. They make magic happen. Their ability to jump into a problem at a moment’s notice is very impressive as well.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They’re a growing team, so there’s nothing I’d specifically point out at this time.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
A lot of people think they have themselves a complete plan, but then repeatedly add to the scope as the project continues. It’s important to spend the time and scope out your project appropriately. That’s more general advice, but I tell it to everyone I work with.
After testing, the platform received positive feedback from its users and the code is high quality. The team managed the project well, communicating effectively, and making insightful suggestions to improve the platform.