on 24th April 2015
Application Development for LED Light Manufacturer
Validated by:
The creative process was awesome.
Schedule
Quality
Cost
Willing to refers
Overall Ratings
Opportunity / Challenge
When we talk to customers, one of the challenges is trying to figure out which one of our 600 products will suit the customer’s application. We make very small lights and lights that will cover 2,000 feet. We wanted to develop an app that would help the customer determine the proper products. Right now, we plot the illuminator on Google Earth to show what the coverage area will look like.
Background
I’m the solutions specialist. I deal on the technical side and with sales. I also take care of logistics and purchasing.
We manufacture LED illuminators both white light and infrared for security CCTV [closed-circuit television] camera systems. We provide the lighting at night – visible and invisible lighting. Our main markets are military security, defense, and regular residential applications. We are based in Canada and service North America, Central America, and South America. I cover all three regions. We are comprised of seven people in different roles. We have a warehouse in California and the head office is in the U.K.
Feedback Summary
The initial mobile application received rave reviews at the client’s largest industry conference, where it was described as intuitive and well made. Konstant Infosolutions not only completed the app on time and on budget, but was able to quickly grasp the client’s business.
Project Summary
Konstant Infosolutions provides the client with development of mobile and desktop applications designed to assist the sales team in helping customers envision product use.
Solution
It was less than $10,000.
We’re finishing up the mobile part of the engagement. We’re looking to go live May 15 [2015].
Konstant completed a very simple app for us several years ago. We wanted to take that concept to a new level. I used Elance initially to find a contractor. They bid aggressively for the project. It was 10 times better than what everyone else was quoting. I had a meeting with them. They set a timeline and price and we accepted Konstant’s offer. For this engagement, I only invited Konstant Infosolutions to bid because they had done such a good job on the last project.
[We wanted them to handle] app development on iOS and Android. When that’s done, they’ll convert it to a desktop app as well. The apps are great when we’re at trade shows. When we’re at the office, we’re working on desktop computers. We can also put the application on our websites so customers can download it.
Result & Feedback
Be sure that the scope of work is clear, concise, and exact. What you need to have accomplished needs to be written out. The timelines and level of effort need to be clear in the contract so that there’s no ifs, ands, or buts. I would say this about anyone you engage on Elance or similar type of contract work. We have referred back to the contract several times.
I have used Elance quite a bit and a lot of contractors can be very cut and dry. They charge for everything. However, Konstant is helpful and understanding and, if our request didn’t really take too much time, they were happy to include it in the scope of work and explain everything in detail. We always got a full explanation if they needed to charge more for something.
They completed the work on time and on budget. It was great. We’ve very satisfied. The creative process took a while because we have a small team. They were patient with us. They’re very responsive. I came to them with an idea, but I wasn’t sure how to carry forth that idea. They came out with a couple renditions, and we picked one out and ran with it. The creative process was awesome. I was impressed because they have no idea what our business is. I gave them a crash course on our business. They grasped the concept very well and very quickly. They gave us some good suggestions.
We showed it at the biggest security conference at Las Vegas last week, and it received rave reviews. Everybody loved it. It’s very intuitive. It’s very well done. With that feedback, we’ll tweak and fix whatever we need to before we make it live on both the iTunes and Android stores.
I would have sped up the timeline and focused a lot more on the project rather than taking two weeks to get back to them. On Konstant’s side, I can’t think of anything.
