ARKA Softwares

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of My School Buss and we’re looking to create an app with a GPS tracking system for school buses. My intention is to sell the system to private schools so that parents can use it to easily track their children.

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

I needed a company to develop my application at a cost-effective rate.

What was the scope of their involvement?

There are two sides to the system—one on the driver’s end and the other for the parents. This native Android and iOS app allows parents to track their children and monitor the buses’ pick-up and drop-off times.

ARKA Softwares sent me all of their designs and wireframes for approval and once that was done, they quickly began the development process.

What is the team composition?

There are seven people involved in the project, including a project manager.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

We came across ARKA Softwares while researching online. We saw their positive reviews on Clutch and checked their portfolio before contacting them — we decided to partner up after they provided us with a cost-effective offer.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started collaborating together in September 2021, but we’re still planning on using them after our product launch for maintenance and support. Once that’s done, we’re going to sign another contract with them for future projects.

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

Schools are satisfied with the potential of the app, but they’re asking for more suitable features to be implemented, such as a face recognition functionality for students.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

They strictly follow our deadlines and it’s really easy to get in touch with them despite being in different countries. I communicate with them via Skype, WhatsApp, email, and phone calls, while they manage the entire project through Basecamp and Trello.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with the timeliness of their delivery and competitive pricing, as well as the quality of their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they need to improve on because the experience has been a smooth process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to work with them. They stick to their promises and don’t charge very high rates, which is great for people with smaller budgets.

Other companies are very expensive, but ARKA Softwares provides us with high-quality work on time and at an affordable price.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of a home services company. 

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We reached out to ARKA Softwares for app development assistance. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

ARKA Softwares was brought on to design and develop a cross-platform mobile app for our home services platform from scratch. 

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

I found ARKA Softwares via Clutch, conducted research into their services, and contacted them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $11,000–$12,000 CAD (approximately $8,700–$9,500 USD) with ARKA Softwares. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with ARKA Softwares from May 2020–September 2021. 

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

Initially, I left ARKA Softwares a positive review on Clutch when they said I'd get a discount on their services. However, I never received the discount and ended up paying full price. I waited patiently for the deliverables, but they dropped the project after two years, claiming they didn't have the resources to finish it. After we stopped working with ARKA Softwares, I requested they deliver what they'd completed thus far. I was led to believe that they'd completed 80% of the project, but once they sent the code, I realized that they'd only completed 40% of the project. They were incredibly unprofessional. 

How did ARKA Softwares address the challenges that arose?

ARKA Softwares had terrible communication throughout the project. The project manager didn't communicate the timeline delays; he just continued to say they were making progress as the timeline stretched on. 

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

I now have to hire new developers to catch up and clean up the mess ARKA Softwares created. I'm still struggling to juggle the new developers, not to mention the amount of money I've wasted working with ARKA Softwares. My project hasn't launched, and the launch timeline has been pushed forward because we're not in a stable development position.

How was project management handled?

ARKA Softwares promised to deliver the project within three months, but the project was still dragging on after two years. They claimed there was a misunderstanding and their salesperson misquoted the project for the timelines. However, it's clear that the project manager was providing me with false information on the project progress in his irregular development reports.  

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

After such a bad experience, I don't have anything positive to say about ARKA Softwares' work. 

In what specific areas can they improve?

ARKA Softwares needs to be honest in their communication and project management. At this point, I'm not even sure they have the technical expertise to deliver projects for customers. ARKA Softwares had terrible customer service and was terrible value for the money and time I invested. I am honestly confused why they took on my project if they couldn't deliver. 

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

I'd advise customers not to hire ARKA Softwares. 

This review was published on February 10, 2021.

Founder & CEO, Home Services Platform

IT Services

1-10 Employees

Vancouver, Canada

Vancouver, Canada (3707)

$10,000 to $49,999

Jun 2020 - Ongoing

Project Summary

ARKA Softwares is building an iOS and Android platform from scratch for a home services company. After a design phase, they moved into coding. The team is currently testing the platform.

Feedback Summary

ARKA Softwares has facilitated a positive experience so far, and the client looks forward to continuing to work with them. Professional and client-oriented, the team excels at project management. They listen to the client, deliver on the requirements, and offer reasonable costs. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a home services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We reached out to them for help developing our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ARKA is developing our home services platform from scratch.  We had a design and a discussion phase. They provided me with designs, and they updated them based on my requests. The team then moved into coding. 

We’re in the process of testing now. The platform is for iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

I mainly worked with ARKA’s project manager who served as the communication channel with their developers and inside management team. I’ve had one meeting with the development team as well.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

I was going through Clutch reviews and found theirs interesting, so I reached out. So far, my experience has been wonderful.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost so far is close to $50,000 CAD (approximately $39,400 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ARKA in June 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s going well. ARKA has a professional team, and they listen to what I want. They’ve provided the expected results, and they always focus on client satisfaction. 

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re absolutely fantastic.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I haven’t tried other providers, but I’m very pleased with how this experience has turned out. I’ll definitely continue working with ARKA, and I’ll also recommend them to anyone looking to build a website or mobile app.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. I’d just tell them to keep going.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The client should know their own business model completely before approaching ARKA, rather than figuring out how to do things along the way. That will not only make the process easier for both the client and the ARKA team but also save time and lead to more efficient results.

Star Ratings

Overall rating: 5

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how things have turned out.

Quality: 5

Cost: 5

I reached out to other service providers, and ARKA turned out to have the best cost.

Schedule: 5

They’re always there to answer my questions, and I haven’t had any issues with deadlines.

Willing to refer: 5

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an IT project manager at a government organization working for the empowerment of women.

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

As a response to the pandemic, we decided to start an e-learning project.

What was the scope of their involvement?

ARKA developed our platform in WordPress, so we can add and edit courses ourselves at any given time. It’s a great platform for content editing and it saved us a lot of time during the development. It also has a registration process and it hosts videos where we discuss women’s rights — we recorded the material and prepared the courses and quizzes ourselves. 

We sometimes had 20–30 videos per course, and a small exam for every collection or module, as well as a survey at the end.

What is the team composition?

I worked with about 10 people from ARKA, including Rahul (Managing Director), a project manager, a business analyst, and three developers.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

We didn’t have a development team in-house, and we wanted to find an organization with a reasonable price. Based on my online research, I found that India would be a good place to start looking. I made a comparison between a lot of companies, including ARKA Softwares, and they seemed to be a very good choice based on the quality of their work, reviews, and their cost.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost was around $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June–October 2020. The project took more time than expected because the scope wasn’t very clear.

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

I give them an 80% score. In general, they were very good, but there were leaks sometimes. The outcome was close to perfect. Hosting has been a small problem, so we’re working with another party to make workarounds — we usually solve the problem.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

The scope wasn’t very clear, so we employed Agile project management. We worked incrementally, in small parts, and we connected with each other after each sprint. ARKA was very good in terms of project management. They took the requirements,  made the necessary changes, and built prototypes and documentation before implementing the project — the initial proposal they gave me was also a good start.

ARKA made us an account on JIRA for us to follow up on tasks and issues on the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their follow-up. They respected the client and gave us their full attention and support during the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As I mentioned, our hosting could use some improvement.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Starting with a clear scope will make things easier. The scope from our side wasn’t very clear in the beginning, so I depended on ARKA to give me full solutions, but they expected the scope to come from my side. We then took the time between myself, the users, and the organization, in order to collect the whole idea.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an education technology (EdTech) company that provides tools for children to have engaging and effective online classes. We also provide tools for teachers to host live interactive classes based on our platform. 

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We wanted to develop a marketplace on top of our core product. Our team required someone with more expertise and experience in the marketplace, and ARKA was supposed to serve that role. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before signing a contract, we already provided ARKA with the project scope, design documents, and outline of the work. I also gave them a video walkthrough of what we already had. In fact, we showed them the XD screens we’d done on Adobe. From there, ARKA provided us with a quote based on how they could help us develop those parts. After showing the quote, we signed a contract, and everything was supposed to proceed from there.

After three weeks, they told me they didn’t have a clear development plan. They said my design documents weren’t aligned with what I was showing. In other words, they claimed I misled them. As a result, the contract on the project scope changed, which resulted in a highly different quote for the project.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was the project manager. During the analysis period, I also had to talk to designers and other teammates, but I didn’t work closely with them. 

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

I knew about ARKA based on a friend’s recommendation. Then, I verified their work on Clutch, in which they had a number of good reviews. As a result, I thought the engagement would be reasonable. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around £3,000 (approximately $4,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from August–September 2021.

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

Things started going downhill when it took four days for ARKA’s project manager to talk to me about how to move the project forward. Back then, there were already a lot of red flags; it seemed that he wasn’t truly aware of what was exactly going on in our project. For instance, he asked some odd questions and looked flustered. He didn’t ask for additional information, so I had to provide them voluntarily to him; I was managing him instead of him managing the project.

When ARKA was supposed to review the project’s source code, they chose to analyze the master branch from 3–4 versions ago on BitBucket. Even worse, we were working on the development branch, and they didn’t consult or ask us before they moved on with the full analysis. In my limited experience in this field, I never had this problem until I met ARKA. Usually, developers would first ask us which repository to use. After pointing them to the correct repository, I had a meeting with them and my team. During that meeting, they showed us the same problems from the old versions. Frankly, it was embarrassing for me because I had to introduce them to my existing team as marketplace experts. 

After a lot of back and forth, I contacted the project manager to make sure the Adobe XD designs were fine. I found out that their other contact didn’t share all the information with them. I pressed on, but I already escalated the issue with their higher manager. That manager came back to me with a defensive reply, saying that everything was my fault. He said I wasn’t clear about the project — all of this was happening in just the second week of our engagement. 

How did ARKA Softwares address the challenges that arose?

ARKA’s project manager wasn’t 100% on the ball in terms of communication, though the scope stayed the same. When challenges arose, they claimed that we only shared 28 screens from Adobe XD. However, my records showed that I didn’t change the screen drastically; the XD link confirmed that I shared a total of 68 screens. On the flip side, they also shared a screenshot to show they only saw 28 screens. 

What made it truly worse was that they informed me about it a week after they looked into the wrong repository. We also had a huge meeting where we clearly showed a total of 30–40 screens. In other words, if we truly had the wrong link, I couldn’t understand why they didn’t tell it to me right away. They chose to tell us about it when we were already finalizing everything.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

Based on the resources and the number of screens that they quoted us for the scope, the project should take around two months from its beginning. Given that, we were supposed to fully launch in October 2021. In the end, though, we were behind schedule by five weeks because they only told me about the missing screens at the eleventh hour.

Even stranger, ARKA didn’t stop the development in the third week even if they couldn’t tell me a complete timeline. I asked them about the end of sprint zero — the analysis phase —  but they couldn’t tell. I said it was fine, but they should at least tell me a rough timeline of the project or the time of their sprints. However, every time I asked for this, their management claimed I was escalating things for no reason. I found it strange because they were the first vendor ever to scold me for raising issues they didn’t answer clearly. 

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

For now, I can’t see anything good about their service. In fact, I’m hoping their customer service team provides me proof of termination. It will show what they’ve done and what information I’ve shown them. However, they still haven’t responded to me; I’m holding my breath until that happens. 

In what specific areas can they improve?

Their communication was truly poor.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

If you’re in the middle of your project, don’t engage ARKA. If you’re starting the project from scratch, perhaps you can engage them. Even then, be careful about their communication skills. As far as I can see, a lot of other people have had good experiences with them; it seems that I’m the only one with a terrible one. It’s probably because I’ve gone to them with an existing project. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a Fantasy Football platform based in the UK

For what projects/services did your company hire ARKA Softwares, and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop a mobile application, that could also be played on the web, for a new fantast football concept. We have created many unique features within the fantasy football game and the challenge for ARKA was to find a way to make these function when they haven't had to create them before. Our goal was to have a solution ready to test during our BETA season starting in August.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

After researching other vendors in this space and getting multiple quotations we chose ARKA based on viewing previous projects that had completed and acknowledging the value for money they offered.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had a series of discovery meetings prior to formalising a full project breakdown with completion dates and milestones. Over the course of the process ARKA provided information based on what was being developed in each sprint ready for testing and feedback to ensure deliverable targets were achieved. This involved web development as well as app development for both android and IOS.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

A project manager was provided to manage the relationship as well as having direct access to lead developers that were involved in the project. There were two lead developers that understood the full scope of the project and were able to communicate this to the rest of the development team.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our app is only now coming to the end of development and will go through a period of BETA testing before any feedback can be confirmed. We are happy with the solution and it meets our initial vision.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project manager was easy to deal with and kept us up to date on developments using basecamp, slack and skype. We had various group messaging options to enable us to communicate with the project manager as well as different development teams with eash staff member only being a skype call away. Most of our interaction was via messaging and calls which worked great for us.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their knowledge of developing mobile applications for both android and IOS was immensely beneficial. They were patient with us and explained each step to help us get an understanding of what they are doing as well as how to manage in the future. They were also very adaptable with the many new features we have requested.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

There were times where certain updates and project requirements could have been communicated better and where certain dates were delayed but this is to be expected.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

KiDS t1d is a diabetes management system for children and parents.

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

To develop a custom diabetes management system to help parents, teachers, doctors, friends and family manage the condition optimally.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Custom development of a webapp and mobile app.

What is the team dynamic?

1 project manager and 2 developers.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

Searching online reviews.

How much have you invested with them?

$8 500

What is the status of this engagement?

ARKA has resumed the development 

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

AREKA has since resumed the development and committed to delivering the project in 45 days.

How did ARKA Softwares address the challenges that arose?

It was a challenging experience due to COVID and communications.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

KiDS t1d is yet to launch. We await the completion of the development.

How was project management handled?

This will be updated upon completion of the project.

In what specific areas can they improve?

Prompter client response

This review was published on July 26, 2021.

Herman Plessis

Owner, KiDS t1d

Other Industry

1-10 Employees

South Africa

$10,000 to $49,999

Jan 2019 - Ongoing

Project summary

ARKA Softwares was hired to develop a SaaS platform for a diabetes management system.  The platform was expected to allow parents to keep track of their diabetic children. 

Feedback summary

Even after two years into their partnership, ARKA Softwares hasn't finished the platform yet. The client was forced to pay the project in full despite the stop in development, as well. The vendor also refused to offer refunds when they were demanded. Most of all, they lack technical ability. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of KiDS t1d. a Father who wanted to develop a type 1 diabetes management system for my daughter.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ARKA Softwares, and what were your goals?

As my 6 year old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. To make life easier for friends and friends and family I wanted to develop my own management system.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

It was between Arka softwares and another vendor. Anuj, the salesmen from ARKA informed me that they knew the other company and informed me that they do not even have their own inhouse developers. In Anuj's words "you will never see your project completed". 21 January 2019 I gave Arka Softwares the go-ahead. I have also read their online reviews, but I think it was mostly written by themselves.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Scope of work as per ARKA's features document: We are scoping “KIDSt1d“for Android & iOS with Website. The Application will facilitate the users which will allow the parents to keep a track on their Kids diabetic health. Parents will register themselves by putting the basic details for the signup. Parents will have to choose a monthly payment plan out of two plans; each plan will have certain features. Once parents sign up to the system they will have to fill in all the details about their children which will include the kid’s information, diabetes information, school information and other necessary details.

Parents will be able to provide the access of the App to the teacher and grandparents and time limitation to access the App can be provided by them. Parents will input the food intake information in the Application which will include date, time, sugar reading, carbs, meal type etc. Teachers will be able to manage the kids health.

They will have to enter the diabetes information using the device and enter the details about that in the App. If they find that the diabetic counts is high or low then the normal then they will be provided an access to the Hyper or Hypo button. Once they press this button, they will be shown a message about what needs to be done in that situation. Same feature will be provided to the grandparents in their App. Every time a kid eats anything, the assigned person will have to make entry about that.

Based on the entries done reports will be generated that can download by parents anytime. Doctors will be assigned to every kid using his unique id or patient id and based on the assigned patients, doctors can check the details about any patient any time from the records.

Mobile Apps: Language

• React Native JS Platform
• Android & IOS
• Backend & API
• PHP Database
• MYSQLApplication Server – Apache
• Website: Laravel Framework Backend
• API’s: PHP
• Complete Backend, Users registration. Mobile and Website (26th April 2019)
• Subscription and Logbook part (Mobile and Website) (15th May 2019)
• Final Completion (Mobile and Website) (28th May 2019) 

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

4 people. the only constant person was Sukhbir Singh (Project manager) Further there was issues where the developers kept on changing and the project had to be handed over all the time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

As of today 26 July 2021 the website has not been completed. It is riddled with errors and spelling mistakes. No website development has been done. I was forced to pay the project in full otherwise they would stop development. They was supposed to be paid as they completed milestones, this did not happen as they are not even 40% complete with the project, it is paid in full, and they have not responded to my e-mail and communication requests.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They have no management style. Sukhbir is supposed to be a project manager. I kept on insisting on any form of gant charts or timelines to try and further this project. Accept for a simple word document they have no tools or keep to any timelines. When I questioned their ability and insisted on a refund, I was told they have no refund policy. This is an outright lie as they have a refund policy on their website. I have complied with each and every term in the police and they refuse to refund my money and they are technically incapable of completing my project. This classifies as fraud and theft, but being from South Africa I have no legal recourse.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

In all honestly when we started I was impressed. But as the lack of their technical ability became clear, that is where it changed. I cannot in good conscience recommend this company.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

ARKS Software should not oversell their services. Due to the way I have been swindled out of my money, I would think twice before outsourcing anything to an Indian company ever again.

Star Ratings

Overall rating: 0.1 – STAY AWAY!!! Project is paid in full and abandoned after being developed lees than 40%, full of errors. Code is completely useless.

Quality: 0.5 – Very poor. They do not have the technical expertise or tools to complete the development.

Cost: 0.5 – As I was forced to pay the full price and sit with unusable product, you will lose money working with ARKA.

Schedule: 0.5 – After you question their capabilities, they start ignoring you.

Willing to refer: 0.5 – ARKA is a scam company who is unable to complete their developments. I will NEVER refer them

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is Go Gaming online Pvt Ltd I work as jr. Technical officer

For what projects/services did your company hire ARKA Softwares, and what were your goals?

We want to develop a mobile app which is easy to use and have a user-friendly platform that was easy to Update from an update perspective.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

we chose this vendor based on their past projects.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had a meeting to discuss out objectives we provided their team with the designs we want and they delivered the way we want within 1 month.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

mostly interacted with Two lead front and back-end developer.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Mostly the people have commented on how easy it is to use.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We had both in-person meetings and phone calls everything was delivered on time.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their mobile app development skills they know everything about UX and execution since this was our first Mobile app, they were also patient and nice to us

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

They worked extremely well. No improvement is required.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of a real estate company that focuses on mid- to long-term rentals. 

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We needed to build a fully functional MVP.

What was the scope of their involvement?

ARKA provided us with end-to-end development services. Their team built our promotional website, which was hosted on AWS. They used PHP, Laravel, and a MySQL database.

Their team also developed a web app. It houses portals for tenants and landlords and enables users to list and book properties and message each other. We’re finalizing the integration before deploying the platform.

What is the team composition?

We directly deal with two project managers who oversee their developers, designers, and business analysts. About eight people from ARKA work with us.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

We spoke with many vendors that we found through Clutch. ARKA stood out because they provided a detailed proposal, which showed their willingness to invest in our solution. Other factors that contributed to our decision to work with them included cost, timeline, and experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $55,000 on their services so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership around December 2020, and it’s ongoing.

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

We split the project into 10 milestones and reviewed each one upon completion. Their team finished the final milestone, and we launched the promotional website. They built a fully comprehensive solution within the budget. It has been a success.

Our engagement’s pleasant, and their team accomplishes all of our requests. As they do an exceptional job, we couldn’t ask for a better partner.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

ARKA documented the project and shared the documentation with us, which was well done. We have weekly meetings and hold additional meetings when necessary. We use Basecamp and message via social media. Communication’s great, and everything is done in an efficient manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by their initiative. From the start of the project, ARKA has exceeded my expectations. They put themselves in my shoes and think through ideas to propose various solutions, asking a lot of questions along the way. Their team’s open, so it’s easy to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be nice to have direct communication with developers on occasion. However, it’s not necessary.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

ARKA’s extremely engaged and works to provide comprehensive solutions. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of Aner. We’re a startup that connects students who need tutoring with a tutor. We’re using smart technology to help the tutor and student make the class proposition easier and more convenient. The tutoring sessions are virtual, so they can both stay at home.

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

We needed a partner who had good past experience in developing web platforms. As a startup, naturally, we were also looking for a partner that could fit our budget.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we discussed our vision and objectives for the platform with them. ARKA Softwares came up with wireframes and designs. They focused on each of our users — students, tutors, and parents. Their team built the UI for students’ and tutors’  profiles. Features for the profiles included classes, subjects, quizzes, and reviews. The platform was built using PHP Laravel for the backend and JavaScript for the frontend.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Sukhbir (Project Manager) and his manager.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

My partner conducted research to find the right agency. ARKA Softwares was the best option for us. They had good knowledge and experience. Additionally, their prices were affordable.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around 1300 Saudi riyals (approximately $350 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement was from March 2019–March 2021. Now, the source code is in our hands and we'll upload it to our system.

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

The platform is of good quality. We liked ARKA Softwares’s process of executing the project. There were some minor bugs here and there. We had an issue related to a third-party API integrated with our virtual classroom. ARKA Softwares was very responsible in contacting the third party and handling all of the work. Everything was fixed.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

They broke the project down into milestones. If we decided to change something in the middle of a milestone, they were open to making those changes. As a startup, changes happen often. I reviewed each of the milestones as we went along to make sure everything was working. Everything was always completed to good quality.

We used Trello for project management. Deliverables and submissions from the milestones were submitted through email. If we had minor questions, we would hop on Skype. One of my original fears was the six-hour time difference. However, I was pleased and impressed to see that they worked in our time zone. Whenever I sent a message they always responded, even late into our evening time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ARKA Softwares was very understanding and always went the extra mile. As a startup, we didn’t come into the engagement knowing every exact detail. Their team worked with us during every milestone to implement the established specifications but also pivot if we needed to. At the end of the project, they even offered to upload the source code to our server.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our website is in both English and Arabic. The translations were done through Google Translate, so they weren’t completely clear. They did their best, and I stepped in to do the translations with them. The only area for improvement is this. It would be beneficial if they had someone who could handle translating Arabic pages.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand that changes will add time to your project. Make sure when you split the milestones, that you have everything laid out.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a self-employed web developer, providing mainly backend services such as SQL server database development and maintenances. Basically, I develop websites for local small businesses.

What challenge were you trying to address with ARKA Softwares?

I reached a stage where I secured too much work and had to turn down projects because I was committed to my small number of clients. I needed to onboard additional people to work on projects when I had additional work that I couldn’t handle.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I work on a range of different solutions with them as I ramp up my skills. Their team essentially performs certain work for my clients under my name while I manage the projects. Throughout our projects, I give them my requirements on a daily or weekly basis.

During one project, they built an online store based in nopCommerce for a local client. Making sure their work met the client’s business requirements, I reviewed all of their work.

Their team also helped develop an online childcare resource in Australia. They helped with the platform's new design and release. Their team also developed a Windows desktop application. ARKA also dedicated a PHP developer to work on another project. More recently, their team has worked on WordPress sites. As I’m new to WordPress, I pass the projects to them.

What is the team composition?

I deal with a business manager who tells me whether or not there are resources available. Although I have a business manager, I essentially engage them for developers.

How did you come to work with ARKA Softwares?

I originally found ARKA on Upwork when they were a different company. We worked together but the engagement phased out as work dried up. Their team branched out and contacted me after setting themselves up as a new company and the timing was right.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the past two years, I’ve spent about €40,000 each year  ($48,000 USD) on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started giving them a decent amount of work in 2018. However, it’s overall a 6–8 years long relationship.

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

I’m able to offer services that I was never able to previously offer. I trust them and essentially seek work knowing that their team can backfill positions with developers. ARKA basically does exactly what the project dictates. Clients are happy and come back asking for more.

How did ARKA Softwares perform from a project management standpoint?

ARKA offers a range of project management solutions but I like to manage projects with my clients. I like to keep a tight rein, so project management is done in house. I tell them when a task needs to be delivered, and it’s delivered by that time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ARKA is willing to do absolutely anything I ask of them. Nothing is a problem for their team. If AKRA doesn’t know something, they’ll learn about it. Their team will research exactly what needs to be done based on how I want it done. They will get up to speed on whatever technology I’m looking to use.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t pinpoint any specific challenge areas. I keep an eye on them and ensure that everything’s done when it needs to be done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that what you asked from them is on track. Be engaged with them through daily or weekly meetings and code reviews. I never had any problems with them.