Interview with Dileep Jacob, Senior Vice President - Fingent

Dileep Jacob  

Senior Vice President, Fingent

Give us a quick overview on Fingent. When and how did you begin this journey and what were your motives to be successful in app development?

Fingent is a global IT company that provides strategic business solutions and services for complex business problems across multiple industries. Our vast industry and technology expertise enable us to focus on leading internet technologies to develop scalable, secure, and easy-to-use applications. We believe that the judicious use of technology, together with good design can reduce complexity, connect individuals, and provide valuable insights, all of which ultimately help businesses succeed.

We started operations in 2003 at New York with the motive of delivering innovative solutions for complex business challenges rapidly and on budget.  Over the last 16 years, we have established ourselves as the key technology partner for numerous global enterprises. Our custom solutions have become the central components in our client’s business success.

What is your role in the management and development of Fingent?

As the Senior Vice President – Global Operations at Fingent, I provide expertise in the areas of Global Delivery, Strategic Partnerships, International Marketing, Account Management, and Project Assurance services.

Tell us about your biggest achievement in the industry

We have successfully completed over 700 projects till date for an extensive clientele that includes even Fortune 500 companies. We are the trusted technology partner of some of the big names in the industry such as NEC, Johnson and Johnson, PwC, Sharjah Airport Travel Agency, and the Government of Dubai.

We are proud of the accolades conferred on us by some of the leading global directories including TopDevelopers.co.

How do you schedule the development phases of the apps to promise the timeline to your clients?

We follow a systematic approach when it comes to setting timelines for projects. We first conduct a thorough analysis of the client’s requirements by weighing the complexities, business criticalities, dependencies, and risks involved.  Subsequently, the scope of the project and the milestones get defined, and a detailed documentation is drawn up. 

The details of the project are communicated with our team and the development begins. After the accomplishment of every milestone, we fetch customer feedback and incorporate the changes before proceeding to the next stage. This way, we make sure our clients’ expectations are met and there are no surprises towards the end. In a nutshell, our approach comes down to:

Research and Discovery
Validating and Shaping Idea
Design and Prototyping
Development
Testing and Quality Assurance
Maintenance and Support

How do you help your clients in choosing the right yet profitable platform for app development?

We have a dedicated presales team that interacts closely with each prospect of ours to understand their goals and requirements. We meticulously weigh all the factors involved in the project from a strategic viewpoint – functionalities involved, present market conditions, client objectives, target audience, design, budget and more to arrive at the right platform that suits their needs.

Since our team is technically competent across diverse platforms, we can adapt to dynamic client requirements from diverse industries with minimal issues.

Which would you suggest for a successful and profitable business progression, native or hybrid apps? How do you define the factors that influenced you to make this choice?

The choice between native and hybrid app development depends on the client’s requirements, the complexity of features, timelines, and budget. One of the key factors that is pivotal to consider is the longevity of the app. For e.g. if the app is being built from a marketing perspective with a short term outlook, we recommend hybrid apps. If it is envisioned to be a business enabler app with a long term use for field services, we would recommend native. This also helps with the maintainability of the app.

Since user experience is paramount, I would recommend native apps over hybrid apps. Though the time to market and upfront costs of native apps are high, they offer great user experience, improved performance, quicker bug fixes, and better customization. In the long run, our clients will be able to gain loyal end-users and more conversions.

How do you scheme your pricing model? How do you fix your budget?

The pricing models followed are mostly dependent on the clarity of our client’s requirements. If the requirements are clear, we adopt a fixed price model where the client is billed for every sprint or milestone. However, if we are taking up maintenance or product modernization projects with multiple dependencies, a thorough analysis of the effort involved is carried out, and blueprints of the products are laid out through prototypes and wireframes. We then follow a time and material approach for costing where the billing happens for each sprint.

How helpful are the mobile apps developed by your team, for enhancing your clients’ business?

Over the past 16 years, we have developed countless mobile apps for our customers across industries, and many of them have had transformative effects on their businesses. For example, PricewaterhouseCoopers approached us with the requirement for an efficient, automated, and transparent ticket management solution. We developed a smart ticketing app for their employees to raise tickets, and their IT department to manage them efficiently. The solution resulted in an 80% increase in productivity, 67% faster fix rates, and triple the work getting accomplished within the same time frame.

What according to you are the best practices to attain client satisfaction?

According to me, to satisfy your clients and build long-lasting relationships, you should strive to be highly responsive to the client’s needs and bring in innovation, while staying within the budget. Try to maintain consistency and transparency while communicating, and be clear about what is possible and what is beyond the scope of the project.

How do you update your business system to be in pace with the technological advancements?

A technology company will be able to thrive in today’s competitive landscape only if its workforce has a flexible mindset and the openness to adapt to technological changes. We conduct regular knowledge sharing sessions, workshops, trainings, and brainstorming meetings on a regular basis for ideas and thoughts to flow freely, both within and between teams.

What are your thoughts about AR, VR and Internet of Things (IoT)?

AR, VR, and IOT have already started seeing a lot of mainstream adoption, especially in industries like Real Estate, Education, Manufacturing, Automotive and more. Fingent works as an innovation partner for a few universities to help prototype applications that use such technologies.

These technologies do not add mileage on their own, but when integrated into an organisation's larger strategic initiatives or existing technology landscape, they deliver significant value.

What do you think will be the future of Mobile technology?

Mobile devices are becoming more powerful and are capable of handling complex functions much faster. At Fingent, we see that it's a connected world of technologies (IoT, AI, AR, VR, and Cloud Services) working with mobile devices to deliver on location and intuitive solutions to companies and consumers.