Interview with Kalpesh Patel, CEO - Solution Analysts

Kalpesh Patel  

CEO, Solution Analysts Pvt Ltd.

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

With a view to taking business automation to the next level, I started an ambitious journey in the technology domain in 2011. Today, I am happy that our dedicated efforts at Solution Analysts have paid off as we are one of the leading names in the mobile app development in the US and India. Headquartered in Ahmedabad, we operate from the USA office as well.

Since inception, I have kept focus on the client-centric approach and quality-driven agility in enterprise software development. I think it is necessary for any app development company to embrace the emerging technologies to remain firm amid intensifying competition. For example, today, AR, IOT, and AI are the futuristic technologies that are necessary for developing the next-gen mobile apps.  

You should have a keen eye on technological advancements also as every now and then we come across diverse client requirements. In eight years of bumpy yet interesting journey toward excellence has taught me that hard work and honesty are important if you want to succeed in the IT field.

What is your role in the management and development of Solution Analysts?

As a founder and CEO, my role is both technical and managerial. I am responsible for taking all the critical and real-time decisions. I direct the management and various technical teams of Solution Analysts. As technology evolves on a daily basis, I guide our developers and designers to make sure whether the entire process functions well. I have a team of managers with different technical skill set and a lot of experience in the tech domain. I discuss the policy matters with them to ensure a seamless flow.  

I regularly go through the schedules of various teams and monitor their progress to meet the deadlines.  

In the wee hours, you can find me discussing various aspects with project managers and team leaders in back-to-back meetings or communicating with our clients on Skype.  

I believe that employees are real assets for any company. Therefore, I keep focusing on hiring and retaining the best talents in Solution Analysts.

Tell us about your biggest achievement in the industry

We have been operating since 2011 and during this exciting journey, we have achieved many milestones like getting our first customer, reaching to 100+ member team and getting more than 80% revenue from repeat business. We've worked on over 500 challenging projects and launched many products in the last 7 years.  

However, if I have to name a single thing which I personally consider as our biggest achievement is the culture we have been able to establish and maintain at Solution Analysts. The “can-do” attitude is an integral part of our culture which has helped us achieving near to impossible tasks.

Along with being very passionate about the work we do, “respect for all” is woven in our daily lives. I’m very proud to say that we have been able to maintain the culture throughout the growth story of SA and that’s our biggest achievement.

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

In a thriving mobile app development industry, meeting the deadlines is a must-have attribute for any software development company. From winning the client’s trust to ensure smooth operations of the company, it is necessary for us to complete the client’s projects on time.  

We have a well-defined development process consists of daily planning and real-time communication. We have project managers who lead the teams of Android and iOS and look after every aspect of the app development process. They plan daily activities, meetings, and also analyze if there is a need for increasing or decreasing hours or allocate additional resources.

Our app development process has seven steps: 

● Analyze business requirement

● Wireframe design for project flow

● Development and Integration

● Testing and Optimization

● Delivery or Deployment

● Technical Assistance

● Support and Reengineering

All these steps are monitored closely and we ensure that they are finished within a given time-frame.  

Our team remains in touch with the clients during the entire app development process from ideation to deployment of the app. It helps us serve the corporate clients more efficiently.    

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

Today, we have two OS available for deploying feature-rich mobile applications: Android and iOS. Our team of business consultants stays in touch with the market trends and business requirements of various industry sectors. When the client comes with the project requirements, our professionals do extensive research in the first place. 

Our team also considers factors like geography, target audience, and other factors. We also go through the business insights and needs provided by the clients. All these considerations enable us to assist our clients in selecting the most suitable and profitable app platform. 

App development is a costly affair and we always help our clients to take the right decision for growing their business and getting a high ROI.

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

Well, if you ask me, I would prefer native over hybrid apps. The reason is simple: such apps can offer an excellent user experience and higher scalability. However, startups and small companies may find it difficult to make a native app due to budget constraints. There, we have an option of a hybrid app that can run on multiple platforms with ease.  

I like native apps for higher security, complex feature integration, offline mode, and other benefits. But if you want an app in a short time and want to save bucks, then hybrid app could be your option.  

At Solution Analysts, we have assisted many startups with hybrid and native apps in a cost-effective way. Our team of experienced business consultants keeps every aspect of the business in mind before suggesting the most suitable option.

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

The pricing model is always a tricky question to answer. It could be as straightforward as typical pricing models like Fixed Price Contracts, Time & Material, and Dedicated Team. We also follow the same models based on customers’ needs and the clarity of project requirements.

If the requirements are well defined and can be scoped easily, then we will suggest our client to go with a fixed price model, while T&M is preferred where the requirements may be evolving during development and the budget is flexible. The dedicated team is always preferable where the customer wants a complete control of the project during implementation and direct the team members based on his/her business needs. However, there have been situations where we have started the project in T&M as discovery phase to finalize the requirements, budget & timeline and then implemented in fixed cost. 

Since we have been working in Industry for more than 7 years and have implemented 500+ different projects, we have developed a lot of reusable components and implemented best practices that reduce the development time and help us in faster project execution.  

When we start the project budgeting, we first check our reusable components repository which can reduce the project timeline and budget and then provide the final costing. This helps our clients in reducing their go-to-market time and overall cost of the project.

It's the value that we focus on more than just the price of the project!

How helpful are the mobile apps developed by Solution Analysts for your clients in enhancing their business?

At Solution Analysts, we always strive to build the client-centric software solutions in a cost-effective way. Our mobile apps can give solutions to complex business solutions and entrepreneurs can get a higher ROI, thanks to our competitive pricing and reduced TTM (Time to Market).  

We provide the next-gen mobile app solutions to diverse industry sectors like healthcare, farming, fintech, etc. We integrate the advancements of the futuristic technologies like IoT, AR, and VR for making feature-rich mobile apps that can help our clients take their business to the next level.

Recently, we have made an app for a leading name in the global BFSI sector. This mobile app is not just a traditional transaction-based app. It offers a plethora of relevant and interesting information to the app users. It helps our client to establish and strengthen the brand while increasing its authority in the BFSI sector at a national and international level.

I can give many examples of the mobile apps that have brought revolutionary changes in the client’s business as our experienced developers have worked on diverse app projects across different industry sectors.

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

Since inception, we give honesty and transparency a top priority to maintain the client’s trust upon us. We, at Solution Analysts, never compromise on quality and app performance while meeting the deadlines.  

Also, we communicate with the clients at every stage of development process. Our client’s real-time is necessary for us to make a successful business app. From conceptualization to deployment and maintenance to marketing of the client’s app, we take care of every detail to earn the client’s satisfaction.  

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

No IT services provider can ignore emerging technologies like VR, AR, IoT, and machine learning. As a mobile app development company, we integrate these technologies to make advanced and high-end enterprise app solutions. Our experienced web and mobile app developers remain updated with the latest technological trends and use cutting-edge development tools to keep pace with the technological advancements.  

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

As I mentioned, AR, VR and IoT are futuristic technologies with a huge potential. They are ready to exert a large impact on various business sectors like education, healthcare, BFSI, and real estate. As these technologies will bring radical changes in the business processes globally, the next-gen mobile apps will integrate advancements of these technologies in the form of innovative features. Such apps will help entrepreneurs get control over IoT and another futuristic system on the move.  

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

The growing number of smart phone users across the world itself shows the bright future of mobile technology. I expect that as new technologies will evolve, mobile apps will certainly integrate the changes for a better performance and out-of-the-box features. AI-based assistants, VR and AR experience, and IoT will shape the future of mobile apps. What’s more, the thriving mobile commerce will soon overtake laptop-based transactions. This is what I think will be the mobile technology’s tomorrow.