Please introduce your company and give a brief about your role within the company?
XongoLab possesses expertise in delivering top-quality mobile and web development solutions which put businesses on the growth trajectory. We study client requirements and frame a suitable IT solution for them so that they can march ahead as the most technically competitive organization in their industry. My role involves overseeing the tasks and monitoring the performance of various departments and motivating them to deliver their best. As both the CEO and Director of XongoLab, I ensure that it always functions to its optimum.
What was the idea behind starting this organization?
The main idea behind commencing XongoLab was to offer the most sophisticated IT solutions to businesses that were seeking to extend their business growth using the latest technologies.
What are your company’s business model–in house team or third party vendors/ outsourcing?
We are equipped with an in-house team of app and web designers as well developers who possess varied experience across various industrial segments. We provide our services on a full-time, part-time, or hourly basis.
How is your business model beneficial from a value addition perspective to the clients compared to other companies' models?
Flexibility is the highlight of our business model. We mold ourselves as per the unique requirements of our clients instead of asking them to accommodate our business model. As you saw above, our three hiring models are just the standard models we offer. If a client wishes to join hands with us utilizing two models all through the project lifetime, then also we are open to it.
What industries do you generally cater to? Are your customers repetitive? If yes, what ratio of clients has been repetitive to you?
We cater to the needs of a variety of companies across various business segments. They usually get back to us for their future IT requirements or for extending the existing technical solutions.
Yes, 75% of our customers are repetitive.
Mention the objectives or the parameters critical in determining the time frame of developing a mobile app.
Designing and developing a mobile app is a critical process. The time taken to give it a full form varies from project to project. The number of features and functionalities of the app is the most basic parameter utilized to determine the time frame for creating a full-fledged mobile app.
How much effort in terms of time goes into developing the front end and back end of a mobile app?
The effort required to develop the front as well as the back end of a mobile app depends on the complexity of the project. The intricacy of the design also dictates the time needed to create the front end. The back end usually takes around two months, depending on the number of forms and tables to be created.
What are the key parameters to be considered before selecting the right platform for a mobile application?
One of the chief considerations our team takes in prior to deciding the platform is the target audience. iPhone is suited for professional and classy apps utilized by a certain class of people, whereas Android is most suited for reaching the masses and apps that are very crucial for day to day life.
Which platform do you suggest your clients to begin with when they approach you with an idea (Android or iOS) and why?
There is no specific platform that we propose before studying the project details. When our clients approach us for creating an app, we first look into the details of who the target audience is and then deduce a platform.
Android or iOS, Native or Hybrid — which platform is best to use to build your app? What are your recommendations?
I once again would add here that the platform solely relies on the target audience. Native or Hybrid depends on the features and functionalities the app has got. After studying the project details, our team comes up with suitable recommendations.
What are the key factors that you consider before deciding the cost of a mobile application?
The time frame needed to create the app, the number of features and functionalities of the app, and the hiring model chosen to decide the overall cost of creating a mobile app.
What kind of payment structure do you follow to bill your clients? Is it Pay per Feature, Fixed Cost, Pay per Milestone (could be in phases, months, versions etc.)
We have three hiring models to offer to our clients. Full-time, part-time, and per hour basis are the three basic structures utilized for billing our clients. We also offer hiring a team or individual option, which can be the sole choice of the client. We also recommend the most suitable one based on their budget and project size.
Do you take in projects which meet your basic budget requirement? If yes, what is the minimum requirement? If no, on what minimum budget you have worked for?
The minimum budget requirement for us to take up projects is 2000 USD. We have worked for various clients on this budget to accomplish mobile apps.
What is the price range (min and max) of the projects that you catered to in 2018?
Owing to the varying requirements of clients, we have worked on projects ranging from 3000 USD to 100000 USD maximum.
Which business model do you suggest to your clients enabling them to generate revenue from mobile applications? Why?
We usually suggest our clients go for fixed cost models because this helps them in generating enough revenue from their mobile app. This is because, in case of a variable cost project, the cost may increase with the changing features whereas, in a fixed cost project, the cost doesn’t vary much than the estimated one.
