Custom Software Development for PropTech Company

Solution

What was the scope of their involvement?

Arcanys has built our software from scratch. We already had design prototypes of the software we wanted to develop. A digital design consultant further developed and prototyped our idea, so Arcanys took it on board to develop it.

There’s ongoing web design work regarding prototyping and coding using Figma. When we want to look at different frontend designs and test different workflows, we can jump straight in with the team to code it. They also have a team member who can design and test the prototype, like we originally did. Based on that, the team can code it once we provide feedback.

The software is a portfolio management solution for tenants who occupy space outside of commercial real estate. It consolidates and displays all lease liabilities, including cost and critical dates, such as expiries, rent reviews, different option terms, and extracts, like key lease clauses. Overall, it takes out all key information from commercial leases and displays it on the platform. Another module is dedicated to lease procurement so tenants in commercial markets can source new leases and sites.

What is the team composition?

We have a part-time Scrum master, who is like a project manager, three full-time front- and backend developers, a QA tester, and a part-time DevOps engineer who oversees the development, coding, and building of the software and interacts with me and the CTO to test it.

How did you come to work with Arcanys?

We initially ran a process to try to source several competitive developers in Asia to develop the product. We first went with another developer in Bangkok. My CTO and I were split; I always wanted to go with Arcanys, but he wanted to go with the other group because their sales presentation was a bit more polished.

At the time, I told my CTO that I didn’t care how polished the sales presentation was; the crucial part was doing the work, so I was skeptical about the other group in Bangkok. In the end, my gut feeling and skepticism were correct because the group was good but not good enough. Although we were only 2–3 months in, it was enough time for us to realize that they weren’t the right partner for the long term.

I contacted Frederic (Co-Founder, President, and head of Growth) from Arcanys and told him we had made the wrong decision. If they were still interested in working with us, we could trench across the work that we’d done to date and start working with their team. Frederic was open to that.

The process was extensive and took a lot of intense work and organization. Arcanys was absolutely fantastic in working with us and ensuring the transition occurred smoothly. Then, they picked up the coding from there. 

Ultimately, we jumped to Arcanys, who were still interested in working with us. It was one of the most important decisions we’ve made to date, but they were great in helping us.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $400,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We initially engaged them in May 2023, and the team is still working with us. We only see the size of the team growing in the next couple of years.

Results & Feedback

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

We’ve just launched to market, so I can’t comment on metrics. We know we’re in a launching phase, so there’ll be changes and things we notice we can fix, but there are no issues. Arcanys has built our second product, the procurement module, quite quickly. I plan on using it as a consultant, so even though I’m the founder, I’m also the first customer of that particular product. I think it’ll operate smoothly and make a lot of difference. We’ll see in 12 months.

Moreover, we see Arcanys as a long-term partner, and I’ve made sure that the founders know that. We also ensure that the core team knows we see our growth and success being on the same journey as their journey with us. We wouldn’t do that if we didn’t think they were right for us.

How did Arcanys perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is perfect. Arcanys has completely partnered with us. Their comprehension is impressive. If you haven’t worked in real estate before, it can be pretty tricky to understand why we do what we do and the way the system works.

I’m not a technical person, so I don’t communicate daily with them. If I need to speak with someone, it’s usually the founders, so I just email them. Additionally, my CTO uses Jira, an Atlassian product.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Before we decided to go with the other group, Arcanys was as skeptical about taking on our project as we were about taking them on. We know they don’t take on any work they can find; they’re quite selective with their clients. That demonstrates they’re serious about quality and the project they’re working on.

Moreover, their hiring policy is quite strict because many people let junior or average developers slip through the cracks, but that isn’t the case with Arcanys.

Another impressive trait is that they assign developers to projects when they’re on the bench rather than letting them sit doing nothing. Arcanys lets them keep learning, so they put the developers on teams free of cost. We recently had a developer who had nothing to work on; he was offered to us to keep finetuning his skills and work with our business. We had him for free for 4–5 months, which significantly impacted our speed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I only have one slight criticism. In my experience, all software developers could improve on something: they can get a little protective of their staff if we mention that the speed is lacking or some areas need more attention. They might say that the developer is doing his best, and we acknowledge that. However, I think it’s important to try to address the customer feedback, even if you disagree with it.

Although it isn’t an issue specific to Arcanys, and it might be cultural or cross-boundary differences, it’s common for software developers to behave similarly. They get protective of their environment, but sometimes there’s something in what we’re telling them, and they should listen.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice to anyone coming on board is to ensure that you come prepared, ask many questions, and give them time to fully understand the process, approach, and why things are the way they are. As long as you give them time and come prepared, you can learn a lot and get a lot of value back from them.