CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY
From a Failed Development Experience to a Technology Partner Bev Could Depend On
After another offshore development firm left Verbina with a buggy, clunky, and unreliable app, Bev Klau turned to Clutch for help finding a better partner. Clutch referred Verbina to Technology Rivers based on our reviews, beginning a relationship that transformed both the product and Bev’s experience working with a development team.
“Technology Rivers did an entire overhaul of the app. They made it workable.”
Beverly “Bev” Klau (Founder & CEO, Verbina)
Hear Bev's Experience Working with Technology Rivers
After a difficult experience with another offshore development company, Verbina asked Clutch for a referral to a development partner it could trust. Based on Technology Rivers’ reviews, Clutch introduced Bev and her team to Technology Rivers.
Bev shares what happened next: an overhaul of the existing application, a dramatically different communication experience, and a relationship that expanded beyond technical development into product, business, and strategic guidance.
Client
Beverly “Bev” Klau
Role
Founder & CEO, Verbina
Engagement
Existing Application Rescue, Overhaul & Ongoing Product Development
Industry
Social Media / Community Technology
Focus
Application Modernization, Product Development, UX / Product Strategy, Strategic Advisory
Why Bev Values Working with Technology Rivers
An Ability to Fix What Wasn't Working
Verbina arrived with an existing application that Bev says was buggy, clunky, unpredictable, and not usable. Technology Rivers overhauled the application, made it workable, and completed the improvements Verbina had requested.
Fast, Responsive Execution
Bev repeatedly highlights speed and responsiveness as defining parts of the experience. She describes a team that turns things around quickly and remains readily accessible through meetings and Slack.
Listening Before Building
Technology Rivers did more than execute a list of changes. Bev says the team listened closely to what she wanted and also advised her on improvements that users might find beneficial.
More Than a Technical Partner
The relationship expanded beyond software development. Bev says she received strategic business and marketing advice as well as introductions to potential investors and partners.
"It has been so amazing to work with a company that actually turns things around, fixes things."
Beverly “Bev” Klau
Founder & CEO, Verbina
THE PRODUCT CHALLENGE
When Your First Development Partner Doesn't Deliver
Verbina is a social media application built around purposeful connection and transformational communities.
But before Technology Rivers became involved, Bev had already invested in developing the product with another offshore development firm.
The result was not what Verbina needed.
Bev describes the application as buggy, clunky, unpredictable in its performance, and ultimately “not anything that was usable.”
Rather than simply trying another development company at random, Verbina asked Clutch for a referral. Based on Technology Rivers’ reviews on the platform, Clutch connected Verbina with our team.
Technology Rivers inherited the existing application and performed what Bev describes as an “entire overhaul.”
The team fixed problems, implemented Verbina’s requested improvements, and began recommending additional improvements based on what would benefit the application’s users.
For Bev, the difference was not limited to better software. It was also a fundamentally different experience working with a development partner.
"They were able to translate something that I really understand, which is building community, and able to bring that into this app that we've created."
Beverly “Bev” Klau
Founder & CEO, Verbina
FROM DOMAIN EXPERTISE TO DIGITAL PRODUCT
Translating Community Building Into Software
Bev did not come to Technology Rivers as a software expert.
Her background is in education and facilitation, and her expertise is in creating the kinds of community experiences Verbina is designed to support.
That created an important product-development challenge: how do you take something a founder understands deeply in the physical and interpersonal world and recreate meaningful parts of that experience through software?
Technology Rivers helped bridge that gap.
Instead of expecting Bev to communicate like a software engineer, the team worked from the concepts and experiences she understood and helped translate those ideas into the application.
For non-technical founders, that ability can be just as important as writing the code itself.
HOW THE PARTNERSHIP STARTED
A Clutch Referral After a Difficult Offshore Development Experience
Verbina’s introduction to Technology Rivers came at a particularly important point in the product’s development.
The company had already experienced many of the concerns founders have about outsourced development: slow communication, unpredictable performance, and software that simply was not working as expected.
Looking for a more dependable alternative, Verbina asked Clutch for a referral.
Based on Technology Rivers’ reviews, Clutch introduced the two companies.
That independent referral led to an engagement focused initially on rescuing and overhauling Verbina’s existing application. But as Bev experienced the team’s speed, communication, listening, and strategic thinking, the relationship grew beyond fixing software.
COMMUNICATION THAT CREATES CONFIDENCE
Before the Meeting, a Plan. After the Meeting, a Recap.
Bev’s previous experience with software development had included slow communication and unpredictable results.
Her experience with Technology Rivers has been noticeably different.
The team meets with Verbina regularly. Before meetings, someone from Technology Rivers outlines what will be discussed. After meetings, the team provides a thorough recap covering what they heard and what will happen next.
Slack gives Bev another direct channel to the team between meetings.
That structure matters because it gives a non-technical founder visibility into a process that can otherwise feel difficult to follow.
“They work very fast but also really listen well, so the open communication has been fantastic.”
BEYOND THE DEVELOPMENT SCOPE
Strategic Advice Alongside Technical Execution
Fixing the application was only one part of the value Bev describes.
Technology Rivers also provided strategic advice about what users might find beneficial. As the relationship developed, Bev says she received broader business and marketing strategy as well.
Technology Rivers also introduced Verbina to potential investors and potential partners.
Bev’s experience therefore moved beyond a conventional client-development vendor relationship.
The technical work solved the immediate product problem. The strategic relationship helped support the broader business around the product.
"Working with Technology Rivers has been more than just getting a technical partner. I get strategic advice, and that's been exceptional."
Beverly “Bev” Klau
Founder & CEO, Verbina
THE BOTTOM LINE
"I Wholeheartedly Recommend Working with Technology Rivers."
Bev came to Technology Rivers after experiencing many of the problems founders worry about when outsourcing software development: slow communication, unreliable functionality, and unpredictable results.
Her experience with Technology Rivers has been the opposite.
The story demonstrates:
Problem-solving:
taking over an existing problematic application and making it workable
Responsiveness:
fast turnaround and accessible communication
Listening:
understanding Bev’s goals rather than simply executing technical tasks
Strategic thinking:
recommending improvements beyond the initial requests
Partnership:
contributing business advice, marketing perspective, and valuable introductions
“They’re great. I am thrilled that we have started working together, and I’m looking forward to a very long partnership with them.”
Beverly “Bev” Klau
Founder & CEO, Verbina
Video Transcript
The Full Conversation
[0:01] I’m Beverly Klau, founder and CEO of Verbina. Verbina is a social media app for purposeful connection for transformational communities.
[0:12] We connect communities of purpose across time and place. We came to Technology Rivers having already started working with another offshore firm, and what they had created was really not anything that was usable.
[0:26] There were bugs. It was clunky. It was not predictable in terms of the performance.
[0:32] And Technology Rivers did an entire overhaul of the app.
[0:35] They made it workable and did all the improvements that we had asked for and also gave us strategic advice on what else the user would find beneficial.
[0:47] So it has been so amazing to work with a company that actually turns things around, fixes things.
[0:54] Having had the experience of working with another firm where the communication is slow and the app doesn’t function and things are unpredictable, it is such a pleasure to work with Technology Rivers.
[1:08] My background is in education and facilitation, so when I came to Technology Rivers, I wanted to create something that would simulate the type of work that I’m really most familiar with.
[1:19] So I came to them with really not very much knowledge and technology, and they were able to translate something that I really understand, which is building community, and able to bring that into this app that we’ve created.
[1:33] What I love most about Technology Rivers is the ability to turn things around quickly.
[1:39] They work very fast but also really listen well, so the open communication has been fantastic. We meet on a regular basis, and leading up to the meeting, someone from Technology Rivers lays out, “Here’s what we are going to be talking about.”
[1:54] And after the meeting, they give a very thorough recap: “Here’s what we heard. Here’s what we’re going to do going forward.” And there’s always opportunities to get in touch with someone because we’re on a Slack channel, and I love how responsive they are as a team.
[2:10] Working with Technology Rivers has been more than just getting a technical partner. I get strategic advice, and that’s been exceptional to be able to get some real business and marketing strategy as well as the technology that we really needed.
[2:31] And in addition to that, we’ve also gotten some introductions to potential investors and potential partners, and it’s been great.
[2:41] I wholeheartedly recommend working with Technology Rivers. If you’re considering them, they’re great.
[2:48] I am thrilled that we have started working together, and I’m looking forward to a very long partnership with them. Check them out.
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Independent Reviews
Independent Reviews That Lead to Real Client Relationships
Independent reviews are not simply badges on the Technology Rivers website. In Verbina’s case, they played a direct role in starting the relationship.
After a poor experience with another offshore development firm, Verbina asked Clutch to recommend another development partner. Based on Technology Rivers’ reviews, Clutch made the introduction.
Bev’s experience then became another example of the kind of client relationship those reviews represented.
Clutch
GoodFirms
DesignRush
Had a Bad Experience with Your Current Development Partner?
You do not necessarily have to start over. Technology Rivers helps companies assess existing applications, fix problematic software, improve the development process, and move products forward with a responsive engineering team.