CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY
One Successful Product Led to Another. Then Another.
After working with numerous third-party development vendors over the years, SaaS technology leader Justin Tracy knew how difficult it was to find an outside team that could execute like an internal one.
His experience with Technology Rivers began at Ripcord. It led him to bring the team into BOSSS / WorkDrive and later hire them again for Thanks.io.
“I’m 3 for 15, and all three wins have been with you.”
Justin Tracy (Technology Executive & Entrepreneur)
Ripcord · BOSSS / WorkDrive · Thanks.io
Hear Justin's Experience Working with Technology Rivers
Justin Tracy came to Technology Rivers with something many software buyers don’t have: years of SaaS product experience and firsthand experience working with numerous outside development vendors.
In his story, Justin explains why Technology Rivers stood apart, how the team approached product development differently, and why one successful engagement ultimately led him to work with Technology Rivers across multiple products.
Client
Justin Tracy
Role
Technology Executive & Entrepreneur; CTO of BOSSS at time of testimonial
Engagement
Repeat software product development across Ripcord, BOSSS / WorkDrive, and Thanks.io
Industry
SaaS / Business Software
Focus
Full-Stack Development · Product Development · UI/UX · Multi-Platform Software · Long-Term Technology Partnership
Why Justin Values Working with Technology Rivers
They Understand the End Goal
Justin says the biggest difference was Technology Rivers’ ability to understand what the finished product was supposed to accomplish, rather than simply working through a list of specifications.
That product-level understanding made the relationship feel different from the transactional development experiences he’d had before.
Built for Changing Requirements
Justin describes SaaS development as anything but a straight line. Requirements change, priorities evolve, and teams have to respond.
He specifically credits Technology Rivers with being able to “move on a dime” and adapt without allowing changing specifications to derail development.
UI/UX Is Part of Development
As someone who describes himself as a “UI guy and UX guy,” Justin came into the relationship with strong opinions about usability.
He says Technology Rivers exceeded his expectations by taking a hands-on role in UI, UX, and overall product usability rather than treating design as someone else’s responsibility.
Execution He Could Depend On
Justin had worked with numerous outside development companies before Technology Rivers. His experience was that external teams rarely delivered what he expected.
Technology Rivers became the exception, eventually leading to repeat engagements across different products and organizations.
"The team at Technology Rivers truly is your partner when it comes to making a product be exactly how you envisioned in your head."
Justin Tracy
THE RELATIONSHIP
A Development Team Justin Kept Bringing With Him
Justin’s Technology Rivers story did not begin with BOSSS / WorkDrive.
It began with Ripcord, where Justin was Co-Founder and CTO/CPO. Technology Rivers had originally been hired by Ripcord Co-Founder Frank Tommaso to help build the product.
That engagement gave Justin the opportunity to work directly with the Technology Rivers team.
And it became the beginning of a much larger relationship.
RIPCORD
Sales Coaching & Training Platform
Ripcord was a sophisticated sales coaching and training platform centered around real sales conversations.
Its capabilities included meeting recording and transcription, integrations with meeting platforms such as Google Meet and Zoom, phone calls, calendar integrations, coaching functionality such as whispering, and additional sales training capabilities.
This was where Justin first experienced Technology Rivers as a development partner.
BOSSS / WORKDRIVE
Comprehensive Workplace Platform
A few months later, Justin was serving on the board of a real estate franchise that needed a substantial intranet and workplace platform.
Based on his experience with Ripcord, Justin introduced Technology Rivers.
That introduction became the BOSSS / WorkDrive engagement and developed into a long-term client relationship.
Mobile Application
"Once they started one project, they've done two or three for me so far, and I couldn't be happier."
Justin Tracy
MORE THAN AN INTRANET
Building a Multi-Platform Hub for Communication, Collaboration, Training, and Work
The BOSSS / WorkDrive engagement wasn’t a simple company intranet.
Technology Rivers helped build a comprehensive platform combining capabilities that might otherwise require multiple business applications.
The platform included:
- Social networking
- Live streaming
- Audio and video chat
- Task management
- Training
- Company onboarding
- AI-driven support deflection
- Additional workplace and collaboration functionality
The product also extended across web, iOS, Android, and desktop applications.
Technology Rivers additionally helped enable the platform for white-label OEM use, expanding the product beyond its original implementation.
The relationship continued long term, until the platform ultimately became part of an OEM arrangement with a larger real estate SaaS company.
The breadth of the project gives important context to Justin’s testimonial. He wasn’t evaluating Technology Rivers after a small development assignment. He had seen the team work across an interconnected, multi-platform software product with substantial scope.
"They're the first person to ever execute a product to the liking that I was expecting."
Justin Tracy
PRODUCT THINKING
Building What the Product Is Supposed to Do
For Justin, the biggest distinction wasn’t simply Technology Rivers’ ability to write software.
It was understanding the intended product.
Justin had experienced third-party development companies that appeared primarily focused on completing the defined work and moving on to the next customer.
Technology Rivers approached the engagement differently.
The team worked to understand what Justin ultimately wanted the product to accomplish, allowing development decisions to stay connected to the larger product vision.
That distinction mattered especially because Justin was operating at the product and market level while relying on an external team for execution.
“I have the ability to come up with an idea and market at the very 30,000-foot level, but all the execution needs to take place by a third party, and that’s where Technology Rivers came in.”
FLEXIBLE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
When the Product Changes, the Team Has to Change With It
Software products rarely emerge exactly as initially specified.
Justin specifically calls out Technology Rivers’ flexibility as one of the things that made the relationship successful.
In previous outsourcing relationships, changes outside the original specification could create significant friction.
His experience with Technology Rivers was different. The team could adapt as requirements evolved and continue moving the product forward.
“Things often change, and their ability to move on a dime and think the way you think really makes the process easier.”
For a startup building and refining a substantial SaaS platform, that adaptability wasn’t simply convenient. It was part of making the development model work.
MORE THAN FULL-STACK DEVELOPMENT
A CTO Who Cares About UI/UX Found a Team That Did Too
Justin describes himself as both a UI and UX person.
That made Technology Rivers’ involvement in product usability especially noticeable.
Rather than limiting its responsibility to engineering implementation, the team took a hands-on approach to reviewing the interface, user experience, and whether the finished product actually worked the way it should for users.
Justin says that involvement exceeded his expectations.
“I was amazed with the fact that they were equally as good at going through the UI, going through the UX, and really making sure the product was what it was supposed to be.”
He went further, saying that contribution “truly has made our product successful.”
For Justin, finding that level of product thinking from an external development company was rare.
"That's a very rare thing to find in a third-party developer, and that truly has made our product successful."
Justin Tracy
THE CTO PERSPECTIVE
When You've Tried Outsourcing Before, Trust Has to Be Earned
Justin wasn’t comparing Technology Rivers with one previous development company.
He says he had used roughly a dozen third-party vendors over approximately a decade of product development.
His experience had left him skeptical about outsourcing substantial product development. Before Technology Rivers, he says he had never found an outside provider that delivered successfully in the way his internal teams could.
Technology Rivers changed that experience.
The significance isn’t simply that Justin liked working with the team.
It’s that after seeing Technology Rivers execute, he was willing to bring them into another organization and then hire them again for another company.
REPEAT ENGAGEMENTS
The Strongest Endorsement Was the Next Project
A successful first engagement can earn a positive review.
Justin did something more meaningful: he came back.
The Ripcord experience led to BOSSS / WorkDrive.
BOSSS / WorkDrive developed into a long-term relationship.
And when Justin needed a mobile application for Thanks.io, he hired Technology Rivers again.
Different businesses. Different products. Different software challenges.
The common thread was Justin’s confidence in the team doing the work.
"I've never had anybody other than Tech Rivers truly execute every single time when asked to do something, and that is really a diamond in the rough. It does not happen."
Justin Tracy
THE BOTTOM LINE
"It's Something Special."
Justin’s experience with Technology Rivers stands out because of the perspective he brought into the relationship.
He had built SaaS products. He had internal development teams. He had hired numerous external vendors. And he knew the difference between a team completing assigned work and a team taking responsibility for helping make the product successful.
Across his experience, four qualities consistently stood out:
Product Understanding
Understanding the end goal instead of blindly following specifications.
Adaptability
Responding as requirements and priorities changed.
Product & UX Thinking
Taking responsibility for usability alongside engineering.
Consistent Execution
Delivering well enough that Justin repeatedly brought Technology Rivers into his next opportunity.
"What I've achieved by using Tech Rivers as our third-party technology provider is the ability to sleep at night knowing that I have a team that really is looking out for my best interest when it comes to achieving the design I'm ultimately shooting for."
Justin Tracy
Video Transcript
The Full Conversation
[0:00] What I’ve achieved by using Tech Rivers as our third-party technology provider is the ability to sleep at night knowing that I have a team that really is looking out for my best interest when it comes to achieving the design I’m ultimately shooting for.
[0:18] I never felt that way with anybody else I’ve worked with. I always thought they just wanted turnover and get me through the machine, but the experience with Tech Rivers is completely something different. It’s something special.
[0:33] My name is Justin Tracy. I’m the CTO of BOSSS, which is an up-and-coming intranet system that can rival the likes of Microsoft Teams and Slack.
[0:43] I come from a long background software-as-a-service development.
[0:52] The reason I love tech rivers is because I’ve used probably a dozen third-party vendors to develop the products I’ve done over the last decade or so, and I’ve never had success using anybody other than my internal team until I found them.
[1:08] I know it sounds cheesy, but they’re the first person to ever execute a product to the liking that I was expecting, and it really meant something because once they started one project, they’ve done two or three for me so far, and I couldn’t be happier.
[1:25] The problems I was trying to solve was we are a scrappy startup, and we need to completely outsource our full stack development.
[1:34] I have the ability to come up with an idea and market at the very 30,000-foot level, but all the execution needs to take place by a third party, and that’s where Technology Rivers came in.
[1:49] By far the best thing I liked about Technology Rivers was the fact that they understood the end goal of what my product was supposed to do.
[1:58] I never had a third-party developer act as a partner. They’ve only tried to get the job done as fast as possible and get us out the door.
[2:05] The team at Technology Rivers truly is your partner when it comes to making a product be exactly how you envisioned in your head.
[2:13] The thing that makes me happiest about working with Technology ivers was their flexibility.
[2:21] As many people know, building a software-as-a-service platform isn’t a straight-line thing. Things often change, and their ability to move on a dime and think the way you think really makes the process easier.
[2:43] All the people I’ve worked in the past, any time anything didn’t match the exact specs, they flipped out and lost it, couldn’t move forward. So having that type of flexibility with a team really makes difference.
[2:51] The things that exceeded my expectation most about working with Technology Rivers was their ability to take a hands-on approach with the usability of our product.
[3:05] I’m a UI guy and UX guy, but I was amazed with the fact that they were equally as good at going through the UI, going through the UX, and really making sure the product was what it was supposed to be.
[3:21] That’s a very rare thing to find in a third-party developer, and that truly has made our product successful.
[3:29] My experience with other technology providers has always been less than stellar. I’m not saying that just because I was asked to, but I probably engaged a dozen external vendors to build products for us, and 95% of the time they didn’t achieve the goal they were trying to do for us.
[3:48] I’ve never had anybody other than Technology Rivers truly execute every single time when asked to do something, and that is really a diamond in the rough.
[3:55] It does not happen.
[4:03] I’m 3 for 15, and all three wins have been with Tech Rivers.
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