“I wanted to work with a company that understood our development process as we approach product design, implementation, and bug fixes in a very specific way. Our collaboration with Softjourn has allowed us to improve the customer experience, while also building relationships with other companies and creating a name for ourselves in the payments industry.”
Tacit: Delivering a High-Quality Android Experience to Canadian Restaurant-goers
Creating a high-quality user experience for in-restaurant ordering platform.
ABOUT THE CLIENT:
The Challenge
Softjourn’s engagement with Tacit started in 2015 after we were chosen from a number of vendors to assist in developing the back end of the Maegan ordering system. Brenda Crainic, Tacit Innovations CTO, wanted to work with experienced developers who understand their platform on a high level and they have partnered with Softjoun for our experience in different domains.
The Solution
During our engagement with Tacit Innovations, Softjourn has developed nine new APIs for maegan and critical third-party solutions, expanding the company's ability to serve new restaurant clients and improving the customer experience, an essential element in the hospitality industry.
The Benefits
- Improved application functionality
- Better user flow
- Ordering system integrated with POS payments and loyalty programs
The Challenge
New research from the National Restaurant Association shows that the majority of Americans are interested in using smartphone apps if provided by their favorite restaurants, with 63% of adults saying they have used restaurant-related technology options in the past month. Our client, Tacit Innovations, is one of the tech companies that help deliver a mobile experience to restaurant-goers in Canada.
Maegan takes food and drink orders and processes payments via mobile phone or web browser, whether an establishment’s customers eat in-restaurant, take their meals out, or order for out-of-restaurant delivery.
With Maegan, restaurant kitchens receive orders in a timely manner and without errors. An alternative to ordering from often-busy wait staff, maegan improves customer satisfaction by quickly processing orders—and if guests use maegan to pay, the restaurant receives payment immediately into its merchant account. Equally important, maegan eliminates the problem of missed orders, which can negatively impact an establishment’s reputation and servers’ tips.
Brenda Crainic CTO at Tacit Innovations
Softjourn’s engagement with Tacit started in 2015 after we were chosen from a number of vendors to assist in developing the back end of the Maegan ordering system. Brenda Crainic, Tacit Innovations CTO, wanted to work with experienced developers who understand their platform on a high level and they have partnered with Softjoun for our experience in different domains.
Tacit had worked with another remote team to build the Android app, so Softjourn’s task was to take over the existing application and start adding new features. The client also wanted to add a new POS integration because of the large number of point-of-sale systems in the restaurants using their services.
The Solution
Pilot Project
Testing the application on Android devices was a challenge, so together with the client, Softjourn looked at a few options for how best to cover the most popular of those devices.
We have looked at cloud testing services similar to testdroid.com, but we didn’t feel there was a good value for the price. So we started a pilot project with a service provider specializing in testing.
This company had the majority of the 20 most popular devices used in Canada in-house and could run manual tests. This way of working and testing didn’t bring enough value for the price as well, so Softjourn and Tacit invested in these devices together, and testing continued with Softjourn running the initial tests.
POS Solutions
Although most of the POS solutions with which Tacit needed to integrate had APIs, working with them was challenging. Some APIs, for example, didn’t deliver necessary data, such as menu items, to the backend. To create optimal solutions, the Softjourn team has frequently communicated directly with restaurants or POS vendors.
In the end, our team was tasked to provide API development services that would ensure that APIs easily perform a number of vital functions—from allowing customers to select a restaurant and determine the availability of a menu item to enabling establishments to charge correct prices and receive payment.
During our engagement with Tacit Innovations, Softjourn has developed nine new APIs for maegan and critical third-party solutions, expanding the company's ability to serve new restaurant clients and improving the customer experience, an essential element in the hospitality industry. We have recently integrated a new payment solution into the platform, significantly accelerating revenue realization and cash flow. In addition, our solutions helped Tacit improve the quality of its services by offering them to various restaurants.
The Benefits
After we finished the project, Maegan was available on iOS and Android devices and had a fully functional web application.
Project deliverables:
- All services are available on one platform accessible from a variety of devices
- Improved application functionality
- Better user flow
- Ordering system integrated with POS payments and loyalty programs
The Result
With a new and improved application, Maegan can easily take orders, process check payments, and make sure their delivery is ready on time. Guests can enjoy an easy-to-use application. Restaurants can empower their guests to order using mobile or web applications to ensure everyone gets their food on time, regardless of the number of people in the restaurant. The result is the user-friendly restaurant experience available via the Maegan™ Mobile Android app.
We have been working with SoftJourn for 2+ years now, and our developers continue to impress me with their expertise, knowledge, and dedication to our project. They are my team and I count on them as if we were all working in the same office!. Brenda Crainic, CTO at Tacit Innovations
If you are interested in seeing how Softjourn can help you with your project, contact us for a free consultation.
Partnership & Recognition
