Cooleaf - Case Study

From startup to profitable product for the B2B market

Jan Solecki INBOUND TEAM LEAD

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The Company and Product

Cooleaf is an employee incentive program platform where team members can recognize each other's extraordinary efforts and reward them. Cooleaf was looking for a technology partner from the very beginning, meaning they did not want to build an in-house development department and was aiming for a long-term partnership.

We have had the pleasure of maintaining a 10-year technical partnership with Cooleaf throughout various stages of their product design and development. Now when they describe us, it is as part of their team.

The relationship entered a whole new stage when we started using Cooleaf ourselves at Monterail. We’re very proud of the work we’ve put into the application as well as the final result. Implementing a product we helped develop in our own workspace has given our whole office a fun and new perspective on what we do.

It took Monterail six weeks to deliver us a beautifully designed app for iOS and Android. I didn't even know it was possible! Each stage of the development was conducted professionally and in a timely manner: from the concept, through the implementation to the final steps. John Duisberg Co-founder at Cooleaf

Scope and highlights

$3M+ SAVINGS FROM REDUCED TURNOVER
35% REDUCTION IN EMPLOYEE TURNOVER
400% MORE SHARING OF THE COMPANY CONTENT

50kactive users
10years of partnership
2months to the first mvp

The Challenge

The founders of Cooleaf came to us with an MVP of a B2B Web-based product. At first, it was an HR platform focused on employee benefits, but during that first year of our collaboration, the entire idea behind the app evolved a lot.

The result? In 2013, we started working on a completely new concept of the MVP—a platform letting teams find activities they love, and empower shared interests and passions. Here’s where this story begins.

The founders needed a cutting-edge Rails app that was responsive and up to current Web application standards, just like modern social media platforms. The challenge entailed working out solutions in three core areas:

Defining a completely novel idea for the product and delivering an unprecedented user experience
In-depth analysis of the product to define its purpose and come up with new features
Delivering the product MVP including design, frontend, and backend

The Process

We wanted the new product to appeal to corporate-level organizations. To do this, we opened an intense design-oriented conversation with the client.

We started with 120 hours of online design workshops conducted via Skype. Within just two months, we managed to build not only the MVP but also a Minimum Buyable Product.

After releasing the product to market, it became clear that Cooleaf needed a mobile version of the app as well. They came to us with a half-finished mobile application with legacy code that was difficult to maintain and develop further.

To facilitate the prompt and efficient delivery of mobile apps for both Android and iOS, we suggested switching to the Ionic framework. Our core efforts at this stage included:

Rewriting the hard to maintain native legacy codebase for mobile
Finalizing the design phase in both the Web and mobile versions of the app
Developing the mobile app and releasing it to app stores after a total of 273 hours of work

Using Ionic, we managed to develop a two-platform solution for Cooleaf in just two months. Soon after release, the app was named the Best B2B Application at the 2016 Atlanta Mobile Awards. We were overjoyed! Kasia Tatomir Chief operating officer

The Outcome

We managed to release both the web and mobile apps according to established deadlines and it felt absolutely great. With a swift MVP release, the Cooleaf sales team could immediately begin to look for market fit.

Since delivering on key project objectives, the pace of our collaboration with Cooleaf went back to “normal”. Presently, we use Agile methodologies to periodically deliver a releasable product, allowing Cooleaf to focus on marketing and sales.

Currently, Cooleaf is working with a number of enterprise clients across the globe, including Citibank and the Turner Broadcasting System.

The success of the project hinged on three key factors:

The role of Project Manager, who served as a consultant and point of contact, and translated between technical and business stakeholders
The flexibility and confidence of the design and development teams
The collaborative relationship between Monterail and Cooleaf

I'm here to gather your requirements, answer all your questions and push your idea into development as fast as possible.

Jan Solecki

HR Tech • USA • Startup

A Web & Mobile App for the HR Industry