Interview by GoodFirms

This is an interview of Hrayr Shahbazyan - the CEO at AIST Global, by GoodFirms.

- Please introduce your company and give a brief about your role within the company?

We are AIST - a software agency providing website and application development and design services worldwide. As the CEO and founder of the company, I am responsible for the day-to-day running of the business. I manage the smooth working process within my staff and clients.

- What was the idea behind starting this organization?

There are a lot of businesses that have a poor web presence on the Internet (low-performance websites, terrible UI, etc.). So I decided to help businesses compete in the digital world by offering solutions tailored to their specific needs and wants.

- What is your company's business model–in house team or third party vendors/ outsourcing?

Right now, I manage an in-house team. It's easier to work with people who are around, the management process is better; teambuilding is easier and so on. Perhaps, in the near future, I may lack IT talents. So, I will have to outsource remote freelancers.

- How is your business model beneficial from a value addition perspective to the clients compared to other company models?

Our services are usually two times cheaper than that of other countries like the USA.

That’s because we work as an in-house team based in Armenia (CIS Silicone Valley). This is a great place for IT talents who provide the same high quality at a lower price.

- What industries do you generally cater to? Are your customers repetitive?

We are specialized in e-learning, e-commerce, HR, and travel industries. However, we are always looking for new challenges and work on great start-up ideas. With most of our clients, we make a long-term partnership.

- Mention the objectives or the parameters critical in determining the time frame of developing a web app.

Probably the most difficult part of determining the time frame of the project is understanding what the client exactly wants. It's the major factor for estimating the project timeline.

A bright example from my experience is when the client decides to make changes after a great part of work is already done. So logically, it takes more time to constantly make changes and launch the project.

- How much effort in terms of time goes into developing the front end and back end of a web app?

It's a difficult question to answer. It depends on the project's technical requirements. In some cases, the development of frontend takes longer and in other ones, vice versa.

As each software product is unique, the time required for backend and frontend differs.
As frontend is visible to clients and constantly changes, it takes longer to deploy it.

- What are the key parameters to be considered before selecting the right platform for a web application?

First of all, you need to know the end-user and the final product, the issues it should handle, and whether any future development is required.

- Which platform and technologies do you prefer to use in the development of your web apps?

For web applications, I prefer to use the Laravel framework; it's very popular, has great features and a huge community.

- Do you offer website design templates or customized website design, and do you have a responsive website design?

We offer customized design and development services. But sometimes we offer templates as an option to fit the customers' limited budget. All our websites are responsive; we never build non-responsive websites.

- Which Content Management System do you prefer to use (Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal, etc.)?

I prefer Wordpress CMS because it is a good solution for small projects.

- Do you provide website maintenance services?

Sure, we support our client’s websites.

- What are the key factors that you consider before deciding the cost of a web application?

The cost of the application depends on many factors, such as features, time, and custom solutions. If we develop an application that requires new components, it costs higher, because we write and integrate new codes.

- What kind of payment structure do you follow to bill your clients? Is it Pay per Feature, Fixed Cost, Pay per Milestone (could be in phases, months, versions, etc.)

We have different types of payment structures. We are flexible; it can be per feature, fixed, or even per milestone.

- Do you take in projects which meet your basic budget requirement? If yes, what is the minimum requirement? If no, on what minimum budget you have worked for?

Yes, we don't take every project. The minimum budget we worked for was $ 3,000.

- What is the price range (min and max) of the projects that you catered to in 2018?

It’s from $3,000 to $50,000.

- Kindly share your feedback on how GoodFirms has been doing so far in increasing your visibility among potential clients.

The most compelling part of your website is the huge amount of information that you provide for your users. You're quick to respond and ready to help immediately. Your website navigation is easy and quick. It provides easy accessibility both for service providers and clients.

This interview was originally published on GoodFirms.