Client
IsaiX Technologies Inc.
Industry
Education & Training
Features
Mobile-First Coaching Platform
Role-Based Access Control
Multi-tenant/Multi-Version Architecture
Integrated Video Calling
Custom Workflow Engine
.NET
MS SQL
Objective C
IsaiX began as an innovative training and developing firm more than 30 years ago, and over the years the company has grown into its role as an international provider of technology-based coaching tools. With offices in Canada, the United States, and Great Britain, IsaiX offers a suite of software products that help coaches train more effectively. They also provide consulting services, helping trainers and leaders across numerous sectors to grow their businesses.
One key tool in their arsenal is a software application called Coach, which was on its fourth version when our story begins. Coach helps companies codify their training programs into a simple, straightforward framework that anyone can use. It had been in active use for years by enterprise clients from diverse industries (e.g., finance, pharmaceuticals, high-tech, and more).
Coach was a wildly successful application. IsaiX added features organically throughout the years, and over time it became a popular solution for enterprise clients. It was so popular that many of these large organizations had IsaiX add features based on their unique requirements—using the software as a dedicated installation. And while Coach’s popularity was worth celebrating, all those different versions floating around made product maintenance a nightmare.
As smartphones became ubiquitous, enterprise clients also began to ask about a mobile app, since their coaches and leaders were constantly on the go. The existing interface, however, did not support mobile at all.
Finally, emerging regulatory requirements meant that large companies had to secure their data and make it accessible only to those with the proper authorization. Unfortunately, this would be difficult to achieve in a SaaS product with shared infrastructure.
The solution? IsaiX needed to build Coach 5, a new version of the software that:
I have been working with Net Solutions for the past two years. They really go the extra mile to make every little detail the way you want it. In short, great people, top-notch quality, highly recommended.
IsaiX realized the Coach software needed an overhaul. Otherwise, its shortcomings would result in lost customers and declining revenue.
At the time, they had recently hired Net Solutions to build Burst, a cross-platform document markup tool they delivered in record time. Impressed by their communication, methodologies, and results, IsaiX turned to Net Solutions to rethink Coach for version 5.
After analyzing the existing platform, Net Solutions confirmed what IsaiX’s leadership suspected: the existing platform was too old and convoluted to enhance and create a better mobile interface, especially considering that there would be more changes in the years to come. Any attempt to retain the existing platform would cost far more later. So IsaiX agreed it was time to optimize for mobile devices.
It was then that IsaiX management hired Net Solutions, in an Agile engagement, to rethink and rebuild the entire platform as a mobile-first solution.
The Net Solutions team took the following two-pronged approach to designing and building Coach 5.
The solution? Net Solutions decided to build a three-layered, multi-tenant, multi-version architecture to power mobile-first coaching. In other words, they decided to rebuild everything from the ground up.
Essentially, Coach 5 combined three distinct applications. Each application would work together to create a single SaaS offering intended to wow end-users.
The software followed a role-based access control system, giving managers the tools and systems they needed to coach and review a trainee’s progress over time.
Coach 5 enables managers and coaches to:
Additionally, administrators using Coach 5 could create custom workflows specific to their organization based on how the organizer chose to use the system. And since it was a general-purpose tool, other departments could use it for workflow-based systems. For example, HR could use it to manage recruitment.
Coach 5’s launch was almost universally welcomed by subscribers, breathing new life into IsaIX's platform. These end-users, in turn, evangelized the software when they changed jobs, and the product-led growth approach helped IsaiX find new sources of revenue.
The new architecture also lowered operating costs since the system was now running as an integrated tool, reducing support and maintenance costs.
IsaiX continues to work with Net Solutions to this day, maintaining and enhancing the platform, making sure it remains a cutting-edge training and development solution.
Net Solutions lives and breathes by our outputs, just like we do. I never thought that a partner company would be able to do that, but they’ve really become partners to us. They’re not vendors, they’re partners.
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