Streamlining Global Compliance: Approve-IT's Journey with ConcertIDC

The Challenge

Approve-IT is a family-owned and regulatory compliance consulting company specializing in international approvals. In layman’s terms, Approve-IT helps companies secure certification and approvals for electronic equipment sold in different marketplaces worldwide.

For example, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates the radio spectrum within the United States. So, before connecting an electronic product, anything wireless, Bluetooth, RFID, or Wi-Fi, you must undergo a certification process where the product is tested to FCC standards. Then, it must go through an evaluation from a certification body before getting the FCC approval and the ability to apply an FCC compliance mark to a product.

Approve-IT manages that entire process on behalf of manufacturers. And beyond the US, they do that for customers worldwide in 180 countries.

The processes they oversee for their clients require much documentation and attention to detail at every stage. Here is where ConcertIDC comes in...

Approve-IT used Excel spreadsheets to log and manage projects and send weekly status reports to their clients. While their system worked, they were looking for a solution that would streamline their management by consolidating all their pre-existing resources into one platform that allowed Approve-IT to maintain projects internally, allowed customers access to view the status of their projects in real-time, and included CRM components so they could easily track and ultimately convert prospective clients into clients.

After meeting our CRO, Approve-IT decided to work with ConcertIDC to create their solution.

Whenever any issue or whatever has come up, you know, we've really had a clear line of communication with everyone involved. Really, that's been most appreciated from our side. I feel like you know, it's a strong partnership and whenever we had a concern or a need, you all have addressed and met it quickly, and have been able to have open conversations. So that's been really positive for us.
Nate Grinager, Co-President at Approve-IT

The Solution

To start the engagement, Approve-IT went through a prototype phase with ConcertIDC to build out their idea and hone in on the main components necessary for success. Within the prototype phase, it became clear that the project management tool needed to be the software's primary function, with the CRM tool being smaller. This focus ensured that ConcertIDC could focus very specifically on the components that were most important to Approve-IT.

We shifted to developing the platform after building the foundational knowledge and framework during the prototype phase. The transition from the prototyping phase to the actual development process was made easier because the development team and client product manager working with Approve-IT remained the same. This ensured there was already an established line of communication between ConcertIDC's team and Approve-IT's team.

The development process took ten months, with two weekly calls following an organized agenda to ensure all parties remained informed and satisfied. At this point, ConcertIDC has built out Approve-IT's platform with both the CRM and project management components being completed. The platform acts as an all-in-one place for Approve-IT's in-house team to optimize their work, a place for their customers to check the status of their projects in real time, and a CRM tool. We have incrementally pushed their platform to "go live," with only one integration remaining to be pushed through.

We will enter a managed services partnership once the final migration is pushed through. Within this partnership, ConcertIDC will be solely responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the software we have built. We will perform ongoing maintenance, product enhancement, and new feature development.

Through this partnership, ConcertIDC will provide comprehensive support and development for software post-launch, ensuring it remains functional and evolves with your business needs.

Technology Used

Application type

Tech stack

Project tools

Type: Web

Programming Languages: React JS, Node JS

Cloud: AWS

Database: MySQL

Code Repository: Bitbucket

Project Management: JIRA

Logs: SumoLogic

Product Description

Approve-IT's primary line of business secures documentation to substantiate compliance of products with radio and telecom standards, so the platform ConcertIDC built is a web application to facilitate a Compliance Project Manager's (CPM) role and a separate web application for restricted client access to the Approve-IT system.

The application's users are the CPM, Administrators, Clients, and Vendors. This enables the platform to be specifically tailored for each type of user.

Within the platform, a CPM can create customers and models, analyze documents from them, compare requirements from countries, summarize, and prepare required forms for countries. CPMs can submit applications through the web or a country's online portal. The application facilitates the CPM's delivery of the certifying documentation from the governing authority to the client.

The platform enables CPMs to work with all the necessary documentation they may be required to deal with like:

Radio certification certificate issued by a government agency
Certificate of Conformity issued by a certification body authorized by a government agency
Self-declaration of conformity issued by the manufacturer itself.

The application also integrates Approve-IT's accounting system with QuickBooks, so they can maintain their invoicing and quoting in one place beyond project management.

The Project Master Tracker is the main highlight of this platform, but the integration of auxiliary resources ensures that Approve-IT can work more efficiently and proactively for their clients. The systems they had in place simply needed to be unified and amplified with a custom platform built by ConcertIDC.

The Results

The platform ConcertIDC has built enables Approve-IT's team to work more efficiently and scale their business. With one platform maintaining its project management system, it will no longer need to have 10+ tabs open at any given time, bouncing back and forth. Now, they can work from one place, increasing efficiency and allowing their CPMs to take on more projects. With less chaos of keeping up with multiple sources and tabs, they can be as effective as possible and continue to grow their business even more. The platform ConcertIDC has built is a perfect representation of what we do. As we say, "You build your business; we build your software." With this platform, Approve-IT can do just that without worrying about their systems and tech logistics because we have it covered for them.

"Working with the development team directly has been good. The development team and others have just been really, really supportive. They've, you know, taken our feedback and implemented it."

Nate Grinager, Co-President of Approve-IT