CLIENT

Vetsource

INDUSTRY

Healthcare

CORE TECHNOLOGIES

Groovy
Java
jOOQ
MS Power BI
Spring Boot
SHARE
|
BACKGROUND

Our client wanted to upgrade the entire software suite that was running the business

Vetsource, America’s largest and most trusted home delivery provider to veterinarians, ships prescribed pet medications, over-the-counter healthcare products and pet food to clients across the country. It also allowed customers to schedule regular product shipment reminders and to receive a monthly pet health newsletter, keeping them up to date on important developments.

While our client had an existing software solution in place, there was vast room for improvement. And with its in-house resources tied up with the day-to-day running of the business, Vetsource needed external assistance to transform its integral applications.

CHALLENGE

Overhauling the technology stack to modernize and unify four distinct apps

To deliver its services, Vetsource had an integrated solution that combined four separate applications, which handled e-commerce, catalog updates, order approval, fulfilment, and analytics. While functional, the technology stack was outdated and communication between the apps was unnecessarily cumbersome.

Vetsource had two key requirements for its new software solution:

  • To create a unified portal – The new system needed to bring the company’s applications together into one unified portal, built with modern frameworks and a consistent user interface.
  • To grant employees role-based access – Employees needed to access certain sections of the new software, with their functionality limited by their role. This was a challenge, as the existing frontend framework didn’t have that functionality, meaning it would need to be created from scratch in a short amount of time.

With its in-house technology team tied up in the business’s day-to-day operations, the client needed our help to create a new and improved version of their existing software.

ventarnity healthcare treatment

 

SOLUTION

Extension of client team to focus solely on application modernization

Our team used a bespoke technology stack to develop Vetsource’s bespoke applications. On the frontend, we used Vaadin, jQuery and JavaScript to design and develop the UI. Groovy/Java, Spring Boot and jOOQ were used to design and develop the business and service layers of the applications while, at the backend, MySQL, PostgreSQL and MS SQL databases stored the applications’ data. Finally, we used business analytics service Microsoft PowerBI to allow the client to render interactive charts and data visualizations that would inform key business decisions.

We began the project with three developers, but our team grew four-fold over the years. To ensure new developers could be onboarded as quickly as possible, we created a user manual to address common issues and resolutions, which was verified by Vetsource’s DevOps team before being uploaded to the company’s knowledge library.

To ensure our resources were being properly utilized, we assigned tasks through software development tool JIRA. Then, with the client’s project manager as scrum master, we followed an agile development plan that saw sprints initially run for three weeks. Once we had established a smooth operational structure with the client, we reduced our sprints to two weeks.

TESTIMONIAL

Timely delivery

Despite the tight timing, Asahi Tech managed to deliver on projects in a timely manner. Each developer in the 12-member team that worked on our project is easy to work with, adapts well to given project management styles and committed to meeting deadlines. We here at Vetsource are really appreciative of the work that the Asahi team does.

Erica Kirkendall, Tulsa, OK
Project Manager, Vetsource

IMPACT

Innovative SaaS product is now the choice of vet clinics across the US

Vetsource was able to increase the size of its development team rapidly and in a cost-effective manner. After releasing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), which attracted a wave of attention from potential clients and positioned Vetsource as an innovation leader, the scope of our work expanded. Impressed by our professionalism and expertise, Vetsource chose to expand our team and increase our critical role in the company’s future development.

Staff augmentation within our team was made simple, and we held daily standup meetings and code reviews with the client’s engineers and product managers to ensure that our international team remained aligned with our client’s way of thinking.

Over three years, we created a state of the art e-prescription SaaS product, which is now being used in independent and corporate vet clinics and hospitals across the country. Now, they’re able to remotely prescribe pet medication, fulfil prescriptions with home delivery and offer their patients remote advice on food and medication based on previous recommendations. Additionally, users can run reports to help their company and individual clinics make informed financial, medicinal and logistical decisions.