In 2014, the company engaged Apexon to help them improve customer satisfaction with an improved app, and operational efficiency with automated app testing.
Success Story Healthcare
Leading Weight Management Company Improves Customer RatingsApexon improves app quality to elevate member engagement and loyalty 
For more than 55 years this company has helped millions lose weight with the latest nutritional and behavior change science. Digital, in-person and virtual workshops, and personal coaching solutions help its members meet their goals.
The breadth of online services, the company knew its 2-star app rating demonstrated that it was not providing an optimal experience for its users, and the company’s testing process was outdated and slow.
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Founded in 1963
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4M+ paid subscribers
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1.5M+ active community users
the Results
Key Outcomes
Faster Cycle Time
Reduced app update release time by 84% due to increased use of automation
Improved Customer
Satisfaction
Satisfaction
App ratings improved to 4.5/5 on the App Store and 4/5 on Google Play
New Forms
of Engagement
of Engagement
Ability to conduct meetings with customers anywhere with/without internet
Operational Efficiency
Operational staff needed to run meetings reduced by 50%; member processing time reduced by 40%
Go Digital
Accelerating the delivery of new digital initiatives with confidence
Be digital
Creating the infrastructure and foundation to scale digital initiatives
Enable digital adoption in a quick, and agile manner
Apexon reviewed existing processes to identify inefficiencies and compare to best practices.
Apexon conducted field surveys and 1:1 interviews with employees to understand how a new solution could improve member engagement.
Build digital infrastructure and foundation for enterprises to scale
Apexon utilized Jenkins open-source CI and Kony to accelerate app update release cycle and implemented automated smoke and regression tests to improve coverage and efficiency.
Leverage data engineering to make strategic decisions and get digital right every time
Apexon leveraged Perfecto’s cloud-based testing to automate more than 60% of the test footprint on 40 devices.
The challenge
To provide a high-quality user experience
Customer-facing app for iOS & android
The company was having difficulty providing a high-quality user experience for customers using their consumer-facing app for iOS and Android. Poor app store ratings made their problems obvious. Test management and turnaround times for new software updates were slow, as only one app update was being released every three months. When the updates were released, they were often out of sync and not functioning properly due to different geographies’ lack of unified communication.
enterprise group meeting application
The company was also searching for a way to improve their enterprise group meeting application, which was used to guide member group meetings and sell products. Group leaders had to use their laptops in meetings in order to check in members one at a time, and also had to use their laptops to sell and place orders for products other group members had purchased. This system was less than ideal, with various cables connected to bar code scanners and no organized, central purchasing procedure.
The Solution
utilising applied design thinking plus®
Apexon engaged with the company initially to address the inconsistencies and deliver a higher-quality app to its members. Apexon used Applied Design Thinking Plus® to derive an implementable solution.
Deep research into the company’s challenges and objectives, including 1:1 interviews with company employees to better understand the pain points.
Apexon identified several key priorities for a new member community app for the company:
- A mobile-first approach
- Easy integration with other e-commerce and ERP systems
- Interoperability with scanners and payment devices
- HIPAA (PHI, PII) and PCI Compliance
The development process took shape with the rollout of a minimum viable product (MVP) for A/B testing, feedback, and updates.
This was a collaborative effort that included business, engineering, IT, operation, training and support.
From there, Phase 1 production release planning began.
Ultimately, Apexon implemented a comprehensive framework for the company’s new community platform complete with mobile testing service plan to improve user experience and eliminate the inefficiencies of the existing consumer-facing app.
The QE strategy included:
Transition from waterfall dev/QA methodology to Agile
Automated smoke and regression tests to improve coverage and efficiency
Automated triggering of automated scripts using Jenkins
Perfecto’s cloud-based testing to automate more than 60% of test footprint; across 40 different devices
As a result, the company moved from one app update release every three months to one every two weeks, spanning ten countries and six languages.