JustAnswer: Largest Paid Online Service Offering Expert Consulting On Demand

Abto Software is successfully cooperating with our partner from the USA, JustAnswer LLC, the largest paid online service offering expert consulting on demand. JustAnswer is the world’s leading expert marketplace offering fast and affordable online advice from 10,000 verified professionals: from doctors, lawyers, and vets to auto mechanics and tech support.

Since 2003 JustAnswer has helped over eight million people in 196 countries.

JustAnswer partnered with Abto in 2012 to meet specific requirements critical to the success of their platform. The Customer needed a dedicated team to design responsive website and develop a robust website functionality. Abto Software provides remote teams of proficient software developers who seamlessly fit into JustAnswer working/technical and team environment as the company’s team extension.

Model

IT staffing, dedicated development team model

Team and Technologies

The software engineers team aimed at expanding functionality and improving the performance of the online platform. Today it’s a running multi-component platform consisting of two websites: for users and members and a separate one for experts with the interface and features specifically fitted for their particular needs.

Dedicated team consists of 81 full-stack software engineers and 20 QA engineers, 4 data analysts, 3 UI/UXdesigners, 2 product managers, devops and engineering manager.

Our scope of technologies includes:

Programming Languages:

•  C/C++, C#
•  JavaScript (Jquery, Underscore, NodeJS, Jasmine, gulp, npm)
•  UNIX shells
•  Python/PHP (Drupal)
•  SQL (TSQL)
•  XML/JSON

DB Management Systems:

•  MS SQL Server
•  Redis
•  RabbitMQ
•  Elasticsearch/SOLR

Technologies:

•  .NET 4.6, ASP.NET, Web Forms
•  LINQ
•  ADO.NET

Tools:

•  MS Visual Studio 2015
•  Visual Studio Code
•  Microsoft Visio
•  Selenium, JMeter
•  Jenkins
•  Git
•  A/B Testing (testpaths, Optimizely)
•  SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
•  Google Analytics
•  Google Webmaster tools
•  Dynatrace
•  Screaming Frog
•  Rally, TestRail

For chatbot development:

• ChatScript
• NodeJs
• nginx
• Anaconda 3, (Jupyter notebooks)
• Python 3.5, (scikit, nltk – toolkits)
• Flask
• QuickBase

Data management team
On-premise:

• SQL Server 2016 toolset:
• SSRS – reporting services
• SSIS – integration services
• SSAS – analysis services

SQL Server 2016 features such as – Columnar Storage, temporal tables, in memory tables

NoSQL – elastic search and kibana (ELK)

Cloud :

• Google BigQuery
• Google AppScript
• Google reporting API

Localization/ Internationalized code

JustAnswer has established the localization process for a specific country or culture. For instance, if you want your application to work in Japan, you must identify the specific needs, create resources specific to Japan and Japanese, add those to the application files, configure the application to recognize when it needs to appear in Japanese and test. However, you should not have to make modifications to the application code. So JustAnswer’s  base code is written to support any culture, no matter the language, character set, currency.

Key Features of  Online Expert Consulting Service

• It facilitates customized communication  with  the verified Expert via chat, emails, online messaging and additional channels: phone calls, remote assistance, instant notifications.
• Multilingual website localized for key regional markets: the USA, Germany, Spain, Japan, the UK.
• User-driven site which allows customers to ask questions about any topic they choose to view the questions that other people ask and see actual user reviews
• Centralized event registration, membership and subscription options
• Secure online payment
• Real-time mode, availability 24/7
• Free trial and premium services options

Project Challenges and Solution

There were some crucial project issues to be solved by the software development team. Main objectives:

• implement tools to provide flawless  and secure running of JustAnswer’s heavily trafficked site

• provide unconditional functionality and maintenance of the platform

The JustAnswer team of software engineers successfully resolved those challenges. They:

• Implemented centralized event registration, product download, membership and subscription
• Provided smooth API integration with major payment services (Visa/MasterCard, PayPal, Sofort, etc.), social media, and location-based reputation systems
• Realized integration with automatic bidding system (Marin)
• Built instruments to track and report on the multiple elements and user paths presented to each visitor
• Handled DB with TB of data and cumbersome library
• Built multiple levels of cache (DNS, Load balancer, Microsoft IIS, in-memory DB)
• Maintained integration with Google Analytics and Adobe DTM
• Ensured performance and maintainability in the distributed, high-load environment

Project Value delivered

• Incorporated analytics and monitoring components into features that ensure infallible solution to meet response time and quality requirements
• Composed cost-efficient and robust platform delivering an optimized seamless user experience across all devices
• Built own framework to support multiple levels of A/B testing across the site
• Developed numerous services and queues for better performances and scalability

As a result of this business cooperation model, Abto Software helped build an advanced web solution for its partner JustAnswer. The high-performing and revenue increasing platform is a digital experience that better reflects their service offerings. Continuous improvement and multiple customer support options provide an opportunity to find the optimal price/value balance, enable timelier, personalized customer interactions.