Modernizing tax preparation for a legacy business

About R&G Brenner

For over 80 years, the Brenner family and R&G Brenner have been a cornerstone of the New York metropolitan community, providing full-service income tax preparation to over a million clients. As their client base expanded nationally and internationally, R&G Brenner recognized the need to modernize their digital presence to continue delivering exceptional service.

The challenge: Rescuing and reimagining a critical mobile application

R&G Brenner approached Rootstrap with a critical need: to rebuild their existing cross-platform mobile application and introduce new features to enhance user performance. Initially, the focus was on a "rescue mission" to bring the existing app to a stable and maintainable state before the crucial US tax season. They sought Rootstrap's expertise in a Discovery process to thoroughly assess the application and define the necessary steps for stabilization and essential feature upgrades.

Our solution: Full-service product development and strategic partnership

Rootstrap provided a full-service product development team encompassing expertise in Flutter, React, Node.js, DevOps, and Quality Assurance. Our collaborative approach fostered a strong partnership with R&G Brenner, working hand-in-hand to understand their needs and deliver high-quality solutions.

Over more than two years of engagement, Rootstrap significantly contributed to R&G Brenner's technological evolution. Our key contributions included:

• Mobile Application RebuildWe undertook a comprehensive rebuild of their existing cross-platform mobile application, ensuring stability, maintainability, and improved performance for their extensive user base.
• Extensive Feature DevelopmentWe implemented numerous new features to the mobile app, focusing on significantly enhancing the overall user experience. While OCR was one example, our work involved a wide range of improvements and additions.
• New iPad ApplicationsRecognizing the needs of their in-office operations, we developed two new mobile applications specifically designed for iPads, further empowering their tax professionals.
• Data Migration (ETL)A critical aspect of the rebuild involved a seamless Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) process to migrate data, ensuring a smooth transition for their large user base.
• Technology Ecosystem ImprovementOur work extended beyond the applications themselves, contributing to an overall improvement in R&G Brenner's technology ecosystem.

The result: A modernized platform and enhanced user experience

Through our partnership and unwavering commitment to quality, Rootstrap delivered strong results for R&G Brenner. The rebuilt mobile application and the new iPad applications, along with the suite of new features, have significantly improved user experience and streamlined internal processes. The successful data migration ensured business continuity and a seamless transition for their vast clientele.

Why this engagement matters

This work with R&G Brenner is emblematic of Rootstrap's core strengths and strategic approach:

• Expertise in rebuilding critical systemsWe demonstrated our ability to take on complex projects involving the rebuild of existing applications with a large and active user base.
• Comprehensive technical capabilitiesOur team seamlessly integrated various technologies (Flutter, React, Node.js, DevOps, QA) to deliver a holistic solution.
• Strategic partnershipThis engagement highlights our commitment to building strong, collaborative relationships with our clients.
• Focus on user experienceOur work directly resulted in tangible improvements to the end-user experience through both stability enhancements and the implementation of significant new functionality.
• Improving the technology ecosystemWe went beyond the immediate project scope to improve the client's overall technology infrastructure and set them up for future success.

Outcomes

• Comprehensive rebuild of the cross-platform mobile application for stability, maintainability, and improved performance
• Implemented numerous new features to significantly enhance user experience
• Built two new iPad applications for in-office use by tax professionals
• Delivered a seamless ETL data migration for their large user base, ensuring business continuity