Portfolio

Auction Management

Project

Website, iPad application and web application development

For a financial services organisation based in the US we developed an auction bidding service to enable investors to easily bid for and purchase properties under foreclosure auction.

Technology:

Microsoft .Net, SQL Server, iPad.

Project requirements

Our client was looking to increase their customer base among investors without having to increase their staff. To do so, they needed new systems and processes that made full use of the latest web and mobile technology.

Our solution

Our solution was to develop a niche auction bidding system that allowed a three-way interaction between our client, their field staff and foreclosure investors. After working closely with them to determine their requirements and gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between the user groups, we developed:

• A website for foreclosure investors (who look for auctions to bid on)
• An iPad application for field staff (who visit auctions and collect data)
• A web application for our client (who manages the system).

Website development

Using Microsoft .Net, the website we developed for our client keeps foreclosure investors informed of properties under auction. After registering on the site they are able to search for any foreclosures they may be interested in bidding for based on preferences such as zip (postal) codes. They can then instruct our client to send a member of the field team to the auction to provide further information and make bids. By integrating our client’s property tracking system into this website, the investors could:

• See real-time updates on bids
• Submit and manage bids
• Access accounts and transfer funds.

iPad application development

The application Icreon developed for our client’s field team enabled them to use iPads to relay key information about properties and auctions back to investors via a central database. The application is synchronised to the property tracking system and allows field team members to announce when auctions begin and inform investors whether their bids have been successful.

Web application development

To enable our client to manage both the website and the iPad app, we developed a back-end web application that controlled both systems. This includes access controls and cashier’s cheque management as well a reporting system to provide information on the properties being auctioned, who is bidding and who placed the winning bid. In-built security was vital to ensure people could not intercept, manipulate or falsify the bids.

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