Commutatus

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the chairman of Ecodorp Boekel

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Ecodorp Boekel is a small ecovillage in the Netherlands but with a very high ambition on all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Commutatus to accomplish?

• digital community platform

SOLUTION

How did you find Commutatus?

Referral

Why did you select Commutatus over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Commutatus were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Commutatus build a front- and backend digital community platform with a database of practical solutions for citizens to make their own house, garden and community more resilient and have a positive impact on their natural surroundings.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We needed a web platform that users could sign in to, search for practical solutions and with a step-by-step plan make their own surroundings more resilient with a positive impact on their natural surroundings. 

The bugs that needed fixing were fixed quickly. They've also been very proactive in providing us with support for very technical support we needed to get the AWS hosting running.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management was managed through mail and zoom sessions. The team was proactive in setting up calls to discuss challenges and share updates. When deadlines were given, they met them efficiently, but they were also flexible when they needed to change deadline due to other circumstances. Their communications were very well managed.

I will certainly ask them to design the next phase of the platform, once the basic platform has proven its value and impact. That will be a much bigger project and I am confident that they will help us make that a success.

Commutatus gave us a really big discount as we came to them through Tech To The Rescue. We don’t earn anything with the website, so the budget was very low.

What was your primary form of communication with Commutatus?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The ease with which we could communicate with Commutatus in a non-technical way about our needs was impressive. They were very patient and took time to explain certain technical requirements and make me feel comfortable with their handling of our web development project.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Commutatus could have done differently?

There is very little that needs improvement with Commutatus, only thing would be the pronunciation of English. Sometimes they had to repeat before I could understand. But that is really the only area for improvement I could find. 

I found this a great experience working with them and would recommend them to others. I will certainly ask them to design the next phase of the platform, once the basic platform has proven its value and impact. That will be a much bigger project and I am confident that they will help us make that a success.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I designed a Slack app to manage offices post-covid.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Commutatus, and what were your goals?

I created a brief about the product and put a story map together outlining the scope of the product in mind, along with high-level features.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I have worked with Michael in the past before he started Commutatus, and was impressed by his work ethic as well as his creativity when it comes to problem solving. So I didn't take risks on that front going out and looking for another vendor.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We started with clarifying the brief, then Commutatus team sketched some hi-def designs. Clickable prototypes allowed giving detailed feedback. Once that was done, the work was broken into stories & tasks, and development effort required became more precise. We then moved into development.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

There were a designer, a project manager, and a full-stack engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Despite some delays we did launch the app on Slack app directory. Key deliverable here was passing Slack app review, and it took 2 rounds of feedback from Slack reviewers, which isnt bad for a brand new app.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Project management, especially responsiveness, needed some improvement during the earlier days of our working relationship. However upon some feedback they've made some hires, which improved the situation drastically. We use Jira, Notion & Slack extensively for communication.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What's impressive is their documentation skills. All the work has been laid out in detail, and you could always see which stage things are at in a given moment.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

At earlier stages on the product lifecycle being scrappy is often required. When solving a problem for the client within that context it would be better erring on the side of a cheaper / quicker solution rather than the long-term.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the three co-founders of Quantum Lead, a retail technology consulting firm based in New York City.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Commutatus?

We hired Commutatus for custom development work with custom stacks based on AWS, Microsoft Azure, Salesforce, and Heroku.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Commutatus team is extending our development capabilities to platforms that we’re not as proficient in. They’re working on a few projects, and they build our software from scratch. They base the details on the documentation and guidance we give them. To date, their most prominent work has been when they used AWS with JavaScript and React.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with five people from Commutatus, including their designers and developers.

How did you come to work with Commutatus?

We had a pre-existing relationship with them, so we considered them trustworthy.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $70,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in November 2020, and we continue to collaborate.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We can probably look at the average bug response time and ticket completion time, but I’m not sure that the metrics will resonate so much outside of the project. However, I can definitely say that they’ve produced high-quality work in a quick and efficient manner.

How did Commutatus perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a very organized team, and they have fantastic communication skills. We usually have virtual meetings, and we use Slack as our primary communication tool and then email and phone as necessary.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The talent and the value that they bring to the project have been impressive. They have great people, which allows them to deliver a project on time. On top of that, we appreciate that they’re very clear about their needs and requirements. Overall, I’ve never found a company with a similar price point that can match the quality of their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be a little bit more organized during the project’s kickoff so that we can feel that there’s an onboarding process. Other than that, once the project gets rolling, they effectively do their job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be honest and straightforward with Commutatus. Bring your requirements forward so that they can come up with creative solutions. More importantly, ensure that your communication between your teams is strong.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of Invicara, and we build digital twin solutions and service the building industry. We also have a platform as a service (PaaS) technology that allows partners to build digital twin solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Commutatus?

We did a lot of development work so we needed to supplement and complement our own in-house development efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We retained their services for a very specific project where we required them to develop some ancillary features for one of our product sets. The range of their service was primarily focused on software development. 

Commutatus provided a new UI for one of our products. In another instance, they helped us with some initial development on another product we were developing. As our software outsourcing company, they provided certain representations and warranties for the quality of the software they delivered to us. As a result, if they gave us some code that had an issue such as bugs or functionalities that weren't performing according to the specifications, we’d simply have a conversation and they’d fix it.

What is the team composition?

There were 1–2 software developers involved in our project, and our main point of contact was their CEO. On the other hand, our internal engineer was in touch with an engineer on their side.

How did you come to work with Commutatus?

We went through a discovery process. After that, we identified a few potential candidates that we felt might be appropriate for the job. After several conversations, we determined Commutatus was the best fit for us.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April 2020–September 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Commutatus completed the project successfully, and they delivered everything according to the specifications we wanted. We parted ways very amicably. Overall, what they delivered worked — so we were happy.                         

How did Commutatus perform from a project management standpoint?

We managed the project while Commutatus delivered and worked as an extended member of our team. We also followed an agile development cycle so we had regular sprints, and we used Microsoft tools and Slack to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were good people; they had integrity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It wasn’t their fault, but we faced some challenges due to our time zone differences. We knew that we couldn't expect their engineers to stay awake the whole night.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clearly define your requirements and scope. In addition, frequently communicate with them to ensure that you have the same understanding regarding your project’s requirements.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of marketing and technology for AIESEC, which is a nonprofit multi-national organization operating in almost 120 countries. Our core business is facilitating cross-cultural exchanges between young people.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Commutatus?

We made the decision to build a proper website so that we could communicate with our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created our website and have maintained it as well. Since that time, we have been addressing all development of our technological ecosystem with them. We are not only working on the website, but we are also working with them on several different tools that are involved with our internal and external processes.

Every quarter we planned things together. I went to their headquarters and we decided what the focus would be for the next quarter. Based on that, we prioritized the work based on sprints. They did everything from designing to developing the code, to implementing and testing. They also monitor and maintaining everything.

Sometimes we provide them with mock-ups and sometimes we just explain what we want to them and they come up with the design. It really just depends because we have an internal designer. Recently, we provided them with mock-ups for our landing page.

What is the team composition?

Our main contact person is Karan (Product Specialist). He is the person we contact for any of the projects we work with them on. Sometimes there are other people that jump in, but 95% of the time, he is the one we are in contact with.

How did you come to work with Commutatus?

I was not involved in hiring them, but I know that it was through a personal contact. They seemed very professional and already knew our ecosystem well, so it was clear that they were the best fit for us.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent between $100,000–$250,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our company began working with them in September 2016, and the work is still ongoing

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The metric we are mostly looking at is the conversion of people that are actually signing up on our page which have increased a lot. The speed of the website as well as the bounce rate were other things that we wanted to work on, and they were able to deliver that for us too.

How did Commutatus perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication has been perfect for both of our organizations, as well as the tools that we use. We didn’t have any major issues with meeting deadlines because of them. There were several occasions, of delay, but those were more because of slack from our side. I cannot say a bad word in this regard.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way they built a personal relationship with me as a customer was very good. Any time I visit their headquarters I feel very welcome and can discuss any issues with all the employees. That dynamic is pretty special in any organization.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don't have any particular recommendations for things that they should improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We put very clear expectations of each other in place, and we decided to have a weekly touchpoint and discussed how we want things to work and it has been working perfectly.

Whoever wants to work with them just needs to be very specific with touchpoints and with the flow of implementation. They are very flexible, and they will find the right fit for everyone.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We work to enable effective dialogue between Governments and citizens, on draft laws and policies. We empower individuals to co-create the laws that impact them - with the Government, before these laws are finalised through our web platform www.civis.vote. I am the Founder and CEO of the organisation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Commutatus?

Our core product was a web application where citizens could submit their feedback on upcoming laws. We built a Beta version of this platform on a drag and drop code platform, but needed to enhance the platform's functionality. This is when we approached Commutatus to build a web application and PWA for us. We did not have an in-house development team to work on this.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a web platform that users could sign in to, it needed to be a progressive web application for mobile and an open source code repository hosted on GitHub. We needed a secure platform that integrated emails as well.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose Commutatus from a pool of 5 potential vendors. Their understanding of our market and product and their promptness in responding to our questions helped build our confidence in their abilities. 2 members of our team were involved in the selection, neither have technical backgrounds.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Commutatus was provided with design mock ups on Figma for our web platform and PWA. In addition our previous platform was made available to them, along with guidelines on the functionality we needed for our web application.

What was the team composition?

The team composition varied over time, however Abheek and Michael were our constant points of contact. They were prompt in responding to our questions and requirements and handled the interactions and allocation of work within their team very well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Thanks to the new web platform, our daily active users have grown almost 5x and the average time spent on our website has increased by 2 minutes across the board. Our users enjoy the experience of engaging with our website and our business partners are able to see value in our work through the web platform. This has surpassed our goals for this development.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was managed through Slack and subsequently through Jira. Jira served as an effective tool to quickly resolve bugs. The team was proactive in setting up calls to discuss queries and share updates. When deadlines were given, they met them efficiently. Their communications were excelently managed and didn't leave scope for ambiguity.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The ease with which we were able to communicate our needs was helpful.The superior understanding Commutatus showed of our field of work was very impressive. Despite being from a non-technical background, our team could communicate effectively with Commutatus, no technical know how was required to work with them. They were very patient and took time to explain certain technical requirements to us in detail and make us feel comfortable with the direction of our web development project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is very little that needs improvement with Commutatus, over all we have had an excellent experience working with them and would recommend them to others as well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

AIESEC is the world's largest youth-run organization. It's an international nonprofit that provides 40,000 young people with leadership development, cross-cultural internships, and volunteer exchange experiences each year. We empower young people to make a social impact. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Commutatus?

We hired them to develop and maintain our web and mobile apps. This project included work on our infrastructure and multiple platforms. 

What were your goals for this project?

Our strategic focus changes each year, and Commutatus is always our development partner. They help us with everything, from revamping the architecture, to building new platforms, to creating features to improve the UX. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We asked our vast network for recommendations, then opened a bid for proposals. We chose Commutatus because they offered the best combination of price, expertise in our tech stack, and familiarity with our industry.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They began by revamping our infrastructure and ensuring a professional uptime. During our relationship, they have also professionalized the build and deployment of our apps and automatized test framework. They provide wireframes and high-fidelity designs for new products and features, conduct design sprints to solve challenges and develop solutions, and guide us through the agile development process. Finally, and most importantly, they develop new features for our platforms.

What was the team composition?

We initially had a small skeleton crew for both front-and backend work, but the team has grown enormously. We now have two full frontend teams, one for Angular and one for React, along with a backend team, a design team, and one scrum master.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

In our last fiscal year, we launched three new platforms on a tight deadline. In the months afterward, we worked together to tackle UX bottlenecks on those platforms. Their success was reflected in the feedback we gathered from users. While we didn't meet all our ambitious project goals, we improved our metrics and made our platforms more interconnected.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Throughout this year, we have made efforts to professionalize our agile management practice with formal Scrum elements. Two product owners lead the developers through everyday decisions, and the scrum master ensures that everyone knows what to do. We provide strategic direction.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Commutatus is extremely flexible. Their goals are to build awesome products and meet our objectives. If a project management approach doesn't work, we fix it. If we want to change strategic direction immediately, we figure it out together. If we aren't satisfied with the performance of our platform, they identify what needs to change. Commutatus always wants to figure things out.  

Are there any areas for improvement?

Commutatus always wants to make the best happen for their clients, so they can be too ambitious. We sometimes need to step in and sort out their priorities to maintain progress. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder and CEO of Tested, a premier solutions provider in the healthcare industry. We empower businesses with technologically superior solutions, from operations and logistics to management, that enable them to extend better care for their customers and grow consistently.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Commutatus?

When we started out, we had very little idea about what kind of tech infrastructure we needed as a backend logistics and manpower company. We engaged Commutatus for both web and mobile development, as well as for establishing our entire back office dashboard and operations management system.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal with a company like Commutatus involved was to eliminate manual errors in a heavily manual industry. We wanted to create a user-friendly technology and system that adapted to our business objectives and did not restrict or limit us from trying new things.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We knew Michael (CEO, Commutatus) from our previous organization. When he reached out to us with information about his then-newly founded company, Commutatus, we knew they were the perfect fit and exactly what we needed.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Commutatus created a number of products for us, including:

1) A company website that improved our positioning to the right audience;

2) A mobile app that enables users to book a home sample collection service for diagnostic tests, access their reports, track the booking, and reorder tests; 

3) A fleet management app that allows home collection professionals to accept and receive collection requests, navigate to the customer location, collect cash, update the order based on customer requests, and submit samples at labs with full tracking. It also facilitates HR tasks like profile and leave management;   

4) A comprehensive backend operations system that allows us to manage areas like lab and clinic partner relations; test menus; bookings; quality assessment; a referral system; and technician matters like live location tracking, phone battery life, leave requests, and cash collections;

5) A simple interface that integrates with our partners for effortless home collection service offerings.  

What was the team composition?

The team included several backend and front end engineers, mobile app developers, and a project manager. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Engaging Commutatus early on helped differentiate us from our competitors. The new technology expanded our operations from around two orders a week to more than 120 orders a day, with visibility that garnered us an average rating above 4.5/5. Our service was more than 95% on time, resulting in 60% of our customers returning within six months. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project manager ensured seamless communication, on-time releases, and work transparency. The project management itself evolved and progressed as our work relationship did. We began with Basecamp, but found JIRA to be the most effective. Not only did their team help us understand the software and how to use it, but they also responded quickly to assigned tasks and reported bugs.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Commutatus has an innate ability to understand customers, business, and operations beyond simply codebases. Their customer-centric problem solving approach produced innovative solutions that they implemented thoroughly and with value added beyond the bare minimum. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

They are an above-average tech company, but I do feel they could improve their communication of deadlines and timelines. I would like them to more clearly explain how much time a feature shipment will take so that we have a better idea if or when there will be a delay and how it can be fixed. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a logistics company involved in surface transportation and solutions for automotive companies in India. I'm a co-founder and the director of business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Commutatus?

We want to grow our business to be more than just a logistics company. We want to integrate end-to-end customer requirements with our technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a web-based platform that covers our entire operation, including HR and admin. We're currently integrating a customer login function. I had an idea of what I wanted, so we brainstormed together to work out requirements. We chose the platform we wanted to use and how the structure should look.

We wanted to create a solution that could accommodate future development. There were several changes from our end, but they always helped us make sure all our requirements were integrated. We test the platform in the live environment, and we push out updates every week. The platform uses Ruby on Rails, but I'm not sure of the coding languages they use.

What is the team composition?

I have a project manager and a lead developer. There are other team members involved, but those two individuals work very closely with us. They stick to strict timelines and pay attention to changes in compliance requirements.

How did you come to work with Commutatus?

I have a longstanding relationship with their owner, and I know his style very well. I wanted to use their skills to achieve our goals.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about 170,000 rupees (approximately $2,500 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in December 2018, and I'm still working with them today. Phase one ended around July 2019, but we've given them new requirements and are moving into phase two.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I stay sensitive to the analytics on the dashboard, and those numbers matter to me. They did a good job of organizing the numbers and listings. I give a lot of credit to them, and everything is systematically arranged.

How did Commutatus perform from a project management standpoint?

Most of our communication is through Slack, and we have access to Jira for this project. I can see who is responsible for each task, and I know what's been completed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like their agility. They're very open to criticism, and they're quick to adapt. Whenever something goes wrong, they fix issues quickly. They deal well with tedious tasks, and our operations have never gotten mired in the technical aspects. Their team is young and enthusiastic, and they focus on business solutions that really suit us. They understand my business, and they're attentive in ways other companies aren't.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They add new team members rather fast, but they still have shortfalls in terms of staffing. They're working on that now, and we've never been affected by any major challenges.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open with them and explain your business. They will understand you better if you are transparent about your operations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of MentorMind, an education company based in India. We have an online B2C platform to educate college and university students.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Commutatus?

We were looking for a vendor who could build our education platform as well as our backend platform, which has our day-to-day operations. Our projections are to work with around 300,000 students in the coming eight months.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started working with them from the beginning of the incorporation of our company. They designed and developed the front- and backend of our platform and the UX. They built it to optimize our operational processes. The platform is built on Ruby on Rails. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked with two designers and six developers.

How did you come to work with Commutatus?

I worked with the founder of Commutatus previously. He reached out to me after he started Commutatus. I evaluated their work, and I got good feedback on their quality. I trusted the founder’s vision and quality of work. We tried a freelancer and a local company prior to Commutatus, but the quality of their work didn’t match our expectations.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve launched the platform and are generating business. They provide a lot of insight into the business side, like how the UX would benefit the business outcomes. They provide feedback on the business outcomes as well, which is an important step coming from the development team. The quality of their work is great.

How did Commutatus perform from a project management standpoint?

We have one product manager who handles all of our issues. Since they started using Jira, communication has improved a lot. When it comes to new feature development, their process of running sprints along with the business team has been done exceedingly efficiently.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They go beyond our expectations as a service provider by providing a lot of feedback and insight into the business outcomes, which sets them apart from their competitors. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Before Jira and their product management team were put in place, their timeline management could have had better. Their estimates for turnaround time on a new feature weren’t accurate before.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a conversation with the founder or the senior development team about how they can best deliver. Ask for a dedicated product manager.