Abbacus Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a design company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abbacus Technologies?

I needed to have an app created. It allows people to create and design without needing to go to design school.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Abbacus Technologies developed a mobile app for Android and iOS. I provided most of the wireframes.

What is the team composition?

Michael (Business Development Manager) is my main point of contact. Umang (Senior Business Analyst) creates flow charts, Kalpesh (Project Manager) leads a team, and Paresh (UI/UX Designer) is included in all communications.

How did you come to work with Abbacus Technologies?

They were recommended by one of my computer techs. She knew of some work they had done.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in fall 2019, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Abbacus Technologies is willing to accommodate my needs. I’m very satisfied with the work they’ve done.

How did Abbacus Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

While it may take a little longer to explain things, due to a small language barrier, they are very competent. We use Skype and email to keep in touch.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very accommodating. My wireframes used a specific technology, and they brought in a specialist to work on the project. Abbacus Technologies is a great company; I like them a lot.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could use more project management tools, such as Basecamp. It would also be good if they had someone assigned to work during US business hours.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We specialize in designe and developing website and e-commerce webshops. It can be a simple website with little visitor interaction or scaled up websites with CRM and multiple API connections

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Abbacus Technologies?

We hired Abbacus for multiple projets and services. So is Abbacus our partner in extending our Magento 2 service for existing clients. Also Abbacus helps us to scale up te team when needed for our frontend development projects.

What were your goals for this project?

For all our projects its important to have a stady partner to work closely with us on the development tasks. Abbacus realy supports our team with the pending tasks.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched for a Magento 2 specilist that could support our own team. After researching online I found Abbacus. After a call with Michael, Business Development Manager, we started with a small Magento2 task and a few months later we have done multiple projects (Magento2 and frontend development)

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

For each project we provide the designs (great thing is that we can provide them in Sketch, Illustrator, PDF, etc, they can work with all formats) and a detailed briefing of the project. When needed we have a skype call with screensharing with one of the project managers to go over the briefing.

After that they code the frontend for us, this can be simple html to complex php code. Also they make custom adjustments in our Magento2 projects.

What was the team composition?

Usually the team consists of 3 people from our side (designer, developer / tester and manager), the Abbacus team depends on the required tasks. We notice that Abbacus raises the team when a tight deadline has to be met.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Abbacus gives us the space to take on more projects. It mainly gives peace, because it has been shown that we can rely on Abbacus. The lines of communication are short and communication is very smooth. Its great that we can scale up the development team when it's needed.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We use Skype chat, when needed with desktop sharing, to keep in communication about ongoing projects. For briefings and requirements we use Trello. Those two platforms really helps us to stay on track of the projects. We also use BitBucket to keep track on the code changes and it helps us to work on projects with multiple developers.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Abbacus' dedication is great — we haven't had this before with other offshore companies. Communication with project manager (and developers) is very smooth, we have no problems communicating our ideas and wishes. We really feel that Abbacus is part of our team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We started with smaller projects and those went great, we are not moving up to bigger and longer website projects and there is improvement to time manage the tasks better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of iChill Music, a royalty-free music platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abbacus Technologies?

We needed help with mobile app development. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, I described the required functionality. The app streams music. It has a download feature to listen to music offline. There’s also a web player; the user can log in to any browser, and it will synchronize with the mobile app. They created a version of the app for iOS, and it was transported into Android, which made it easier to update.

What is the team composition?

They have a large team of people working on this project. The account manager was my main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Abbacus Technologies?

They were recommended to us. They had a good price point as well as a good team to work with. We had a few meetings and decided to work together.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around November 2015, and our project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They are quick and responsive. This is a 24/7 business, and they grasp the importance of being available to fix our issues. They came up with all the solutions we requested. The account manager puts in extra work to become familiar with our business, our app, and the competition, in order to produce the best product. They deliver updates and provide a guarantee with each delivery.

How did Abbacus Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They do pretty well. They are usually communicative if there will be a delay or anything. We communicate via Skype and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a one-stop solution; they know apps and web pages, and more. They are very cost-effective, and do satisfactory work. I wouldn’t keep working with them if the technology was not up to par.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are sometimes differences in opinion on aesthetics, but that’s to be expected.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure your brief is thorough and detailed since it’ll determine the outcome.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director at BD Property, a real estate company. I sell my products online from my website, Facebook, and Google Ads.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abbacus Technologies?

We needed someone to develop our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re developing a customized WordPress website.

What is the team composition?

There are 3–4 people working on my project. I’m in contact with the team leader who distributes the work.

How did you come to work with Abbacus Technologies?

I was having a hard time finding a reliable company for this project. I looked at multiple vendors around the world. I’d worked with Abbacus Technologies on a customization project a few years prior and was happy with their work. When I contacted them, their quote was reasonable so I decided to hire them. 

How much have you invested with them?

I invested $4,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2019, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m happy with their work. They’re a good company that I can count on. They’ve balanced their work and customization. My web portal is working correctly.

How did Abbacus Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is good. They can be a bit slow though. However, overall they’re good and I’m happy with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality is good which is why I gave them the work a second time. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be a bit faster. It would also be helpful if they lowered their prices.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company offers primarily design services and web development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Abbacus Technologies?

As I was commissioned to set up a webshop based on WooCommerce, I entrusted this project to Abbacus Technologies while I concentrated on the design aspect.

What were your goals for this project?

My goal was to deliver a state of the art Ecommerce shop to my client. As Ecommerce is not my core competence, I can count on the expertise and experience of Abbacus in handling such a project.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

My business ties with Abbacus dates back to 2012.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project is an Ecommerce site, so Abbacus set this up using WooCommerce. I delivered the design and Abbacus took over the web development.

What was the team composition?

I had two contacts within the company. The project manager and the head of the web developer team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This is a lighthouse project for my company as I had not offered a webshop of this scope before to my clients.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project manager was always there for me whenever I needed to reach out and steer certain aspects of the project. Otherwise, I had direct contact with the web developer team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Abbacus reacts in due time and what I value most about this company is they stop only when the project is really finished, meaning when the client is satisfied with the results.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Sure there is. I have scheduled a few calls but unfortunately, I have to wait for some time until it gets started. But as I understand, such are IT people, they are always busy and have piles of work on their table.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We distribute PVC and ABS pipe and fittings across the UK, Scotland and Northern Ireland. We have 25 years of experience within the industry and have a single central office in the UK. I work as the Senior Digital Marketing Manager, and am contacted to explore the effectiveness of product sales and advertising within the digital environment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Abbacus Technologies?

Abbacus were hired to develop the 1st phase of our B2B & B2C ecommerce project. We chose to utilise Magento 2 as the ecommerce platform and provided Abbacus with a fully functional template to code into Magento. Besides this, we had a couple specific requirements which they successfully developed for us.

What were your goals for this project?

Our ultimate goal was to develop an ecommerce website which provides us the ability to create discounted member accounts across 3 different sub-industry types. We will utilise the platform as an online catalogue and digital market place.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We put our a number of quote requests based on a job specification document. Following our shortlisting of the vendor we contacted and spoke with existing clients to verify their expertise.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Abbacus provided the usual development technologies eg. PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, CSS etc.

What was the team composition?

Abbacus provided a dedicated Account Manager and Web Developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project itself is scheduled to launch 1st August. We expect to see an increase in online sales as well as a combination of positive and negative feedback in order to develop the system further. One of main hopes is to condense the number of different discount types we currently offer into a core set of 3/4 matrix's.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was handled well. The development team were very quick to develop the various modules and were equally quick to respond to change requests. There was never any miscommunication throughout the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The Abbacus team were always quick to respond to enquiries and changes and the project moved swiftly - keeping to development timelines.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The only advice I can offer is implement a core testing individual to fully test stage development / changes to development before submitting to the client.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of our company. We develop brand and online communications in the commercial, retail and leisure sectors

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Abbacus Technologies?

We needed to develop a multi-layered quoting system for one of our clients. To be available to buy via subscription on both IOS and Android.

What were your goals for this project?

To create an end-to-end quoting system that would allow an engineer to fill in a quote, discuss terms, create a job sheet and allow the customer to sign the document.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We wanted a partner that would deliver a project with the flexibility to explore and understand the brief. We made a number of enquires with different companies. We felt that enthusiasm met with can do attitude and we needed a company that would bring us the result we wanted.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected Abbacus, we had a series of discovery meetings to discuss our goals and objectives. With the supply of outline wireframes from our team we received mockups which were animated for apps. After a few iterations and discussions with our marketing team, we finalised the design and provided feedback. The vendor came back to us with further wireframes and concepts for our other sections in the app. The build session included a content management system, a white label operation which we are currently working on to get to completion stages.

What was the team composition?

We were assigned a project manager to support us and serve as the main point of contact throughout the project. We have since spoken with 2 members of the team which joined the project at the appropriate time. This was managed seamlessly and we understood each role that the member had to offer the development. We understand that there were further support members behind the scenes dealing with the daya to day code work required, as well as a QA resource working behind the scenes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The scale of the project has now bought us close to winning post. Within 2 months we expect our new app to be launched. The interface has been designed with future proofing in mind and allowing for ease of use for the companies that will use it. Ultimately the project was a challenging one and Abbacus helped us to get it to the point of success and will allow us to market the brand with confidence.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Initially there was a learning curve on this as we both got to know each others but I must say that the team were very flexible and open minded in getting to the ultimate goal.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I like the flexible approach to our clear guidelines. Naturally with a complex requirement there are sections that needed refinement, added and removed. Having worked with similar operations in the past and not having particularly good experiences it was a pleasant change from the normal perception of money exploitation you get from others or the lack of knowledge that comes across when you are mid contract. This was not the case with Abbacus.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Paperwork needs to be better and the use of a CRM would have been welcomed for the complexities involved.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I run an e-business boutique specialised in selling Made in Palestine products on the web mainly in Europe

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Abbacus Technologies?

Upgrading my online store to the most recent Magento version

What were your goals for this project?

Getting a secured website and better protecting the private information of my clients

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I fonud them on the web and I saw the other reviews from people who get their services

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Upgrading Manto 2.3 to 2.4 version

What was the team composition?

I mainely worked with 2 persons from the team one developper and one assitant

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Having a secure website and up to date version on my online store is essential to stay on the top and continue developping the e-business

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

the guys were available to work when unspected matters occur

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are lovely people who are always available to advise their client and complete the work on time

Are there any areas for improvement?

Till now I am satisfied from all the interventions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Managing Director of QURE LTD. a research company based in Trinidad. Our company provides full research services to both the private and public sector throughout the English speaking Caribbean.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Abbacus Technologies?

Our company wanted to develop a mobile application that would allow persons across the Caribbean region to quickly respond to requests from our clients. Whether these requests were price checks, product reviews or store audits.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop a mobile app that was like a game for users but serius enough to collect critical data for our clients.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

My team contacted over 10 developers across the globe. Abbacus was one of the companies that came up in our online searches and we requested a quote from them. Beyond being very competitive price wise they also were one of the few vendors to understand what our needs were and present a quote with that understanding.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected the vendor we submitted a document to them detailing the scope of the project. We were assigned a customer success manager who chatted with us to ensure he understood the full scope of the project. Once he understood the needs he passed it to a team member and in 3 weeks the app UI design and wireframes were created and presented for our review.

Development of the app ran for 4 months which was slightly over the expected delivery date due to several unavoidable issues. The app was a native app developed for both iOS and Android platforms.

What was the team composition?

Dealt with the customer success manager and the project manager only. I am not sure of how many developers were involved in the process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our mobile app is being prepared to be launched on both the iOS and Android platforms.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager was always in communication with our team and the turnaround time from requests or changes submitted to them and their team initiating those changes were quite quick (within 3-4 days).

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed with their responsiveness and ability to meet almost all requests thrown their way. The project manager always sougth clarification and communicated throughout the development process.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not sure anything could have been improved on their end as they responded so quickly that sometimes the delay was on our end to review the app and give feedback.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technical director of a web development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abbacus Technologies?

We had some projects that required PHP web development and wanted to outsource that work to a team with PHP expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked on 15-20 projects together since first collaborating. Some of our clients have annual contests and we use Abbacus to develop their websites. At times that requires redeveloping an entire contest site from year-to-year.

A high-profile project they took on for us was the Canadian Automobile Association’s (CAA) Worst Roads Campaign, which is an annual national contest. Abbacus developed the whole site from scratch, despite frequent and complex changes made to its scope. It’s a PHP framework with top-level JavaScript functionalities to ensure all site features work properly.

What is the team dynamic?

Beyond the project manager, I’m not sure how many people are assigned to each project. The company is fairly large and utilizes people with the required expertise as needed. They have specialists in JavaScript and CSS, responsive design, databases, UX design, and Drupal.

How did you come to work with Abbacus Technologies?

We researched potential partners online and interviewed several firms. Abbacus came across as professional and articulate. Initially, they stood out because they had a project coordinator close by that helped us communicate with the full team in India. However, we now communicate directly with the company in India.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000–$60,000 over the course of the relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2015, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The “Worst Roads” site was great because it’s a national campaign. The contest gets covered in the paper and on the news so getting the project done correctly was essential to the future growth of our business. Not only because it was for one of our biggest clients, but it was vulnerable public scrutiny. The quality of work they delivered with that project has not gone unnoticed.

How did Abbacus Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ll send them a scope of work document and then have a meeting to discuss details or anything that’s not clear. They’re very responsive and update us on a regular basis as the project progresses. Their project manager does a good job of organizing their team. Communication is done through email and Skype in addition to sending files back and forth.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a diverse array of experiences and expertise that have proved invaluable. We ask them if they can complete a project and they either do it or find someone who can. They are also great at handling rapid changes of project requirements as exemplified by the success of the CAA website.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The time difference can be an issue depending on how urgent things are. It’d be great if they had an overnight manager in addition to the regular project manager.