ABNK Premium Systems

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a technology consulting company in the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ABNK Premium Systems?

We needed help with custom software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ABNK Premium Systems builds custom software for us. Specifically, they create web apps. Recently, we’ve collaborated on performance appraisal software for a law firm in the UK. Its primary function is to allow customers to give feedback on their employees’ performance. It makes it easy to track performance over time, look at employee rankings, and add or remove employees. Additionally, it helps the law firm conduct employee engagement surveys.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager, a frontend developer, a couple of backend developers, and a QA specialist.

How did you come to work with ABNK Premium Systems?

We found ABNK Premium Systems online.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $40,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All the feedback we’ve received on their work has been very positive. We’re very pleased with ABNK Premium Systems’ work.

How did ABNK Premium Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is excellent — they stick to deadlines and budget constraints. We use Trello to manage the project and Slack to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very flexible and transparent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it’s all been positive so far.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Human Resources and Customer Service Manager for VIVO. VIVO is a U.S. based company that designs, manufactures, and supplies a diverse selection of products across multiple unique product markets. We desire to create functional solutions that fit unsolved needs and better the experience of every customer we serve. Our dedicated team collaborates with factories around the world to design and build functional products of the highest quality materials.

Products we supply and manufacturer include a vast range of computer monitor and TV mounts, TV carts, projector screens and mounts, height-adjustable desks, stand to sit desk mounts, computer cases, network cable and other miscellaneous categories.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ABNK Premium Systems?

We originally hired ABNK Premium Systems to provide customer support, but this has grown into support for our Marketing and Logistics teams as well.

SOLUTION

How did you select ABNK Premium Systems and what were the deciding factors?

ABNK was recommended through a previous relationship, as well as being very friendly and reasonable throughout the negotiation process for services.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

This team is responsible for assisting customers with questions concerning the products we sell (700+) includiing compatibility questions, troubleshooting of issues, assembly of products, shipping/tracking information, replacement parts and many other topics.

How many resources from the ABNK Premium Systems team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Two full time employees - Customer Service, Marketing and Logistics

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have been able to expand our Customer Support Service to 24 hours per day with the support from ABNK resources.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between our teams is very fluid with excellent communication occuring on a daily basis with the team members, and a weekly basis with Management.

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

Their ability to adapt to policies that continually change on the Marketplaces in which we sell. The representatives must be able to assist customers while abiding by the workflows and policies. We have had no turnnover in the staff and they rarely miss a day of work.

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

No, we are extremely satisfied with the services we have received and hope to expand into other departments in the future.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Lifesong Farms, a global farming initiative. We use hydroponics and aquaponics technologies in growing berries. We design our infrastructure in different countries like Ukraine, Zambia, and Ethiopia. We also have a couple of facilities in the US around Chicago and the Bloomington area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ABNK Premium Systems?

All our farms moved about 10,000 pounds of products a day and managed about 250 people. However, our company lacked the digital tools to track our results in harvest and people management. We also didn’t have the infrastructure to integrate data in our profit and loss (P&L) statement. Our records were handwritten, and at the end of every week, we had to reconcile them — it was a disaster.

As a result, we wanted to have real-time tools to help us move away from conventional tracking. I didn’t trust other applications on the market so I wanted a platform that was custom-built for us. Given that, we hired ABNK to develop a mobile app. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ABNK has built a mobile app for us to boost production and manage our processes. To understand our business processes, they ran a thorough business analysis before they wrote the code. After that, they also ran automated QA tests. 

The app they’ve built runs on both iOS and Android, but the majority of its users use iPad. It has three main features. The first feature is a registration function for harvest pickers who submit their work. This allows foremen and harvest managers to see and locate people in our farms, which are fairly large at 250 acres altogether and consist of 2,200 sectors. 

The second feature is a tracking tool showing us the harvested berries, their collection location, weight, and variety. Finally, the third feature is for the distribution of the products to the end buyers. It shows us the sales process, how much the products are sold for, and how much we still have to sell.

At present, ABNK continues to support our app, and we’re planning to build version 2.0 for the features we want to add. For instance, we want to add animations to it on a minor scale. 

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager, two developers, two QA testers, a BA, and their CTO. 

How did you come to work with ABNK Premium Systems?

They were referred to us by a good friend who was helping us set up the infrastructure. 

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent $100,000. Their monthly retainer services cost $3,500 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2019, and the partnership is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching the app in 2020, we’re excited about what ABNK can bring to us and how their efforts will boost our production relative to our competitors. From time to time, we’ve had to exert effort to synchronize our teams’ understanding of the features we want to build. It’s taken a while, but that’s the reason we’re so successful — they have a great BA who helps us understand such features. 

On top of that, we’ve moved away from paper tracking, cutting down around 100 hours of manpower per week. Moreover, our group is now more efficient and has the ability to understand everything in real-time. I no longer have to wait 24 hours or a couple of days just to do that. More importantly, the mobile app has bolstered our reputation among our end buyers and clients; we now give them a more accurate forecast of the products they should expect. 

How did ABNK Premium Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

ABNK’s project management is close to excellent. Their team’s availability and willingness to go into the field to understand our processes are great. Even when they’ve lost a worker for a month during the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve managed to shift gears quickly. We haven’t seen any bumps in the development process, and I truly appreciate that. To communicate and manage the project, we use Confluence. They’ve also given our bookkeeper access to Jira. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

ABNK is quick to respond if we have questions, and they always deliver flexibly. Likewise, if something doesn’t work correctly, they fix it within 24 hours. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can do a better job explaining how the development process works to people who aren’t tech-savvy. We’re also a bit over our budget, but it’s hard to blame that on them because we’ve been adding some features and ideas to the app along the way. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend a good amount of time on the BA process before jumping into development. Time is of the essence, but the better you do the preparation, the better the app will work in the long term. Apart from that, remember that ABNK has a mix of different nationalities. They have developers from Ukraine and the UK as well as advisors in the US. There’s diversity in their team, which is great. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of DS6

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Web application development and data center management

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ABNK Premium Systems to accomplish?

• Quality and responsive LAMP development
• Honesty
• Relatability

SOLUTION

How did you find ABNK Premium Systems?

Referral

Why did you select ABNK Premium Systems over others?

Great culture fit

How many teammates from ABNK Premium Systems were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Create a mobile responsive property inspection reporting system to catalog, inventory, and report on building conditions and occupancy. System includes mobile device image manipulation, user-level access controls, PDF reporting.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Initial rapid prototyping development milestones followed by daily feedback and iterations based on user results. Great communication every step of the way.

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

Timelines were met, and clear notes were included for each milestone on issues found and new considerations.

What was your primary form of communication with ABNK Premium Systems?

Email or Messaging App

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

Great people, great communication, and responsiveness

Are there any areas for improvement or something ABNK Premium Systems could have done differently?

Nothing I can think of

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of a gambling company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Provide real-time data feeds to subscribers within a mobile app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ABNK Premium Systems to accomplish?

• Mobile Development
• Minimum Viable Product
• Infastructure Management

SOLUTION

How did you find ABNK Premium Systems?

Existing Relationship

Why did you select ABNK Premium Systems over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from ABNK Premium Systems were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

ABNK was hired to work alongside internal developers on a mobile application and support with infrastructure services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ABNK hit all objectives within specified requirements and are knowledgeable in their respective fields.

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

We use an internal manager to manage the team as we have embedded them directly into our team. Their company leadership is easy to get along with and deeply understands our project and hiring needs.

What was your primary form of communication with ABNK Premium Systems?

Email or Messaging App

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

Their ability to facilitate our team while located in a different team and overcome unrelated hardships.

Are there any areas for improvement or something ABNK Premium Systems could have done differently?

Like all project, there are challenges and any challenge that we faced ABNK was able to overcome!