Barrage

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Roango, a matchmaking platform that connects technical and creative resources. We connect resources through their skills, profiles, and cultural preferences. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Barrage?

We hired Barrage to develop our platform. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Barrage primarily focuses on backend development; they’ve used Rust for the coding. The software is very complicated, but Barrage is using their server infrastructure for the platform. Everything has been custom built for our needs — we haven’t used any premade frameworks. 

However, another local company has developed the wireframes for Barrage to use. We’ve provided all the user stories and designs for the platform. Barrage’s backend team has been able to produce a high-quality MVP that we’ve since iterated on.

Outside of platform development, Barrage also provided us with customer support services. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a product owner, a lead systems engineer, and 5–7 other teammates working on the product. 

How did you come to work with Barrage?

Barrage is a local company, so engaging them wasn’t a hard choice. We did have discussions with other companies since this was a long-term project. Since the project was estimated to take two years, we needed a company we could trust. 

We also needed a company that could work with emerging technologies. So, because we knew Barrage’s owners and stakeholders, we brought them onboard; they were committed to making our idea a reality. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around €1 million (approximately $1 million USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement started in January 2020, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Barrage has delivered every feature we’ve requested on time. In terms of quality, Barrage’s deliverables have exceeded expectations. We’ve completed a lot of frontend and stress testing of the platform to ensure the platform works well.

The product is in the early stages; we’re now going live in southeastern Europe. So, I don’t have any specific user or business KPIs. However, the initial feedback from the launch has been great. 

How did Barrage perform from a project management standpoint?

Barrage has excellent project management. I have three primary contacts at ​​Barrage, but the product owner handles everything. The entire project has gone smoothly, despite the small challenges we had to overcome. Their team has been very understanding, especially when we were too demanding. 

For the development, we’ve used Jira, Confluence, and Slack to manage the project and communicate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed that Barrage has been able to deliver the product on time. The project has been a colossal endeavor, but Barrage handled all the nuances really well. They were mindful of the legal requirements that had to be coded in, especially regarding the backend. They’ve approached the entire project as if it was their own. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t identify any major flaws for Barrage to improve at the moment. Of course, everyone wants quicker deliveries, but looking back, I don’t think there is any way they could’ve worked faster. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

First, I’d advise you to provide Barrage with their idea from the very start. Let them advise you on features to include so you can hopefully get everything out the door in the first version. Get their team involved in the business logic part of the project, and use their advice so you don’t waste resources or time. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a travel manager at Travelspot, a travel company. We have a travel platform for customers who travel a lot. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Barrage?

We needed a team to help us with the technical part of our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Barrage helps us with the design and technical performance of our app. They help us get in contact with the providers on our platform. Moreover, the team tries to make the platform more functional and implement better UX designs. They’ve done everything from scratch. We’re planning to add more features, but the platform is currently functional. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve collaborated with a few people from Barrage. Around 5–7 people from the development and IT departments work with us, and they’re changed based on the project’s status. Apart from them, 2–3 designers collaborate with us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over €300,000 (approximately $305,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Barrage in April 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re truly satisfied with Barrage’s work; I’ve had a great experience with them. 

How did Barrage perform from a project management standpoint?

Communicating with Barrage is truly easy. We use various channels for communication, including email, Slack, phone calls, and in-person meetings. They have a way of planning and keeping track of progress. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like their elaborate structure of collaboration. They have a dedicated team that works quickly. As a result, we don’t have any issues with deadlines, and they do everything based on our agreement. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. I’ve had only great experiences with them so far. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a sincere approach to the engagement. Tell Barrage what you truly want for technical and non-technical things.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the COO of a digital agency. We design and develop our own digital products and mobile / web applications for clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Barrage?

We had built an online tool for proposal creation, but we didn't have resources to provide customer support to our clients.

SOLUTION

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

We reached out to Barrage as we knew they have customer support resources and recommendations we've received were stellar.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Their team integrated they support ticketing system, in-app chat and they are handling all customer support tickets, feature request and bug reports.

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

We worked directly with the customer support lead, but depending on the amount of support tickets, 4-6 people worked in the support

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their support team answer on all incoming support tickets and feedbacks, resulting in 98% satisfaction rate from users that contacted support.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Super effective and straightforward communication with the support team lead. We used Slack for our day-to-day communication and resolved any issues and roadblocks in matter of minutes

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

They offer high-level of support, team augmentation was a seamless process which they've passed with flying colors.

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

Not much too improve, their support team resolved all challenges without a sweat.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Marrow Labs, a development agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Barrage?

We engaged Barrage to help us with our design needs because we didn’t have an internal design team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us in developing and designing a software solution for one of our partners in Hamburg. It was for managing a coworking space. Barrage also managed the SEO efforts and ads of our third-party client. 

Moreover, their team found out that our external stakeholder’s system had some serious security issues and major flaws in its performance, speed, geolocation positioning, and more. That was how we found out that they had a strong security team. As a result, aside from designing that system, they also did a security audit.

As our partnership progressed, we started collaborating with them regarding legal issues because they had a strong legal team that was capable of advising us a lot regarding some potential merging opportunities. Barrage also gave us one lead customer so we tried to approach that with fine legal contracts. In the beginning, it was pretty bad. However, they helped us to make it a little more professional than we started. 

We continue to hire them for their design, security, and legal services. We’ve also enrolled them in some blockchain projects because they have strong expertise in that field.

What is the team composition?

They have 3–4 people in charge of design and 4–5 people in charge of security and technical advisory. They also have a project manager and another person in charge of legal issues.

How did you come to work with Barrage?

Barrage had everything we needed, and we agreed on a fair price. Overall, we chose them because they were a one-stop-shop.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent €100,000 (approximately $117,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing work began in July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With the team’s support, we've confirmed that the application of our third-party stakeholder isn’t secure and barely working. On top of that, they’ve overpaid their previous service provider. 

Despite that, Barrage has helped us with their expertise and security knowledge. However, it’s difficult to mention any metrics because we’ve had to hold for some time because of COVID-19. Overall, we’re just grateful that they’ve helped us a lot with their consulting services.

How did Barrage perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t have any problems with deadlines. When we have tight deadlines, they work overtime, so everything has been going well. We use Jira, Slack, and email. We also schedule meetings regularly, and they have been flexible with their availability.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have good organization skills, and we’re confident about working with them. On top of that, they have a scalable and talented team.

Barrage makes it a point to secure everything. More importantly, they have ISO certifications. I haven’t seen many companies that are quite boutique but still have proper procedures and security protocols well-integrated into their business. Above all, they accept large-scale projects even though they’re not a big company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can be stricter around project management, but I really don’t know of any special issues they can improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about what you want and explain it in detail.