Blue Horizon Infotech

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president and owner of Chart Marketing Inc. Since 1986 we have provided advertising placement to clients across the country, creative writing services, book proofing and publishing, and advertising sales in radio, TV, and print media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Horizon Infotech?

Their team helped us to develop software based on a concept I had come up with that would provide programming and sell advertising in movie theaters across the US.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The previous company I worked with had a basic framework already in place, but Blue Horizon pretty much used it as a schematic for the technologies to use, and they built everything else themselves from the ground up.

With their team, we built out a web-based application that allows the user to designate a specific length for a TV slot and the individual segments within that and then let the software select all of the actual programming. Based on the parameters, it weaves together the clips of content, specific length commercials, PSAs, and whatever else you wanted to be included without anyone manually selecting or ordering the clips.

What is the team composition?

My interactions were primarily with Amal (Proprieter), although he had several other members of his team working on the product behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Blue Horizon Infotech?

I was originally working with a company based in the US, but the development was taking too much time and money, so I searched for another provider and came up with about five options. After interviewing Amal and Blue Horizon, it was clear they were the best fit for me, so I moved forward with them from there. 

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost of the project was probably about $100,000–$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from around 2010–2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product that I had was entirely due to the work that they provided. In other words, they built me a lawnmower, and it was successful because it would run. Overall, I was very pleased with the quality of their work and with the business that I was able to secure as a result.

How did Blue Horizon Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

I really had no complaints. We came in on schedule and in budget, and I was always up to date about our progress throughout our work together, so I don’t know that there’s any more I could have asked for from them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to stay calm and handle anything that came up was a huge asset to our partnership. Working with advertisers can be a very high-stress position to be in, and their constant willingness to just roll up their sleeves and get to work fixing the problem on some pretty intensive problem-solving tasks never ceased to amaze me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Toward the end of our relationship, they were going through some very healthy growth, and it was a little easier to miscommunicate because of that. However, it was never to the point where it caused me any problems that I needed to talk to them about.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and president of FreshAir Sensor, a technology company. We have the only technology that can monitor and specifically detect tobacco and marijuana smoke.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Horizon Infotech?

We hired them to design a few pages for our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were coming up with a new theme for our website, so Blue Horizon redesigned and rebuilt some of the pages for us. 

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Xavier (Proprietor). 

How did you come to work with Blue Horizon Infotech?

We sponsored a competition through 99designs. Blue Horizon won against 100 other entrants. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–June 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy with the work Blue Horizon did for us. They substantially improved the look of our website.

How did Blue Horizon Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. Blue Horizon is really easy to work with. We would give them guidance, and they would quickly come back with improvements and changes. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Blue Horizon does high-quality work. Also, they’re extremely responsive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have nothing negative to say about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Find good examples of things you like. Blue Horizon is very good at extracting those things in order to give you something that aligns with your vision.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own an online oil and gas marketplace for service providers. It’s used to get multiple quotes, bid prices, and more specific to the oil and gas industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Horizon Infotech?

Initially, they worked on page mockups for my company but expanded into serving as my coding partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I credit them for building out the entire technical system that I utilize today. They worked in PHP to develop a web platform that facilitates business connections within the industry. Their team is capable of delivering code in multiple languages, but they recommended PHP to us based on our budget and timeframe.

Using the platform they created, customers can evaluate multiple service providers and request bids from them. Vendors and consumers can also send each other messages and documents through the platform’s email connection. Additionally, users can archive and manage bid by project. The system manages collaboration within the oil and gas industry. They developed the site from scratch after reviewing the mockups I provided. 

What is the team composition?

I had two full-time developers staffed to the account. The owner made himself available to us as well from a managerial perspective. Other resources, like UX specialists, were temporarily added to the project as needed.

How did you come to work with Blue Horizon Infotech?

I visited a site that facilitates the creation of outsourced mockups, intending to work on my bid management page. Their design was the best, so I worked with them on that project. After I parted ways with my coding team, we had built a strong relationship. He had a team that could pick up where the other team left off. They were well-priced and the quality was there.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $75,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from January 2015–2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of quality, I feel that I received more than what I paid for. We had regular daily meetings that gave our teams an overview of all the work that was done during any given day. From there, they’d put their tasks in a Sandbox dev site, and we were able to track their progress. I was able to evaluate mockups and code through GitHub. I don’t have a development background, so I trusted them in that capacity. 

How did Blue Horizon Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

Of course, we ran into a few small time zone challenges and natural language barriers, but they were strong project managers overall. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were skilled at translating my intentions into code. We quickly became partners, because I could trust them with what I was building. They were unbelievably cost-effective. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is nit-picky, but they took a few grammatical liberties that later had to be changed. That slowed things down a little, especially because I provided them with notes containing how the copy should read. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communication through their manager is very important. He’s able to hold everything together and keep the project running smoothly. At the end of the day, they did an excellent job communicating.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Cleanconnect was an online portal allowing cleaning companies and clients to tender for cleaning contracts across australia

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blue Horizon Infotech?

Blue Horizons was instrumental in completing the back end and software development from scratch to going live

What were your goals for this project?

complete end to end software development , design and testing

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Through tender process, online communication, Skype meetings and referral business as reference

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Full design, software development over 300 pages of different scenarios achieved during the tender process

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of 4-5 developers and programmers at any one time working on different parts of the project and website

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had the pleasure of working personally with the team, i made a visit Blue Tech in Cochin and worked for 5 days with the developers and designers, they were very efficient and knowledgable about the results needed to produce a unique and functional website

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Effectively managed by team with constant feedback and communication on a daily basis.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their teamwork, communication, and problem-solving were impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

none experienced

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a small ethical clothing line based around cashmere wool products out of the region of Kashmir, India. The mission is to support the artisans that are involved throughout the process. We’re a nonprofit that raises awareness about the industry and region of the world. I’m the co-founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Horizon Infotech?

We hired them to build a website for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had the design for the site completely laid out from a graphic designer. That allowed us to present them with a mockup of what we wanted the site to look like. They took our requirements and began creating our Shopify site. The final site includes products, descriptions, and a carousel of images. 

How did you come to work with Blue Horizon Infotech?

Along with many others, their team reached out during our design competition to see if we needed help translating our new designs into a website. After chatting about pricing and timeline, we decided to work with their team.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $1,800 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–July 2014. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were pretty directional as far as what we wanted from them. They were great at following our requirements while pointing out aspects of the project that might not work in reality. We also received positive feedback on the layout and content presentation.  

How did Blue Horizon Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive and hit targets in a timely manner. If they couldn’t hit a deadline, they would provide ample notice in advance. After launch, they were also attentive to our needs to change some aspects of the project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very flexible with any changes that we wanted to make. Additionally, they offered solid communication skills at a good price. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Looking back, I would have loved a more strategic partnership. There were points that I could’ve benefited from some industry insight into why certain aspects of the project could not be approached in a certain way. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear with your support expectations upfront and align with them prior to diving into the work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a health startup. We’ve built a mobile tracking app for health and physical activity.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Horizon Infotech?

I hired them to create, design, and implement a one-page scrolling website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did the code and designed it in WordPress. We co-designed the site and then they built it. As you scroll down, things happen. It was a basic site.

What is the team composition?

There were people who did the initial design, and I presume there were other people helping them.

How did you come to work with Blue Horizon Infotech?

I ran a competition and found them.

How much have you invested with them?

It cost me roughly $2,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together back in April 2018. It was a few weeks of work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site was nice, even if it was super basic.

How did Blue Horizon Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

If someone does a simple job, there doesn’t need to be a lot of project management. But if I asked for changes they made them. Because the design was so well specified, I had to ask for very little.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They did the best design and were flexible. They are great if you find them through a design competition. I don’t go to them anymore though, because I don’t go that route.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I did one other piece of work with them years ago, and the junior designer assigned wasn’t very good. They’re great and have good people, but not all designers are the best in the world.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Agree on your specifications upfront. It’s the same as any web development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I’m the owner of a software consulting company. We primarily work with businesses that are creating software solutions for enterprise companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Blue Horizon Infotech?

I hired them to provide design services for multiple projects. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were building a new web portal, and they did web design and UX design for us. They also provided coding resources for us. We’ve since grown our relationship with them. Now, they provide ongoing backend support and development services for multi-platforms. They use a variety of technologies, including PHP. 

What is the team composition?

I believe the team is about 10 people. This includes the owner, a lead designer, lead developer, UX/UI lead, architectural lead, and some QA resources. 

How did you come to work with Blue Horizon Infotech?

I found them on 99designs. 

How much have you invested in them?

We spend between $200,000–$999,999. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2013, but we probably started talking to them before that. Our work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a very strong uptime for all the sites we’ve built with them. They’re very reliable in terms of building products that work. The feedback on their designs has always been positive, and they have competitive pricing. 

How did Blue Horizon Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very good at setting and keeping timelines. The team is also good at researching problems and coming up with a summary of solutions. Their time estimates are accurate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do higher quality work than other contractors in their industry. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The biggest difficulty is that they work remotely so there can be challenges with communication and response times. 

They also could improve their research and use of cutting edge technologies. They could get better at understanding what tools and services exist in the marketplace. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Be accurate in describing the products and services that should be made. If they have a good understanding of your needs, they will execute.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

When I worked with Blue Horizon, I was an independent consultant and project manager for technical web development projects with a variety of businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Horizon Infotech?

I hired them as a third party to fill in some of the gaps in the capabilities that I was able to provide to my clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blue Horizon served as the technical lead on a complex and politically sensitive website project that I completed for one of my clients. It dealt with crimes committed by states and things of that nature, so there was a very important social purpose for the site, but it also involved a lot of international legal and technical requirements to be satisfied.

Their team handled all of the backend, frontend, and UI design elements of the project with a focus on the political sensitivities that we had to respond to in our copy and picture selection, among other decisions that had to be made. The core of the site was built in JavaScript and SQL Database, as well as the main web development products that people were using for best practices at the time.

What was the team composition?

There were at least three members of their team working on the project with us, but I know that they have a very large team overall so I’m not sure if there was anyone else engaged on the backend that I didn’t interact with directly.

How did you come to work with Blue Horizon Infotech?

I originally partnered with them on a previous project a few years prior to this one and developed a friendship with them. I contacted them about working on this project when it came up, and they agreed that they would be a good fit for the specific scope of work.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from around April 2012–March 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Other than normal project documentation, we didn’t have any specific metrics for them to hit. Our standards were focused on whether the prototype was working and how we could progress from there.

I gave status reports to the client, but the Blue Horizon team was also very engaged with the client on a week to week basis, and we were always satisfied with the pace of the progress we were making.

How did Blue Horizon Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

The management of the project itself was terrific. Documentation of the work was excellent, and they were responsive to all of the issues that came up in Q&A. They were on top of everything within 24 hours, which made it incredibly easy to work with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their unprecedented level of responsiveness is hands down the best part about working with them. That, plus the fact that there wasn’t anything I could throw at them that they couldn’t handle, made the whole experience just fantastic from start to finish. They came up with a solution to literally every request that the client came up with throughout the whole process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think I would have liked to have more exposure to the overall team that was involved. We had regular meetings that were mostly with the leads for the project, but I think for me personally it would have been a slight timesaver to be able to ask more direct questions of the developers themselves.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t make any assumptions about your communication. You have to be able to talk to them openly and clearly, and in any project if your technical requirements aren’t very specifically documented, that’s when you start running into issues. As long as your communication with them is regular and clear, you’re not going to have a problem.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of a jewelry manufacturing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Horizon Infotech?

We needed an auto management system to handle our order process and replace the simple Google Sheets we were using.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blue Horizon Infotech built a web application that takes orders from customers and then sorts out the specifications — sizes, color, pieces of jewelry, etc. The system then forwards that information to our orders team. There’s another app that works in line with this app. It receives the details of the upcoming orders and can check them, comment on any discrepancies, correct them, and send the order to the processing team.

Once the order is made, it returns to processing for quality checks, then back to the orders team. They check all specifications and then pack it to be dispatched to the customer. The customer can track the progress of their order through the app.

What is the team composition?

I interacted with one person who oversaw a team of 5–6 developers and a few designers.

How did you come to work with Blue Horizon Infotech?

I found them through a Google search and reached out to them. We spoke and my contact came over to meet so we could come to an agreement. I really liked their approach and the examples of past work they had done.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around November 2016, and the work is ongoing. We finished one phase at the end of 2019 and are now working on another.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Blue Horizon Infotech fixed any issues that occurred and found the best possible solutions for the complicated scenarios they faced.

How did Blue Horizon Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

I’d rate them highly in this area. We communicated via video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This was a different type of project for them, and they took the time to really understand the requirements. Once they understood, they delivered what we wanted.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since they’re an offshore vendor, it’d be nice if their team would come in-person to see our business and gain more understanding of how everything works. I’ve mentioned this to them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to get the pricing and scope settled correctly at the beginning of the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a Media Consulting Company that provides services for Media Consulting, Data and Process Automation and Media Training

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blue Horizon Infotech?

There was a requirement for Automating Retail Data to gain quick and accurate insights on Buying Trends in UAE Supermarkets

What were your goals for this project?

Objective - to understand the following through the source data: 1. Trends in Category Offtakes - SKUs, Brands, Discounts, Regions 2. Dominance in Retail by Brand across Regions, Supermarkets 3. Discounting Trends and their Effects

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Word of Mouth

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

- Prototype Development - Database Management - Software Development - Installation - Management and AMC

What was the team composition?

Trained Team for all aspects of the Software Generation. - Design - Coding - Project Management - Data Analytics

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project was completely customised for the client and there were no benchmarks From that aspect the original thinking that Blue Horizon got to the project was invaluable They understood the demands and goals and delivered the same effectively

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

- Senior involvement in the project ensured adhering to SLAs and timelines - continuous improvement in the product along with inclusion of client feedback ensured quite adaption at client end

What did you find most impressive about this company?

- Senior Management involvement - Thinking out of the box - innovative solutions

Are there any areas for improvement?

the SOW and SLAs both should have been more comprehensive to include any eventuality / new additions to the project. Since this was a new project there were some grey areas in the SOW that needed ironing out later. issue at both ends not just theirs!