BotsCrew

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m a digital experience analyst for Mars Inc. We’re a candy manufacturing enterprise, crafting products such as M&M’S, Snickers, and Twix.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BotsCrew?

We were looking for a vendor that could help us build chatbot solutions to enhance our online conversational experience. This project would serve as a test case to test the vendor’s technical abilities and workflow.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We have a very specific formula to calculate time in our company for financial purposes. For example, January would start at “Period 1,” whereas December might be “Period 12” or “Period 13” depending.

BotsCrew developed a chatbot that would help our workers interpret common time periods into “Mars periods.” The AI needed to understand user queries through natural language processing (NLP) and provide answers in a suitable Mars format. It was a simple use case that we had hoped to launch on Skype for business.

Their team was responsible for setting up the language training model and overall coding structure within a .NET framework.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and at least one developer. 

How did you come to work with BotsCrew? 

While searching for a chatbot development team, we engaged a variety of vendors to gauge their technical skills, comparing their performance across the board. Our manager suggested that we also reach out to BotsCrew, so we gave them this project as a test case.

How much have you invested with them? 

We spent less than $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

It was a two-month project that spanned August–September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

BotsCrew performed a little above average on the project. The initial communication could have been clearer, especially in terms of the technology stack used (e.g., platform, coding language). We assumed that they would build the solution in .NET, but that wasn’t the case. At the last minute, we had to rewrite the whole chatbot, which was a hassle. While they ultimately delivered the product, we’re still deciding if we’ll pursue a future engagement.

How did BotsCrew perform from a project management standpoint?

They tended to have a delayed response when it came to the proposal, and their usual turnaround time was about a month. So, if I were to ask for a proposal this week, I’d likely have to keep asking to receive anything. We wish that things were more efficient on this front.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Aside from the .NET issue, they were very clear about their deliverables in their statement of work (SoW).

Are there any areas they could improve? 

We would have liked them to take on more of an advisory role in the project. A lot of the time, we made incorrect assumptions because we had limited knowledge of chatbots, and we didn’t always know what was best from a technical standpoint. We might request one feature when another was more appropriate.

In those cases, it would have been beneficial if they had pushed back and suggested alternative, more viable solutions based on their analysis. Rather than simply asking what we needed, they could have helped us explore our possibilities to find the best course of action.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
 
Make sure that you communicate clearly and stay productive throughout.
 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Agent ReVa. We've developed a messaging and AI-powered platform to automate the sale lead qualification and customer engagement process.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BotsCrew?

Our primary challenge was implementing an integrated chat bot dialogue flow for Facebook Messenger as part of our sales lead qualification and customer engagement process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their crew served as our offshore development team, supplementing our in-house staff. Our first phase involved creating the chatbot integration. We’re now moving into phase two, which involves testing the product in the marketplace.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager, a few developers, and a tester.

How did you come to work with BotsCrew?

We searched online and found them through UpWork.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017. The initial phase of the project wrapped up in June 2018 but we’re still touching base with them during the test phase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve helped us create a platform that’s viable for the marketplace, which was our goal. We’re about to begin testing how successful the chatbot method will be in terms of sales acquisition in a live environment.

How did BotsCrew perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been fantastic to work with. They’re responsive and flexible, even when we made changes to the project multiple times a week, and our communication schedule helped us keep everything running smoothly. We used an Agile team structure, meaning that we had virtual stand-up meetings for 30 minutes every day, at least at the start. Over time, we reduced the frequency to twice a week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re responsive and willing to work with us. They also communicate well and the price was fair.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As with any small company, they’re going to need more growth and stability in order to provide the resources and skills to compete on complex projects.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re a customer who already knows what needs to be done, you’ll have more success. Since our project required a great deal of creativity and innovation, everything depended on what we came up with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a solution provider for apps and websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BotsCrew?

We were looking for a team to partner with for chatbot development. A few of our clients, along with some of our in-house teams, needed the technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BotsCrew developed a chatbot for us based on the specific requirements I gave them. They integrated it with Facebook Messenger and our website. Their team created the chatbot using their own proprietary platform.

What is the team composition?

I have one main point of contact who serves as our project manager.

How did you come to work with BotsCrew?

We researched developers online and noticed BotsCrew had good examples of the work we needed. We looked at other companies, but once speaking to one of the lead teammates at BotsCrew, we knew they were the right fit. They immediately understood our goals and they were friendly from the start.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $210,000 all together.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in January 2016 and we’re continuously working with BotsCrew.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Using the chatbot has helped us capture more leads, engage more users, and communicate more effectively. Our overall productivity improved thanks to BotsCrew’s assistance, and they’ve been a helpful addition.

How did BotsCrew perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been in-tune with our goals from the beginning of the project. We’ve made our requirements clear to avoid miscommunications, and they’ve established a good rapport with us because of that. The way their team handles the project makes the engagement feel like a breeze.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team’s promptness and attention to detail make them stand out. They also have strong domain expertise.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of any glaring issues with their process—we’ve been growing as partners very well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a member of a solutions marketing team at BMC that focuses on Control-M, our digital business automation solution. We offer speed, agility, and efficiency to tackles challenges in the area of service management, operations, and mainframes. I’m in charge of innovation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BotsCrew?

After evolving for decades, Control-M now simplifies and automates diverse batch application workloads and provides faster application deployment cycle times. We wanted to introduce support for Amazon Alexa Skills (voice-responsive, custom Alexa commands) to demonstrate these new capabilities.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to build a sample implementation of an Alexa skill that enabled users to interact with our product via voice commands.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our research led us to BotsCrew, whose resume and subsequent conversations with us showed they were qualified to fulfill our requirements.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They designed, developed, built, and implemented the Alexa skill for Control-M. They delivered code we were able to publish for anyone to use as a reference template.

What was the team composition?

I worked with a project manager and a technical lead. This was a small project, so I'm not sure how many resources were required.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project had a short time-frame and was delivered on time. We’ve since been able to demonstrate our solution’s unique capabilities for our market segment. This has reinforced our position as a technology leader and innovator.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Since the scope was relatively small and the desired results were clear, there was relatively little project management required. However, the BotsCrew team still managed everything efficiently and effectively. They were available to meet whenever we felt it was required, and we never had an issue with the seven-hour time difference. They were flexible and accommodating.

All our interactions with them were very professional. They were helpful and responsive and continued to assist us in setting up our environment post-delivery, even though it was outside the scope of the engagement.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We exchanged information with them seamlessly and had access to all the correct resources. Fixes and updates that stemmed from testing were turned around almost instantaneously, and BotsCrew adapted to our needs as they changed throughout the project. These alterations never forced us to pause or renegotiate anything. The entire experience was friction-less.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Nothing I saw during this project needs to change.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder of fetchh. We’re a food brand that allows people to order food and drinks through a messenger chatbot.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BotsCrew?

We approached them to build our chatbot, from the prototype to the current iteration.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to change the way people ordered food with our chatbot. Rather than wasting time standing in line, we hoped that our app would encourage more meaningful connections between customers and vendors by expanding the conversation beyond a transaction.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We liked their past project credentials, and they had offered the best value for our money.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They provided end-to-end project support, including the initial concepts, implementation, and technical assistance. They built our two main bots: a B2C bot for food and drink orders and a B2B admin bot for our cafe. Currently, they continue to provide support for any live issues as well as implementing additional ongoing development

What was the team composition?

We primarily worked with two people, though the team consisted of several people behind the scenes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their bots have become the core of our business and have had an immense impact. We’ve been able to run several successful events and outlets with the chatbot, with nearly 1,000 orders to date. Furthermore, we’ve secured several educational talks to showcase the technology to university students.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We use Slack to manage most of the project and Skype for check-ins. Despite the two-hour time difference, we’ve always felt supported.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciated their level of care regarding the project and QC. The team consistently suggests new ideas on how to improve the chatbots, and they perform extensive tests. Furthermore, they’ve helped ensure that we’re marketing the technology correctly to reach as many people as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a freelance consultant that helps clients with their marketing activities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BotsCrew?

My client was getting tons of customer support requests and wanted to streamline that through a chatbot.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BotsCrew developed a Facebook Messenger chatbot that answers questions about health conditions. It asks users about their ailment and suggests lifestyle changes that can help alleviate their condition while providing links to articles and resources published by the head doctor.

We provided a description of the UX we wanted as well as the information we wanted to share. BotsCrew handled design, development, and low-level functional testing. We had 50 of our own people perform high-level user testing.

We have access to a dashboard and can add more conditions to the health database on our own, but we still rely on BotsCrew for modifications to the app’s flow.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked directly with a project manager, Max (Co-Founder, BotsCrew), and three other people to a lesser extent.

How did you come to work with BotsCrew?

I was visiting Lviv, Ukraine at the time we decided we needed a chatbot. Lviv is an IT hub in Eastern Europe, so I looked for teams there that I could meet in person and discovered that there was a cutting-edge, chatbot development agency there. I met with Max and was sold.

I talked to two other agencies while evaluating BotsCrew, which didn’t specialize in chatbots. They looked really foolish compared to what Max had. His presentation was narrowly-focused on just building chatbots, and he has specialists specifically for this type of product, including a conversational designer. I had no reason to go to a general-purpose agency.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was $25,000. We’re on a monthly service plan for addressing any problems.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with BotsCrew in December 2017 and the chatbot was finished by April 2018. We’re still waiting for Facebook to review it.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Only our client has seen the chatbot so far. The testers are customers of the client, and they’ve been pleasantly surprised to find out about it. They identified a few bugs that could’ve been found by the BotsCrew team. Overall, though, we’ve mostly seen positive feedback and excitement about its potential.

How did BotsCrew perform from a project management standpoint?

I've worked with a lot of software companies and used to be a developer myself before getting into marketing. I’m used to projects costing more and taking three times longer than normal to complete. Max’s estimate was very good, though. We went overtime mostly because they had to wait for my input.

I dealt with their project manager almost exclusively, and the process was very tidy and streamlined. I didn’t have to strike up new communication protocols with different people and I could get a meeting with the developers when necessary.

We have video meetings every two weeks over Google Hangouts and use Slack for day-to-day communication. We mainly use email for talking about billing, big-picture estimations, and so on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re one of the best development agencies I’ve worked with in my 18 years of being in the software and web space. My client had a different developer the year before who tried to create the same product in the form of an iOS app, and it was simply disastrous. It felt great for me to come back and offer a developer that could build a chatbot instead of an app. It was a perfect software experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Had I performed my duties better, I would’ve had more feedback about their gaps. I never got the opportunity to be completely focused. I don’t know if it was even possible to have identified the last few bugs that the client ended up finding on their own. Some things simply don’t reveal themselves until they’re live.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If someone wants to work with BotsCrew, they have to be ready and committed, otherwise, the client will be left behind and the team will have to wait for them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business.

We are a startup that is looking to develop automated support and lead conversion for website owners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BotsCrew?

We were looking to develop a minimum viable product [MVP] to introduce to the marketplace, with an on-the-go customer discovery process and validation process. The main goal was to determine the market’s primary needs and demands, and then to ascertain our desired response.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were on board when we were having our earliest conversations about the central problem-solution-fix model – what the market was looking for and the best probable solution – and provided input even at that stage. BotsCrew guided us through the brainstorming process, clarifying which ideas would work, which ones wouldn’t, and what would be worth testing. Ultimately, they were involved in both the design and the development of the chatbot, and we are now working through multiple different iterations of the MVP.

What is the team dynamic?

We had a project manager, a frontend and a backend developer, and a UI specialist, making for a team of about four people, depending on the day.

How did you come to work with BotsCrew?

We had a strict selection process wherein we researched a range of potential technologies and suppliers. Once we had decided upon the technology that we wanted to use, we decided that BotsCrew would be a good fit based on their experience and skillset.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $10,000 to $11,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It began in late September 2017, and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are still in the development and testing stage of the process, but our future working partners are impressed. Many of them are already discussing customizations for what we have demonstrated, with the potential and best use cases on clear display in BotsCrew’s work. Additionally, our internal team has been more than satisfied with how quickly the work has been done, in addition to the quality.

How did BotsCrew perform from a project management standpoint?

The feedback they provided me during the earliest stages of our collaboration informed me of the gaps in my knowledge and understanding of how to develop these chatbots, which was incredibly useful. For most of our communications, we used Skype, Slack, and phone calls, although we did fly out to meet them at the outset of the partnership.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I look for quality and speed in every working relationship, both of which BotsCrew provided on top of their great technical skill and comprehension of the marketplace. The MVP took far less time for them to develop, optimize, and thoroughly test than we had anticipated, which was exactly what we wanted. Overall, I greatly value their quality of work, speed of delivery, their technical expertise, and their communication skills.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing on their end, although having the exchange rate be more in our favor would certainly make this type of collaboration more affordable.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand what you want for your customers and what outcomes you want to see at the end. BotsCrew will bring their skillset and ability to develop at speed, but you need to bring your end vision to the table in order to fully maximize their talents.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m director of client operations at an entertainment distribution company that supplies content to cinemas via broadband.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BotsCrew?

We had key independent information held by various individuals, which conflicted with our model to scale up the company. We needed a fast way to provide infrastructure and documentation on various support processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had a clear idea for what I wanted to achieve and their expertise guided me through the development process.

The team created a customized Chatbot tool that served as a bot generator for internal process. The product eliminated the need to send external requests over traditional Chatbot platforms.

Their experience helped match the tool’s design to my requirements.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked with a 5-person team including designers.

How did you come to work with BotsCrew?

Initially, we placed a job listing online, but I found them and reached out.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent close to $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began January 2017 and is tentatively ongoing as new projects are under discussion.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At first, employees were skeptical because people are resistant to robots in the workplace. However, the bots proved advantageous as virtual assistants. Overall, user feedback is positive and people are happy with the tool.

How did BotsTech perform from a project management standpoint?

I said that I could not be involved heavily in the project. They used their expertise to fill in any gaps and delivered without extra demands on my time. We used Skype to communicate, which I appreciated for its convenience.

I was happy with the process and results.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their professionalism stands out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t over think Chatbot/AI technology. Present the problem and let them suggest a solution.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the principal at Cartland Law. I'm a tax lawyer by trade, and three years ago I started developing the artificial intelligence Ailira, [Artificially Intelligent Legal Information Research Assistant], which automates legal research and advice.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BotsCrew?

I wanted to take some research algorithms that we had and put them into a conversational interface, that is, develop a chatbot. In addition, I needed to take what I've developed for legal and tax research, and have it consumer-facing, essentially automate consumer legal services through a conversational interface.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

There's a marrying of two things: We have legal information and the automation of documents. I've designed the system in what I would like it to look like, came up with the flows and structures, the documentation, and then I asked BotsCrew to make it into a chatbot. They have integrated various systems, including other systems that I had developed beforehand.

They have designed conversation experiences, trained NLP and provided advice on user experience. They have created a document generation system to fit in with it. They've put together the ability to chat with lawyers and then to switch interface between human to robot and human to human. They have created an administrative backend and associated tools. They've also engaged with us on marketing and provided assistance with a marketing campaign launch and social media.

They've developed a unique website that mixes that conversational interface and information. They've put together a lot of pieces.

What is the team dynamic?

We've worked with about 8 or 9 people from BotsCrew's team. I think it's even gotten to 10-12, but we've got 3 or 4 core people we've been working with. There have been others who have been brought in to push up sprints.

How did you come to work with BotsCrew?

I was looking for chatbot developers and found them through a site like Upwork. I had already developed it somewhat myself, but I was looking for some experts to finish it off, specifically Eastern European developers. I spoke to a couple of different companies, and I liked BotsCrew the most. We got an initial quote, we completed that work, and then I decided to channel much more work to them.

How much have you invested with them?

I've spent nearly $75,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

I've been working with them since June 2017. There will be lots more work ongoing into the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Feedback has been that this is very natural and intuitive design and very easy to use. People didn't realize that there could be a chatbot to meet their legal requirements and service them in such an easy way. We are using the chatbot Ailira to power a law firm without lawyers. This is a law firm that has only a chatbot in there. We've got our official launch at the end of the month on that. Our testing from people has been very positive and they've been surprised by the concept of a law firm without lawyers.

How did BotsCrew perform from a project management standpoint?

They've done very well. We used a mixture of Skype, instant messaging and emails, but it's predominantly Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would say they have a very good client understanding. They are not just there to take my instructions and then churn up something and say, "I want to get paid. Here's what you asked for." They really look and go over what we’re after. We have conversations on how we can improve, do things better, come back with suggestions, and so on. They have created value in that way.

Advice for potential customers?

You'll be in safe hands.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I am head of product at a wholesale mortgage company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with BotsCrew?

We were trying to build a Chatbot, which then spun into a proprietary database to manage our marketing efforts.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Our first contract, they built the Chatbot but we don’t really use it anymore. The customers weren’t really using it. We commissioned them on a second contract based job, which they did well on. Now we are engaged in long-term, ongoing, hourly work with them. The proprietary, marketing database has been their biggest involvement with us. They did pretty typical backend development work. They integrated across various systems from CRN to our loan origination system and then into kind of long term reporting analytic program. They get the contacts to work seamlessly across all of those services. They integrated a log-in portal into our current software. They had to create kind of like a fuzzy matching algorithm. They’ve had to do multiple integrations with various APIs and different read vendors and do a lot of data transformation and logging and manipulation within the database. 

How did you come to work with BotsCrew?

We worked with them through Upwork. They were a quality quote. We interviewed them and they seemed like a good fit from a quality and cost standpoint.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

Maybe $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2016 and have been working together since. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

It’s gotten the job done. 

How did BotsCrew perform from a project management standpoint?

We kind of build stuff quickly and then change it. So they’re a very flexible team to accommodate our type of development structure. They use JIRA which integrates into Trello, and then we just work with them that way. We get a lot of conversation within Slack. They’re very responsive and deliver results in a timely manner. We work with Nazar [Project Manager/Owner, BotsCrew] and then Vasyl [Head Developer, BotsCrew] and he’s talented. We’ve worked with a couple others and they’ve all been high quality.

What distinguishes BotsCrew from other providers?

They work geared towards customer satisfaction. They were responsive and they had a good price point as well.