Bytes Technolab Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Owner of MyPodcastWorld a podcasting platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bytes Technolab?

The original software developer left and we needed a fast-responding, highly technical team to maintain the site and add in new functionalities.

What were your goals for this project?

Smooth customer experience Rapid response for podcast listeners High growth for our podcast creators Integration with Google Play and iTunes, now Apple Podcasts

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I asked a few peers and they were highly recommended

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

MPW is a unique podcast host. Bytes managed the database, maintained the site, added functionality.

What was the team composition?

No idea. I worked with one contact and they made sure everything was done in a timely fashion. I had no worries and the work done was superior to my previous programmer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I would have no business without Bytes.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We simply communicated via skype or email. This was not a complex project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Speed of delivery Professional communication Superior programming

Are there any areas for improvement?

It is hard to ask programmers to lead, but I would have liked them to have made more suggestions for improving the site or bringing to my attention any future issues they see arising. That said, the site has run smoothly for over 10 years and they are not working on it daily. Often we would not do anything for a year. So it is not fair for me to expect that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Menu Finder Africa, a restaurant-finding application with reviews, discounts, and a food blog.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bytes Technolab?

We needed someone to develop a mobile app for our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bytes Technolab developed our custom software mobile app. We had a series of lengthy briefs with their business analyst and some of the other people on their team. They came back to us with a scope of what they understood the project to be. We looked at that and made a few changes. They mapped out everything in phases, which we looked at and approved.

Bytes Technolab created an app that includes all of the information one would need to assess a restaurant and make an informed decision on whether to go there or not. Users can search for restaurants, look at menus and prices, and view ratings using the app. They can share what they find on the app with friends through WhatsApp, SMS, or social channels. They can use Google Maps in the app to get to their destination as well. Users can also leave reviews. 

What is the team composition?

There were 4–5 people at the beginning. Our main points of contact are a project lead and a technical lead.

How did you come to work with Bytes Technolab?

A friend of ours put the word out that we were looking for quality developers. Bytes Technolab responded, and we did our due diligence. I saw them on Clutch and Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their professionalism is top level. 98% of the time, they do exactly what I say. We never have to wait or press them for information. Their commitment and discipline are very high and very refreshing. We’re extremely happy with them and will probably be working with them longer than we initially anticipated. They’ve developed one of the finer restaurant-finding apps globally, from what I see. It’s first class.

How did Bytes Technolab perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is excellent; I’d rate them 5 out of 5. We split the main project into two phases. When we got to phase two, I had questions about what the milestones and timeline would be. These had already been laid out, but I wasn’t sure whether they’d changed, given our progress. Before I even had to ask, they broke everything down in a very detailed way, with all of the milestones, development time, contingencies, dependencies, etc. It was brilliant. Most people won’t volunteer that information, instead waiting to be asked to provide it. Bytes Technolab’s team is proactive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re professional and deliver quality work. There have been a number of times when they’ve come with a problem along with a solution for it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it’s been a smooth experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of 1st Class Mobile Detailing, we specialize in detailing cars, trucks, boats, caravans, and planes. From hand washes, interior cleaning to full professional detailing, we do it all.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bytes Technolab?

We were looking for a team of designers and developers to help us capture the many aspects of our organization more cohesively on our website.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to redesign our website because it was outdated, had poor user experience, and was slow to load. The person who built it wasn’t specialized in websites, and it was put together quickly.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found Bytes through an online search for top Bay Area design firms. We wanted to find a firm that was not only talented in brand and design work but who ideally would already be well-versed in our industry (AI/machine learning). That was a big selling point for us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Due to our tight timeline, we had to turn around content from our side quickly in order to meet various design deadlines. My project manager and I had many phone calls—several outsides of normal working hours—in order to ensure that deadlines were met on time throughout the entire process. We had a shared Basecamp account that we used to communicate with each other and share updates. Bytes also used InVision to present the page wireframes and design mockups of each page. These tools were great because with InVision I could go in and make comments directly on the pages, and the designers could see my feedback and reply back in the same thread.

What was the team composition?

There were 5 or 6 contacts that we interacted with, in addition to the developers behind the scenes. There was 1 person that managed the day to day communications and another lead engineer who answered all of our technical questions. There was also a lead designer who walked us through the design concept and provided feedback if we had any questions. There was a salesperson who checked on us to see if we have any complaints or questions about the teams that are assigned to us. It was a very pleasant experience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before our website was redone, it was difficult to get metrics on the traffic to our website. With the new website, we have Google Analytics built-in so, it’s easy to monitor where people are coming from, how and when they’re searching and getting to our site, and the period of time when we have peak traffic to our website. We also incorporated Salesforce into our website; any new leads that come from our website can be viewed on Salesforce.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was mostly positive. They were very prompt with their responses during the development of the website. Their developers are outside the U.S. Sometimes it took longer than anticipated, but they did a good job of communicating what was delaying the project and provided us practical reasons. They did a good job with communication. We used Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re really flexible to work with. There are many bigger web development companies out there, and they have fixed models. It’s harder to customize your website with the templates that they provide. They were very flexible in developing a customized site, and their price was competitive. The number of customers in their portfolio was impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They could do a better job with maintenance services. We continue to work with Bytes whenever we encounter any maintenance issues, but their pricing is on the higher side. If they come up with better pricing models for maintenance, we’d definitely be happy to look into that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a specific entity within a parent company. We collect, parse, and analyze vacation rental data for property management companies, as well as future and current owners. I'm the head of data analytics and the technical project manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bytes Technolab?

We've used them for all our development needs. We started working with them when we built our data collection scripts and ETL processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They're our go-to agency for any development we need. They do everything from web interfaces, ETL processes, database architecture, and all that we use on the data side. We use PHP, Python, PostgreSQL, MySQL, JavaScript, and HTML. They play a big part in making our data usable for our clients, but most of our interaction with the technologies they build is internal.

What is the team composition?

We work with a team of about four. We interact directly with the developers.

How did you come to work with Bytes Technolab?

We met them through a friend of ours who uses them. We gave them a shot, and we've worked with them ever since.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $40,000, give or take. We still have several open projects with them, so that number will go up over time.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in June 2017, but they were already working with the company before I joined. I'd guess the collaboration began sometime in 2016, and it's ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Internally, we love everything they've done. Their turnaround is unfathomable, and they sometimes finish projects in 24 hours with very little documentation. We've seen amazing results from their work, and we've had no real issues with anything they've done. If we ever have a problem, they offer solutions and are on top of everything.

How did Bytes Technolab perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very professional, and they're great to work with. We're in constant contact, and they self-manage their team. I get updates and feedback from them, and we always know where things stand. We've had phenomenal feedback, and they make everything very easy for us. Most of our communication is through Skype or email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their availability is excellent. I can reach out to them at any time, and I usually have an answer or contact with someone within a couple of hours. We don't ever have to wait long for a response, even though there is a 12-hour time difference.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don't leave any ambiguity in your documentation. They will be creative if you let them, but if you want something specific, be detailed. They will follow your requirements exactly if you give them enough information.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of an e-commerce custom shoe brand label. Users can design custom shoes through our technology, and our manufacturers create them according to those customizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bytes Technolab?

We needed the configurator in our website refreshed and upgraded, specifically in the custom design feature. We also needed to reduce our downtimes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took over the existing technology and upgraded it. They cleaned up the code, added new products, and managed the pipeline through which new products are created on the site. They also redid all the processing and routing on the backend. We've also added them to our team for another larger effort.

What is the team composition?

I work with a team of four or five, led by the owner and my project manager. We also work with three developers.

How did you come to work with Bytes Technolab?

I searched for experienced teams and came across them. I don't remember the particulars of the hiring process, but we liked their portfolio and decided to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $50,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around March 2016. The collaboration is ongoing, and we've expanded what we do with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before they joined us, we struggled with critical technology. They came in and fixed all the issues, and their work was exceptional.

How did Bytes Technolab perform from a project management standpoint?

We haven't had any problems with their project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They never overpromise, and they always make sure they have the expertise in-house before agreeing to take on any work. They flew up to meet us, and they believe in building long-term relationships.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would like them to be more proactive and ideate more, but that's beyond the scope of the contract. They could also bring in more senior designers to make sure everything looks as clean as possible.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you interact with your project manager, especially if you need them to pay more attention to certain elements. That works well for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of an app that focuses on nightlife. It gives people options on where to go based on their selected criteria.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bytes Technolab?

We hired Bytes Technolab to develop our app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave their team our designs and functionalities that we wanted included within the app. Their team developed all of the key features, including transitions between pages and the desired color schemes. It’s an iOS app. 

What is the team composition?

I had one main point of contact, and he had about 2–4 people supporting him. 

How did you come to work with Bytes Technolab?

I have a mutual connection with a partner of my point of contact, so we connected that way. We met up and got along well, so we figured they would be the best fit for the project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $20,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February 2016–November 2018. Any delays in the timeline came from our end. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t done any digital marketing for the app yet, but their work was great. The few people who we’ve shown the app to love it. People are offering great feedback on its functionality, remarking on how much they need the app in their life. The design is very smooth and appeals to people. 

How did Bytes Technolab perform from a project management standpoint?

We spoke on the phone as frequently as they can. Whenever work was finished, they would communicate any changes that needed to be made and hit our deadlines. They sent us links to show any updates with the app.

Everything went really well and they were on top of it. They were transparent about timelines, especially if we were going to have to wait for any changes to be made.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They offer a reasonable price, which is great. It was also nice that we had no cultural barriers between our teams. Bytes Technolab’s communication skills were consistent and set them apart from other people I’ve worked with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would have been helpful if we fully understood how many people they had on their team and who could work on our project. That way, we’d have a better estimate of how long certain things would take. However, this wasn’t an issue and they did well throughout the project. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be organized and understand all the details before going into any development. You should know every page, color, and content item before starting the project to avoid overspending.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder and the CTO of an initiative to build a SaaS product for student management. It’s aimed at Registered Training Organizations (RTOs), as they’re called in Australia.

These are namely educational institutes that provide vocational training, as well as other sorts of training—accounting, business, diplomatic, and so forth. The goal of the product is to allow RTOs to manage their admissions, financials, student courses, class schedules, and so forth.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bytes Technolab?

They’ve been purely an outsourced development shop for us. They’re basically helping translate my ideas into reality for the SaaS product.

I have a partner in Australia who owns an RTO, and there were multiple challenges using existing student management software from different vendors. 

I, from the technology side, and him, from the business side, worked together to identify all those gaps and issues, and build our own product, suitable for other RTOs as well.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I work with Bytes Technolab to develop my business requirements into a solution.

The product has integrations with online portals such as Moodle and Canvas, as well as payment and vocational training integrations. 

For example, during a cooking course, the student will need to work in the actual industry for a number of weeks. That process needs to be tracked (e.g. whether or not it was completed successfully and for how many days a week). 

We’re mainly using a PHP stack, with a MySQL database and Laravel as a framework.

What is the team composition?

The main point of contact is Mitul (Business Development Manager, Bytes Technolab). At most, he used a team of five developers to work on our requirements. I believe there are 4–5 developers working for me full time, and the cost is per-developer.

How did you come to work with Bytes Technolab?

I’d worked with many, many companies before finding Bytes Technolab. I’d struggled a lot and had to cancel many projects. 

I have a very good friend (who’s also a serial entrepreneur) who suggested Bytes Technolab to me. His wording was something like “Give them something and they’ll deliver.” They haven’t failed on that.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost so far has been between  $70,000 to $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I've been working with them for almost three years now, since September or November of 2017. We started out with a small module.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There’s no doubt they’re very good on the technical side. If I tell them what to do, they’ll deliver.

However, they have a tendency to interpret our vision literally. They are very good at taking requirements literally and implementing them, but they don’t have an advisory role. 

Since they’ve been in the industry longer, I would’ve expected Bytes Technolab to come forth and tell us when something’s not a good option. 

Maybe it’s not their place to advise us, but we’ve had to make slight changes to our architecture decisions along the way. 

How did Bytes Technolab perform from a project management standpoint?

I was considering pulling the project 3–6 months after starting because there was a communication gap and things weren’t moving as quickly as I expected.

But, they’ve picked it up along the way. I realized it was a matter of understanding our business. (they had some issues understanding how our business functions in Australia). This was a completely new industry for them.

There were a few challenges early on, but we developed an understanding of each other’s personalities, and we’re on the same tempo now. 

Mitul understands what I’m looking for, my business challenges, and my vision. We’re on the same page, and I haven’t had many challenges working with him recently. He also brought in a new project manager who is very good.

We use Jira extensively for all of the work and communication.  Our testers log all defects and comments into Jira, so it’s the sole task tracking tool for us. We have a scrum meeting every night on our time and every morning on theirs.

We’re working from the US and Australia, so there seems to be a bit of a cultural gap regarding different terminologies. But, I have no big challenges with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with lots of Indian companies and some Kenyan ones. What distinguishes Bytes Technolab is that, when they say it’s possible and that they’ll deliver, they will. 

We presented them with an initial document, they estimated the requirements, and their understanding of those requirements was right on. There were some ups and downs in the first six months, but not any technical issues.

They know what they’re doing, and they will tell us exactly what’s possible and what isn’t. I haven’t gotten the same kind of confirmation or clarity from other technology service providers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could think more from the client’s point of view instead of just thinking of what we’re asking them to do. 

I always tell them “Understand where the questions and requirements are coming from. You can have your say about things you don’t necessarily agree with.” It’s okay to say that an idea or technology is wrong and suggest another way of doing it.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should have no doubts about trusting Bytes Technolab or the quality of work that they’ll deliver. But, clients have to know what they’re doing before they give the work to them. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at Contentplum, a social media content marketing company. We have been in this space since 2013.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bytes Technolab?

We need an outsourced team to perform extra software development that our in-house team isn’t able to do. For example, our customers wanted our widgets and social media platforms to have with e-commerce functionality, and we needed more staff to make that happen. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bytes Technolab developed a wide array of features for our platform, including e-commerce capability, new widgets, and new plug-ins. They specifically addressed integrating e-commerce with third-party APIs from Instagram, Facebook, and Stripe. They’re full-stack service providers and perform front– and backend development. Their team also handles DevOps work.

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with two engineers. Sometimes, they would pull in network engineers or frontend experts, but on a day-to-day basis it’s a team of two.

How did you come to work with Bytes Technolab?

I learned about Bytes Technolab through references and friends. After this, I initially engaged them to build a Magento plug-in. They did such a great job with this initial task that I decided to make them a long-term partner.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in 2016 and is still ongoing. They continue to make small tweaks to the API and maintain the system.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Customer growth has expanded rapidly; our e-commerce margins have doubled in size since Bytes Technolab’s solution launched. We’ve gotten very good reviews on Shopify and Magento. Our customers have also reported large gains since we added the e-commerce feature.

How did Bytes Technolab perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly use Skype video calls and Asana for communication. When the workload is heavy, we have daily calls with them. All tasks, documentation, and checklists are stored in Asana. Our team assigns them tickets through Asana, and we often communicate through the program. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their personal approach is impressive. They want to work with you and make your business successful. Instead of having a selfish mindset, they work with us in a true partnership. If Facebook turns off our API or our site is down, I can reach out to them and they are always available. They resolve the problem as soon as they can.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It sounds contradictory, but I think they can engage more in design and with DevOps. Though they’ve started improving, I want them to increase their capabilities as a company. I think they could monitor these services more.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you treat them as a partner, you will get a really good ROI in return. Try to explain what you’re trying to achieve and they will come up with a good idea on how to solve it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

At Celebration Giftware, we love creating unique personalized gifts to help customers celebrate those special moments in life: birthdays, new babies, christenings, engagements, and weddings. Our gifts are personalized so they come from the heart and make wonderful keepsakes that can be enjoyed for many years to come

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bytes Technolab?

We needed a website that would reach our online audience. Our company was looking for an agency that would provide a comprehensive plan for the layout, navigation, and user experience. We wanted a simplistic design that would easily explain our gifts and company values.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goal has always been to build a user- and Google-friendly platform that can adapt to the ever changing e-commerce environment. We have a large inventory, and it was very important to ensure that the site could continually evolve as our business grew.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I’ve been in touch with them for over five years, and we’ve worked on two Magento projects. Most companies have certified developers and good project counts. However, after a few detailed calls, we realized that Bytes Technolab understood our vision and matched our price, terms, and delivery times best. I had already worked with them and was familiar with their process, so it was easy to arrange meetings.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We migrated from Magento 1 to Magento 2 before launching a new website. Bytes Technolab took this in stride, using great designs framework and turning it into a customized Magento 2 website. Their team created a user-friendly platform that showcases comparisons of gifts products and allows access to happiness. Visitors can easily search product reviews and other gifts options.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a designer, a developer, and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within the first year, we saw a massive increase in online market visibility. Back in 2014, we had 1,091 keywords on the first page of Google. The Magento 1 website improved the overall customer behavior on our site. Users were sticking to our website, and it showed with Google analytics and sales.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We worked with three resources—a designer, a developer, and a project manager—and they all did a great job. Communication was easy, and they are always close at hand when emergency issues arise.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I must say, and my our whole team agrees to this, Bytes Technolab’s experienced assistance allowed the site to grow very quickly in the first year. Avoiding most pitfalls is a critical benefit when working with a knowledgeable agency. The end result comes in both cost and time savings.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CIO of a travel agency that offers destination holiday packages.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bytes Technolab?

We hired them to build a fully functional search and booking portal for our company.

What were your goals for this project?

Our primary objective was to provide customers with an intuitive booking experience. At the time, our business was on an expansion spree.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We came across Bytes Technolab on a professional social networking channel. Their business analysts gave a budget estimate that was well within our limits. We also looked at their past clientele and completed projects.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We prepared the entire project roadmap beforehand and handed it over to their project manager. Based on our requirements, Bytes Technolab built excellent features, including booking management for multicity hotels and flights. Our platform also displays a detailed itinerary, past trip history, etc. Currently, the developers are monitoring the technical aspects of the site and suggest improvements.

What was the team composition?

We recently expanded the team size from two developers to five. We also have a full-time project manager and a full-time QA lead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Bytes Technolab completed the development on time, which is the most important thing. We launched the portal in February this year. It has struck the right chord with our target audience because of its user-friendly interface, so we’ve seen an increase in bookings.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The work coordination has been excellent. They are constantly in touch with us and keep us informed about their progress. Plus, their team responds well to all our queries and requirements.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We’re amazed by their domain expertise. The entire team is innovative and versatile. They’ve attended various international tech events, so they know the latest IT trends.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don’t think so.