Chapter247 Infotech

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a web development and internet marketing agency. I’m the president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chapter247?

We needed a highly customized Magento e-commerce application built for a startup company. The existing site was a brochure site in Magento that didn’t have any customization. We were debating whether to use a customized Magento option or build it completely from scratch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chapter 247 built the entire site including a customized procurement process, a customized checkout process, and a customized catalog. We did the design work. Chapter247 provided a project director and project manager who was really the lead coder. They provided 2 UI resources and also a couple of testers. There was another developer that was an assistant to the project manager.

How did you come to work with Chapter247?

We found Chapter247 on Clutch. We had been working with three different developers for smaller projects. This was a larger project and we were having communication problems with the developer that had started the brochure site so we were looking for somebody that could solve those problems. Communication is critical in a very complicated project.

How much have you invested with Chapter247?

They were pretty competitive and would rate in the lower to mid range of what other development teams were estimating the cost to be.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2016, and we launched the site in February 2017. That timeline included some pauses and some changes in the scope to work on the functionality of the site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Since it’s been live, we’ve only had three bugs and they were very minor. They weren’t the only developers involved. There were around 12 people involved in the project and we had other teams testing it. They were the lead on the development side and did the first testing. So having that little number of bugs in a very complicated application release is good.

How did Chapter247 perform from a project management standpoint?

We work with a lot of developers all over the world. The challenge was finding a developer that was prompt with communication, could follow instructions well, and truly had the capabilities to deliver. We talked on the phone with Chapter 247 every morning, although we did have a lot of scope creep because of the lack of time tracking.

What did you find most impressive about Chapter247?

The thing that really impressed us was their communication. We’ve started working on a number of other small projects with them even while this project was in process. It’s hard to know what is happening in an office that’s 12 hours different than yours, but they communicate very well. That made us very comfortable to increase the number of projects we give to them versus other teams.

Are there any areas Chapter247 could improve?

They could work on their project management to do better with time tracking. Compared to other Indian firms we’ve worked with, they’re still at the top tier.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an advisor at an oil and gas company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chapter 247?

We needed a website built for the company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chapter 247 was responsible for the design and development from beginning to end. They also wrote the content for our informational site which was built on WordPress.

How did you come to work with Chapter 247?

I contacted them through Upwork. Out of all the companies I reviewed, they seemed to be the most solid. They had a lot of experience and hours listed on their profile, which gave me confidence in them.

How much have you invested with Chapter 247?

We spent approximately $2,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in November of 2016, and they gave us the final files in March of 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The site is a good representation of the company. The site isn’t launched yet, so we don’t have client feedback. Chapter 247 was very efficient and patient when our company was going through changes.

How did Chapter 247 perform from a project management standpoint?

I dealt directly with a project manager, but we didn’t use any specific software.

What did you find most impressive about Chapter 247?

They provide a good value when compared to North American firms, and their work is just as good.

Are there any areas Chapter 247 could improve?

I have no complaints.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I develop and design cool novelty products, and then promote them through social media and the Internet.

What is your role at the company?

I am the director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Chapter247?

I'm very creative, so I had a strong opinion on how I wanted my website to look and feel. I just needed the right team to see and put together my vision and, just by a stroke of luck, I was introduced to Chapter247. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

I had them develop my website from scratch, implementing all the functions and add-ons that I needed for my individual business.

Chapter247 taught me about the back end of my website once completed, and this is something they do ongoing. They handle any updates or changes that need to be made. They are constantly around 24/7 on an ongoing basis.

The thing I like about Chapter247 is they are amazing at solving any technical issue that may arise or pop up, and they are super fast to react to your issues as they arise.

How did you come to work with Chapter247?

They had, in fact, been working for a friend on her projects for years, and she couldn't talk of them more highly. I decided to hire them after hearing her raving reviews.

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

Chapter247 are super fast. A basic site can be built in less than a week if you are super organized, have the script, photos, and you are tougher in documenting how your pages are to function. Chapter247 is first class and their prices are amazing. My projects have all been finished so quickly because they have worked around the clock for me. I was prepared and gave them all of the information quickly, so the project was wrapped up quicker than sometimes.

What was the timeline of the project?

It only took one week of work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The results are we created a great website perfectly suited to my brands and business.

What distinguishes Chapter247 from other providers?

Their professionalism really stood out, and the talent on their team is unique.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

No. I had areas that I needed improving on, and the best thing about them is they always pointed out options. Chapter247 always finds better ways I could get things functioning and in the end presented me with far better websites than I ever could have hoped for.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I have had my own web design business for the last four years. I have 14 development projects at the moment. I solve issues relating to WordPress for clients. Occasionally, I take on a project that is a bit more complex and in depth.

What is your position and responsibilities?

I am the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Chapter247?

Chapter247 has been supporting me and my work and provides all the work for some client projects. I can literally put everything in their hands and they will manage everything from start to finish. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They usually work on client projects, and help me with my own personal projects. The one particular project they spent a lot of time working on was a resource-sharing network for professionals, which enabled user logins and various content to share with other professionals. I think it was an absolutely spot-on job.

How did you come to work with Chapter247?

At the time, I was just focused on what the best value was for the money. On Elance, they had good ratings. They had a decent price. Since I have been working with them, I have given them more money than what they were offering me because I knew they wanted to be able to stay with me and work with me because they do provide deliverable service that I need to be able to give to my clients.

They offer me piece of mind when I have a task that is out of my knowledge bracket, or a task that is absolutely quite taxing and takes me a lot of time to do, then I will be able to leave it with them and know that they will be able to get it done on time.

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

It is less than $10,000 for a basic project.

What is the status of this engagement?

I have worked with Chapter247 for the past two or three years. I have no plans to stop this partnership. I recently gave their team an internal email so that he can work directly with clients as well. It is literally like I have got another member of my team working alongside me. Chapter247 is working on my hours. Their team has been invaluable. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I would not still be with them if I was not happy with their performance. There are so many people that I have tried and tested, but I stayed with the ones who not only have the best service, but also are excellent with communicating. That is most important in a relationship, where I know I can jump on Skype and get in touch with them.

In terms of the quality of the service, the design quality is clean. All my clients are very appreciative of the work that they do. It is very rare that I get someone that asks for edits. It is usually the first design presented to them that is used.

What distinguishes Chapter247 from other providers?

The human side of it where I can work things out with them face-to-face over Skype and to call them whenever I need to, that is the main unique feature. With a lot of previous providers that I have had, the client has come back to me and said that they needed something done, and then I had to wait up to six hours before I got a response from them, which is not good if I have got a customer that needs something done right away. Their great communication is the main reason I am sticking with them.

Is there anything Chapter247 could have improved or done differently?

Not really, unless they were physically working here in my building.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I own a company called SSA Online Stores and Your Store. We're a United States and Canadian-based apparel companies. We do customized apparel products for schools, churches, teams, and leagues across the U.S. and Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Chapter247?

It's redevelopment of our proprietary software. We were limited in what we were able to do, and they're increasing the functionality on the website. They did a ground up build rather than working from our coding. They built another website for us previously that was much smaller that went really well, so we're using them on a second project now.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They're managing the project. We submitted an RFP [request for proposal], and they're doing project management, graphic design, and web development.

How did you come to work with Chapter247?

We sent an RFP on Elance. We interviewed seven companies. We've worked with two out of those seven. We've stuck with Chapter247 going forward.

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

To have the job done in the U.S., we would need $200,000 plus. To have it done with Chapter 247, we were less than $200,000

What is the status of this engagement?

We're going to launch the software and, after that, there will be routine maintenance. It will be semi-full time. Some weeks will be full time and some will be part-time depending on the needs of the company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I don't have any formal stats to share.

How did Chapter247 perform from a project management standpoint?

I have partners in Canada that have been working with Indian developers for decades. They owned a jeans manufacturing company. They produced Kirkland jeans for Costco and they were the only Disney and Harley manufacturers in Canada in the 1980s, and they sold those companies for a large sum. 

They've worked with development firms and repeatedly they say Chapter247 is the best. Chapter247 always takes on the most challenging projects from a technical perspective. Time and again for my firm and my friends' companies, they deliver.

What distinguishes Chapter247 from other providers?

Chapter247 has integrity. We've worked with a couple other offshore firms and when they read an RFP and deliver, they always try to charge for extra things and argue that they finished all the work. Chapter 247 has integrity and always finishes what was promised in the contract.

The scope was large and every minor detail wasn't going to be covered in an RFP, so they have added a ton of functionality to this point.

The project has went on a little longer than we had anticipated, but there hasn't been any requests for further compensation. They bid the project at a certain price, and they've kept their word even though the scope of the project is larger than anybody anticipated. I'm impressed with Chapter247 and I don't say that loosely. I can tell you some companies to avoid. I wouldn't pat anybody on the back that doesn't have one coming.

Is there anything Chapter247 could have improved or done differently?

The one area that might be helpful for someone on a project is to get more written documentation. My partners requested some of that and on Elance we're able to watch them minute by minute working. 

We're no longer doing that because our trust level with Chapter247 is much higher. We don't require a lot of daily reports. We have a Friday meeting. We get a weekly report versus daily. There's some firms that do a better job of that, but their performance is lower. I think the crew is highly capable, and they're doing their job, so I don't need reporting every day. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder and Director of a software company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Transforms businesses with bespoke Ai solutions

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Chapter247 Infotech to accomplish?

• Build innovative software applications
• Provide software development resources

SOLUTION

How did you find Chapter247 Infotech?

Online Search

Why did you select Chapter247 Infotech over others?

Company values aligned

How many teammates from Chapter247 Infotech were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Assisting and building software solutions and supporting previous development to continue building and maintaining complex software systems.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Successfully closing all objectives in the project and responding with good levels of delivery, in a complex, live development situation.

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

Using tools and systems that are required in the project, project management was efficient and to the point.Everything was delivered on time and to expectations. Communication levels were high, so development response was quick and allowed production to continue to expectations.

What was your primary form of communication with Chapter247 Infotech?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Communication and the multiple resources available

Are there any areas for improvement or something  Chapter247 Infotech could have done differently?

none

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a freelance designer

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

 Invent and develop digital products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Chapter247 Infotech to accomplish?

• Develop an online resume generator.

SOLUTION

How did you find Chapter247 Infotech?

upwork

Why did you select Chapter247 Infotech over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Chapter247 Infotech were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

They developed a complex online CV generator for us. The user can register, log in, create their own CVs, change the design, etc.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've delivered very good work at a manageable budget.

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

Delivery of items was on time and response was always fast and reliable.

What was your primary form of communication with Chapter247 Infotech?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Very dedicated team with a very professional way of working. I will continue to have projects developed by them in the future and currently have another project planned with them.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Chapter247 Infotech could have done differently?

No, let's carry on as before!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of an it services company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company enables cutting edge digital marketing by tapping into first party data and automating marketing processes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Chapter247 Infotech to accomplish?

• Development of connectors for the campaign management system (Campaign mgmt. system to print, Customer database to Campaign mgmt. system, etc.)
• Tool selection for bar code generator
• Continuous improvements and feature development for a highly sophisticated marketing setup

SOLUTION

How did you find Chapter247 Infotech?

Referral

Why did you select Chapter247 Infotech over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Chapter247 Infotech were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The Vendor developed connectors for a campaign management system in a highly sophisticated marketing setup. The team selected suitable tools and technology for different use cases and developed customs software mainly in Node.JS.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Developed features went live in production of a 2,6 billion Euro revenue retailer

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

The vendor was highly reliable, and delivered fast and on time.

What was your primary form of communication with Chapter247 Infotech?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Great cultural fit and seamless integration into our development processes.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Chapter247 Infotech could have done differently?

We were happy with Chapter247 Infotech's work, so not much to improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company is a PT education company. I am the founder and entrepreneur.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chapter247 Infotech?

I needed a custom web application for my exam preparation company.

What were your goals for this project?

I needed a user-friendly web application to help students solve problems and learn online.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

This company was one that I had worked with before. They have always given excellent service.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They provided web application development and support afterward. They were responsible to design, implement, and follow through with the exam simulator project.

What was the team composition?

The team had approximately 5 members. I had contact with the lead coder and the project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project has improved the robustness of our offerings for our clients.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was managed well and placed into manageable sprints that led to successful completion. This was managed via a shared google spreadsheet.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had excellent communication skills.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None come to mind.