ClawRock

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of FITCOACH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

I run a training studio where I provide personal training services and motor skills preparation for athletes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ClawRock to accomplish?

• Creation of a website
• Optimization for website security.
• Using their server.
• Ongoing update of website content and security

SOLUTION

How did you find ClawRock?

Referral

Why did you select ClawRock over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location

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

ClawRock restored the operation of the website. Based on the general content, they recreated the website on their servers. They optimized it for security by removing all threats. They provided advice on managing content on the WordPress website. They continue to support in activities related to security updates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website for my business functions flawlessly, just as I would expect. It is simple, clear, and functional. I have no issues with handling threats. I no longer have to worry about problems arising from WordPress management, and importantly, I have the ability to run advertising campaigns and update website content.

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

The face-to-face meeting was crucial for determining the organization of work. After that, everything went smoothly; we could only make small changes and modify previous agreements. All necessary changes were implemented on time, and the execution was flawless."

What was your primary form of communication with ClawRock?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Professional approach to the client, timely task execution, focus on all project details.

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

From my perspective, the task execution by ClawRock was excellent.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an online retailer with brick and mortar stores that sell comics, graphic novels, collectibles, and other pop culture items. I am our Director of Systems Development and am the project manager for this new website project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ClawRock?

We were replacing our aged, custom-built website with Magento eCommerce Cloud. We required extensive custom enhancements to meet our unique comic subscription service and fulfillment processes. While we have a full development team of our own we required additional resources in order to complete all aspects of the project.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals for this project were a complete replacement of our legacy website including a complete re-engineering of the subscription and fulfillment process that is part of our eCommerce site.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our Magento partner connected us with ClawRock as the additional development resource for our project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

ClawRock provided extensive programming services to build the subscription and fulfillment customizations that run on the backend of the website. These modifications included changes to the Magento Admin, additional tables and custom processes, front-end website enhancements to allow customer interaction with the subscription functions, and many custom output reports during various stages of the subscription and catalog cycle. They worked collaboratively with our development team to test and refine these enhancements. The collaboration also extended into troubleshooting Magento extensions and their interactions with our customized code, and go-live support. They continue to work with us on additional feature requests from our internal users and on our Magento upgrades.

What was the team composition?

Their team was comprised of a designated team leader/project manager and up to 4 - 5 developers with one of those developers as the development lead. They worked well with our team of 5 developers to give us a wide range of skills and programming support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project encountered several major obstacles that were beyond both teams' control. ClawRock worked hard to meet the challenges and work interactively with our team to overcome the issues to complete the project. They would work during our nighttime/their day, have nearly daily scrums with us at the end of their day as our day was starting, and also worked through many weekends.

They were incredibly responsive during the ramp-up to go-live of the website and in the weeks following. This allowed us to replace a legacy website that was not mobile friendly and could not be adapted to changing eCommerce demands. While the project went long due to the issues beyond our control, ClawRock's participation was invaluable as we could not have completed the project without their team and made a go-live of the site before the fourth quarter of this year.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We handled the project management and interacted with their Team Lead/PM via our tracking systems and scrum calls. This was very effective with our teams using the same systems to track features, bugs, comments, and commits to the repository.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

ClawRock is incredibly flexible and responsive. They communicate well and are not afraid to request an ad hoc call or meeting to go over specifications or issues to get clarity and resolution. Their developers are receptive to changes based on our "shop standards" and changes in specifications based on testing and user feedback. They work incredibly well with our team and are a good extension of our development resources.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They could enhance their QA testing process. While much of our customizations require specific domain knowledge, there were areas where they could have done more extensive testing before submitting code as complete. Generally, their first solution to functions did work, however, when ran at scale, there were instances where revisions were required. Additional engineering time could have helped avoid some of these code revisions. However, we do recognize that they were trying to help conclude a project that was overdue.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of an auto parts business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ClawRock?

We needed to revamp an existing site and add a variety of custom features.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking to improve site speed and accessibility.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

ClawRock was recommended to us by a trusted and experienced source.

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

ClawRock scoped and managed the development process and built an e-commerce site on Magento and added several custom extensions. Additional tasks included debugging and testing, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and integration of various APIs including Algolia for search functionality.

What was the team composition?

ClawRock’s team works directly with me and the business owner, as well as our in-house designer and developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen a substantial improvement on site speed, reliability and usability.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The ClawRock team is excellent with communication. We use Slack for general discussion, Jira for project tasks, and GitHub for implementation.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We’re very impressed by their responsiveness. They’re always open to honest discussion and provide substantive advice. They work efficiently and deliver quickly.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

The time difference has presented some issues during the engagement, but ClawRock is still much more available than other offshore teams we’ve worked with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Respondent 1: We’re an e-commerce platform that sells old newspapers from people’s birthdays along with personalized products and gifts. I’m the head of marketing operations and my colleague is the online marketing manager for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ClawRock?

Respondent 2: We wanted a new e-commerce system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

R1: Our main goal was to build a completely new website. We wanted it to be mobile-optimized and based on Magento. We discussed our requirements for specific modules, including payment and deliveries. They specifically worked on the Magento implementation, adapting our ERP system into it. The biggest challenge was translating our article structure to the website.

What is the team composition?

R2: Our main point of contact was their CEO. We didn’t interact with other resources.

How did you come to work with ClawRock?

R1: We searched online and found them included in a list of providers on a website. We compared multiple companies but found ClawRock to be the best option.

How much have you invested with them?

R1: We spent between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

R1: We worked with ClawRock from March to September 2017. Everything was completed, though we have some ongoing work together on another project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

R1: We had a list of requirements that we used to check their work, and the results have been positive. We also haven’t experienced any issues with the site. They were a great choice and we would work with ClawRock again.

How did ClawRock perform from a project management standpoint?

R1: They gave us a timeline and delivered accurately. We’ve had bad experiences with project management in the past, so we wanted to have direct contact with the team on this occasion. We communicated mainly through email and phone calls and had a face-to-face meeting in Poland once. My colleague speaks Polish, though we could also communicate in English, so there were no language barriers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

R1: They understood what we wanted and thought about the work in advance. They found good solutions for each one of our problems.

Are there any areas they could improve?

R1: There is nothing to mention.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

R1: ClawRock is a good company that understands project needs. We communicated by email, but it’s good to use all methods of communication when possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an e-commerce service delivery manager for a tobacco company. I'm responsible for our Magento shop.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ClawRock?

We had some issues with our previous development company and needed to find good developers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ClawRock has done all the development and design work I gave to them. Whenever I had code changes and integrations to make to our Magento shop, they handled them. Because we work in the tobacco industry, we needed to create an age verification process. ClawRock interfaced with a third-party provider and created a layout on the frontend to verify users and store the age verification tokens sent from the third-party provider after registration. They handled all the development I had.

They have not been the main provider for the UI of the site, but the designers’ team was delayed so ClawRock stepped in and worked on the product page as well.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact from their side is their CTO. In the beginning, we only worked with him, but we hired an additional two people from his team.

How did you come to work with ClawRock?

We have a service agreement with a third-party provider who found them. I interviewed ClawRock and hired them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ClawRock in June 2016. They continue to provide ongoing development work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have been satisfied with their work. I haven’t had any problems communicating with them and getting deliverables. The quality is quite good, and we have a great developer.

How did ClawRock perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through phone, email, and chat. I use the Atlassian stack, including Jira, Bitbucket, Stash, and Bamboo. They were more responsive in the beginning. I’ve had some recent issues to resolve, but when I pointed them out, ClawRock made an effort to fix them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their development skills. They really know how to work with Magento. I interviewed multiple development companies, and ClawRock’s team answered every question without even thinking about them. They really know what they are doing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could focus more on the business part of the work including gathering requirements. I would like them to focus more on being a business partner. I expect to hear about improvement areas from them or about suggestions for new features.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients need to set the rules in the beginning. It’s important to designate responsibilities so that everyone understands what they should be doing. It’s also important to have frequent communication.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Strategic Projects of Kanał Zero

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Media Group - YouTube channel, app, portal (in progress)

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ClawRock to accomplish?

• Mobile App for an event

SOLUTION

How did you find ClawRock?

Referral

Why did you select ClawRock over others?

Great culture fit

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

An app for an event, containing:
- the schedule with the details of each part
- presentation of the speakers
- news, articles
- live streaming
- digitalization of tickets
- polls, questionaries
- auctions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Number of downloads, number of bids in auctions, number of votes in polls

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

Quick and professional response, all stages of the project finished on time 

What was your primary form of communication with ClawRock?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They gave professional advice, a flexible approach, an excellent understanding of needs, and quick and essential responses.

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

Not applicable

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of E-Commerce of MEIN FISCHER

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

As a fashion retailer with 20 stores and own webshop we create omnichannel customer experiences with highest standards on curated shopping and style advice.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ClawRock to accomplish?

• Magento 1 Backend & Frontend development
• Troubleshooting & Optimization of legacy system

SOLUTION

How did you find ClawRock?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select ClawRock over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from ClawRock were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Analysis of legacy system followed by troubleshooting and optimizations. Upgrade from magento 1 to mage one. Backend and frontend development with focus on user experience and checkout. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A fully functional and downtime-safe webshop!

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

Highly professional project management, very fast responding & uncomplicated communication. Always customer focused.

What was your primary form of communication with ClawRock?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

ClawRock's culture, willingness to help at any time, and skills to solve problems and reach goals were impressive!

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

Expanding portfolio on other shop software ;)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an e-commerce based company that sells temperature regulating bedding such as sheets, pillows, and mattress pads that keep you cool throughout the night. I am the director of commerce and marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ClawRock?

We have been using ClawRock for managing our Magento 2 website. This includes upgrading out versions when new releases come out to adding new feature requests.

What were your goals for this project?

Keep or production site as safe and up to date as possible.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Referral through a previous Digital marketing Agency

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They have an extremely quick turn around but I know everything coming from them is high quality. They understand JS and provide me with all the necessary information to approve changes and push them through. Communication is great even though we are based in different countries.

What was the team composition?

Have not had any issues with any of the team members, they all are very competent.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped us fix a major security issue with our website. They also provided resources to optimize and reduce future security threats.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Management is very efficient... just a simple email and changes/ communication comes back usually within 24 business hours.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their knowledge and fast turnaround.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can see currently