Cleveroad

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and CEO of a cloakroom management platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

I wanted to build a mobile application to assist with cloakroom management including the process of checking items in and out. I had a basic idea of how the application would work but needed support to design and develop the customer-facing app for iOS and Android as well as a business-facing Android application for tablets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When I first approached Cleveroad, I was put in touch with a high-level project manager with whom I discussed my needs and who gave me an initial estimate of what it would cost to create an MVP. I gave them information about my requirements. I wanted to know what level of difficulty the application I had in mind constituted and generally what it would cost. They took the information I gave them, analyzed it, and came back to me with estimates.

They provided design services and developed both iOS and Android customer-facing apps for me from scratch, starting with the iOS app. I provided them with my requirements and wireframe mockups.

What is the team composition?

My main contact was a project manager but I also worked with a finance manager.

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

I found them through Clutch. I needed a company with a high-level focus and extensive experience building mobile apps. I also wanted in-house design services to bring all of the work under one roof. Cleveroad seemed to place a lot of emphasis on its mobile application work. I looked at reviews for a number of companies and Cleveroad’s seemed particularly positive. I reviewed their website and ultimately decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2017. The initial development was completed in July 2018 but other work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has been very well received in terms of its quality and appearance. I've demonstrated the completed app with a couple of people in order to get feedback on it. One person commented, for example, that they were incredibly impressed with it. They thought that I could have been showing them an existing competitor product.

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint?

I communicate with the project manager via Skype chat and have been in contact with him almost every working day for the last year. They're always quick to get back to me. If I wanted to add a feature or make substantial changes, I’d discuss it with the finance manager and he would discuss that further with my main project manager. They’ve been responsive throughout the whole process.

They work in two-weeks sprints and were generally on-time. They manage my expectations and let me know if there are times they won’t be available. On the few occasions where things unavoidably slipped or deadlines had to be moved, they kept me informed and always did their best to make up for lost time. They met deadlines and the quality of the work that they produced was always to a high standard.

Being based in Ukraine, they effectively adopt a midpoint in terms of cost—more expensive than work that might be produced in Asia but less expensive than working in Western Europe. The only issue is that it can be easy to run up additional hours if you want to add features.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They clearly have a large team but everything is filtered and managed through a single project manager. My project manager is able to take whatever requests I may have—whether technical, QA, or design—and send that directly to the relevant person, having understood the issue. It makes for a streamlined process at all times.

Also, given that they’re a Ukrainian-based company, I was particularly impressed with the quality of their spoken and written English.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing immediately springs to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They seem very capable of tackling pretty much any project. They’ll be upfront with you about the anticipated costs, complexity, or difficulties that they might encounter.

They're very good at listening to ideas and giving you positive as well as negative feedback on new features that you might suggest. There were a few occasions, for example, when I suggested adding or tweaking certain features. They came back and explained why that wouldn't be the right thing to do at that time which, on reflection, I always agreed with. They’re good at helping to critique their own work as well as fulfilling your wishes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the business development manager for a company that provides photovoltaic solar systems in the form of mountings and shingles. Our company was founded in 2011 and has 14 employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CLEVEROAD?

Our website was out of date, making it harder to sell our products. It gave the impression that our roof systems were in the same condition, so we decided to not only redesign it but to also add some new screens and features.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CLEVEROAD redesigned our site and added new functionalities, including an admin panel and a product catalog. It's built using the Squarespace CMS.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two backend developers, two UI/UX designers, one QA engineer, and one project manager from their team.

How did you come to work with CLEVEROAD?

We were looking for a reliable vendor and checked the feedback from multiple companies. CLEVEROAD had lots of happy customers, so we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of the redevelopment was around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with CLEVEROAD in September 2017. The project took five months to complete, ending in January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

CLEVEROAD’s work helped us attract new clients and increase the company’s profit. As a business development manager, I can say that our sales have increased since launching the new site. Our customers can now get a good idea of the high-quality products we sell. The site offers more information and the product catalog displays our full range of products.

How did CLEVEROAD perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via Skype and used an agile methodology. Their performance was great and deadlines were met but we wanted to have the site ready even sooner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated their punctuality in organizing meetings.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The general development time could have been shorter. We wanted to launch the site as soon as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a small financial company. I became interested in cryptocurrencies a few years ago and decided to launch a small project with the aim of tracking prices of popular coins.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

Since users couldn’t be online all the time, I wanted to develop an application which would notify them any time a cryptocurrency they were tracking rose in price by a certain amount. I wanted to have an interactive design since users prefer smooth and nice-looking apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cleveroad took my suggestions into account as they worked on my Android and iOS app. The design was one of the main requirements. One of my biggest challenges was explaining what I wanted, since not many IT companies in the world work with cryptocurrency technology. It can be hard for a developer to understand what I want, so the challenge was to determine the scope of work for Cleveroad.

I wanted to have an iOS app because most users purchasing cryptocurrencies are from the U.S. and tend to use iPhones. In Europe, people tend use Androids more.

They are handling the full scope, including design, frontend, and backend development. They have a marketing team, but I didn’t ask for this service. I have another channel for promoting the app and decided to do it myself.

What is the team composition?

From what I recall, two developers are assigned to each platform, along with frontend coders and an experienced designer.

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

I have some friends in the IT world who have been working with Cleveroad for a long time. I asked for some suggestions, and I was given a website link for their company. I checked out remote teams from other countries as well, but I liked Cleveroad more after meeting with them a couple of times. They were familiar with the cryptocurrency field, so I chose them based on experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We haven’t worked on a fixed price since the project is more unconventional. I’ve invested between $20,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017. The app is still in development. It has taken longer to complete because I requested building it for two platforms.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I could measure their success based on the design prototype they gave me. This was an important area for me, and Cleveroad’s work was wonderful. There were a couple of things I wanted to change, but I’ve generally been 100% satisfied with their design.

I receive a working prototype every two to three weeks, which I appreciate. I’m not a developer, and I haven’t given the source code to other people to check, but the prototypes have been working well so far.

There was one big change during the process when I requested a new feature. We changed the scope of work and decided how we could achieve it. The feature was unique, which made it harder for them to understand what I wanted. However, we were able to make that change.

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicate through WhatsApp and email. I don’t spend a lot of time on Skype because it’s an older technology. I was given a Jira account for task tracking, but I haven’t used it very much. I prefer looking at the working prototypes.

This was my first project working with an IT company, so it was difficult to explain my goal. However, they’ve always respected meeting times, and our conversations have been clean, fast, and meaningful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their design work is the most impressive thing about them. I was able to see a live product that Cleveroad built for my friend, and it impressed me. I was impressed again when I saw that they were designing and implementing my idea as I wanted it. I don’t know how strong they are in terms of coding, but I’ve appreciated their design, as have other people.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve had some misunderstandings around the tracked development hours. For example, they’ve told me that they spent 35 hours developing a feature, but I later found out that it took 40 hours. This was not a big problem, and we’re still working within our development timeframes, but time tracking could be improved.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of Skibhus Dyreklinik, a veterinary clinic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

I want citizens of our city to find the best clinic for their pet. If their pet is ill, they can search the Internet, but it takes time, and sometimes they don’t find the right clinic. I decided to simplify it and create an app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I discussed the details with the manager of Cleveroad. He told me he would get an estimation of how much the project would cost and a few days later, I got an email with the quote. After I approved the quote, the work started.

They built a mobile iOS and Android app for us. Users can search veterinary clinics and get full information about each clinic. I wanted to build it for both platforms to draw a larger audience. My goal was that all the clinics could add detailed information to the app, and clinics could be located on a map with the precise address.

What is the team composition?

There were two iOS and two Android developers. I worked with an account manager.

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

I was looking for a company from Europe that wasn’t far from our country. I found them on Clutch. I found out there are many benefits of outsourcing software development to Ukraine. There are many good reviews about Ukrainian developers, and my choice fell on Cleveroad. They have lots of experience and have worked with many customers around the world.

How much have you invested with them?

I have spent $15,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in September. We are in the last stage of development, and they will help me launch the apps.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They are responsible and skilled, and their work speaks for itself. They do everything according to the customer’s requirements. They also offered new services to be integrated into the software that are reasonable.

It’s not finished yet, but I tested the final sample and I liked it. I’m sure it will be popular in my city and the search for veterinary clinics will be simplified.

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint?

They have stayed on schedule and on budget. The project manager provided me with information about the project at each stage. We use Skype to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are responsible, skilled, and offer new services.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Everything was good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I will keep collaborating with them after our project is complete. They do everything well, and I recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and CEO of a small distribution company dealing primarily with sports equipment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

I decided to expand my business by opening an online store. I needed a vendor to design and build my e-commerce site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My primary goal was to create a clean, simple site for customers to quickly place orders. Cleveroad suggested a CMS system that serves that purpose and makes it easy for me to manage the site’s content.

They provided design work and are currently building the site using WordPress, hosting it through a third-party server.

Once the project is complete, I plan to hire Cleveroad for marketing.

What is the team dynamic?

I work directly with a project manager, and they also provide two front-end developers and a designer.

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

I considered local companies, but found them too expensive. I stumbled across Cleveroad’s YouTube channel and decided to contact them. Their ground executives showed me their impressive portfolio and they offered a competitive price.

How much have you invested with them?

The estimated range they provided is between $10,000–$50,000. At this point, I’ve spent $3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started work in August 2017 and our relationship is ongoing. The project isn't urgent since I have another venture I'm working on. I told them to focus on quality over scheduling.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site isn’t live yet, but with the regular updates I’ve received, I can tell that the project is coming together. We’ve nearly reached the final stage.

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m not especially tech-savvy, so it was important for me to have a project manager who could keep me informed about the process. The one they provided is wonderful. He can sometimes be late to meetings, but this is understandable given that he stays in constant communication with his developers while managing multiple projects.

I prefer to communicate via email, so this is our primary method of contact, though we also use Jira, WhatsApp, and Skype on rare occasions.

They’re also very receptive to feedback. I once called them about a design element I disliked, and they changed it the very next day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They offer the perfect mix of quality and affordability for any medium-size businesses.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s sometimes difficult to reach my project manager since we operate in different time zones. It would also help if they were more accurate with their cost and schedule estimates.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them. They understand the development process and give their clients peace of mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am an entrepreneur and I created a mobile app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

I wanted to create an app that would help me become a master of the guitar. I always wanted to learn how to play the guitar but it was difficult for me to find the time and motivation to do it. I decided that I needed an Android mobile app that would remind me to do my guitar exercises every day. Since I do not have experience in software development and programming, I needed to find a good IT company that would turn my ideas into reality.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The vision of my future app seemed unusual to me, so I was a bit embarrassed and I didn’t know how to explain it to someone else. But, everything was perfect. To start, I had a Skype session with Cleveroad’s project manager and he said that my idea was really interesting and that I could end up popularizing this particular type of app.

As a result, we discussed project feasibility and the project manager wrote down everything with a  promise to send me a more detailed plan after he spoke with his Android developers. After one day, he contacted me and showed me how the app could look and what design it could have. The designers made a trial design to show to me and after a detailed discussion, I approved the first development stage.

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

First, I read reviews about worldwide software development companies to find the one with an optimal price range and good quality. Cleveroad interested me because of their experience and acceptable price policy. Also, I saw a lot of positive reviews about them online so I trusted them my project.

How much have you invested with them?

$10,000-$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started at the beginning of June 2017 and it was completed at the end of the same month. Perhaps I will return to Cleveroad again if I need some add-ons in my app or updates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From the very beginning, I planned to create the app for my personal use, so I didn’t release it to the Google Play store. I haven’t become a famous guitarist yet, but I have started to make good progress. And even if I don’t want to play guitar today, the app reminds me that I should not ignore today’s lesson if I want to improve. So, the app motivates me to move forward and achieve success.

How did Techugo perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Trello, JIRA, and Testrail.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This was my first experience an IT company, but I am more than satisfied with Cleveroad and the experience they provided. They gave me what I had been looking for for years, and, as I mentioned earlier, our collaboration may continue in the future.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For now, I have no criticism. I got what I wanted for a good price.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I co-founded a startup with a friend, but we’re not yet an official company.
 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

We needed to develop mobile apps for iOS and Android.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our app is an event detector that locates users and displays nearby events. It also includes a search function.

Cleveroad designed both of the apps because all we gave them to work with was a general idea. Both versions, iOS, and Android are almost complete. They’re currently in the testing stage, and we hope to launch soon.

What is the team dynamic?

I’m not sure how many people from Cleveroad were involved in the development, but I’ve collaborated with 3 people during the project. I communicate with their manager, their sales representative, and the CEO of the company. I had no contact with the developers.

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

We searched for IT companies online and browsed companies via Clutch. We contacted a few, but we weren't satisfied with their prices. Cleveroad had the lowest price, so we decided to follow up with them. While there were slight differences in each company’s offers, price was a key factor in who we hired.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think we started working with them in April 2017. We finished most of the collaboration with them in September 2017, except for testing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The apps didn’t have any critical defects or bugs. Everything has been quite stable, but we still need to implement a few things, such as clear detection and search results, and visual appearance. I’m quite satisfied with how things have gone so far.

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint?

I would rate it as a 4.5 out of 5. Cleveroad’s manager is quite responsible, so everything went OK.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Nothing specific comes to mind. In general, my experience has been good, and I’ve enjoyed the cooperation.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were small differences between the end result and the original estimates they provided, but they weren’t critical. It’s still a work in progress, and I understand that not everything can go perfectly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise future customers to do their own research before starting a project. I did so and I'm satisfied with the results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an agricultural company in Latvia, made up of more than 200 employees and established in 2007. We grow crops, but mostly rye. We sell our products in the domestic market and to Lithuania.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

We have about 20 fields. They are scattered across the area, so we have to communicate with our employees somehow. It was difficult to find a platform that would satisfy all our criteria. We tried many chats, but they didn’t meet our demands. The worst part was that some areas have a very poor internet connection, so we also needed something that could work in an offline mode and then synchronize data after the connection was okay.

We are not the only company in this industry. The market is very competitive, which means security was also important.  We decided to create our own secure and reliable messenger for our employees. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed a mobile application, solely for the Android platform, as we provide our staff with Android mobile devices.

They developed a chat with different levels of access. We also have lots of paperwork and it is not an option to send them by post or usual email. They created a system that scans, transfers, and stores these documents. If a person is sending a document to another person who doesn’t have good internet connection, then all the data needs to be synchronized after the connection is back. They made a solution for this as well. There also had to be a way for the data from our electronic forms to be stored in a cloud and give people access to it, according to their level of access.

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

We contacted a few companies in our country and abroad, and asked for the contact information of their past clients. We found a businessman who had a very similar project and Cleveroad created an app for him. He was absolutely happy with his product. This persuaded us to choose Cleveroad.

How much have you invested with Cleveroad?

We've invested somewhere between $10,000 - $49,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in January 2017 and finished in May. After that, we had a month of beta testing. We began using the application in July 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It is much easier to contact our colleagues now. The paperwork is much easier to do. All the documents are stored in a secure place, so we spend little time acquiring them if needed. It is much easier to control our staff. I believe that we've become even more efficient now.

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint? 

We used Jira and Trello.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We liked that everything was explained very clearly. I knew exactly how the system was going to work and what technologies were going to be used. I knew exactly what we were paying for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think we could have finished the project a little earlier, but the delay was minimal, not critical.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own a medium-sized news website.

What is your role at the company?

Founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

I discovered a long time ago that it would be more convenient for my audience to digest content through a mobile app instead of just a website. I spent a lot of time thinking about features for the first mobile app.

I decided to use advanced targeting options along with reward points. Synchronization of our content from the website to the mobile app was the main technical challenge that was hard to solve.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided me with design and mobile development for Android and iOS.

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

I’ve found their website on the Internet when I was searching for some information connected with mobile development.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $50,000 - $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them for 5 months. We started in March 2017 and ended in August of this year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The result is satisfying but the app is not currently released.

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint?

They are extremely communicative and ready to answer all my questions practically anytime.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were insignificant delays in the development process, which is normal. I still think their timeline management can improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company deals in shipping solutions for various businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

We realized that it was necessary to move in the direction of digital services to compete with other companies. We decided to create a logistics e-commerce platform to help our customers to cooperate with us in more convenient way.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The main challenge was to make the transportation process clear for our clients, as well as provide them with convenient and clear order processing and payment. We wanted to work with Node.js and Express.js. Cleveroad proposed a number of features to solve the challenges facing us. 

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

I was searching the web looking for information related to logistics solutions and found Cleveroad. I found an article they had written on a relevant topic, read it, and decided to contact the company to discuss what we wanted. Their prices seemed competitive, so we started our cooperation. I only contacted Cleveroad because they had what I needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are no metrics to share at the moment because the project is still in beta. We are planning to launch it in few weeks. Overall, I have no criticism of their company or the final product.

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was as transparent as possible. They sent us updates on a regular basis but at the same time, we were not overloaded with lots of unnecessary information. Their team has high-level project management skills, not only because of the regular feedback but for their timely delivery of the solution.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cleveroad proposed a lot of features that were ultimately implemented in the final product, and their suggestions were much appreciated. They also created a great design that is both eye-catching and convenient.