COAX Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and founder of TAXO'D, an accounting solution that helps freelancers and self-employed people record income, expenses, and tax information in the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with COAX Software?

I had been working with two other developers for a few years, but started looking for a new vendor that could speed up processes and had experience using React Native.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, COAX provided additional development support to help expand our mobile and web application in the React Native framework. More recently, I've been transitioning all of our development work over to their team.

They've built in features such as payment integration, Stripe, and other types of banking services into the system. They also test the functionality of each feature, breaking the app in order to fix any issues that come up.

What is the team composition?

I mostly work with Ivan (Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder, COAX Software), as well as Taras (Frontend Developer, COAX Software) who oversees the development.

How did you come to work with COAX Software?

I had heard a lot of good things about COAX before I reached out to them. Initially, I gave them a small project to work on to see how their team would respond, and they blew it out of the water. I was very impressed with how quickly they were able to get things done with a high-level of quality. Because the relationship continues to go so well, I've since decided to expand their responsibilities and bring on more team members from COAX.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested around $30,000 thus far, but we'll be spending a lot more as we transition all of our development work over to their team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since around August 2016 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've been able to release a ton of great new functionalities on our app thanks to COAX's efforts. They've helped significantly improve a lot of our backend code over the last couple years. Once we release our fully paid service in the upcoming months, we expect to see some great feedback and results.

How did COAX Software perform from a project management standpoint?

I had been doing the project management initially, but I recently brought on a project manager from COAX's team that has made a huge difference. It's been a breath of fresh air to let go of some of that stress, so I can focus on more important things on my end. Their team continues to be very responsive and accessible through every channel of communication, including Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Communication is key. COAX's team is patient in explaining everything to us and answering questions as they come up. Our relationship is a constant conversation—I'm never in the dark wondering what happened or where we stand on a project. They also turn around high-quality work very quickly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice for working with any vendor is to do your due diligence when considering a development team to work with. Based on my own research, COAX has been a highly competent, proactive company to work with and I plan on expanding my relationship with them in the future.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I lead the product, technical development, and solution engineering team of a legal technology company. We provide traditional consulting services as well as products that make use of AI, machine learning, and natural language processing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire COAX Software?

We hired COAX to help with a complete UI/UX redesign of our core product offering.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal is to improve the end-user experience of our software application. We also want to make advanced AI and machine learning accessible to nontechnical users.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our team leads had worked with the COAX team before and were very pleased with the experience. We were eager to work with them again.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Due to confidentiality reasons, we cannot disclose this information.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The development process is seamless.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their responsiveness and attention to detail are outstanding. They’re an all-around great team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I cannot think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a test automation solutions company. We build cross-platform automation solutions for mobile, API, and data testing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with COAX Software?

Our core solution was built by our offshore development team in India, and we were looking to complement the India team with frontend development services from COAX. Our offshore team is really good with backend development, but we were lacking skills in frontend development, design, and JavaScript. We did a few proof of concepts (POCs) with COAX. They ended up doing a great job, and they’ve managed all of our UI work ever since. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

COAX did our UI/UX design, which was pure graphic design with PSD output. Once we approved the designs, they convert that to HTML and CSS and use jQuery and other JavaScript tools. They’re proficient in both design and frontend development technologies and they did a fair amount of frontend development in various JavaScript libraries like jQuery. 

How did you come to work with COAX Software?

We first found COAX on Upwork. We hired them based on their reference work and user feedback on Upwork. We actually formed the initially POCs after 5 or 6 vendors. COAX ended up being the best choice from our shortlist.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent approx. $50,000 with COAX. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with COAX for over 2 years.  We started in early 2015 and continue to actively work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

COAX work was part of several inputs into our product and solution. We iterate our solution every month, and a lot of that is driven by customer feedback and requirements. Since we started working with COAX, we’ve grown our offline business by about 2.5 times, and a lot of that has been driven by new functionality that we’ve added to the product. Every time there’s a new feature, COAX handles the UI. They’ve been pretty good at meeting our expectations and deadlines.

How did COAX Software perform from a project management standpoint?

COAX is quite responsive. Depending on the volume of work we have, we do daily standups, and they are accessible for those. We were always close to their estimates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think COAX’s most impressive quality is their ability to adjust to our needs. That’s important because we don’t give them a consistent stream of business. For some months, it’s close to nothing, and during other months the hours add up quickly. They’ve been able to scale up and down for us as needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really since COAX continues to meet/exceed our expectations.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with COAX Software?

The customer needs to drive the schedule. Get COAX to buy into your schedule, both from the timeline standpoint and the cost standpoint. This doesn’t apply only to COAX; it’s more universal. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a global data protection and communications company in Switzerland. We have iOS and Android apps along with three web based ones. Two of the apps, called Digital Safe and Private Talk, store and encrypt chats, voice, video systems, emails, and file transfers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with COEX?

We needed a website design for one of our services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At first, COEX designed marketing brochures, and then moved on to developing code and HTML5 for the frontend of our marketing site. They provided graphic interface to our developers for both the iOS and Android apps using design guidelines provided by us. Our team developed the code for the backend of the site. They also collaborate with us to do all of our marketing collateral, including PDFs for B2B clients. Their taste and grasp in design are good.

How did you come to work with COAX Software?

I found them on Upwork, and they had good ratings.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together two years ago, and the relationship is ongoing. We’ll probably hire them for another website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

COEX was interested in coding and designing projects at first. Attention decreased somewhat during their rapid growth period, but it is now improving. If you can collaborate with COEX on the design, they are very good. I have limited knowledge of their independent design work because we stayed heavily engaged throughout the project.

How did COAX Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re not stellar in project management, and there have been instances where we’ve repeatedly asked for the same thing, but they are getting better. Tightening up the workflow and utilizing project management tools would help with this. So far, we’ve communicated by email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The graphical interface of the apps are well done, but I would recommend design guidance. Their delivery is great once we outline the goal. 

Are there any areas COAX Software could improve?

Their project management needs improvement. At times, there is a missing link after I inform the CEO that the work he has sent me isn’t what we wanted. They do fix it, but they need to ensure they are delivering the project as it was asked for. Their company has rapidly expanded from just a few people to 30, so quality assurance, as well as better organizational skills, would help a lot.

The website we gave them was very simple. I’m using them for website coding in the future, so I’m hoping they do okay.

If you need resources outside of your own, COEX is very good overall. Although I’ve never given them 100% of a project to execute, they do well with what is expected of them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Skippr is an analytics platform started 2 ½-3 years ago. I am the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with COAX Software?

I personally have multiple Instagram accounts, some of them with north of 1 million followers. I wanted to understand my user audience, and schedule my posts. This was a time before Buffer was introduced to the platform, and I needed the right tools for my own accounts. Once I realized the potential for it, I started a business.

I live in a remote area with a massive shortage of developers, so I was looking to build a full team, with the ability to expand quickly when I needed it. I needed partners who understood the technology aspects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

COAX acted as a technical partner, helping me deliver the graphing functionalities I wanted in the form of native iOS, Android, and web applications. They worked with the Instagram API, and delivered the whole infrastructure I needed.

How did you come to work with COAX Software?

I chose them based on the feedback they’d received on Upwork. I had posted a job looking for a frontend developer with a certain type of graphing expertise, namely D3.js graphing. One of the COAX members who applied for the job had the expertise I was looking for, and he had much better feedback than anyone else who applied.

How much have you invested with COAX Software?

The cost of their work has been around £40,000. [$50,000]

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with COAX Software around July 2015. The project was finished in September 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform was closed around 6 months ago, when Instagram launched Instagram for Business. COAX built a solid platform which worked amazingly, but the product didn’t work out for other reasons.

We had around 8,300 users signed up on the platform, and a monthly recurring revenue of around $6,000.

How did COAX Software perform from a project management standpoint?

I enjoyed working with them. COAX saved the project when it was taken over from me. It would’ve died long before, had they not stepped in. We used JIRA for project tracking, and worked in what they called sprints. Every Monday, I would jump on a call with my project manager Ivan, and his whole team, and was told what would be delivered by Friday. Come that day, we would have another call, and look at what had been built. If anything didn’t go according to plan, they would explain why.

What did you find most impressive about COAX Software?

The customer service was good. I think that, being in Ukraine, COAX understood that people can be nervous to work with them, and were quick to put me at ease.

Are there any areas COAX Software could improve?

I am not overly-technical, but, for what I wanted, I was happy with what I received.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Product Manager at Aha Apps Inc. Aha Apps helps you manage your teams more easily, streamline operations, and grow your business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire COAX Software?

FV Application Redesign

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Fiverr

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Application redesign with UX team using Agile - Kanban methodology.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Total 3, 2 UX Designers & 1 Project Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

All the project stakeholders were pleased with results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was smooth and to the point. All team members attended daily standup meetings.

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

I was impressed with their dedication and detailing towards the project requirements.

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

Satisfied with overall work effort.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Vidatec are a professional services organisation offering Web and Mobile application products and services. I'm the Chief Operating Officer within the organisation

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire COAX Software?

There is a requirement to supplement our skills at Vidatec with a likeminded organisation that can, not only deliver the skills and experience we offer our customers but also fulfil the values that we stand for.

What were your goals for this project?

Improve peoples experience of life through the use of the technology we deliver.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We took a very specific requirement for a product went through various interviews, technical tests and soft skill assessments of Coax and determined they were capable of becoming our partner and become part of our extended team.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Skills include Design, Project Management, Development and Quality Assurance.

What was the team composition?

We use in excess of ten resources at any time across our customer projects and product development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Successful delivery of multiple customer projects and delivery of products to market.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management is part of the overall process where both organisation provide project management resource to management different aspects of the project and coordinate the overall project together.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The willingness to learn new ways of working. They influenced our company's development by introducing new ways to work in a very professional and positive way.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Communication across both organisations can provide better and more efficient results. Scheduling resources can be improved.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We offer tourism companies implementation of charging processes on their websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire COAX Software?

We needed a CRM customized to our specific needs.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted an intuitive UI using our existing database and integrating it with the new CRM.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We received a recommendation of their work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They developed, tested, and staged our new CRM.

What was the team composition?

We worked with resources from various project teams according to our needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve always received what we asked for and more. COAX Software thinks outside the box and offers solutions.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We never missed a deadline. They were reliable and always available even outside of working hours. Also, last minute changes and requests were treated professionally with success. Most importantly, they were flexible regarding manpower.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They took responsibility and offered solutions we never thought about.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re completely satisfied with their service.