Code Inspiration

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the general manager of a student development institute.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code Inspiration?

Our agency aims to bring Latin American and Peruvian students to Belarus for their studies. We manage a lot of documents and have a lot of potential clients, so we needed a system that would make our processes more efficient.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a CRM system for us. We’ve migrated most of our paperwork to the system.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with two persons from their team.

How did you come to work with Code Inspiration?

One of my colleagues recommended Code Inspiration. I liked what they proposed.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in July 2018, and we continue working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, I am pretty satisfied with their work. The system has made our documents management more agile, and it has been quite useful. We used to lose a lot of potential clients before we had the system, but now, it is a lot easier to keep track of leads.

How did Code Inspiration perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Skype to communicate. Despite the distance and the time difference, it’s remarkable that they are always communicating with us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was surprised that they suggested ways to economize on the project during our first meeting. Plus, the quality of their work is great. We haven’t had any issues until now.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I couldn’t say anything negative.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project director for Mix Research. We’re a marketing research agency that conducts both qualitative and quantitative research. We also perform retail audits and have been in the market since 2009.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code Inspiration?

Our retail audit department was working with a large retail chain. We needed to cut the cost and amount of time it took to collect the information we needed on a daily basis. Therefore, we searched for a development firm that could create an application to automate some of our processes. The app would be used to collect data during fieldwork.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Code Inspiration helped develop an Android app for our photo-monitoring system. The app is used by clients to assist our data collection specialists in the retail auditing effort. Each person receives their separate set of products to be monitored along with the SKU of each product set. The person in charge of product monitoring can see the parameters they need to fill in for a particular SKU like the picture, the price, the barcode, the exact location of their specialist, and the specific time and date of the data being collected.

When all the work is complete, our specialists use the app to transfer the information to a server. Then, the portals connected to the store are automatically renamed according to the log file that the clients provide us. According to the barcode, the characteristics are imported for each particular SKU. The app is complete and we use it on a daily basis. They’re currently developing something for the server side of the system.

What is the team composition?

There were many developers assigned to the project, but we only interacted with the project manager and a technical lead.

How did you come to work with Code Inspiration?

They were recommended to us by the long-term partner that developed almost all the software we’re using for data collection. They didn’t specialize in Android development, so they suggested we hire Code Inspiration. We trusted their recommendation 100%. It was the most valuable information we could receive.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $15,400.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2017 and the Android app was delivered in February 2018. Our partnership with them is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We save about 700,000 rubles ($11,121 USD) a month because of the application. We don’t have to spend time or resources renaming the portals of each SKU and double-checking our work. It also helps us avoid mistakes and errors that we’ve experienced previously.

How did Code Inspiration perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Jira to communicate and everything went smoothly. We were able to follow the progress and provide comments. Their deliverables were on time and user-friendly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Code Inspiration is very responsive. Even after the app was complete, they were quick to respond to our questions and address any issues we experienced. They’re available 24/7 and that includes weekends. We’re highly satisfied with them and haven’t had any concerns.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Invest time in developing the initial statement of work. Proactively participate in the early conversations to ensure everything is communicated well.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated by the client on November 17, 2019. New content is below.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

They worked on a new large project for us. Once again, the solution consisted of an Android part as well as a server part, which actually operates the whole project. The software is aimed at collecting prices for a lot of SKUs in many locations of Russia. It accumulates the data from all of the fieldwork partners across the whole country into one location. 

What is the team composition?

We cooperated with four different divisions: the first was the team that worked on the software, and we had a team that worked on the Android part. We also had a team of testers and one project manager who managed all of the divisions. That person was able to address any questions we had if needed.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent about $200,000 USD to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

All of the software is finalized, and the guarantee period is over, which lasted two months. We are currently receiving technical support from them. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have been able to exclude our field resources from the operation. They don’t need to enter the product codes as everything is now automated, and we have cut our costs when it comes to resources.

How did Code Inspiration perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything ran smoothly. We used Jira to contact them as well as Skype which was more convenient for us. Since we’ve now finalized the software, we aren’t using Jira anymore. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The speed of their response has been the main thing this time around. They send us data and even respond to us overnight, which has been important for us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There is nothing to mention. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get the supplier more involved in all the details and stages of your project. Make it more understandable for them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an e-commerce company. We founded a separate startup company that develops enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code Inspiration?

We decided to develop our own software to solve our supply chain problem. We needed someone who had technical knowledge and experience in developing ERP systems.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After we provided the requirements, Code Inspiration developed our ERP software and helped with scalability. They used Angular, JavaScript, and Java, while some components were written in PHP. It’s a distributed system that has separate components in different servers.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager. We had some tasks for their designer, UX specialists, and a couple of developers.

How did you come to work with Code Inspiration?

I found them on a freelancing site. The main reason I chose Code Inspiration is because of the projects they’ve developed, which are functioning well.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent €30,000 ($34,830 USD) on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have not experienced any problems. Everything is good.

How did Code Inspiration perform from a project management standpoint?

They manage everything well. We use Jira.

Communication is easy. We have a weekly Skype call with the project manager that lasts for an hour. We also chat daily on Slack with the developers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have impressive technical skills and deep knowledge.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a small insurance company called Handelvertretung. We provide insurance consultation based on our customers’ needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code Inspiration?

At the time, we didn’t have a system to keep track of our sales team’s client appointments, and we lacked the internal resources to develop one. As a result, we needed resources to build a CRM that managed our sales rep’s schedules.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created an online CRM that organized our clients’ information and kept track of our sales reps’ appointments. With the tool, customers could see the available staff members and choose a sales rep. Although we’ve completed the project, we’re currently planning to implement additional small features and improvements.

What is the team composition?

They assigned a project manager who served as our main point of contact, but there was also a developer working in the background.

How did you come to work with Code Inspiration?

A friend recommended them to me. He previously worked with Code Inspiration, so I reached out to them to see if they could meet our project needs. After seeing a CRM that they’d built for another client, I decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about €9,000 - €10,000 [$10,730 - $11,922].

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work lasted from October 2017–January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After a few months of using their CRM, we’ve increased our sales by 27% compared to our previous year. Now, we can track every contract using the tool, which allows us to easily provide customers with relevant information. As such, we’ve improved our service and have seen an increase in customer satisfaction.

How did Code Inspiration perform from a project management standpoint?

They coordinated with us to establish a realistic timeframe, meeting all of our deadlines. They communicated clearly, and I felt confident in their technical experience. We collaborated using Jira, Slack, and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took the time to understand our business, and we considered them part of our organization. They were adaptable and accommodated any task change. If we altered our final vision, they talked to us and made the effort to see our perspective, which made me feel important and central to the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. We’re satisfied with their services.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Even if customers have no technical background, they shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions. Code Inspiration’s development team are more than willing to explain the best way to approach development, providing a detailed yet comprehensible overview.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of a software and graphics agency based out of New York City. We work on mobile and web applications for clients in a variety of industries, but focus mainly on small startups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code Inspiration?

We worked with another development shop that wasn’t delivering with the consistency we needed. As a result, we went looking for a new agency with a communicative and organized project manager that we could pass off projects to without having to worry about them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Code Inspiration team has worked on an assortment of mobile and web apps for us. The one we've probably spent the most time on is a stock trading app built using React Native, Java for the backend, and various APIs. They had one developer with trading experience, and the project manager oversaw the entire process. The app was very UI-centric, and Code Inspiration did a great job with it.

Apart from React Native developers, Code Inspiration also has a lot of good Java, PHP, and iOS developers that we have used on multiple projects. Right now, they are working on a native iOS app for us using Django for the backend, and the developer has been great. Anytime we have needed someone with very a specific or less used skill set, they have been able to come through for us.

What is the team composition?

We work very closely with our project manager with whom we have really built a strong relationship. We are working with around 10 active developers right now, and we have used their QA team in the past as well.

How did you come to work with Code Inspiration?

We have worked with a lot of different development agencies in the past, and our hiring strategy has been to assign small projects to a bunch of different candidates to see how they perform. We found Code Inspiration through a freelance website and really liked the work they delivered.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in September 2017, and will continue using them for projects for the foreseeable future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I do not have any metrics at this point, but we have launched and scaled multiple projects that Code Inspiration delivered. While we have not stress tested the apps they built yet, we think they have the potential to scale to hundreds of thousands of users.

How did Code Inspiration perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very organized, especially when compared with other firms we’ve worked with. They have also been very adaptable to whatever workflow we establish. We use Trello to communicate and I know they use Slack and Skype, but they switched over to Trello when we started working together.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have well-defined best practices in place, and their servers are ready to scale, which is important to us. They are definitely one of the best development firms we’ve worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We are really happy with them.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated on September 30th, 2019, by the client. New content is below.

BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a software and graphics agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Code Inspiration?

In our first review, we touched on building a stock trading app, which has since seen strong progress and is still ongoing. Based on their success there, we felt comfortable enough to expand their involvement into other projects, the most notable being Angular development for a financial platform.

SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement? 

Code Inspiration employs developers who can cover a gambit of technologies, so they excel at ramping up quickly and getting good work done. They’re now our go-to tech team for various projects, handling front- and backend development as well as QA services.

Their workflow on our financial platform was similar to our trading platform. They jumped on board, got up to speed, and worked on our list of to-dos tracked in Trello. This included fixing existing bugs and building out new features. 

From there, we’d test their work before giving our approval, and they’d help push the solution into production. The tech stack featured an Angular frontend and a Django backend.

What is the team composition? 

Code Inspiration is probably one of the smoothest dev shops that we work with. Usually, the team consists of a project manager, 1–2 developers, and QA resources. 

Yulia (Head of Business Development, Code Inspiration) is our de facto project manager, but she’ll sometimes assign another account manager to us. All of the managers we’ve worked with are very organized and have strong English skills. As for their developers, I’ve never experienced a failure with them. 

How did you come to work with Code Inspiration?

We’ve worked with them for so long that I don’t even remember how we initially found them. I’ve learned to trust them, and it’s nice to have pre-vetted talent when onboarding people onto a new project.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent upwards of $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their involvement in the financial platform lasted from around March 2018–March 2019. We’re still working with them on our stock trading platform.

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

For the financial platform, I credit them for a lot of the technical side. Code Inspirations picked up the project when it needed a new dev team and launched a couple of key features that were integral to the platform’s success.

It was a data room solution that facilitated over $1 billion in deals—users didn’t transact through the platform, but the deal documents were on there. It was so successful that we ended up selling the solution/company.

As for the stock trading platform, we still haven’t gone fully live yet. But there have been hundreds of beta users transacting with real money, so we’re pretty much ready to launch.

How did Code Inspiration perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management is a little less formal simply because we don’t always have a dedicated team depending on our project. However, that’s never affected our workflow. It’s always been smooth sailing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They tick all of the boxes you’re looking for when considering offshore development: they have strong English skills, are responsive, and can accommodate time differences. We’ve outsourced work to several countries, but Belarus has been our best experience largely because of Code Inspiration.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we're pretty happy with our relationship. They’re the best firm that we’ve worked with, which is why we keep working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of RewardsWide, a platform that incentivizes and motivates families, workplaces, educators, and trainers to build better team dynamics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code Inspiration?

We wanted a very experienced team to build the frontend and backend of our web portal and app. We needed a tight team because we had a bad experience with another development group.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we designed our product’s architecture in the scope and product specification, we initially envisioned an app for parents and employers to build better team dynamics. Then we realized that we could repurpose the app for students, teachers, and coaches.

When talking to Code Inspiration, we suggested an app-based module. They had fantastic ideas and feedback. We drove the design and architecture, then they brought their experience to the UI/UX design and development. It’s currently being developed for Android. We will begin iOS development next week.

We provided the wireframes and the product and user specifications, which grew as they offered advice and feedback. We changed, adapted, and moved things, and used some of their tools as well. It was, and still is, a very good partnership.

What is the team composition?

We have a fantastic project manager whose English language skills are excellent. Along with her, we work with 3-4 other guys.

How did you come to work with Code Inspiration?

We found them online, did some research, and interviewed them along with some other companies. We needed to feel confident in their skill set and experience, and to see other tools and apps that they developed. They won out as the best overall team.

How much have you invested with them?

$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just finished the first round of beta tests with about 35 families, and are going to our second round. At the end of March, we’ll go into an alpha testing phase.

We’re happy. It’s received very positive feedback, and the user interface is good. We’ve gone through a few rounds of bug testing. They’re very good at bug testing and responsive to those results.

How did Code Inspiration perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re responsive, top-notch communicators. We can see the guys working on the sprints in Jira and Slack. We also use Skype and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a well-rounded team, with excellent project managers and great UI/UX and backend developers for both Android and iOS. They get to work right away, they’re responsive, and their prices are very competitive. Working with them has been a good experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could pay a little more attention to detail in their deliveries.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get on their Slack; they’re very good at communicating there. Being 2-3 hours behind them works really well, because they’re already working on some of the sprints when we arrive. They’re competitively priced, high-quality developers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the commercial director of Time For You, a domestic cleaning franchise in the U.K.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code Inspiration?

We had hired other developers to build our cloud database system, but it was clunky and old-fashioned. We wanted to liaise with someone who could provide us a modern look and feel as well as improve performance for our users.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Code Inspiration helped create our CRM. It is used by franchisees in the U.K. for the purpose of managing their business. This includes an app for creating digital contracts. Code Inspiration helped us increase the security and efficiency of that app. The data captured in these contracts is managed through the backend cloud database including the clients’ records, notes, files, calendar, attachments, and emails.

The team integrated numerous APIs for us, basically reprogramming the outdated PHP version, using a new language that made it faster and mobile-optimized. This allowed people to work on the go.

What is the team composition?

Their account manager liaised with me about specific project requirements. We had Skype meetings with a few of her team members for bug reports.

How did you come to work with Code Inspiration?

We were used to using freelance developers and found them on an outsourcing website. I went through a rigorous process and interviewed several developers, not wanting to fall into the same trap as with the previous team we hired. I looked at their previous clients and work. Code Inspiration came out at the top.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost was £35,000 [$50,000].

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Code Inspiration 18 months ago. Currently, we’re finishing phase two of the project and entering the maintenance stage, fixing bugs and making user interface tweaks. We will be working with them again in 2018 for phase three of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have over 150 franchise branches across the U.K. Based on their feedback, the speed at which the system works is the biggest improvement. The old system took a long time to load, but now search queries and reports come up straight away.

How did Code Inspiration perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a set budget for the project, and their estimate came within that budget. Code Inspiration delivered within budget and earlier than expected with the only delays coming from our side. I was given access to their Jira account for bug reporting and general project overview. We also used email and Skype for communication where they were always available.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were upfront in giving us alternative approaches to the ones we gave in the specifications when something might not have worked. Code Inspiration helped us see the project and came up with ideas we might not have thought of.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m happy with how the project was run.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Being specific about what is required is essential with any freelancing team. Clients should research and know the background of what they’re building.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an information technology company, producing meteorological and ocean data. We also develop the mechanisms for the delivery of that data into 3rd-party applications, such as NDN Forwarding Daemon apps. I’m the managing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code?

We didn’t have the internal capacity to finish an element in one of the mobile apps we were developing, so we had to outsource.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The mobile app was iOS only. We did the backend work internally, based on a software development kit we’d already built. They worked on the UI integration to make it work within an iOS app. The lead was taken from an app we’d previously developed for desktop OFX.

What is the team dynamic?

Our technical director handled the process on our side. On their team was 1 lead developer and 1 additional developer, and they added more people during development. It was an efficient collaboration between the two teams.

How did you come to work with Code?

Our research brought us to them based on their background and previous work. They fit the profile of what we needed.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2015, and the project lasted about 4 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did a pretty good job. We needed to finish it off ourselves, but that was our requirement.

How did Code perform from a project management standpoint?

They were open to communication at any time. When the project was in full tilt, our technical director was in touch with them at least 3 or 4 times a week. They communicated through email and Business Skype. Their written and verbal English was very good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We had a positive experience. If we were to come up short again with our requirements, we would look to discuss more development with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They were efficient in providing what we required, and their follow-up was very good. Anything we thought hadn’t been finished or needed additional work, they took that on board.

Do you have any advice or tips for other customers who will work with Code?

Discuss your project plan and ideas with them as much as possible initially, and proceed on that basis.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of MF-Card.ru. We’ve been experimenting with an app for about three years. It started as a loyalty program, and we’ve done a couple pivots. Now we’re focusing only on market research.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code Inspiration?

We needed someone to develop our iOS and Android apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Code Inspiration did all of the coding for our iOS and Android apps, and our internal team developed the backend.

Our app is similar to Ibotta and Checkout 51, which offer smart shopping using proofs of purchase. The buyer takes a picture of the receipt and receives a reward or rebate via the app. Our app has a slight difference. A group of purchasers send us their receipts and we do marketing research.

After they built the app, we kept adding features, and we had a lot of strategy pivots. There ended up being several features that users didn’t actually use. Now we’re building a completely different app, which includes the features that have worked out the best in our experiments. We rolled out the first version a month ago.

What is the team dynamic?

There are three to four developers. The coder changed partway through, which I was concerned about, but it didn’t prove to be a problem.

I describe and draw the flow, and they ask questions about functionality and then write technical specifications to run by my team. If we have very sophisticated features to implement or if any information is unclear, they come back to me once a day with a build. Alternately, if everything’s self-explanatory, they tell me how long the coding will take and get in touch with me when it’s finished. I check the app and give my feedback, and they make changes and fix any bugs.

How did you come to work with Code Inspiration?

We posted technical specs on a website developers frequent, and we received a few bids. Code Inspiration was one of the teams.

We asked each team to provide timelines, what they would do, and what approach they would take. I gave everyone a task to see how accurately and quickly they would deliver it. Then, we visited each office and talked to the developers themselves. After meeting Code Inspiration, we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

Around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2013 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The number of downloads was between 20,000 and 30,000. It’s difficult to judge the impact by these numbers, because it’s not a mass media app and we didn’t advertise publicly. We invited specific types of people to collect information from and pay them to send in receipts. That number of downloads was more than enough for us work with.

It’s also hard to judge the app’s user-friendliness, because it was customized for use by whoever participated in our system.  

How did Code Inspiration perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve had experience with other teams. Yaroslav [CEO, Code Inspiration] is one of the best project managers I’ve come across. He usually delivers when he says he will. I don’t recollect them missing a deadline.

I even tried to get Yaroslav onto my team. But he’s in a different country and it would cost me too much.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that they’re always on time.

We always find common ground to create a quality product together. If they make a mistake, they admit it and redo it free of charge. We never have integrations that we’re not able to agree on, and if we run into problems, they’re always solvable. That’s very important when working with a partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I’ve worked with other developers to see what’s happening on the market. I haven’t found anyone to match the qualities I value in them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Always be as clear and detailed as possible with your technical specs. I’m not a coder myself, so mine are often a bit sloppy. It took a lot of conversations for them to pull those details out of me. Everything is solvable, but the more specifics you can give at the outset, the less the project is going to cost.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated on September 30, 2019, by the client. The original star ratings were: Overall- 5, Quality- 4.5, Schedule- 5, Cost- 5, NPS- 5. New content is below:

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder at Real Time Group, a consumer discounts app.

What challenge were you trying to address with Code Inspiration?

We had needed someone to develop our iOS and Android app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our iOS and Android app and we continue to work together. We have an iOS developer and an Android developer, but when I have too many tasks that can’t be handled by my own staff, I count on Code Inspiration. We’ve actively engaged with them every month for the past year.

They jump into the code and help us out when we have a lot of coding to do, especially when we’re under pressure for a major release.

What is the team composition?

My team cooperates with Yaroslav (CEO, Code Inspiration) and he manages his team. He distributes the tasks and makes sure that they’re being properly addressed in a timely manner.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent an additional $165,000, $265,000 total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017 and the work is ongoing.

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

The app that we’ve pivoted into has 500,000 downloads.  

How did Code Inspiration perform from a project management standpoint?

My team communicates with them at least weekly, and Yaraslov came to visit our office recently.  They deliver on time, which is one of the reasons we still work with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Yaraslov makes sure everything is being delivered on time. Even if the team rotates, it doesn’t influence the quality of the code. If they mess up, they own up to it and fix it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As the owner, I’d always like to pay less. Once in a while, we look over the bills and try to talk down the price. However, their pricing is moderate in the industry if you consider their quality and speed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a good detailed description of the tasks you want to be done. The more details, the better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Premium Betting Technologies is based in Malta. We provide sports betting platforms using a core development team based in Estonia. We handle the development of backend functionalities, including the processing of bets on servers, main transaction coordination, and so on. We have developed some frontend channels targeted to retail markets, guided by a client.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code Inspiration?

We wanted to enter a wider market with an online betting platform, looked for a partner for the work, and selected Code Inspiration.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Code Inspiration has provided development on our online betting frontend for web and mobile. They have also helped us with customizations and skinning of the platform, on behalf of clients.

After the evaluation, the task was to develop a full-featured website with many additional functionalities to what we already had in our terminal application. The terminal is completely different from the site, and it was given to Code Inspiration as a working example of a platform which communicates with our system. Their task was to create a website which could survive a high volume of transactions and traffic from multiple clients.

The development was based in the Java technology. We didn’t want them to do any database development, as the data is stored in our core system. Code Inspiration used caching technologies like Redis for handling high loads of sports data, translations and session localizations. They have developed a system which is horizontally-scalable across any load.

They have continued to improve what had already been delivered, like a sports book for live games. There can be multiple games taking place at the same time, with constantly-changing data which can overload slower computers. Code Inspiration has made some amazing optimizations quickly for this.

What is the team dynamic?

Code Inspiration has a specialized team. I have worked with five developers and a couple of designers. They had experts in Java Enterprise Edition, as well as very good frontend developers for cross-browser application implementation.

How did you come to work with Code Inspiration?

We had a kiosk or Windows terminal application developed by our own team in .NET. The communication interface between this frontend and the backend was already in place. We gave Code Inspiration a pilot project as a way of determining their understanding of the scope. They delivered in two weeks. It was only meant for us to see what technologies they would use, and how they would architect the system. The work wasn’t perfect, but we were happy with it. We evaluated multiple partners, and selected Code Inspiration.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent above $100,000 on their services so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Code Inspiration three years ago. They are continuing development, and are also working on an online casino application.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site Code Inspiration developed for us is functional, handling loads from 10,000 concurrent users or even more. During weekends and Friday evenings, there are many games and people placing bets on them. Altogether, we have over 300,000 registrations made through our clients, who are the actual bookmakers. We have developed different sites for them, based on the technology given to us by Code Inspiration. They have definitely been helpful for the growth of our company.

How did Code Inspiration perform from a project management standpoint?

They have an Agile, sprint-based approach. I am fine with this, as an IT manager leading a team of 12 developers. I have a different approach, but we have delivered through Code Inspiration, which was the important part. Even though I may not like it much, I am not looking to change their management structure. Whenever I want to get the current status of a task from the system, it’s a bit messy, but they do the work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I work in Estonia, but I am originally from Russia. When starting subcontracting work, we have a selection of three major markets: Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. I have worked with companies from Russia and India, and this particular company from Belarus has been the best. It’s why I keep working with them—Code Inspiration is ready for whatever issues may arise. There is a huge amount of subcontracting companies, but we rarely see a team working as if they were developing their own product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Reporting could be improved. I’ve spent quite a lot of time rechecking what Code Inspiration developed; there was nothing exceptional, but the reporting for feature implementation and testing could definitely be improved.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Daily communication must be maintained, making sure that things are in order, and that the developer understands what the client needs. In my own management, I have discussed everything with developers before the sprint was started. After the two-or-three-week development, I will get feedback from the testers. This is fine for my own team, but I have to keep an eye on Code Inspiration’s people, to make sure they are doing the right things.