Code & Pepper

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO & Co-Founder of a financial services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

AI-powered sustainability analytics platform for institutional investors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Code & Pepper to accomplish?

• Build a React web app
• Further develop the web app

SOLUTION

How did you find Code & Pepper?

Online Search

Why did you select Code & Pepper over others?

Good value for cost

How many teammates from Code & Pepper were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

• The first big project that Code & Pepper helped us to complete was to convert our PowerBI prototype into a React web app.
• Devs at C&P then helped us to redesign the platform.
• We then built a white-labeled version of the platform.
• We then built a self-serve version of the platform using Stripe as the payment provider.
• We then moved the app from VMs to a serverless architecture.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to successfully deliver a white-labelled version of our platform to a major financial institution.

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

• They generally delivered items on time
• C&P also provided a scrum master to instigate Agile development practices using Jira. This helped us to execute the product roadmap within the required timelines

What was your primary form of communication with Code & Pepper?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• The quality of their developers is very high
• Our account manager is proactive, and she always tries to achieve the best solution for our needs

Are there any areas for improvement or something Code & Pepper could have done differently?

Generally, it has been a very positive experience with them. Once they did, unfortunately, provide us with an underperforming QA. Recently there was a slight miscommunication about a DevOps resource. Sometimes, as well, their developers are remote working in very different time zones and don't necessarily stick to their normal working hours.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of (a/an) Healthcare

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Addiction treatment for organisations

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Code & Pepper to accomplish?

• Team augmentation
• Platform engineering development
• Backend engineering development

SOLUTION

How did you find Code & Pepper?

Referral

Why did you select Code & Pepper over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

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

Code & Pepper are responsible for the development of backend solutions using Node.js, platform solutions using AWS and Terraform, web development using Angular, and software testing for our web-based application. The project aims to create a scalable, secure, and reliable web-based application that can handle high traffic volumes and deliver a seamless user experience. Key Deliverables:

• Backend solutions using Node.js:
  • A scalable and reliable backend architecture that can handle high traffic volumes
  • Integration with various third-party APIs
  • A database schema that is optimized for performance and scalability
• Platform solutions using AWS and Terraform:
  • AWS architecture that is scalable, secure, and highly available
  • Implementation of infrastructure as code using Terraform
  • Deployment of the application on AWS
• Web development using Angular:
  • Creation of responsive and user-friendly UI/UX design
  • Development of a scalable and modular front-end architecture
  • Integration of front-end with back-end APIs
• Software testing:
  • Unit testing, integration testing, and end-to-end testing of the application
  • Creation of automated test suites
  • Continuous testing and monitoring of the application

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Tickets completed

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

ased on my experience working with Code & Pepper, they did an excellent job in delivering the items on time. They were able to provide a detailed project plan at the start of the project and kept us informed about the project's progress throughout its various phases. Whenever there were any issues that needed to be addressed, they were very responsive and worked collaboratively with us to find the best solutions.

Code & Pepper's team was also very proactive in identifying potential problems and worked hard to mitigate them before they could impact the project timeline or deliverables. Overall, I was very impressed with their responsiveness, professionalism, and willingness to work with us to ensure the project's success.

What was your primary form of communication with Code & Pepper?

Virtual Meeting

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

One of the things that impressed me the most about Code & Pepper was their dedication to delivering high-quality work. They were very thorough in their work, ensuring that every deliverable met our specifications and quality standards. Code & Pepper demonstrated a high level of expertise and professionalism in their work.

Their team was very knowledgeable and kept up to date with the latest industry trends and best practices, which allowed them to offer valuable insights and recommendations throughout the project. They were very responsive to our needs and always kept us informed about the project's progress. They were also very open to feedback and suggestions, which allowed us to work together more effectively and achieve better outcomes.

Overall, I'm impressed by Code & Pepper's commitment to excellence, expertise, and collaborative approach. I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable and experienced offshore software development agency.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Code & Pepper could have done differently?

Overall, Code & Pepper did an excellent job on the project, and any areas for improvement were very minor. They were very responsive, professional, and demonstrated a high level of expertise throughout the project, and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable offshore software development agency.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Aspen, a fintech company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code & Pepper?

We needed their team to develop our web application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Code & Pepper developed and designed our web app from scratch. The platform was intended to serve as an investment guide for our financial advisors and their clients.

We relayed our requirements and provided the necessary documents that Code & Pepper could refer to during our discovery process, and their team then finalized the tech stack. They specifically utilized AWS to develop backend solutions and relied on Figma and Adobe XD for the app’s frontend design. The content was mainly devised by our team — we forwarded this to Code & Pepper and had it integrated into our platform.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, a QA manager, a web designer, and front- and backend developers.

How did you come to work with Code & Pepper?

Code & Pepper’s team was recommended to me by an acquaintance who used their services in the past. I reached out to them through an introductory call and chose them for being a professional company with an impressive portfolio. They were also UK-based, which was one of our major requirements.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about £100,000 (approximately $136,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from January–July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve only recently launched the product, so there are no quantitative metrics to share yet. However, I could confirm that Code & Pepper took our design and functionality preferences to heart by creating a web app that mirrored our company’s branding. Our financial advisors had started using the platform, and we heard nothing but positive feedback from them.

How did Code & Pepper perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicated via Slack. Code & Pepper was an accommodating partner — they remained attentive to our needs and transparent in sharing each deliverable they accomplished throughout the engagement. Additionally, they had an orderly approach and remained committed to our timeline and budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were most impressed with their team’s organized workflow — everything was just perfect in that regard.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could benefit from a more refined design process. We encountered minor issues with the quality of the initial design they submitted, but it was nothing that both parties couldn’t resolve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate your needs concisely, especially in terms of design. Code & Pepper will deliver desirable results if you relay your expectations with full transparency.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a global, ubiquitous credit risk platform. We use open banking data to help businesses like lenders make better credit risk decisions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code & Pepper?

As a small company, we tend to get resource constraints from our software and product development teams pretty quickly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We use Code & Pepper as an extra resource for our development projects. They also do a bit of project and product management layered on top. Some of the projects involve platform development, UX, or app development. The team does front-and backend development with C#, .NET, native iOS, and Android development.

What is the team composition?

We work with 12 people, ranging from account managers to software engineers.

How did you come to work with Code & Pepper?

I was referred to them. They had a business development person in the UK who was easy to get in touch with. The team seemed to have a really solid approach to working with businesses. Offshore work can be difficult so we’ve always taken the approach of making our remote team as close to a local team as possible. Code & Pepper’s approach to working with us seemed really sensible.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around £500,000 (approximately $687,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

 We started working together 2–3 years ago, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team delivers high-quality code on time. They’re great at pulling out of the bag when they need to and putting in the extra effort.

How did Code & Pepper perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Jira for project management. They work within our milestones and expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a good, solid team. Their reliability really stands out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they constantly take and address our feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to understand what your expectations are. Establish those expectations upfront really clearly; it’ll alleviate a lot of the challenges you might come across.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a financial tech company. We primarily deal with foreign exchange and serve multiple customer types. Our customers range from high-value, low-frequency corporate treasury-type customers to low-value, high-frequency remittance customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code & Pepper?

Our objective was rapid expansion. We brought them on to be our augmented technology team that’d deliver on multiple projects as we accelerate the growth of our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Code & Pepper team provides us with frontend engineers who helped develop the customer-facing website. There are also backend developers who help develop our core platforms and APIs. They’re also providing us with QA engineers who make sure the software delivery for the entire department is up to the standard that’s required or expected by our customers. The nature of the projects is our standard software delivery type projects.

Code & Pepper is as attributable or aligned with the delivery goals as our engineering staff. We have senior engineers who are involved in the architecture steering group. This means that they’re not only doing implementation based on what’s prescribed to them, but they’re also helping us with solution design. The technologies we use include React, Ruby on Rails, and Cypress for our geospatial testing framework.

What is the team composition?

We’re up to about 15 team members now.

How did you come to work with Code & Pepper?

We worked with a couple of contracting companies historically, and I’ve never been very satisfied with the service or quality of work offered by that kind of relationship. I had an on-site contractor who highly recommended Code & Pepper.

Because I worked directly with this person, I decided to give Code & Pepper a go because I valued their opinion. We started out tentatively with Code & Pepper and subsequently, the relationship has grown and grown.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $1 million–$5 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started around August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Consistently, we’ve been really pleased with the performance of the coding from the Code & Pepper engineers. Two of their engineers are contributing to our architecture sessions that weren’t initially part of the remit or what we were expecting them to do. They cared quite a lot about the codebase and were contributing over and above expectations so we added them to the architecture group.

Because the Code & Pepper engineers come from a variety of experiences, they’re able to help shape what the department looks like for us. We listen to their feedback about how we’re performing compared to previous results and suggestions they have for improvements. Typically, that’s resulted in very constructive improvements to our department overall.

How did Code & Pepper perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is great. We’ve had problems historically because of remote teams. However, the communication with the Code & Pepper team members is really good. The way they maintain communication through checking in is very good. They want to make sure their engineers are happy and as clients, we’re also happy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The best thing about working with them is consistent reliability. I’ve never had to worry about people’s ability to perform a certain standard consistently. If I assign their engineers a task, it’s always delivered quickly, effectively, and to a standard that I’d expect. I don’t need to think about it. We solve that problem, and I can move on to the next thing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One thing they’ve improved upon is how they’ve listened to us more as a client. We were a startup and in the beginning, we were growing our own engineering team. There was an awful lot of work to do and not everything could be done straight away. We wanted to improve our own internal processes and infrastructure. However, we also wanted to make sure we’re still adding value and features. That was a little difficult, to begin with.

Even though Code & Pepper is coming in as contractors, the engineers expect a very high standard. This is great because they embody that standard but sometimes these changes take time. Initially, that caused a little bit of friction between us. However, having regular check-ins and conversations to make sure we’re working together to improve things and also getting them involved has helped improve the engagement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Fully augment them into your company and team. Don’t treat them as contractors who don’t care because that’s definitely not the impression I’ve had from them. Treat them like you would treat your internal staff. Code & Pepper cares about improving things at an organization and department level, not just writing half-decent code.

Additionally, make sure the projects you have for them are well-defined as reasonably as possible because they’re very quick and effective. If you give them a well-defined problem or project, they’ll execute that very well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of talent and people for Smart Pension. We’re a fintech business based in London with offices in the US and Poland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code & Pepper?

Our objective was to hire software engineers to build our products. We needed to hire a lot of developers but couldn’t find enough talent in the UK. So, we decided to reach out to nearshore teams to help us build an engineering squad in Poland.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Code & Pepper created hiring goals and worked to meet them the correct way. They built hiring processes and helped us go to market. Their team helped us build an engineering squad. In about a year and a half, they took us from zero resources to 35–40 software engineers. Our technology stack’s Ruby on Rails.

What is the team composition?

About 3–4 members of their team helped us with this project. We worked with the head of recruitment, a recruitment officer, one of their co-founders, and an account manager.

How did you come to work with Code & Pepper?

We came across their company completely by accident. They had a person in the UK making sales pitches for them. He reached out to us at the time we decided to build a near-shore engineering team. We met with him and found that Code & Pepper was a scaling business like us. They were clear about wanting to work with us as a partner, which was appealing to us. We then flew to Poland and met with their team.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $150,000–$200,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between October 2018–September 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s easy to measure the success of the project because it comes down to the number of engineers we hired. We went from zero engineers to 35–40 engineers in Poland over the course of our engagement. Each of those developers had to go through our hiring process, which was quite rigorous. Code & Pepper managed to get those people on board and working on our projects, which were substantial feats.

Code & Pepper understood what we wanted to achieve and worked with us to ensure we met our goals. They helped us hire high-quality individuals. Their team provided us with a consistent level of customer service and delivered.

How did Code & Pepper perform from a project management standpoint?

We literally had constant communication with the people at Code & Pepper. We had continuous conversations via email. There was also constant feedback from both sides, which helped us deliver the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was a short period of time between our initial conversation and them starting the project. It was only about two months in total. It’s a testament to their work that Code & Pepper was able to quickly and effortlessly ramp up. As they’re a relatively small business, their team was agile and able to make decisions quickly. They were able to tailor a solution to the problems we faced, which made things an awful lot easier.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we thoroughly enjoyed working with Code & Pepper.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to Code & Pepper because they’re knowledgeable. Their team gives great advice on hiring engineers. For example, they can help with salary benchmarking and going to market.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of product at a solutions company for online paperwork across the financial industry. We provide all kinds of solutions to help people complete and authenticate documents online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code & Pepper?

A high volume of paperwork in the financial system is still being processed offline. We wanted to solve this issue digitally.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave Code & Pepper our requirements and held a few discussions to work through the requirements and a basic sketch of the designs. They built the first version of our platform using React, .NET Core, and C#. 

Initially, we only asked them to handle the development side and created all the designs in-house. Halfway through the project, however, they came up with an alternative option. The new designs they demoed were excellent, so we used their idea instead.

What is the team composition? 

I interacted with one project manager and four developers.

How did you come to work with Code & Pepper?

A company that worked in the same building as us recommended Code & Pepper.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Code & Pepper did a very good job on our project. The fact that they gave us additional design work we hadn’t even asked for was especially valuable. 

The team saw an opportunity to make our designs even better and went for it. Even though design work was outside the original scope, they didn’t even charge us extra.

How did Code & Pepper perform from a project management standpoint?

Code & Pepper managed the project very effectively. I didn’t have to provide much of this work myself. We communicated through Slack, and they were very responsive.  Communication was always clear. They took on extra tasks and accommodated minor changes to the scope without any complaints.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The redesign that Code & Pepper produced impressed me the most about our engagement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I would suggest they improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CTO of a digital insurance company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code & Pepper?

We reached out to Code & Pepper for UI design and development services. We had been working with another vendor but weren't satisfied with the reliability of their work. We also wanted to scale quickly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Code & Pepper worked on a monitoring app initially, providing some UI design based on wireframes and specifications provided. The app works as a monitoring solution for codes and policies for invoices, making them all viewable and accessible in one place.

They're now working on a larger project, implementing library components, providing UI design, and incorporating features such as tables, buttons, dropdown menus, etc. They're using technologies that include React Native, Node.js, Google Cloud, and others. 

What is the team composition? 

We work with a few developers, a designer, and a product manager. 

How did you come to work with Code & Pepper?

They were recommended to us by another company. After working with them on a trial basis, we were impressed with their work and decided to continue the relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested over £5,000 (about $6,600 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don't have any measurable statistics to report, but they've successfully hit all of our milestones and been very thorough throughout the process. The quality and reliability of their code is a huge improvement compared to the previous vendor we'd been working with. 

How did Code & Pepper perform from a project management standpoint?

They're great. We hold daily standup meetings, as well as biweekly meetings to go over other issues. Communication has been great overall. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm most impressed by their flexibility and desire to hit our targets. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The depth of their bench has some room for improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try their services first by giving them a trial project if possible–It benefited us a lot. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m CEO and co-founder of Pluto Service. We provide travel insurance for people who don't like insurance. We focus on making travel insurance more tailored, easy to understand, and generally hassle free.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code & Pepper? 

We’re building a web application. In order to make a difference within our industry, we had to have a product that was different from everything else out there. The brand and the UI really need to shine. A good UX is absolutely key. Most importantly, it has to be slick and fast.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Code & Pepper is predominantly responsible for the entire frontend of our customer-facing web app for buying travel insurance. We’d created a style guide and design library of components before engaging them. They transformed those pieces into web React components that will get transported and reused across the web app. Then they put those components in real screens, put the flows together, and effectively built out all of the wireframes and customer journey.

They’re also involved with integration of APIs as the data flows into MongoDB on of the backend. The newest piece that hasn’t launched yet is a complex integration with a challenger bank in the U.K. For that; they’re doing a lot more backend work in Node.js. 

What is the team composition?

Adam (partner and CEO, Code & Pepper) is our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Code & Pepper? 

They reached out to us when they saw we were active in the FinTech space. We’d already started the web app with other developers. Speaking to Adam, we quickly realized they’re the real deal. We spoke to other companies they work with and saw that the quality of work is really high.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in October 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our web app is listed on Trustpilot.com, and the vast majority of customer reviews comment on the frontend. Users compliment the design simplicity, speed, and ease of use. We can largely attribute that good feedback to Code & Pepper’s work. Internally, the team and I have nothing but positive words for the quality of their work. 

How did Code & Pepper perform from a project management standpoint? 

Their team is very good. They’re so easy to work with and accommodating. We use tools such as Trello, Zeplin for designs, and GitHub for the code. They’re responsive and always available for a chat. We sometimes change direction quickly, and they manage those scope changes quite well. They get things done right the first time, which requires minimal feedback and makes our lives so much easier. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Code & Pepper’s ability to get up to speed with our project so quickly is amazing. They require very little explanation. They took on all of our requirements. Their team works independently. They don’t need a lot of feedback or input from us to deliver quality results. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No, nothing springs to mind. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Make sure you really understand what they’re good or not good at. They're pretty honest about the technologies they use. Look at their case studies and determine if it fits with your technology stack. Keep them apprised of where you want the product to go in the future, because that might change how they build things in its current state. We didn't do that and, as a result, we need to change things retrospectively. The process would have been smoother if we'd kept them in the loop with the overall product vision.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the chief product officer of a company that sells household and private liability insurances online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Code & Pepper?

We needed to make changes to the purchasing flow while keeping the same design as before. We hired Code & Pepper because we needed to implement this change fast—we didn't have our own developers.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to have an improved purchasing flow that gave us more information about our visitors and let us track their behavior. We also wanted the platform to be responsive so that visitors could check our prices on their phones.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Initially, we considered a couple of companies. We chose Code & Pepper due to the previous experience one of our team members had with them.

Describe the project in detail.

In our first call, we explained the project to the Code & Pepper team and contributed a click-through prototype with no specific written specifications. They were responsible for the implementation of the changes using Angular while adhering to our design.

What was the team composition?

They assembled the necessary resources to finish the project. While the size of the team did not change, the project management did switch due to internal restructuring at Code & Pepper.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

With the new solution, we are now able to generate leads and track the behavior of the site visitors, giving us a much better sense of what we need to improve in the future. We are happy with the results.

How effective was the project management?

The collaboration was effective until they had to change the lead on the project, which understandably led to some delays. All in all, their team was very reliable. We mainly used Slack for communicating, sometimes switching to Skype for calls. We had no language issues, as they all spoke very fluent English.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

While they took things seriously, they were still fun to work with. We’ve had other agencies where the relationship was less friendly, so we really appreciated the relaxed environment we had with Code & Pepper for this project. We loved working with them.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

If anything should be improved, it has to do with the change in project management that happened towards the end of the project. We would recommend a better hand-off to the new project lead in case this situation arises again.