Compire

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Luxury Presence is a VC-funded Stanford StartX-accelerated startup, building a premium platform to provide real estate agents with stunning websites, world-class marketing tools and services, and access to an exclusive network. Our customers are often found on the Wall Street Journal and Forbes top 100 real estate lists. I am the Director of Engineering at Luxury Presence and responsible for all software development on these products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Californly?

Californly handled two important projects and saw them both to completion. First, Luxury Presence was redesigning our visual website builder written in React and hired Californly to lead development. This web application is highly interactive and requires high attention to detail and problem solving to handle the complex state management of the tool. The project was not a simple rebranding and required many changes to the UX flow and performance optimizations.

Second, Californly constructed one of our website templates which are to be sold to numerous real estate agents. The project (HTML/CSS/js) had strong deadlines and required pixel perfect implementation.

What were your goals for this project?

Both projects had strict requirements. For the Website Builder implementation, the graphql backend was complete and the FE needed to be implemented with React/Apollo/StyledComponents. For the template, it was strict UI Development (HTML/CSS/js) requiring pixel perfect implementation and strict requirements for the handling of images and other assets. Both projects were immediately released after becoming dev complete and started receiving use for website builds.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had previously worked with Cristian Sava (CTO of Californly) at Jumpcut Inc and admired his technical ability. These projects presented a great opportunity to work with his company Californly and to take advantage of his technical leadership. Now that both projects have shipped, I am happy with the decision.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Californly provided two developers to work on our React codebase for the website builder. They participated in the full product lifecycle. Through Slack and Github they participated in functions such as code review and sought to completely understand the featureset prior to implementation. They challenged aspects of the design that ultimately led to a better product. For the template, Californly worked completely independently after vising our LA office to understand the project requirements.

What was the team composition?

For our React project (website builder), Californly provided a senior and mid-level engineer to work together. For the template project, 3-4 UI developers were leveraged across the project lifetime.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website builder was released on time due and has had an immediate impact. Users can now easily make updates to their websites, shortening the revision and onboarding process for new clients.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

When it came to project management, we mostly worked directly with Cristian Sava to set requirements and expectations. No major issues were had during development. All feedback was incorporated in a timely manner. When it came to the template buildout, we were completely hands-off.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Californly sought to understand our product and requirements and never forced a certain implementation on us. For our React project, they sought to extend the team as discussed and participated in team functions such as code review. For the template project, they owned it completely independently. They proved themselves to be adaptable to the challenge.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are no specific development areas. Californly went above and beyond, working on our team's hours and working within our programming conventions. Communication in person and on Slack was quick and precise.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of GMass, an email merge system. I'm also in charge of all product development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Californly?

Initially it was to redesign the GMass website (gmass.co), and now it's expanded to redesign the actual app that GMass sells, which is a Chrome extension.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals were to modernize the look of the GMass site, improve usability, and make our Chrome extension more usable. Users would often complain that the design looked like it was from the 90s.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found them on Upwork, and the owner, Cristian, gave a detailed response to my original job posting. I decided to give him a try, and he's worked well so far.

Describe the project in detail.

Cristian and his team are very process oriented. They conduct discovery calls, do research, produce wireframes, get approval at every step, and iterate with me until the design works for my needs.

What was the team composition?

From my side, it was just me. From their side, it was Cristian and another designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I haven't placed too much of an emphasis on analytics, so I don't know if the new website design has led to more traffic, but I do know that it's led to more time spent on the website.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They tend to nail good design on the first attempt, rather than requiring multiple iterations to come up with a good design.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Sometimes we can go a couple of weeks without any communication, so sometimes I don't know the status of a project, but often it's my fault as well because I get busy with other things.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a  group transportation provider. We have a booking platform for the group transportation industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Californly?

Over the past year, product development at our company has gone downhill. We brought in Californly to help develop, create, and implement our needs for tech.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goal of this project was to automate our business processes.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Another agency recommended them. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed and developed our web application. The team built a database while working on the frontend and backend. 

What was the team composition?

The team included a product manager and engineers, ranging from 3–5 resources in total depending on need. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We doubled the size of our business without increasing human capital. We are saving about 40% of our monthly burn.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was impressive and well maintained throughout the engagement. The product manager and leadership team had strong communication skills. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their expertise and implementations stood out. Whether it was backend architecture or database schemas, they always had a solution.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There was minimal room for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of content for Jumpcut, an online e-learning company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Californly?

We didn't have a direct landing page for one of our products, so we engaged Californly to help us create a page where customers could easily find it online.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Californly designed the backend of a landing page for one of our products, using provided designs. They also helped us figure out how to build in some custom elements, including animation.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Cristian (CTO, Californly).

How did you come to work with Californly?

I'd worked with Cristian before, so I already knew he was a very good developer.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested a little less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started and finished the project in October 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although the page just went live, I'm 100% positive that we'll see an increase in conversion rates. The final landing page Californly delivered far exceeds what we were able to come up with internally. Their first iteration hardly required any tweaking.

How did Californly perform from a project management standpoint?

They were just as responsive as our own team. We had no issues reaching them through Slack at any time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their implementation surprised us; it was much better than the work I'd seen done by other vendors in my experience. Getting it right on the first try saved us a lot of time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. It was a great experience overall.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If saving time is important, I'd highly recommend working with them on backend development work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a co-founder of Jamrynn. We're a communications platform for sports teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Californly?

We were looking for a company to help us develop a platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did everything from concept to execution. We gave them a general idea of what we were looking for and they designed the wireframes. We wanted to choose the path of least resistance towards our MVP, so they helped us tell which features would be more complex and which features would be easier to develop. They also helped us stay within our budget, while accomplishing everything we wanted.

It’s a React app that is hosted on AWS. Also, they made it mobile responsive, so it's possible to access on different devices. It's a messaging platform for sports teams that allows them to communicate internally, share their goals and workouts, and upload videos and photos. There are public and private channels, direct messaging, and an ability to send SMS notifications straight from the app. So it's similar to Slack in its functionality.

What is the team composition?

We work with three of their team members.

How did you come to work with Californly?

Our co-founder had worked with them previously. They shared some examples of their work with us, which we liked, and they were able to handle every aspect of the project. Also, they were cost-effective, so we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We love the look and feel of the app. The user interface is live, so I can see all the icons. They delivered exactly what we had agreed upon in the design phase. I don't have a technical background, but they're very easy to communicate with and understood all of our needs and our vision. We're launching the first version in January, and we plan to use Californly for later phases of the development.

How did Californly perform from a project management standpoint?

They're responsive and easy to work with. We have bi-weekly sprints and we use Slack and Skype to communicate. We've also met with one of their co-founders in person. It's been a very enjoyable process, and they've hit all of our milestones.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're able to take a concept and turn it into an actual design. They understood everything we wanted (unlike the other companies I talked to), which was important to us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I've been extremely impressed with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them as much background on what you're trying to accomplish as possible. They'll take that information and guide you through the process, making sure they deliver exactly what you need. We had a lot of conversations about different features and functionality before we decided what we wanted to include in the first version.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Web Engineering of Nextiva

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Nextiva is a contact center software company that has a focus on communication technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• The primary objective of this project was to build a new website for Nextiv.com on Wordpress VIP platform.

SOLUTION

How did you find Compire?

Referral

Why did you select Compire over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Compire were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Take Figma designs from designers and build blocks and components that can be used by the CMS to craft customized marketing landing pages for the business.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Website project launching over 150 newly designed pages for a completely rebranded experience.

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

Always ontime to every meeting, providing updates everyday, and staying until the job was done not just when the day was over.

What was your primary form of communication with Compire?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their great ability to communicate and deliver creative solutions to complex problems was impressive.

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

Developers need to provide more updates in the project management system, including more accurate updates to ticket status' and comments on changes to the tickets. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder of Chronicled, a company focused on emerging technologies, particularly blockchain and crypto.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Californly?

I needed web design and PHP WordPress implementation for a travel site.

What were your goals for this project?

Working with basic designs and wireframes, I wanted to create a full WordPress website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I looked through their portfolio and Upwork reviews.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, developed, and built the architecture for a WordPress website.

What was the team composition?

I worked with Cristian (CTO, Californly).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Cristian is a great communicator and detailed designer and developer. He went above and beyond for me.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We communicated via phone calls and Google Docs.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their quality of work was outstanding. Cristian himself was incredibly responsive, flexible, and creative. He far exceeded my expectations.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not that I saw.