Default-Value

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm co-founder of luxury resale marketplace. We sell luxury clothes, bags, shoes and accessories.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Default-Value, and what were your goals?

Our marketplace was not completed by the previous development company. So we turned to Default Value to complete the project and get it up and running. As a result, we successfully launched the marketplace and continued to cooperate with the company to this day.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

My friend recommended me this company. Deciding factors: perfect reputation, experience, acceptable price.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had a kick-off meeting to discuss our goals and objectives. We started our work by fixing bugs, made by previous developers (according to the bug report). After that, we set up the payment system. Then we launched the marketplace and implemented new features.

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

A project manager was our main point of contact throughout the process. There were also 2 backend developers, designer and QA-tester working behind the scenes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

After launching of the marketplace, the recognition of our company raised. The amount of sales increased. The buyers got the opportunity to find the items on our site easily. The sellers now have the ability to upload items for sale on their own.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We had daily communication with project manager, who contacted with the rest of the team. We used Slack, Telegram and Redmine.

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

They are rather experienced in developing and the communication was friendly, easy-going, effective.

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

No, Everything is perfect.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company is an online text based RPG game with 40,000 daily players. I have been the director of the company since its founding in 2004.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Default-Value, and what were your goals?

We were looking for a way to expand our team with dependable and highly skilled professionals. Initially DV provided a UX / graphics artist, I was so happy with the results that we were comfortable asking DV for additional support in the form of developers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

After posting a job online for a graphics artist, we received dozens of applicants. After shortlisting many, and giving them trial tasks, Jane at Default Value massively prevailed, storming past all expectations.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

DV's developers have been tasked with quite literally hundreds of projects since 2012. Their level of skill and professionalism has always been outstanding. I would be more than happy for DV to provide you with the details.

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

DV has this information. I'm sure you can gather any details from them. From memory, currently we have thirteen members from DV spanning

• Graphics
• UX
• back-end
• front-end
• app developers
• Q/A.

There are several other members in the last ten years who've since left the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Workers from DV have been responsible for handling dozens of large projects from design through to development and testing. Every completion has been very successful, and I'm always surprised by the amount of skill and effort they put into their work.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We use slack and github extensively. All work has always been completed in a timely manner, and we've never had any issues. The management is surgical and concise from start to finish, guaranteeing successful releases time and time again.

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

I greatly appreciate their transparency and high level of communication. I'm kept aware of progress, problems, or delays every step of the way.

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

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a senior solution architect with ArgonDigital out of Austin, TX. We help our clients use technology as a strategic advantage for them to grow their businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Default-Value, and what were your goals?

We had a number of Magento projects that we were designing and implementing with a few folks here in the US. As we scaled, we realized we just didn't have the capacity to take on as much implementation work as we wanted. So, we needed to bring in a partner that could be quickly integrated with our teams and processes and wouldn't require much hand-holding. We also needed to ensure that our partner could easily communicate with us and that their working day would somewhat overlap with ours. We had a number of conversations with Default Value's leadership and knew they were going to be a great fit for our company.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

As mentioned above, we interviewed a number of people Default Value before engaging with them on projects. This was a typical process for us as we were looking for an implementation partner. Deciding factors: - Was the partner easy to talk to? - Were they willing to do what was needed in order to deliver? - Did their team members have a high "get it" factor such that we wouldn't need to repeat ourselves? - Did they have real-world experience with Magento?

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Typical projects would be Magento implementations. The ArgonDigital team in the US would help to define the ecommerce solution. Additionally, our team would create the visual design and some of the technical design (with input from DefaultValue). For implementation, DefaultValue would own building the site to our design specifications. Additionally, their team would run QA testing. Throughout the process, project managers on both sides would ensure that everyone understood timelines and priorities.

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

Throughout our time with Default Value, we've had the following roles working with us: - Senior Magento developers (several) - Quality Assurance Testers (several) - Project Manager (one) - Account Executive (one) - Company Owner (one)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

For those Magento implementations in which Default Value was involved, our clients saw clear increases in online revenue which, in many cases, could be attributed to the implementation of new Magento sites that made for more compelling shipping experiences for our clients' customers. Additionally, Default Value is excellent at understanding complex customizations that are needed for Magento and finding the best approach to implement those customizations. These type of features are what helps our clients set their sites apart from their competitors

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Our team has almost daily stand ups with the Default Value team. This includes their project manager, developers and QA testers. Default Value always attends these meetings on time, clearly communicates their status, help to identify risks and, in general, are just really great to talk to. We've never had a problem with how their team communicates.

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

Their willingness to help, no matter what we ask of them. They're always eager to help deliver solutions for our clients. We truly love working with them

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a middle-sized enterprise with ~70 employees that developed over the years from a small family company. We develope many products ourselves but also trade products from large brands in a very specific field: Astronomy. I'm the Head of Marketing and part of the Management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Default-Value, and what were your goals?

We purchased a commercial extension developed by Default-Value (DV) and asked them for a modification. After this was done quick and professionally, many other small, medium and large tasks followed over the years since 2016. About 500 hours of work. In 2022 we decided to move our current website to Magento 2, the largest project by far that we have done with DV. While this is still ongoing, we are very satisfied with the progress and communication.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

As mentioned above, this relationship developed more or less by accident, but we're very happy about this. DV is quick, effective and cost efficient.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Small tasks or bugs get communicated via Slack and Tickets get created via Redmine. If everything is clear they estimate the required time for the project and start working after approval. For large tasks like the move to Magento 2, we had video conferences and a very detailed estimate of required work and time.

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

I can't say exactly how many people over our almost 7 years of business relations. We had three different project managers and different developers for Wordpress, Magento 1, Magento 2 and custom JS

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We have no SEO Team for detailed analysis, but we received lots of positive feedback about our website which contains many features that were developed or improved by DV

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The Project Management is always excellent. Everything gets communicated very quickly via Slack, every end of the week we get a report of the work that has been done this week and what is scheduled for the next week. Any questions get answered very fast.

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

They are a very friendly team, also up for some private chat in between work. They work very professional and fast and almost always keep their time estimates. And if they don't, they explain exactly why additional time needed to be added. Furthermore - this must be said as well: The are a Ukranian company working like before in times of a terrible aggressive war from Russia. Their spirit is unbroken and they have my deepest sympathies for their work ethics.

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

Nothing comes to mind - if any errors occur from their side, they get fixed right away

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Knorke Media GmbH, a media production company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mageworkshop?

We needed help with custom e-commerce development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mageworkshop help with the development of Magento 2 e-commerce platforms; sometimes we start developing where we only have support tasks, and sometimes we do documentation where we have a project from scratch.

What is the team composition?

I'm in contact with their project managers and with their developers.

How did you come to work with Mageworkshop?

I found them in a Google search. I reached out to them and asked them to do some tasks for us, and from that time, we worked together.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent $100,000–$250,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2016, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They're very good with development, and their support is awesome — I'm really happy with them.

How did Mageworkshop perform from a project management standpoint?

They have really good project management and communication. We communicate via online meetings, Slack, and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication and project management is the best.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think there's anything they can improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and principal consultant at Xtralab, a consultancy currently in AI / Machine Learning projects. Xtralab was a startup initially involved in the development of eCommerce solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Default-Value, and what were your goals?

At the time of our collaboration, Xtralab was a startup involved in a project for the development of a Magento plugin for an eCommerce customer. Default Value, due to the success of the first project, was then engaged also for the development of the first version of our company website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We searched a number of online professional services agencies, creating a short list to finalize our selection through online interviews. Default Value qualified as our top choice especially because of its professionality in analyzing our project requirements and in providing detailed effort estimates. Other relevant factors were, of course, other customers' feedback, breadth of portfolio, and skill coverage.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

After defining project scopes, the projects were conducted in subsequent phases, each phase with its own requirements, analysis, design, prototyping, and agile development. For the Magento Search plugin, apart from Magento, the SOLR search platform was extensively used. The company website project was based on the Symfony framework, including also an integration with the Italian 'Banca Sella' payment gateway and a backend component for customer administration.

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

Team for the Magento plugin:

• Project manager
• SOLR expert 
• Magento senior developer
• Project financial controller

Team for the company website:

• Project manager
• Lead developer
• Symfony front-end developer
• Front-end designer
• Symfony back-end developer
• Project financial controller

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The Search plugin, after the completion of the project, was copyrighted and sold to a customer. The company website was successfully used for 3 years, then, due to a change in Xtralab's focus, it was dismissed. The company is currently planning a shift to the AI/Chatbot arena and we have currently deployed in alpha test a new website designed for the new target.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Project management and communication have always been extremely professional, managed via conf calls and email with the right balance and without redundancy. I also greatly appreciated the project issue tracking based on GitLab and the daily effort report split by project activities (updated every day COB)

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

They were highly professional, and the project manager openly discussed issues about time and budget expectations.

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

On a couple of occasions, I would have liked to speed up development by a few weeks, but at the time it was not possible.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am COO of an online retailer. We sell aromatherapy products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mageworkshop, and what were your goals?

We hired this team to switch our existing website from Magento 1 to Magento 2 and to create new websites for our b2c customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select Mageworkshop and what were the deciding factors?

We found this team searching on the internet and we decided to hire them because of their high level of expertise and their fast reaction to our questions.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

• transfering our website from Magento 1 to Magento 2;
• creating new websites;
• implementation;
• installing many integrations;
• performance check;
• bugs fix.

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

A project manager and 2-3 developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our webshop has been successfully transfered from Magento 1 to Magento 2. Many bugs have been fixed and the performance of our shop has been improved. Our new websites have been created and work way better than we planned.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Our project manager is available anytime to answer our questions. We regularly have follow-up calls to discuss the work done and plan the next steps. We receive a weekly report about the closed projects.

The priority we give to every project is always taken into account while planning the next steps of the team.

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

They have a high-level expertise on Magento and their knowledge is always updated. They are extremely fast when it comes to fixing bugs or finding solutions to urgent problems.

The communication is always clear and fast. They honestly suggest what is better to realize our plans.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Offering SEO support.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO/Owner of Quad Nova International Systems Corp

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Customized Software Solutions, Restless Applications, Mobile App Development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Default-Value to accomplish?

• Java Core Development fulfilling hardcoding tasks
• Mobile Development assist

SOLUTION

How did you find Default-Value?

Referral

Why did you select Default-Value over others?

Great culture fit, Good value for cost, Company values aligned

What was the size of Default-Value’s team?

6-10 Employees

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

That would go to far - everything from frameworks updates to coding out business logic

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• My customer is happy and pays me
• 10 years of relationship can not be wrong

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

It became such a close relationship- I feel like they are my employees I worship and hope to continue to work with!

What was your primary form of communication with Default-Value?

In-Person Meeting, Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

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

Workethics = keep the good work up despite being under attack...

Are there any areas for improvement or something Default-Value could have done differently?

Of course - but its minor. Some junior programmers should work on their English skills.....

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Watchinu Ltd Develop and Produces smart watch for Kids. My position is VP Direct to Consumer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Default-Value, and what were your goals?

To develop Magento e-commerce site for the brand + 3rd party integrations.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I was comparing Default Value with 4 other proposals we got worldwide. Factors were: 1. Professionalism 2. Quality of past jobs 3. Personal touch 4. Price

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Plan, develop and maintain an e-commerce website on Magento 2 platform.

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

Two persons - An account manager and a chief developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The work of default value is very accurate, inline with planning and designs. Job is done in a accordance with agreed time frame and deadlines.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The DV team is very accessibly, response time is more than satisfactory and always in a professional and friendly way.

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

We're impressed with their professionalism. They are very knowledgeable in Magento 2 dev including integrations with 3rd party. The always come with a proper solution for the challenges we are facing. Personal touch - Client management is done in person and in a friendly way.

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

Not that I can think off.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm Founder & CEO of Rxhomeo group of companies, based in India, United States and Canada. Rxhomeo manufacturers homeopathic products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Default-Value, and what were your goals?

We needed a rating and review system for our customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Team Default Value customized their existing ratings and review extension and implemented on our platform.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Development, Integration and Testing

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

Several and team continues to work on different project after that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

This initial project with Default Value was very successful, we got several reviews from our customers.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The team is excellent in communication and project management.  We are always connected together and online on Slack.

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

We had an outage of our platform for several weeks, Team Default Value took it as a challenge and resolved all issues.

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

All the best!