DigitalSuits - Shopify Plus Partner

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO of the company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DigitalSuits?

Ongoing e-commerce development

What were your goals for this project?

Full cycle working product which gives real value to customers

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Interviewed more than 20 agencies

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

R&D (backend and frontend), Project management and more

What was the team composition?

We started with 2 full-stack developers with QA support, a project manager and a front-end developer on a part-time model.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They provide top level service. I used to work with freelancers, but this is a totally different level of quality and dedication. They take the responsibility for development and I have enough time to plan and think about the strategy. DigitalSuits is highly skilled with excellent spoken and written english.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Very good project management, daily communication, and meetings

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciate their work quality, responsiveness, and accuracy. The main thing is that we didn't face any communication issues.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not yet, and I am sure they keep doing their best to make me happy working with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We build integrated ecommerce solutions for retailers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DigitalSuits?

Build of new Shopify theme.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed very high quality work completed following professional dev life-cycle.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After using a low cost resource in India which didn't work out we needed to find a partner at the right price but without comprising on quality.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

New shopify webstore integrated with enterprise search. Digital suits provided project management, web development, testing.

What was the team composition?

Project manager, 3 developers, 1 tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Excellent quality of work, better then we have seen in UK at much higher cost. No comprise using Digital Suits over onshore provider. Team constantly suggested improvements to approach, really cared about purpose of project not just cranking out code. Developers well educated and skilled with excellent spoken and written english.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project manager spoke perfect english, excellent diplomacy skills, very organised. Often we experience project management that is divorced from technical reality of project. However, this was not the case. Project manager could accurately communicate and coordinate work at both technical and business level.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Accuracy and quality of work. Also very fast but without compromising on quality.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Can't think of anything worth commenting on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a full-cycle digital agency offering a comprehensive range of custom software development and consulting services in the USA and Europe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DigitalSuits?

We hired DigitalSuits to help us develop a custom feature for an e-commerce (Shopify) project.

What were your goals for this project?

To give content managers possibility to edit multiple products with minmum effort by automating business processes

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

By recommendation of a company we used to work with

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We already had the app logic and user flow in mind, so DigitalSuits needed to develop the feature based on the project style guide & specification

What was the team composition?

A Project Manager and a QA specialist from our side and a Developer from DigitalSuits.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feature was successfully delivered and passed acceptance test by the Client.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They did everything on time. We used Slack for direct communication and Hangouts for demos and daily stand ups. The communication worked well for us.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They did what had been expected with some changes forced by e-commerce platform limitations

Are there any areas for improvement?

The app deployment to production was an issue, other than that everything went well

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Claim Technology. We developed the insurance industry’s first claims-as-a-service platform to enable companies to process and create digital claims.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DigitalSuits?

We needed help building the claims-as-a-service platform, including the core platform app, a frontend chatbot, a backend case management system, and an API layer integration with third-party systems.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team was responsible for the IT architecture, front- and backend web development work for the platform components, and API implementations. The main app is programmed using Ruby on Rails, and the frontend was developed using React.js.

What is the team composition?

In total, I worked with about six developers, including an IT architect, two frontend developers, two backend developers, and a DevOps professional. 

How did you come to work with DigitalSuits?

I’d previously done some work with their CTO and co-founder.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent approximately $300,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in June 2018, and it’s still ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just launched the platform, so I don’t have any performance metrics. But, the DigitalSuits team has been incredibly invested in the project in terms of the time and energy they put into their work. They always go above and beyond to ensure our project’s success. I appreciate that they only assigned very senior developers to the project, and the quality of the work was great. They were able to come up with clever solutions for implementing new functionalities quickly. 

How did DigitalSuits perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been good about estimating timelines and generally sticking to them, despite a few exceptions. Originally, DigitalSuits assigned a project manager to help us coordinate everything. I eventually decided to forego that, because I wanted to work directly with the developers. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve been very thoughtful about approaching the build, making sure we don’t have to rework elements somewhere down the line. That’s added a lot of value to us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’ve been very happy working with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have detailed specifications and good design assets for the team from the start. The more guidance you can give, the richer your discussion with DigitalSuits can be. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m an executive at a digital advertising agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DigitalSuits?

My company hired DigitalSuits for website development support, as we did not have any in-house Shopify developers.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to meet our clients’ Shopify development requirements.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

DigitalSuits had the necessary experience and a great reputation. They seemed knowledgeable in our phone calls with them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

DigitalSuits developed Shopify web apps and provided plug-in support and styling. They provided Shopify Liquid developments and optimizations. The team also completed custom Node.js development and support. Finally, they did CSS service and updates.

What was the team composition?

My team worked with a project manager, an executive, and two developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

DigitalSuits was a great, transparent partner. We were pleased with their quality work and the effort they put into meeting deadlines.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We used to-do list software to meet deadlines. Our teams communicated via Slack.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

My team was amazed by their work ethic.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Time zone differences can be tough, but they did a great job managing this.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an operations associate at askporter.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DigitalSuits?

We are developing an AI-driven property management SaaS product for tenants, landlords, and facility service providers. We have an in-house AI team but needed an experienced team to build the CRM and connect it with the AI. 

What were your goals for this project?

We intend to implement a user-friendly solution that will improve communication among all parties. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through Upwork. Our CEO chose DigitalSuits based on their relevant experience in developing software for the real estate industry. They were also experienced in designing software architecture; this was essential, as we had only sketch designs and no project specifications or language requirements. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project is ongoing. DigitalSuits first designed and developed the CRM architecture according to our core features and designs, which included an AI integration. This AI bot was necessary for creating a workspace for facility service providers to receive and manage tenant or landlord requests.

DigitalSuits delivered the MVP in time for a successful demo. We have continued with product improvement—like adding new features—and have plans to implement more. 

What was the team composition?

Two frontend developers and one full stack developer were initially assigned to work with our two AI developers. We added a DevOps and another full stack developer as the scope expanded.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

DigitalSuits showed us that our product could be even better than we thought. The demo’s launch produced a lot of feedback from people who are now interested in our idea. Some of our desired features seem at times unrealistic to implement, but the development team always proves to us that no idea is too complex to deliver. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We enjoy working with the assigned manager. He immediately established communication between developers on both sides and organized the workflow in Jira, which helps us monitor the process more efficiently. We communicate via Slack and Zoom and, because their English is very good, we have had no issues. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

DigitalSuits proved themselves to be specialists in their field. Not only was their suggested technology exactly what we needed, but their developers are also in constant contact with ours, which helps prevent potential problems or roadblocks. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I don't have any specific areas.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the social media manager for AirInvest, an Airbnb management company. We help property owners maximize their investment on short-term rentals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DigitalSuits?

We needed an outside vendor for the full-stack development of a mobile app, including a sales and purchase agreement (SPA) for our business.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create a platform for practical advice on how to make the most of an Airbnb property.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After interviewing several candidates, we selected DigitalSuits because their developer seemed the most skilled.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We supplied designs and they created everything from there.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and a full-stack developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our new app launched on schedule and helped accommodate thousands of guests who traveled to the same city for a night.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had no communication or timing issues with the team. Their project manager completely understood our requirements.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We worked together as a single unit and I was very pleased with the collaboration.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re completely satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO at Pardberry, a full-service development company. Most of our projects relate to the e-commerce and real estate industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DigitalSuits?

We needed help with a real estate project for one of our most important clients.

What were your goals for this project?

It was vitally important for us to deliver the project on time.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We wanted a partner with experience in the real estate market who was located as close as possible to our head office. DigitalSuits met these two main requirements.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We hired a backend developer and two frontend developers for a real estate project. The backend developer created APIs for the customer CRM. The frontend developers implemented our UI/UX and connected the backend.

What was the team composition?

We had two frontend developers and one backend developer. We provided a project manager, but they still assigned their own to help.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We met the deadlines for both projects, so our clients were satisfied. We're continuing to work on them.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their project manager did a good job of supporting our manager. We used Slack and Hangouts for meetings, JIRA for the real estate project, and Trello for the e-commerce project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciated their responsiveness and the quality of their deliverables. We didn't face any communication issues. I was confident in them and their work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I haven't yet faced anything I didn't like.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder and director of my own consultancy firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DigitalSuits?

We hired DigitalSuits to assist us in the development of a pre-order app for one of our clients.

What were your goals for this project?

Our client wanted a solution that would allow them to take card details from customers for pre-orders. However, the pre-order app would only charge them at a later date, when the product was ready to ship.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I searched online for suitable vendors and saw that DigitalSuits had excellent reviews. After we spoke at length, it was clear that they had the suitable set of skills for the project.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They helped put together a solution for the app, selected the right technology for it, and did the actual development.

What was the team composition?

We mostly worked with one developer. However, they had an extra developer who could help during critical times.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We reviewed their code and found that it was of high quality. The app still needs some upgrades before launch.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Viktor (Business Developer, DigitalSuits) and Artem (Co-founder, DigitalSuits) were both helpful and communicative throughout the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed with their attitude—they were committed to delivering great results.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

They could’ve probably assigned more resources to get the work done quicker. Apart from that, it was all good. However, they did do overtime over the weekend to get the project done.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I co-founded a company in 2018. It’s is a container-based internet of things platform that helps to quickly and safely deploy, manage, and maintain code running on remote devices based on Linux.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DigitalSuits?

We needed to develop some features for our main product.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve the app’s functionality and expand the number of developers working on it in order to reduce the time of the product’s release.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We started our collaboration through Upwork. They did the job I assigned well, so I decided to keep them in mind for further tasks. When we needed to add new features to the app, we contacted them directly.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They provide frontend and backend development using React and Ruby on Rails. DigitalSuits was responsible for developing new features for improving the product.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a frontend developer and a backend developer. The amount of team members varies depending on our needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From the beginning, we knew that our platform would be pretty complicated. Though it required a lot of work and we didn't know exactly when we’d release the first demo, we found investors. We were sure that our solution would be of great use for both freelance developers and bigger companies.

We launched the first beta version after three months of work to see whether it was a real fit for the development needs out there. After getting feedback, we received more funding from the investors and went forward with improving the product. At the moment we have a working product but are still adding new functionalities.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We used Jira to set up the working process and Slack for communication. We haven’t had any communication issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Each team member is completely dedicated to the project, and I don’t have to explain tasks twice. It feels as if they were involved in the project since the beginning.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

It would be great if they could expand the team.