Divio AG

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are the leading out-of-home media company in Switzerland. We offer advertising for customers who want to rent some out-of-home posters – everything in advertising.

What is your position?

I am the head of the e-communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were trying to address with Divio?

There were a few different things. One thing was that the CMS [content management system] they use, Django CMS, is very user-friendly from the front-end and back-end. Last year, we had the relaunch project for our website, so they helped us with the relaunch. We were basically struggling with an internal capacity issue. This was going to be a large-scale project, and we couldn't dedicate all of our technicians to it without risking a decrease in quality in our other services. As a result, we knew we needed to find some external experts to support the site overhaul.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in detail?

They've been working on both the front-end visual components of the site as well as the back-end functional development. They've also helped us customize, integrate, and configure our backend ERP [enterprise resource planning] system. I would say that the majority of their work has been website related.

We also plan to create a digital calculator for our product wherein a customer can calculate digital posters, digital products from us, and the classic printed posters. That's another high-priority project that they're involved with. We decided to get them involved based on our experience with them on the site overhaul, and it's likely that we'll expand the scope of their work even further in the future. 

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this engagement?

The last project, the relaunch of the website, was about $100,000. The last project was completed last June [2014], one year ago exactly. It was for five or six websites: completely new design, grids, and CMS. We're talking the works. 

What is the status of your relationship?

Our website was nominated for an award for the best Swiss site. We didn't win, but it was nice to be nominated. There were more than 500 projects, and we were in the top 70. For that reason, along with the success of the implementations, we maintain an exclusive and ongoing relationship with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

In general, most of the feedback that we've received has remained positive, very positive. We got positive feedback from other partners who work in the same industry as Divio, and they like it very much. We also got some positive feedback from our own end customers. The website is much easier to handle, the navigation with the website is responsive, and it's a much more intuitive user experience. In general, the people were happy about it. We've been very pleased.

When working with Divio, is there anything that you'd consider unique about their practice?

The developers are very accessible if you have requests. They find a solution most of the time, and when they do, it's rarely an unnecessarily complex one. It's also easy to talk with them. They can translate the things that they do into layman's terms and present only the most vital information to us. They do a really good job, I can say. They were not overpriced. The mix of everything together was perfect for us to work with them.

They also have great maintenance and support services. They have a very efficient ticketing system. If we need support, we open a ticket there and they can begin working on a fix. Everything is very clear to us.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve?

Divio is now a larger company than they used to be, and I think they have many more resources in development and design. In general, I think they have a good balance of technical, creative, and strategic talent.

What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs?

One advantage we had is that we are very regional, and Divio is very close to us. That helps a lot of things when working together with an agency. We could meet in person many times. I would suggest other clients try to replicate that situation if at all possible; otherwise, it might be difficult to convey exactly what you want to them. It wouldn't be impossible, but it definitely makes a difference.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

[We are] a leading service provider in Switzerland. We offer hosting on several levels, so credibility, availability, and similar areas are the main issues we face with our customers.

What is your position?

I'm the chief executive officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were trying to address with Divio?

The idea was to redesign our website, which is our complete online channel. We didn't have the resources in house to tackle the project, so I had to go out and find a firm that could implement our new design and overhaul the functional backend.

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in detail?

We began by looking at how we address our current and potential customers, and how we could communicate that on our website. With Divio, we did a complete redesign. Their designers did all the graphics. As far as I know, there were no third-party companies or people involved, so they were able to provide a complete service package. They used the Django CMS [content management system] as a base for our first beta version of our design. Together with Divio, we went step by step to the current website you can see today.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with Divio?

The Swiss market is quite small, so that means it's easy to get an overview. We just sent an RFP [request for proposal] to a certain number of companies that we'd found online. We narrowed our search down to three companies. Divio was a company that really knew how we work and how our business works, so it was very easy for us to go into the details with them. They knew how to address us and how to improve our online channel. Divio responded very fast to the RFP and clearly understood what we were looking for and trying to do. In the end, the main advantage was that we speak the same language.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?

We've spent about $40,000 working with Divio.

When was the project completed?

We started at the end of 2013 and finished a year ago [2014]. From that point, it was just a matter of improving the site and having support from them to redesign one part. Now, they help us maintain the site and implement some incremental updates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their work?

We were one of the first customers to work with the newest version of the Django framework, which led to certain instabilities of the website at the beginning. Divio was able to address these problems rapidly, and they provided support to help us improve the situation. We needed to have a perfectly stable website, of course, so there are no down times allowed. The way they addressed this problem actually showed us how well they can respond to improve the situation. They did a great job in the end.

Divio managed the project directly, and I'm satisfied with their performance in that respect. Because of that initial instability, they needed more time, but they covered it completely on their own. They communicated the necessary info very promptly and were already working on a solution by the time we were made aware.

In hindsight, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider, or are there certain things you'd do differently as the client?

Divio is quite tech-oriented, so the way we went into the project was perhaps a bit too high-tech in the beginning. Maybe we could have started more generally before going into the technical details. For instance, what is the best way to do search engine optimization? What is the best way to promote the website? How should we do public relations to get the broadest audience for the site? These are the kind of broad issues that we should have discussed in the beginning, rather than diving into the very technical details of each area.

What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs?

It's all about the project manager on their end, so make sure you have a good relationship with that specific person, a good level of communication and a clear understanding of expectations. As long as that relationship works and you establish an effective workflow, everything will be fine. It's more of a human relationship issue and is unique for every customer.

BACKGROUND

Could you provide a description of your organization?

I work for a leading telecommunications firm based in Switzerland. 

What is your position?

I'm a platform and project manager working in our business operations division. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges that you were trying to address with Divio AG?

Originally, we were looking to make some considerable improvements to our backend CMS [content management system] and perform some custom integrations. We didn't have the internal capabilities to undertake the project by ourselves, so we decided to find an external provider with the resources we needed and at a reasonable price. Specifically, we were looking for developers that were very knowledgeable and very experienced with Python and Django. We knew there would be a large amount of customization work, so having a partner that was well versed in our technologies was key. 

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in detail?

Divio served as one of our main partners involved in the online switch [we made when we rebranded our company]. We collaborated on a new user experience for more than a year while also working closely with two other firms from Sweden and Finland that provided the Shop and MyAccount functionalities for the new online appearance. The project was kept strictly confidential for more than a year, until the official name change and the new website were announced on April 23, 2015. Divio has primarily been developing with Python and Django CMS. Using Django allowed us to combine a number of different modes of functionality, such as public-facing portal, community site, and intranet, rapidly developing in an iterative fashion. Using Django allowed us to create and edit content very easily while developing the brand.

SOLUTION

How did you come to choose Divio AG as your partner?

Divio already has an industry reputation for delivering quality Python and Django solutions. In addition, some of our own staff had already worked with Divio beforehand and recommended that we approach them for this project. They seemed to offer the most in terms of expertise, cost, and resource availability, so we went ahead with them. 

What is the status of this relationship?

We completed our most recent project with them in late April, but we intend to use their development resources for some upcoming work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

It's difficult to share any hard figures with you, but we've definitely seen an improvement in process management and efficiency. Time to publication has been reduced for our writers and editors. Our site looks great now and we have improved functionality on the back-end, which has made several key administrative tasks much easier to handle. Our internal stakeholders and, in particular, our own tech team, have all been very impressed with Divio's capabilities. They've done a fantastic job implementing our site and responding to our needs. 

When working with Divio, is there anything that you would consider unique about their practice that distinguishes them from other vendors?

The one thing that separates them most is their in-depth practical knowledge of Python and Django. These guys are experts. They're also great when it comes to project management. We kept an open line of communication throughout the planning, development, and deployment phases. We were delivered reports and status updates on a regular basis, and they were always available to accept feedback or respond to our questions.

What advice, if any, would you give to a future client of theirs?

Make sure to spend enough time in the scoping and requirements stage. It's important to have a well-defined strategy before going into the actual development. Even if you're planning to iterate a number of times throughout the process, it's still important to know what your end goal is because otherwise you might run the risk of building features you don't really need. Divio is great at helping you determine what is essential and what's unnecessary. 

BACKGROUND

Could you provide a basic description of your organization?

I work for one of the largest telecom providers in Switzerland. We have more than 20,000 employees and offer mobile communications, fixed networks, Internet, and digital TV to corporate and residential customers. 

What is your position?

I'm a project manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were trying to address when you first approached Divio AG?

Sure. Our initial challenge was building a number of custom educational portals for our end customers. These portals were very sophisticated and involved a lot of moving parts. Each portal had different functional requirements, and there were several different layers of access that needed to be implemented correctly, so different users would be able to accomplish their unique tasks. The portals were to be built with Python and Django, basically from scratch. We didn't have the expertise in-house to build the portals, only the strategic capabilities. We decided we would need to find qualified developers to support the functional build of each portal, and that's when we went in search of a partner. 

SOLUTION

Could you describe the actual scope of work delegated to Divio AG during this engagement?

They really served as the technical leads for the project. They have a great track record with Python- and Django-related projects, so we let them take complete ownership over the development process and deployment. They architected each portal, performed all of the custom coding and testing, and supported us with the configurations and system customizations. We were managing the project directly and provided the necessary strategic oversight on behalf of our end-customer. The engagement was very collaborative. 

How did you come to choose Divio AG as your partner?

It was a combination of two factors. Once we knew that our end-customer wanted their portals developed in Python and Django, we went in search of development firms with the appropriate experience. That's when a business associate recommended us to Divio AG. They already had a great reputation in the industry for delivering high-quality Python and Django solutions, so when we approached them with our project, we had a good impression already. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We continue to use Divio AG as a strategic and development partner. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance or the overall success of your engagements with them?

It's difficult to share any quantitative data with you because of the nature of our relationship. Our end-customer has access to the usage metrics for each of their custom portals and the feedback we've received from them has always remained positive. Defects rarely emerge, which is a testament to the level of expertise commanded by Divio's developers. Like I said, each portal was designed and developed separately for different groups of users, but still offered similar experiences. The planning process was meticulous and thorough, and Divio was instrumental to that. In terms of timing, we never had issues with delayed work or untested code. I'd say their performance was pretty remarkable given the sheer volume of work required to build these portals, along with the level of complexity inherent to the code. 

When working with Divio AG, is there anything that you would consider unique about their practice that distinguishes them from other vendors?

First of all, I think their knowledge of Python and Django is unparalleled. They were very comfortable with the technologies and never had a problem with coming up with unique solutions or workarounds to meet our very specific requirements. They also have fantastic creative insight. Their creative director made some key recommendations very early on that resulted in a much better, much more intuitive user experience for the end-user. 

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider?

That's hard to say. There were a few moments when we thought they could have offered more resources to us but were limited by other client work. If anything, perhaps increasing the number of resources they have, or simply having our developers be dedicated to our project, so we can be sure we have the bandwidth we need when we need it. That would be my only recommendation. 

What advice, if any, would you give to a future client of theirs?

I think the most important thing is having your business requirements hashed out. They can help with discovery and requirements gathering, but the client needs to have a clear idea of what their end goal is, otherwise the development process will be difficult to manage.