eBizneeds

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an online store based in Sydney, Australia. We began selling gardening hardware products 35 years ago with a physical shop and then moved to e-commerce very early in the piece.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with eBizneeds?

The purpose of our most recent project was to upgrade from Magento 1 to Magento 2. It was a matter of migrating everything; it was quite a big deal. eBizneeds used a third-party company to do that particular bit of migration, but there was quite a big, basic change in the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our website focuses very heavily on quality products, images, and descriptions. They all needed to be laid out in a particular format to give the most advantage in customer experience. We wanted to provide customers with as much information as possible so they could use the website as a tool to make choices, rather than have them call to check on things.

They customized another photo gallery and organized other things. For example, the Magento platform has a very good one-step checkout itself, but we rely heavily on helpdesk support, so that had to be customized as well.

In a 10–12 year period, they’ve done a number of upgrades and quite a bit of other work, like adding extensions and upgrading different features.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people in particular on this last project. Naveen (CEO) and the other two team members were all actively involved in the work for us, with new senior developers performing the final upgrading tasks.

How did you come to work with eBizneeds?

We had used another company to develop our original website. When that particular company chose to move into a different field, they were the ones who recommended us to use eBizneeds for all future workforce. They had used eBizneeds for a lot of their work, and so they recommended us to maintain our business with them.

Further on, we’ve had occasions to ask other website stores who they’ve used, but quite often, their experience hasn’t been very positive. Therefore, we haven’t looked elsewhere. We’re very happy with eBizneeds’ work, so we have stayed with them.

How much have you invested with them?

On this latest project, we spent $35,000 AUD (approximately $27,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in November 2019, and it was completed in April 2020. However, we’ve used eBizneeds to develop our websites since about 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website has had an increase in sales of 45% since the upgrade. The timing of the launch coincided with the COVID-19 acceleration resulting in the double benefit because people were working from home, spending time at home gardening, and consequently bought a lot of garden tools.

In addition, we’ve seen a significant increase in helpdesk inquiries, which has been a positive benefit from the upgrade. There has also been an increase in positive testimonials from customers who compliment the website.

How did eBizneeds perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a very good project management scheme. Everything was contained within spreadsheets in a project management tool similar to Asana, so they updated regularly and kept tabs and a good flow. Our point of contact dealt with every initial change and upgrade, and then they just forwarded the details to the developer to complete the actual task.

Hence, the project management was very effective. There was daily contact, and we used WhatsApp to a great benefit, solving minor changes and so on. We had a few telephone calls, but not many.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about eBizneeds was their ability to listen to our requirements, make changes, and find solutions. The minute we might not have liked something, they instantly put forward a couple of alternative solutions and allowed us to change and make better-informed decisions. That was actually very helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t actually think of anything I’d like them to improve on. We’ve completed several upgrades with them, and we haven’t used anybody else. We have a very trusted relationship with eBizneeds which we'll maintain.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The customer needs to do their homework and know what they want. It would be very difficult to give instructions unless you’ve really done your research first to be sure. Try to work out what your ideal is, and then ask eBizneeds how they can make it happen. The cost is important too, but you should know what you want first, and then you ask them to provide alternatives.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an 18-month-old small consultancy company that provides a range of services, including project management, business analysis, and application development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with eBizneeds?

We had potential requirements for several administrative solutions. Two of our clients in Dubai needed confidential, sophisticated solutions for two different types of platforms.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

As the solution owner, we act as intermediaries between customers on one side and providers on the other. eBizneeds has worked on two projects for us, both sharing platforms like Uber and Alibaba. One was made for the construction market, and the other was built for insurance.

I have a business background, so I cannot provide many technical details. The latest platform runs on mobile devices, and was made using Java, Django, and Python. They are sophisticated, detail-oriented products.

What is the team composition?

I haven’t dealt with the developers directly, only discussed requirements with the project and business leads. I’m sure that they have a team of developers and QA testers, but I don’t know the number of resources involved. When we needed more work, or needed to deliver something quickly, they managed to add more human resources.

How did you come to work with eBizneeds?

They were recommended by one of my partners, who knew one of eBizneeds’ clients. We talked to them and found that their background, knowledge, approach to handling projects, and value for money were right. After starting to work together, we saw exceptional results. We have continued the collaboration across two projects. I was lucky to come across eBizneeds, given that finding a reliable vendor is not easy.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost was between $50,000 and $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with eBizneeds in December 2016. Our first two projects have been closed, but we have another one in the pipeline.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s rare for an IT project, especially a software development project, to wrap up easily. We were lucky to bring ours to a stable level with around 90% closure.

How did eBizneeds perform from a project management standpoint?

They were committed. They delivered on time, handled details from the client side, and put extra effort to meet deadlines.

We used JIRA, PowerPoint, and Excel on our side for one of the projects, as well as another app for tracking and closing issues. We worked closely and had almost daily calls.

They have ambition and made an effort to reach out. The team may be in a small Indian town somewhere, but they maintained a presence by attending IT conferences in Dubai and having dialogues with me.

Although I’ve been in the insurance field for 16 years, eBizneeds’ team had zero knowledge of it. They weren’t shy about getting involved, learning about, and discussing the topic. The team took up the challenge and learned fast.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In terms of quality of work, there’s no difference between eBizneeds and some very big names we’ve worked with. To give an analogy, people talk badly about Korean cars, but they have all the features of a regular automobile. Our options were to go out and buy a reliable, advanced, technology-based Korean car like a Kia or a Honda, or pay three times as much for BMW and get the same result. eBizneeds has done exceptional work for reasonable financial remuneration.

I don’t know what their actual size is—maybe 30 to 40 people or more—but senior management is always on top of things. They attend all meetings, maintain communication, and ensure that everything is going smoothly. Bigger companies employ more managers, which can lead to blame games, so eBizneeds’ smaller size is an advantage.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They deliver well, but I see room for improvement on the documentation side. This is the kind of thing that clients always ask for, but never use. Still, I’ve recommended that they start using some templates for their tasks.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It always depends on the type of solution being worked on. Clients need to be involved with the process, instead of signing a contract, letting the developer doing the work, and making a review one month later. If we want something done properly, without any surprises, we need to invest time in weekly calls and use tracking tools like Jira and Confluence.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the COO of Network 1 Media, a video news agency based out of India. We are a media house which does productions as well as provides content.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with eBizneeds?

We needed help to build a content hub application for our media house.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We launched a platform called Gangplank, which is a B2B platform for content trading. We used them to develop the architecture for the platform. At the moment, the platform trades in video content, but going forward, the platform is going to trade in single photos on Shutterstock for these geographies but with the emphasis being more on videos. It will have graphics and images going forward as well as audio tracks. We were sitting on a library of video clips already, and their team came in right in the beginning when we decided to launch this.

We had a few challenges. One challenge was video optimization. The other was transcoding, as in how much can be done on the fly. The third challenge was minimizing storage costs and bringing in efficiencies there. The fourth very important thing was designing the entire architecture to the sellers on the platform. The sellers are independent journalists, camera people, and production houses. The sellers and buyers on this platform vary and classifying them was a challenge. Another challenge was the right kind of search optimization, which we still need to work on. It is a customized platform and while it is hosted on Amazon Web Services, there is still some customization which their team did in consultation with my senior systems architect who designed it. They used Drupal for the platform.

What is the team composition?

I worked with 2 testers, 4 developers and 1 was the project manager from their team.

How did you come to work with eBizneeds?

My senior systems architect worked with them before on a couple of projects. He introduced me to them and the relationship worked well because he was comfortable with them and knew what their strengths and weaknesses were. This is one big reason that communication flow was fabulous, and we never had an issue. It worked out well for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in December of 2016 and phase 2 is almost completed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The fact the platform is robust and I have not had any major bugs or major issues shows the success. The client hasn’t complained. In the beginning, once or twice, the client got stuck on the verification process, but they fixed it within about 30 minutes which made it easy for me to tell the client it was working.

How did eBizneeds perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very receptive and flexible. We are not a technology company, and for them to understand what we wanted is a little more challenging than it would be when talking to a tech company. I felt they handled that very well. They understood that we are media and content people, and we were building a technology platform. Their strength was to be able to translate our needs into technology.

In terms of support, they are very prompt. We used Slack, JIRA, Trello, and Skype to communicate. We were on Slack daily, but we had Friday calls via Skype. The team is based about four hours away from where we are, and their project manager came to see us either once per 1–2 months.

What did you find most impressive about them?

A couple of things changed as the project evolved and they were very open to changes. That makes them very comfortable to work with because we know they have our back when things go a little haywire. For example, we suddenly found the homepage was not reflecting the changes. It was a minor issue, but for a non-tech company like ours, this was a huge issue. Within an hour, they very calmly figured it out and got it done. They make it easy to talk to them and get work done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need senior people at the top. They need people who can think and take initiative. If I tell them I want something done in a certain way, they say that is fine. However, I would like it if they could give different options and make suggestions if things can be done better in another way. Domain expertise and deeper skill sets are needed. My senior systems architect provided this but they don’t have that internally. He designed the entire architecture and they implemented it. They might not be the right team if it is a project where you need them to think for themselves.

They were very good with phases 1 and 2. However, as much as I would like to work with them and even though we have a good working relationship with them, I am not sure whether they have the in-house skill set to implement phase 3. There is a lot more complexity and there are more features needed to be built into the system.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Someone working with them should have their own senior systems architect. They are great at implementation but they are not visionaries or thinkers. If you know what you want, they are very good.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO of a startup that aims to drive goal achievement using an app based platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted them to develop a mobile app based on designs and architecture created by us.

SOLUTION

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

We selected them through a professional reference I knew personally who vouched for their customer-centricity.

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

• Web backend development
• Android and iOS apps
• Quality Assurance

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

• Delivery Manager
• Java Developer
• Android Developer
• iOS Developer
• Quality Assurance Engineer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are Android and iOS app live on the store with ratings of more than 4 out of 5.

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

There is very little red tape. It suits Agile companies and startups as there is no unnecessary time wasted on contract boundaries, responsibility separation etc. They have a collaborative approach involving customers.

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

Their customer-centricity was impressive. 

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

- More focus on modern design paradigms and architectures

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of Australian Cruise Group, a Sydney based tourism/leisure business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Ecommerce development for 3 different B2C e-commerce platforms.

SOLUTION

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

Through referral and credentials.

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

Our project has been ongoing since 2008, building and upgrading our e-commerce platform across multiple businesses. We work with E-biz on ongoing projects by communicating across our internal channels. Key deliverables and milestone dates are constantly updated.

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

We work with 3-4 key individuals at any given time. Chairman CEO Project Director Technical Team

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Confidential

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

Highly nimble and adaptable attitude to our ongoing project requirements and changes. Outcomes are important for our business and e-biz is very outcome driven within the timeframe. Communication tools include emails, phones, skype and excel. We do not use E-biz project management tool due to our personal preference.

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

Fabulous team, technically competent, agile and always available.

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

No. We are happy with their services.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and founder of an ecommerce design and integation agency in Melbourne, Australia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We worked with the client to create their new ecommerce website branding, design and customer journey, and engaged eBizneeds to do the full deployment of Magento, activation, setup and configuration of all plugins and integrations including shipping and marketplaces, plus platform user training. We implemented the design coding ourselves. It was a collaboration and we were the primary agency.

SOLUTION

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

We had worked with several Magento developers with varying degrees of skill and competency. We were looking for a Magento developer with deep platform and industry knowledge, and it was important to us that the selected agency was collaborative, highly professional, thorough and supportive of the client all the way. eBizneeds met all of these criteria. Additionally, they had a very thourough scoping process which helped the client to explore optional functions and features which ultimately benefited their business. eBizneeds were able to deliver the depolyment and training efficiently, and we received nothing but positive feedback from our client about the end result.

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

The project was a new Magento webstore, including replatforming and data migration, integration with the eBay marketplace, plus all regular ecommerce functions, integration with their CMS and shipping systems. Our client wanted us to do the design, and we transparently worked in a 3-way relationship with eBizneeds to achieve the best outcomes.

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

eBizneeds worked with us across several layers. Their Commercial Manager had the deepest experience with the Magento platform from a commercial and merchant user perspective, and he conducted the full project scoping, pricing and documentation. We also worked with their project manager throughout the entire project. On their end, they had their developers and technical team performing the deployment. We did not need to interact directly with their back-end team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The only measureable was the delivery of a professional and high-converting ecommerce webstore that gave visitors a fluid, intuitive and engaging journey from arrival through to checkout. This was achieved within the projected timeline, and within the fixed budget.

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

Very direct and simple coverage of project needs, processes, progress updates, next steps, responsibilities and outcomes. Email and phone were the main communication methods. Face to face meetings were held in the scoping stage, and training was delivered remotely.

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

Plain English explanations of complex issues and options. They have excellent knowledge of relevant plugins, platform capabilities, and functions Plus, options for customisation where needed. Nothing was too hard. Everything was executed efficiently and with minimal fuss.

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

No. They did an excellent job and we have continued to recommend eBizneeds.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CFO and Founder of a Test Management Software Business

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We required an experienced software development business to work with us from initial concept design to develop and manage the software development of the test management software tool.

SOLUTION

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

I had in other businesses worked with eBizneeds and found their work to be of the highest quality

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

The scope of the work was from project initiation and inception, through development both within their business and managing the outsourcing process where the skills were not available in house. The final product requires to be certified again a process the company managed.

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

We worked with a named project manager who was the same individual assigned through the whole process and they had a team of 10 working on this both internally and externally where the internal skills were not present

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are currently working through some proof of concepts. The project work has been carried out on time, within budget and to a high standard

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

Throughout the process we have had regular scheduled weekly calls with the time and more when it necessitated it. We used jira, email, zoom etc to communicate with the team.

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

I found the engagement excellent with the company delivering a timely, professional, and cost-effective solution

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

The company were always quick to react to any issues or amendments we required even if outside the scope of the work we had agreed.