Elaniin

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I’m a project leader at an insurance firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Elaniin?

At the moment, we’re going through an architecture transformation in every aspect related to our technology systems and platforms.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Elaniin has done software development and general IT services, among other things. They have a highly specialized team that has helped us move forward with our projects.

What was the team composition?

We currently work with two teams from Elaniin, but we expect to grow the collaboration up to four.

How did you come to work with Elaniin?

They had been referred, but they also approached us. We’ve continued collaborating with them because of their competitiveness, skills, and the quality of their developers.

How much have you invested in them?

The cost has been different depending on the project, which has ranged from $20,000–$70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them for years already; we started in 2017. We’ve had good results, so it has become a permanent collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve grown together, and they’ve helped us get a great deal of technical knowledge. Also, Elaniin has learned a lot about the insurance sector, so it has been a great collaboration.

How did Elaniin perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication is excellent, so we’ve achieved a great understanding. We use Microsoft Teams, Jira, and other project management tools to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They stand out for the quality of their team, skills, flexibility, and performance.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything has worked very well so far.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a global network of senior developers. Our group provides tools for other developers to help them perform their tasks in the best way possible. We have partners all over the world, and they provide us with talent that works on projects for end clients. I’m in charge of our partnerships with other companies, ensuring that we all work well together.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Elaniin?

We work with Elaniin for their senior software engineers. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Elaniin provides us with senior-level engineers that are fluent in English and have high-level expertise. When we need specific talent, such as a backend developer, we communicate with our partners, including Elaniin. From there, we go through our selection and hiring process to pick the resources we need.

Once the talent is in our network, the Elaniin team and I conduct interviews to ensure the motivation of the resources is aligned. We then share with them the feedback of our team leader; they also share their feedback with our leader. All of these ensure that we identify all issues on all sides. 

What is the team composition?

At present, four people from Elaniin are working within our network. Meanwhile, I work directly with two people who are in charge of their relationship with us. 

How did you come to work with Elaniin?

Elaniin was already with us when I joined the company. However, they've probably undergone the typical process we use when vetting partners. 

To elaborate, we pay a lot of attention to the way our partner firms treat their own talent; we also focus on their company culture. We make sure that the partner treats their employees fairly and provides benefits. For example, they must pay their resources right — we don’t want to work with companies that underpay their employees. Moreover, our company wants to make sure that the talent is happy with their condition with our partner firm. 

In other words, our vetting process is truly human-oriented. When resources join us, we want them to focus on their missions, and we don’t want them to be frustrated about not being paid well or not having the same benefits as other people in their company.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $20,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measure two key success metrics: their ability to provide us with the right people and the performance of their engineers — Elaniin provides us with good talent, and they’re professional. They can identify the right talent within two weeks of giving them our requirements. That’s good because senior engineers are difficult to find. Moreover, Elaniin’s internal staff are highly involved in making sure all their resources are happy. Overall, our experience with them has been good. 

How did Elaniin perform from a project management standpoint?

Elaniin’s project management is great. We communicate with the resources on a daily basis via Slack. From a hiring perspective, we communicate through a formal monthly review of our situation. Our teams discuss the talent, plans for team training, and other things. Meanwhile, the resources are working in different parts of our team, and they’re well integrated. Simply put, we have no issues in terms of timelines and their behavior.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We want a strong engineering admission culture, and Elaniin adapts to it well — they embrace our culture. They have engineers who aren’t afraid to speak up and challenge the team if they think there’s a better way of organizing their work. Overall, the four people that we currently have from Elaniin are exactly what we want. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. They do the right thing when it comes to growth.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on your expectations. In our case, we give them a clear profile of the people we want. On top of that, have good communication channels.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at an app development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Elaniin?

We wanted to create a social media application similar to TikTok.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Elaniin is developing an app for us. We first met to discuss product specs, costs, and everything in that area. After that, we moved into the design phase, where we worked with their team to create the app’s UI. Consequently, we started with the backend side and the internal testing phase to solve bugs and glitches.

At the moment, we’ll take the product to test it with external users.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been in contact only with their development lead, but I know that they have a team of designers and engineers involved as well.

How did you come to work with Elaniin?

We were looking for development providers, but none of the teams convinced us. A colleague of ours suggested Elaniin, and we decided to give them our project because they seemed like a good team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $45,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had a 95% success rate with our testing — users are confident in using the app 1–2 hours a day.

How did Elaniin perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great at communication, provide helpful comments and feedback, and are very respectful — there’s nothing I can complain of. In terms of tools, we use emails and constant calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

The way they hold to the timeline is outstanding — we’re even finishing a couple of days early, and that’s important for a startup company like ours. They’re professional overall and adapt to our changes to make everything work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — they do an amazing job, and I have no complaints. They’ve also been helpful, respectful, and managed to work with a startup, which is not easy.

Any advice for potential customers?

Clearly state what you want from them, have a good line of communication, and be open to the ideas and resources they provide.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a technical manager at a fifteen-person technology start-up that builds products for the home services industry

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Elaniin?

We were looking for a versatile bilingual (English/Spanish) full-stack developer to quickly learn about Twilio Flex and implement a solution that both extended and automated some of its capabilities.

SOLUTION

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

We were searching for freelancers on Upwork and other channels. An Elaniin team member applied and crushed our assessment. Then they did very well on the phone interview and during our evaluation period.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

They provided a full-stack developer to our team on a full-time basis. The developer became familiar with automation systems we had built and with Twilio Flex, then figured out how to integrate them despite very little good documentation. The developer didn't have prior experience with Flex, but they were still able to quickly ramp up.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

We were advertising on several different channels and required that all applicants take our assessment (with camera on). The candidate we hired did incredibly well on the assessment, so we followed up with a phone call. We had a thorough phone call where we evaluated the candidate's technical and business skills, and found the candidate to be a great fit for our needs so we extended an offer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The developer was able to accomplish what others before them were not. They successfully integrated our tool into Twilio Flex and have continued to develop that and other solutions.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The developer is remote and working from home, but does an excellent job communicating with us both in Slack and on calls.

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

They provide cost-effective and high-quality developers on a near-shore and local timezone basis.

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

While they're forthcoming with pricing, there are a lot of variables that make it a little confusing. In an industry plagued with a lot of mystery around pricing, I found the conversation refreshing. Even still, I wish they had a crystal clear rate sheet they could provide that included discounts with scale.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I’m the CTO of a regional marketplace platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Elaniin?

We needed help to develop our e-commerce site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Elaniin helped us in the development of our platform. Their efforts included backend, frontend, and server maintenance, along with customer management apps, storage apps, and a management dashboard. They made our marketplace work in optimal conditions.

They used Laravel for backend, React Native for the apps, MySQL for databases, and they also worked on U/IUX design and web design using View.

They currently provide updates, upgrades, and maintenance.

What was the team composition?

We’ve been working with 11 people in total; three backend developers, three frontend developers, two React Native experts, one UI/UX designer, and two DevOps developers.

How did you come to work with Elaniin?

Some of our partners had worked with them on previous projects, so they referred them to me. We interviewed other companies, but when we met up with Elaniin’s team, we saw that they immediately understood our needs and ideas.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $500,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2020, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work is of outstanding quality. There has been growing competition on the apps market in the country in the last few years, but everyone who uses our app sticks with it and recommends it to everyone — our app has an international quality.

They’re also great at fixing every detail quickly. At some point, we realized that our mobile site to allow our clients to buy without downloading the app wasn’t working, but it took them just a couple of hours to test, approve and make available our responsive website section for mobile phones — that was outstanding.

How did Elaniin perform from a project management standpoint?

We started with this project during the pandemic, so we communicated entirely using Slack and Google Meets. I had full access to communicate with their development team to track all progress. We also used Gitlab boards to provide feedback and reviews.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way they developed the architecture of the site was impressive. Usually, we’d work using a GitFlow that predetermines the deployment processes, but the team found a way to allow a project with a growth rate as fast as ours to continue allowing integration and deployment — they put great effort and love into the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We wanted to make the project more agile, but they are already working on that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We design and develop software for clients. The projects that we take on range from small six-week development projects to two-year collaborations. We work through all development stages from initiation and actual development to QA testing and launching. Then, we hand over the software and code to our client. My role is like the jack of all trades; I run small projects and look after some of our marketing efforts. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Elaniin?

Our work is project-based, so we keep a small permanent staff. When we take on projects, we look for contracting developers with the correct skill sets to work with us. We’ve recently taken on a big project, so we need additional people with specific skill sets to include in our team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Elaniin provides the personnel we need to do our new development work. We let Elaniin know the skills that we need, and then they provide us with candidates to interview. They mainly give us the resumes of people that fit the requirements and skill profiles that we need. Our requirements are highly skill-specific because so many coding platforms exist. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve hired two developers from their side. A project manager works with the developers to see if they need assistance. Then, we speak with a salesperson who answers the questions I might have. We liaise with each other on a monthly basis to make sure everything’s going fine. 

How did you come to work with Elaniin?

We found them online. We did some research for offshore agencies, and they were the ones that came up and responded.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $7,000 a month on their services. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in January 2021, and it’s ongoing. Initially, we had a three-month contract, but we’ve continued working with them. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The two people we’ve hired so far are very hardworking, and they deliver what’s required from them. Overall, they’re great team members. On top of that, whenever we send Elaniin the requirements for the people we need, they’re spot on in terms of setting us up in interviews with the correct people. 

We’ve worked with other companies before, and we’ve had to interview around 10 candidates before we’re able to find one correct person. By contrast, our current teammates are the first candidates we’ve had from Elaniin, and their skill set matches exactly what we want. Their personalities also fit our environment.  

Overall, Elaniin truly listens to our requirements and sends us qualified candidates right off the bat. That’s a big win for them. 

How did Elaniin perform from a project management standpoint?

Elaniin does what’s required from them. If we have any questions or problems, they either respond with answers or find out what we need — they’re responsive to anything we need. Moreover, they check in on us to make sure everything is going well. They also don’t oversell anything, so we’ve had an easy partnership and good trust in them. 

To communicate, we use emails and Slack. We’ve also set up a couple of Zoom meetings at the beginning of the engagement. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re professional, and they listen to what we need as their client. Their ability to find the correct people to fit our roles is also outstanding. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Speak to them and let them help you. Give them the opportunity to help you with your staffing needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager and one of the founders of a custom unified communications platform. It’s essentially a Salesforce-type CRM, but we include all modules and components of different industries. We take pride in creating custom solutions that are much more affordable in price.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Elaniin?

We wanted to be able to have a scalable infrastructure on all departments of the business, and the ability to grow and work with an agency that has a good portfolio of talented, professional, hardworking, honest, and caring people.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began with Elaniin back in August with a bunch of positions we needed to fill. We needed a senior LAMP (Linux, Apache HTTP Server, MySQL, PHP) developer to be one of our primary software engineers, and understand the architecture of our system. We were also able to get a senior-level network engineer, followed by additional LAMP developers, UI/UX developers, and graphic designers.

Whenever I need an additional staff member, I reach out to them and within a day or less, I would already have possible candidates that would fit those positions. They’re always able to provide talents with beautiful resumes that are well-formatted and easy to understand. 

They still offer additional people at the HR project management and client experience level, and they’re fully available to help each other. If there are any concerns or issues, they’re always there to serve.

What is the team composition?

We have two full-time professionals that we look to grow to possibly five.

How did you come to work with Elaniin?

I believe we found Elaniin on Upwork while we were searching for both individual talents and agencies, because we didn’t want to limit ourselves. I know how great it is when you can find a good recruitment firm that really gets talent, and it worked out exactly like that with them.

We posted the job description of what we were looking for, they went through an interview process, and we put them through assessment tests. Additionally, they even worked with us to hire somebody on a trial basis. That was a nice change from what normally exists in development, where people tend to say what they think without thinking all the way through, and they end up not meeting expectations — but Elaniin does it perfectly.

How much have you invested with them?

I’d say we’ve spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I refer to one of the primary employees who’s dedicated to our project as the LeBron James of our team from a talent perspective. He’s a younger individual, yet he has the wise mind of somebody that can handle the maturity level that exceeds mine. They got all that energy, good communication, and listening skills.

Moreover, I’m watching this individual grow at such an accelerated rate, and it makes the process of working with them that much more enjoyable.

Elaniin has been unbelievably helpful. We are able to do this project with people who are very kind and enjoyable to interact with on a daily basis. The team is always on top of their communications, they show up on time,  they always do what they say they’re going to do and expectations are set very well, and overall, it’s been a smooth process.

How did Elaniin perform from a project management standpoint?

Since we’re a CRM software company, we actually use all of our own tools to manage the project, but we also use Upwork to manage everything from a third-part contractor standpoint. It makes things really easy for us, and everything is automated so there are no headaches.

One thing that Elaniin made sure of, is they got to know what worked best for us, and then they served us that way. We communicate a lot through Skype and they seem to go with whatever we prefer.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What distinguishes them is their talent pool, the ability to be honest and caring, and to be accountable. They’re not just a company that hears our concerns, they act on it, and they’ll do anything to make sure we’re fully satisfied. They also accomplish their tasks in a very reasonable way so it’s a nice, natural, and organic fit.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be nice if they had an unlimited pool of people, since they seem to have the most talented pool we’ve found yet. That would be the only thing they can improve on in an ideal world.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would give the same advice I would give anybody, and that is to make sure you take the time to think about what you really need, and do the best job you can to articulate what’s important to you. As long as you clearly establish parameters, Elaniin will meet or exceed that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Regional Product Manager at Publimovil Group, a Latin American outdoor media company with presence in 6 countries in Central America. I oversee innovation strategies, including digital products to enhance productivity and growth.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Elaniin?

Our challenge was bringing our very complex operation, from all regional offices, into one integrated platform that would allow Sales, Finance, Accounting and Operations to synchronize. We needed to have a friendly interface that would help us get buy-in from all departments and ensure the application's usability long-term.

What were your goals for this project?

1. Obtain a user-interface that conveys simplicity despite having complex functionalities
2. Integrate multiple internal and external accounting systems seamlessly
3. Create a platform that's scalable and lends itself for future improvements.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected the top 3 technology providers in El Salvador, where our headquarter is located, and Elaniin was the best choice because of their UX.UI approach and their experience with robust ad-hoc systems for a multi-national company. The understood our need right away.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We opted for a full-project, estimating the project from a specific scope, including UX.UI designs, Web development, QA tests, User and Unit testing and Production. The project involved integrating with multiple accounting systems and

What was the team composition?

The team had a Project Manager, 4 developers including a Tech Lead and Lead Developer, UX.UI designers, a QA specialist and a System Administrador.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are already planning to implement the 2.0 version of the ERP system, since more operational needs surfaced after using the 1.0 version.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

In general terms the project management was very pro-active, we had weekly meetings with progress reports and only minor setbacks. There were many times when problems arised and the team proposed solutions to move forward and minimize setbacks to the timeline. The team used Jira for this project, as well as Slack, WhatsApp and Email communications.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed on how well Elaniin captured our initial idea and gave us relevant advice on the best technologies and UX.UI practices along the way. We have built a strong partnership and will continue to work on more development projects with them in the future!

Are there any areas for improvement?

I think the project itself was a very challenging one, where the initial scope came short at the end of the project. I believe improvements could involve working under a Scrum methodology, where we divide the project in micro-deliverables, allowing us to make changes more preemptively.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager at a fintech company that specializes in digital microcredits.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Elaniin?

We hired Elaniin to develop all of our systems and app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Elaniin built our app for Android devices.

What is the team composition?

There were a few setbacks because of a partnership we had with another company, so the team changed. In total, there were six developers, a project manager, a strategy team, and UX/UI designers.

How did you come to work with Elaniin?

When we started looking for companies to work with on this project, we consulted a few and asked for quotations. Elaniin fit our budget the best. After meeting with them, I had a good feeling because they understood our needs very quickly.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our collaboration with Elaniin in January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had great results, and we don’t have any complaints. We did encounter some delays, but they’re professional and have a great way of managing the project. They always provided us with detailed schedules, and most of the time, they met all deadlines.

How did Elaniin perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly update meetings. Any delays were from our side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

During the project’s conceptualization phase, the team helped us out a lot. Elaniin made our original idea even better. They give us great advice.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If they’re trying to scale up, they should focus on complying and paying attention to all of the deliveries.