ENDERTECH

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder/general manager of CityGovtJobs.com LLC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Endertech?

We were looking to develop a website that allowed city governments to post jobs with a service option for free. It also had to allow job seekers to search or submit interest in future job openings. The unique aspect of the site is that job seekers would be able to search for job titles that may not be open, but, when there was an opening, the job seekers would be alerted. It allowed job seekers to be more proactive in looking for jobs they were best qualified for without spending too much time monitoring postings.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the website from scratch, but we had a prototype to communicate the specifications and functionality we required. We went through the scrum process to develop stories, which constituted the specification for a new contract and a new website to be built. Symfony and MySQL make up the backend and Bootstrap supports the frontend. Our project management software was Jira. There was also a design phase, culminating in the Jira specifications.

What is the team composition?

I work with about five different people. Gabe (Founder/CEO, Endertech) and Noeme (Senior Developer, Endertech) are the two heads of the project.

How did you come to work with Endertech?

Due to previous experience with developers that ended poorly, I spent quite a bit of time searching for a developer. I developed a document of qualifications and interviewed 7–8 different companies before deciding on Endertech. I was most comfortable with their staff, their facility, and the work samples they provided. It seemed like a good fit, and the pricing seemed affordable for the project I was looking to develop.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve between $100,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in March 2018 and is ongoing. We just renewed the retainer for support services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design phase was very creative in terms of formulating designs and an interface that were efficient, functional, and easy to understand. The challenges that arose during the development phase were minimal in terms of making the designs work, and we didn’t have to make any significant changes.

A thorough design phase with Endertech helped contribute to a well-defined project and good cost control upon entering the development phase. The end product didn’t have as many bugs as I had experienced with previous developers. There are new tools and frameworks to make it easier, but Endertech also did a good job of minimizing the number of serious bugs/flaws that can occur in a database intensive website. I was impressed. Once we did acceptance testing, we found a few non-functioning issues, but they were quick to identify and solve them.

How did Endertech perform from a project management standpoint?

They are a small company, 15-20 people on staff, and they did a very good job for their size. I appreciated the joint meetings on-site to overcome challenges during the process. Endertech is exceptional at face-to-face meetings, as well as being open to ideas and suggestions. They helped contribute to the formulation of the design and product. We had changes around the time of launch, but we sat down to review the scope of the changes and cost assessments and came to an agreement. They managed them within the timeframes they put forward.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their coding was pretty good and relatively bug-free for database-intensive websites. If there were problems, they were very sincere in working through them in a reasonable manner from cost and timing standpoints. Gabe (Founder/CEO, Endertech) is very open to considering ideas for software. He is a thinker and contributes to the concept, helping to formulate ideas with the business and translate those ideas into software functionality with a UI that makes sense. A lot of companies don’t have offices or meeting rooms; Endertech has both of those things. That was something I was looking for: a place to work through problems face-to-face with actual people.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They had some staffing changes, and the design was a little slower process. From what I’ve seen of recent work projects, they have some good design staff that has improved some of their productions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

For smaller companies starting out, I definitely recommend considering Endertech. They handled pretty much anything I threw at them in terms of database functionality and getting that work into a web interface. I highly recommend their services. They can handle some good-sized projects. With the smaller company comes great personalized consulting services and prices that aren’t nearly what you’d pay with some other companies.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of BrandJump. We’re an e-commerce sales and marketing company so we work with manufacturers in the home furnishings category to help them sell their products through key Internet retailers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Endertech?

We needed help both internally and externally. Internally, we wanted a solution to organize our client and retailer data as well as our marketing calendar to drive the events. From an external standpoint, we wanted our clients to view their profiles and information by logging into a portal. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Endertech developed an internal CRM that also serves as a client portal from scratch. They built a comprehensive database of different information related to our clients and mutual customers. Their team also made it accessible by individual logins for each one of our clients so that they had visibility into what was going on in their e-commerce business.

What is the team composition?

There were two people from Endertech in every meeting: Gabe (Founder & CEO, Endertech) and a develope. They co-managed the project. I believe there was one other person that was working on the project who I’ve never contacted.

How did you come to work with Endertech?

My business partner knew Gabe through a leadership group. We had a general idea of our challenges, which were articulated to the Endertech team. They suggested a solution quickly.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $100,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in the fall of 2018. They’ve brought the product to the finish line, but we have an ongoing retainer with Endertech to enhance the platform continuously.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Every single one of our clients has been extremely appreciative of the unique platform Endertech built. Our clients wanted to have deeper insights into what we were doing for them on a daily basis and this is beginning to solve that problem. It has given our customers more access to information. We’re happy and will continue to work with them to improve what we’ve created as we get more feedback from clients.

How did Endertech perform from a project management standpoint?

We met every two weeks to go through our wish list. Their team helped us figure out how to take our ideas and turn them into a product. Endertech has been professional. Even though they’re developers at heart who speak a totally different language, Endertech has done a good job of speaking in layman’s terms.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team’s extremely bright. Endertech has been proactive and engaged. They have driven me. It has been nice working with the owner of the company directly. They provided hands-on attention at the leadership level, which you don’t get from other companies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. We intend on continuing this relationship and don’t have an end date in mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To make the best use of their time, know your business needs and be able to articulate them so that Endertech can provide a solution that makes sense from a development standpoint.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and president of Niche Media, which owns the website laundromatforsale.com. I’ve been a laundromat broker for 40 years and am developing a new kind of platform to help people working in my industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Endertech?

I wanted a place where you can search exclusively for laundromats, which doesn’t really exist at the moment. I hired Endertech to help me develop a website that acts as a platform for that kind of business search.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the website from the ground up. I basically gave them basic specs that I had determined for the platform, and they scoped everything out and then set to work. They developed the functionality for entering price criteria by geographic location and find all of the laundromats for sale within their search criteria. It also allows them to view photographs and descriptions of the business, including cash flows and contact information. The whole thing is done in Symphony.

They also did some SEO work on the website from there so that it would be optimized for pretty much any laundromat-related keywords and do pretty well on searches for those.

What is the team composition?

I personally met with about five different people inside of their office. We would meet to review the sprints every two weeks and I usually dealt directly with the project manager Shane, as well as with the CEO Gabriel, and Noemi who handled tying the system to a stripe account.

A couple of other people were involved, including some designers, and I believe they used remote workers as well, but I was never in contact with them. In total, I would imagine it was as many as 10 people working on the site.

How did you come to work with Endertech?

I’ve spent months looking online trying to get a sense of what it was going to take to develop a site like this, which was quite daunting for me. In the beginning, I really had no idea what was needed, but as time passed, I started to piece together that I knew I wanted to work with a company that I could meet with in person and was able to communicate very well.

Eventually, I came across Endertech and saw that they were local, which appealed to me immediately. I phoned them up, and they were able to present their capabilities right away. They sent me a lot of information and I sent them my specs.

Once we decided that we both thought it would be a good fit for our companies, we met in their office where I made the final decision to hire them for the project. What really hooked me was that they asked me really great questions, things that I had not been asked before in the process.

They really understood what I was trying to accomplish and raised some points that I had not thought of before that point. Their price was acceptable, so I hired them, and we started immediately.

How much have you invested with them?

As of right now, my total investment has been just over $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re in beta testing right now, so when they handed the site over to me, I took a couple of days and just ran it through its paces because I am essentially the avatar of the customer that’s going to use the site.

I’ve been in the business for 40 years, so I pretty much know exactly how the customers are going to need to use the site and was able to look through everything from that vantage point and make sure it was all good to go.

Everything looked good to me, so I had my broker friends upload information and use it as well, and they’ve so far reported 100% positive feedback about the design and usability, saying that it's very user-friendly. We did some preliminary testing and were receiving about 300 visitors per day and around 25 percent conversion rate from visitors, which are pretty outstanding numbers for this industry.

How did Endertech perform from a project management standpoint?

I don’t have experience with other developers, but I’ve done a lot of work with construction contractors for different brick and mortar businesses and Endertech is really more on top of their own work than I’ve seen in a third-party provider before. They demonstrated a deep knowledge of all the technologies we were working with and were on top of everything that needed to be changed at the end of our sprints and would always get started on things right away.

There was very little back and forth between us on what needed to be done, because any time I had concerns about specific functionalities or anything, they would take what I said it into account and have it ready to demo for me in the next meeting. Outside of those, we communicated probably two or three times a week in one form or another, either via email or telephone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Since I don’t have a lot to compare them to, all I can say is that from the first meeting I had with them to today I have not spoken to anyone who has communicated better or understood my project and my vision more deeply than their team has.

I met with a lot of developers who seemed competent, but when I met Endertech I immediately realized that this was another level. They were just sharper and smarter than their competition.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really don’t have any real criticisms. They were absolutely great in every respect, including communicating around any delays that we experienced.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take some time and write down, as meticulously as you can, what your vision of the site is. Once you get into meetings, off-the-top-of-your-head conversations aren’t going to be nearly as productive as going over the details of what you want for the site so that they can ask you much more pointed questions about them. It will allow them to understand better and allow you to get started much more quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO & Founder of DiscoverANi.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Endertech?

We were looking to build a project management solution for the entertainment industry that would streamline how film and TV productions are put together, from the development phase through production.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Endertech was responsible for the full development of our software. Their team wrote all the code, using PHP and React on the frontend. The entire project was built from scratch into SQL Server. The Endertech team also helped with the design of the program. 

What is the team composition?

In the beginning, we primarily interacted with the CEO of Endertech. He helped us define the scope and workflow of the project. We also worked with Cheyne (Senior Project Manager, Endertech), a senior developer, and two others who worked on the backend of the program. At times, other people from Endertech would come in when extra help was needed, including the CTO. 

How did you come to work with Endertech?

We didn’t have any in-house software experience, so we were looking for a local development firm to work with. We wanted someone we could consistently meet with and, after interviewing a bunch of firms in the area, came across Endertech. We met with their team and got along really well, so we decided to go with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing relationship with Endertech began in July 2018. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All of the feedback we’ve received up to this point has been great. Some of our primary target customers have been given access to the software and their responses have been encouraging. They’ve created a really interesting UX and made our concepts work.

How did Endertech perform from a project management standpoint?

The Endertech team is very accessible and is always on top of it. They’ve been able to adapt and pivot to anything on the fly. Throughout our collaboration, they’ve been very open to sharing their opinions, giving design and workflow insight. We have a good feel for their whole team. 

Every time our teams meet up, we go very in-depth about what we’ve completed and what the next phases are. Through these conversations, my understanding of software has grown. Now that we both have a deeper knowledge of what we’re trying to build, the process is easier. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve been super friendly and passionate throughout the project. I have been to their office two or three times a week for the past year and I’ve never felt like we’re going to just discuss software. They’re good at making me feel welcome.

I’m confident in Endertech’s ability to deliver. Everything they’ve built so far has been better than we imagined it. Their team has always delivered what we wanted them to, and it’s really shown.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have a good relationship with Endertech. The only issues that arose were due to a lack of efficiency and software knowledge on our end. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of The Hana Shirt Company, a vintage clothing vendor, particularly vintage Hawaiian clothing. We have the largest collection in the world and operate solely online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Endertech?

We initially needed someone to build our website. Since then, we’ve used Endertech to do subsequent revisions and updates to the site. This was the third time they’d revamped our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For this third update, we wanted to include new product categories and make everything mobile friendly. The site is on Magento, and Endertech works on both the technical and design components. The graphic designers created new logos and color formats, even converting some of the ideas into promotional material for business cards and flyers. They also help with SEO, email templates, and online marketing. They host our website and make any changes we request. They fix issues and get us back online if the site goes down.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager who has a team of technical people, depending on our needs. For example, we’ve worked with a database specialist, graphic designer, and SEO expert in different phases of our partnership. We also have regular meetings with the owner.

How did you come to work with Endertech?

I saw a website I liked, so I found who made it and contacted them. They weren’t our first choice because they’re located in a different state, but I spoke with the owner and felt confident that we could make a long-distance partnership work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2003, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since launching the new site, sales have increased because it’s easier to use and looks much better. We’ve seen an instant ROI from the updated website. It’s incredibly fast and easy to display the many products that we have.

How did Endertech perform from a project management standpoint?

They have an online project management portal with shared documents we use to track progress. I also have direct email correspondence with the team members. They’re incredibly responsive and meet all of our deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re results oriented and exceptional communicators.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve grown a lot since we first started working together. They hired one individual who wasn’t a great team player, but they quickly became aware of the problem.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Be honest and tell them exactly what you want to accomplish. They’ll help you figure things out.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Bakon USA Food Equipment, a company that designs, manufactures, and distributes equipment for the bakery, pastry, and chocolate industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Endertech?

We mainly do B2B; our website’s typical prospects are professional chefs or engineers working in food processing plants. Our previous website wasn't efficient, and we wanted to work with a more professional partner. Additionally, we wanted new marketing material, as well.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Endertech completely reorganized and developed a new website. Their process was rigorous and well-organized, involving a discovery phase, interactive dev phase, testing phase, and a launching phase. One of the main priorities was navigation; we wanted people, within a few clicks, to be able to find the information they were looking for.

Endertech also made it so we can update the website easily and by ourselves, when needed. That way, for example, we can add upcoming activities or classes that we organize. They also included a new feature that does cross-promotion of our products.

What is the team composition?

We had a permanent team of about three people, with the fourth coming in when a specific technical aspect of the website needed to be developed. We had one main point of contact with other contacts depending on the phase. We talked to them a few times a week during the dev phase, but we had to set monthly meetings.

How did you come to work with Endertech?

We did a Google search which led us to about ten companies. We looked at their websites and the websites they’d developed and decided to interview four of them. We then asked three of them for quotes and did one last interview, finally choosing Endertech.

The quote was one of the criteria, but we didn't choose the cheapest. Our decision was based on the people we met and what they could offer in terms of tools and skills. We wanted to make sure the website wasn’t just a short project but built over time.

Additionally, Endertech had quite a bit of relevant experience, and they’re located near us, so we can have monthly meetings face-to-face.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $20,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in November 2012, and the site launched in March 2013. They continue to provide maintenance and support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new site gave us the ability to measure a higher frequency of traffic and obtain higher quality leads. We tripled our site’s traffic, and the quality of the contacts became much better. We wanted the website to be ready for our tradeshow in 2013, and they were able to deliver on that.

How did Endertech perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re disciplined in their approach, so the execution is good. Everything was delivered on time and within the budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The personality and talent of the different team members.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we still work together, after more than five years, so that should tell the whole story.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Meet the team, and it will convince you that they are the right partner

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of quality assurance at Giumarrra Companies. We operate in produce industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Endertech?

We needed to develop a website that could hold our entire database of growers along with all the documents and records. We wanted our website to filter out those items easily when needed. This is the fourth system Endertech built for me (our company has been using them for 15 years).

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a meeting where I shared with them my ideas and concepts. They walked me through all the steps – from the early stages to the implementation phase. They built a website for us from scratch. I designed the features, they built the wireframes based on my recommendations.

The features enable us to filter out very specific information from a database of over 3,000 growers. We are very particular about the security of the website because we were going to have many users, so they made sure there were different levels of users. It's an internal website and is not designed for anyone outside of our company.

What is the team composition?

We had a first and secondary point of contact.

How did you come to work with them?

We found them several years ago, and we've been working with them ever since.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the years we have spent over $50,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2003 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website helped our company tremendously. I wanted the information to be easily extractable and the learning curve to be shallow. They achieved both of these goals. The website is user friendly and easy to operate.

The food safety regulations require us to have all the grower related documents available at all times. Thanks to the website, we're able to move more into compliance sourcing safety and have all the information organized in one place.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been on time or beat my expectations on all levels. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The system is extremely user friendly and easy to manage. They've been very accommodating and always willing to add extra features that had not been included in the initial build we gave them. Or, if we found a bug in the system, they addressed that issue immediately. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I've used them several times and they could not be nicer. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're a great partner for data management and solutions. I highly recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president of a compliance consulting firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Endertech?

Our previous provider was going out of business, and we needed a new firm to help redesign our website and help with some of our software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage multiple projects for us. They helped build our website on WordPress years ago, and have added more current tools and updated the look and feel. We wanted them to make all the initial changes, with the ability to make changes ourselves, without having to go into their queue. They helped develop that framework from the content we gave them.

Since our clients come to us through direct referral, we weren’t looking to drive traffic to the site, but we did want a strong, simple online presence where potential clients could view our general information and verify our legitimacy as an established business.

It’s a simple WordPress database site, with a scrolling banner, a few images, and various content. We make updates whenever we send out a client newsletter, but we don’t utilize their services as much as we did in development. They do still host our site and the affiliated management app they helped us build. We work with them more whenever we need to upgrade or troubleshoot the software, and they recently upgraded a special logo for our 20th year in business. We still consider them an active partner.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people on the website, one creative and one engineer. Now, most of the work funnels through Cheyne [Senior Project Manager, Endertech], who is our primary contact. Sometimes he will bring in Rob [Vice President, CTO, Endertech] if there is a network or other site issue. Our programmer goes by Yazz [LEAD Frontend Developer, Endertech]. We aren’t in direct contact with him, but he oversees changes and upgrades to the software.

How did you come to work with Endertech?

We really relied on our previous company. When they were going out of business, they helped us identify potential replacement firms that we could work with. Of those companies, Endertech was the most responsive, and they understood what we needed.

How much have you invested with them?

Our expenditure varies from year to year, but we’ve spent in the neighborhood of $50,000–$100,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

They took over from our previous provider in 2009, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I appreciate that the technology we had built in 2007 is still useable in 2017. The software is fairly simple, but they’ve made sure it continues to work on web browsers through all the advances in technology without any interruptions in service to our clients.

How did Endertech perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a great job. Since we started working with Cheyne, coverage is very consistent. We’re in contact once or twice a month, though some months we speak less, depending on what’s happening.

Our biggest challenge is the time difference. Since we’re on the east coast and they’re on the west coast, we can’t reach out to them in the first few hours of our day. Aside from that, they are very responsive, and do everything we need them to.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their pricing is reasonable, and they understand what’s important to our business. When we contact them, they make sure they understand our priorities. They always get the most important things finished first, without a lot of handholding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know who’s on your team and do your due diligence, especially if you’re a larger firm than we are. Allow them to respond to you and put their best foot forward.

BACKGROUND

Could you provide a brief description of your organization?

I work for a small consulting firm in Southern California, and we provide educational technology services[and] 21st century skills, to the educational space. We usually work with K-12 [kindergarten through 12th grade], but we also offer some higher education services, too. At our core, we’re a research and evaluation firm. 

What is your position?

I’m the president and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you first approached Endertech?

The reason we’re involved with Endertech is that we’ve been contracted by three state educational agencies to develop an online tool with a database backend to it. We need to analyze whether or not schools and their corresponding districts are prepared for online assessment. 

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work in greater detail?

Our first encounter with Endertech was about 8 years ago. We were doing a project for the state education technology directors’ association out of Washington, D.C. They were asking us to evaluate trend data over time for an annual survey that we administered for all 50 state technology directors. They wanted trend data, so we contacted Endertech to put the data into a database and to establish a dashboard with which people could use to interact and manipulate the data. We maintained that for a few years with them, and they were extremely responsive.

About two years ago now we successfully competed, in the state of Michigan, a contract to build a tool that allows all schools in the state to log into a site, enter data, and then produce a report on how technology ready they were for online assessment. When we got that bid, we contracted with Endertech. We designed it they built it, maintained it, and hosted it. We built that one for Michigan, and six months later New Jersey saw it and liked it. We cloned and customized it for them, and now were doing the same thing for the state of Illinois.

Endertech is our exclusive Web developer for all three of them. We use a Microsoft SQL database back-end. We have a front-end dashboard that is in HTML wireframe. We also use plug-ins to produce reports and PDFs.

How did you select Endertech as your solution partner?

Eight years ago, we performed a Web search for companies in southern California. We looked at several closely and ultimately selected Endertech. They completed a relatively minor project first, which was a great success. When we received the bid from Michigan two years ago, we looked around again. We remembered the great service that we received from Endertech, so we selected them for that project, too.

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this project?

We invested around $250,000.

When was the project completed?

The Michigan project was completed about three months ago. We’re still working on customizing the platform for New Jersey because they continue adding new items. We’re about to launch Illinois this coming Monday. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback you’ve received that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

Where we get feedback is from two places. One is, we do low launching of the tool in each of the three states. Most recently, we did some online surveys of 10 schools and technology directors who use the tool, and got back to us. We look at usability, access to content, and all the features that are normally included. They’re generally pretty positive within the context that these people are being asked to enter or upload data. It takes them hours to do it, so a lot of them aren’t very happy about it. The state is requiring them to do it.

We’ve had really positive feedback regarding the tool. It’s a tool that’s designed by us, and Endertech develops it. What we typically do is send over technical specifications about what we want, and we also send over visual aids. We’ll then have a meeting with them and do joint development. It’s really quite a good relationship with them. They’ve become partners with us, and not just our developers.

We also monitor our state rollouts. The most recent one we did was last fall, which was a 10-day state rollout for New Jersey. There were 600 to 700 school district tech directors, plus multiple other reps from the schools, completing the forms. Generally, they were very happy with the tool. In fact, the state directors are always very reticent about building this tool and rolling it out, because they know they’ll get negative feedback.

In essence, this tool has been a pretty positive experience. People have always come back and said, “I didn’t want to do it but once I did I got great reports out of it and now I have an inventory that I really like.” So, overall, it’s been a positive experience, and that’s been two of the states and were anticipating Illinois to be the same way.

When working with Endertech, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach and/or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

One of the things that have been really important to us is that they do have some excellent coders in the company. Their talent pool is extremely deep. They have consistently used the same developers with us, too. For example, there’s one person who is a team leader that has been working with us. We developed a relationship in two years, so we trust him, we know what his work hours are. It’s been a great relationship, and I think that’s a unique thing from a Web development perspective. We actually speak directly with the coders without having anyone in-between, which we’ve had trouble with in the past. It isn’t an issue with Endertech. One of the other things that they’ve done is open up the tool, so we can actually look at the code. We can then derive how they put the formulas together to make sure that it’s correct. It’s been a real back and forth in terms of quality assurance. We’re very pleased.

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

Yes. Quality assurance. That’s always a challenge with development, and especially with the tools we’re building. There are so many different configurations for school districts and the data they input. It can get very complex. If they could improve in any way, it would be in the quality assurance process. It has evolved in time. They’ve instituted a new system about six months ago that helps tremendously. We share in the quality assurance endeavor, but we want them to test everything before they actually give us the staging server for us to do the quality assurance. Sometimes they do, sometimes time constraints make that impossible, and they can’t do as much as they’d like.

BACKGROUND

Could you provide a brief description of your company?

I work for a product placement agency. We represent brands and incorporate or display their product or services into films and TV shows.

What is your position?

I’m the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you first approached Endertech?  

I’ve worked with them for almost 10 years. We have proprietary software that’s used for our company. I needed somebody to update and debug the system. It was really quite easy. After meeting with them in-person, we were assigned a technician that became very intimate with the backend of our system. It’s very messy and she was able to make sense of it. She’s very easy to work with, her name’s Sheila. I’ve been working with her for the last 10 years. The great thing is that if I need anything fixed, I can go directly to her. At this point, she knows the system, its functions and limitations, and all of its nuances. 

Since then, I’ve had them redesign our website, implement a new platform, perform content optimization for search, and prove quality assurance. Everything has gone relatively smoothly.

SOLUTION

How did you select Endertech as your solution partner for this endeavor?

I honestly can’t recall if I’d found them online or if someone else referred them to me. I honestly don’t remember because it was so long ago. I’m sure they were compared with others before selecting them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We’ve probably spent around $20,000 to $25,000.

When was your site relaunched?

We launched our site last year [2013].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they’ve delivered?

We were using a Flash-based site. Because of that, Google wasn’t able to index anything until about four or five pages into our site. So, we went from being non-existent to being number one. I get sales calls that I never received before. I used to be very proactive. Now I’m much more reactive. I’ve gotten calls and emails from reporters in Sweden and all over [the European Union]. The difference has been quite stark.

When working with Endertech, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguishes them from other vendors?

They’re extremely thorough and methodical. They have great follow up. Those two things can distinguish a company because so many agencies don’t have that. They have solid interpersonal skills, the team there, and Karen in particular. I would say that’s the biggest thing. When you go to a hotel or anywhere, service is the most important thing. They’re very client-oriented. They ensure their clients feel valued to a great extent.