Existek

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of a startup that offers a blockchain-based payment system.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Existek?

We’re preparing for the launch of our minimum viable product.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal is to attract beta users and pitch our startup to potential investors.

SOLUTION

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

Existek provided us with the technical consulting and development assistance needed to implement our vision of a peer-to-peer payment solution. The platform is mainly written in Java. A dedicated team developed the wireframes and platform architecture plan. Existek’s blockchain experience proved to be quite useful. They contributed to the general system architecture, showing us how something could be done better or faster. They also helped us launch the pilot project for one of our investors.

What was the team composition?

We worked with an excellent team with advanced skills in software engineering, including two backend developers and a frontend developer. We were also in contact with their project manager, tech lead, and one QA engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are quite happy with the final result. In fact, we plan to continue our collaboration after the launch of the pilot project, as one of our customers wants to add new features.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

After a few weeks, we didn't feel like we were working with external developers. It felt like we had an in-house team working with us in the same office.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We’re impressed with their collaboration, project management, and communication.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Nothing really comes to my mind, as everything was of the highest possible quality.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the chief digital strategist for a small consulting company that helps customers achieve their goals on the way to digital transformation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Existek?

A customer of ours requested the development of a custom enterprise resource planning (ERP) and CRM system for their sales department.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create mobile versions of the CRM and ERP system and integrate them in a single unified database that can be accessed by all employees using any device.

SOLUTION

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

Existek developed mobile apps for the field agents, which duplicate the existing CRM’s functionality using the same database. They put a team together within three weeks and started the development using an agile methodology.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a business analyst, a data engineer, a backend engineer, two iOS developers, two Android developers, and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was completed on a tight schedule and didn’t exceed our budget. The pharmaceutical industry was relatively new for Existek when we started the collaboration. Their business unit significantly improved their understanding and expertise in this industry during the engagement.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Communication was excellent. We also managed to transfer a lot of industry knowledge to them. Existek is one of the rare providers that can transform a pure idea that started on a napkin into a customized software that meets all needs. Their technical and business expertise allowed them to come up with suggestions that added significant value to the final results.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most remarkable thing about Existek is that they're capable of delivering the most advanced functionality as requested and adapt to their customer's demands quickly.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

There’s always room for improvement, but in this case, we started off with a small scope and managed to complete the project smoothly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

IntelliChief offers a Paperless Process Management (PPM) product. Focusing directly on each company’s specific business process, IntelliChief integrates with the customer’s ERP and line of business applications, providing visibility for each business document and workflow process. With IntelliChief workflow and ERP integrations, IntelliChief can automate the processing of AP Invoices and Customer Orders from the time the document is received to when it is processed into the ERP.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Existek?

We had a problem with one of our product’s features and wanted to reconfigure the coding while expanding the functionality.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We created a work order detailing the different functionalities we needed, as well as the types of platforms that needed to be supported. Existek then conducted research on how Windows applications interact with the desktop and various browsers to determine how we could collect data from those application screens.

From here, they built a standalone program that included the functionalities we were then able to incorporate into our product. They worked primarily with Microsoft’s .NET Framework and C Sharp.

What is the team composition?

We interfaced with a project manager who communicated our needs to a developer.

How did you come to work with Existek?

We came across them while doing online research. We were impressed by one of their past projects, so we reached out to discuss our challenge. They spoke very knowledgably about their field and explained in detail how they would tackle our problem. They seemed to have more expertise than their competitors, so we decided to hire them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted between July 2017–January 2018, though we’ve already hired them for a follow-up assignment.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were easy to work with and provided quality code that my internal team was able to easily integrate.

How did Existek perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good about communication and hitting deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our project required a specialized skill set, so their expertise was a crucial part of this project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communication is key on any project, especially when working with an offshore vendor. Make an effort to keep the lines of communication open with any external resources.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a technology company located in Norway. We create accessibility tools related to assistive technology, specifically software for people with reading and writing difficulties. I am a product manager for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Existek?

Some years ago, we were having difficulties supporting our applications and started looking for specific APIs for this purpose.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Existek developed our solution based on our specifications. We initially assigned them a text-scrubbing component to develop. It went well, so we've given them the full scope of the Windows application in all its details. They have also worked on the mercantile side of things, like order and license handling. That is a web-based solution running on ASP.NET.

Existek has been working with us for a long time, so they've come to know our solution well. They can make suggestions and improve our specifications. Sometimes we listen to them, and sometimes, we don't.

We have been working with a full-time team of three people from Existek for the last few years.

How did you come to work with Existek?

I looked at companies in Romania, India, and China, but never found a satisfactory option, either because of too much staff turnover or because the collaboration simply didn't work well. We found Existek in Ukraine, approached them and gave them a task to which they responded amazingly well.

How much have you invested with Existek?

The cost of Existek's work has been around $100,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Existek in 2009. The work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have become the number-one solution of our kind in the field. Assistive technology is a different kind of animal, and it requires much more integration than normal. I rate Existek on their ability to provide this, but it's a hard stat to quantify. We've had a new major release recently, and we are pleased with the results.

We have done market studies among customers and those who recommend our product to customers. Nine out of ten people would recommend our solution over that of the competition.

How did Existek perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is one of our more difficult parts since we are using a single manager to convey our requirements to the rest of the team. We need to be clear and ensure that there is a good understanding of what we want. Deadlines are always adhered to. We use GitHub, JIRA, Bitbucket, and other tools of this kind.

What did you find most impressive about Existek?

Existek is a very honest and credible team. They are people I would always trust, and I am completely confident that they would do everything possible to fix any potential mistakes in the work.

Are there any areas Existek could improve?

I would have liked it if some of Existek's developers had better English skills. The most difficult thing has been communication, but our main contact is fluent and can translate our requirements to the rest of the team. Some of the product and project management issues have also been due to our side. Existek could gain more knowledge on methodologies for this area, but this is also true for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and CEO of a company that provides consulting and development services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Existek?

I was the main developer, and I needed more developing resources.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I already had previous experience working with Existek, so I started the engagement by working with one of their developers. I’ve added more resources as my business continued to grow. Right now, I have four full-time developers from Existek. They are providing several kinds of development, mostly for custom-tailored web solutions. They also do app development and Excel integrations—everything that’s related to the products we deliver to customers. The products are administrative systems on the backend for the customers—internal websites as well as customer portals. On the backend, there are a lot of statistics. They help integrate information from Excel and different Android apps, which is mostly what our solutions focus on. We’re using Microsoft .NET, Excel, and AngularJS.

We also create Android apps. As the product manager, I work with the product owner to provide business requirements. For the Android applications, we get data from the backend and use reader technology to scan things and gather information, then report back to the main server.

I’ve been working with the Existek developers for four years. I don’t provide the detailed specifications, but they can work from any specifications. We work our way through the different features. I have the ideas and layout, and they basically design every page. They’re not designers, but we come up with a layout that they use for all the pages and modules they develop. I provide the design, but they make it look good.  

How did you come to work with Existek?

I had worked with Existek since 2010 when I was with a previous company. I didn’t consider any other companies at the time.

How much have you invested with Existek?

I spend around $200,000 per year on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our current relationship began in April of 2013 and is ongoing. We’re currently working on a global solution that will roll out worldwide.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have been increasing our staff because the customers are very satisfied with our work. My clients are particularly happy when we’re able to provide a solution to a specification within one day. The developers at Existek are a key value for my business since their work is excellent. They make me look good. I’m very happy with the developers as they are.

How did Existek perform from a project management standpoint?

I work with the team from Existek every day. I’m in daily contact with all the members of the team via Skype and email. We’ve also used different task tools. For example, we’re using JIRA right now. We have daily Scrum meetings, and I’ve been to Ukraine many times to meet with them. They’re very good with deadlines. Our Agile approach and how they solve things are above my expectations.

What did you find most impressive about Existek?

Their ability to deliver on time, reliability, and availability are all impressive. The developers are very committed, even working nights and weekends when required. If there’s anything we need to resolve, they come online very quickly. I have continuous conversations with the team. They never say "no", and they always do whatever they can to fix things. I’m extremely happy with their availability.

Are there any areas Existek could improve?

I think there are always things you can improve. The team is performing exactly how I want them to, so if there’s any needed improvement, it would be on my end.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an IT consultancy specializing in custom development projects and managed services for small and medium enterprises. I am a principal consultant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Existek?

We needed .NET developers with experience in imaging and real-time processing of QR codes to produce loyalty card system for a café franchise. Existek worked with our internal project manager and our internal developer, and we tested the builds on our end with our hardware and reported back any issues.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed to devise and implement and easy-to-use solution for nontechnical users that would enable the production of loyalty cards as well as quick, reliable scanning and tracing of loyalty card usage. Existek devised the solution and developed code, then pushed out the code to production. They continued to update the solution as bug reports came, and added additional functionalities as requested.

To get started, we built a scope document that covered the existing hardware, existing limitations, requirements for speed, and versatility. The product was built using a combination of image processing libraries for video and .NET, and we worked with two people from Existek’s team.

How did you come to work with Existek?

I found Existek through Freelancer.com. They answered my tender succinctly and directly, and they followed it up with good pre-sales support.

How much have you invested with Existek?

The work has cost around $60,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the work in 2014 and delivered and updated the solution in 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The café franchise has loved the work. The solution has very little downtime and processed thousands of loyalty cards. Customers love it as well as users.

Customers were very engaged by the loyalty card process; they found it fun and reported this back to the owner. The café owner loved using the software as it was very stable and never crashed or broke down, and could be relied upon in any circumstance. It also did not involve costly hardware solutions or contract lock-ins, which they viewed as a success.

The end product was highly usable, very low maintenance, and highly reliable.

How did Existek perform from a project management standpoint?

Existek asked very detailed questions and produced great code in a very quick timeframe. They also had excellent documentation. The team was very easy to work with and had great English language capacity.

Existek met all our deadlines perfectly. We largely spoke via Skype chat, conferencing, and email.

What did you find most impressive about Existek?

Existek was very easy to work with, very professional, just amazing in every way.

Are there any areas Existek could improve?

No! I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Stington & Partner Legal

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

AI-driven content leak detection and content IP protection

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Existek to accomplish?

• We choose Existek as a technology provider for the full-cycle of R&D and product development services

SOLUTION

How did you find Existek?

• Online Search
• Referral
• Clutch Site

Why did you select Existek over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Existek were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The team helped us build the solution completely from scratch. It involved choosing the right technical concept, designing the architecture, and developing software. They’ve become our external IT department and support the project with new features and improvements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They’ve implemented and created a complete workflow from a technological standpoint. With the chosen architecture and smooth coordination among components, the software meets all set requirements. Their development approach organized the overall process and laid the foundation for continuous improvement and reliable long-term performance.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

From the start, it’s clear that they have great project management practices in place. Team responsibilities, tasks, and timelines are clearly defined and delivered on time at every project stage.  

What was your primary form of communication with Existek?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The best part of working with the Existek team is their professionalism and the way our collaboration is managed and carried out.

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

At the moment, I can’t recall any specific areas for improvement. The collaboration is going smoothly on both our and their sides. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder/CEO of WeConcile, Inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

WeConcile helps motivated couples improve trust, intimacy, safety, and connection through established relationship science.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Existek to accomplish?

• We looked for an extended development team to maintain and improve our mobile app functionality and usability.

SOLUTION

How did you find Existek?

Referral

Why did you select Existek over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Existek were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The project was focused on introducing new functionalities and maintaining exceptional user experiences. The assigned team helped to carry out many improvements to our application and address WeConcile customers' evolving needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The team suggested good practices for developing new app features like the AI chat and ensured that they were implemented correctly and efficiently. They greatly helped differentiate freemium and premium features. Besides, their specialists worked on identifying and fixing bugs to support continuous app improvements.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The team communicates effectively, keeping everyone informed and involved throughout the project. Their dedication to delivering high-quality and timely results made them a valuable choice for our project.

What was your primary form of communication with Existek?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

One thing that particularly stands out about Existek is its commitment to customer satisfaction. Their team always provided prompt and professional services.

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

No specific areas for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a software company that provides treatment tools for therapists.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed to migrate from another development team so it required coordination with the other team as well as getting up to speed on someone else's code. We wanted Existek to continue development as we expanded product functionality.

SOLUTION

How did you select EXISTEK and what were the deciding factors?

Ease of communication with their CEO was a big factor. Having the right skill sets on call and a reasonable price.

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

Firebase backend with React frontend. We needed enhancements to our iOS and Android apps as well as a web front end.

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

There was a 4-person team at Existek ranging from the CEO to a UX designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered the required functionality in a reasonable time frame. I felt the quality of the work was good and their productivity was too.

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

We used Jira and Figma to communicate, manage and plan, as well as weekly Zoom calls and daily Slack messages. It worked well and was low overhead.

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

Their flexibility to bring in other team members with different skills as needed impressed us.

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

No, I was really satisfied.