Focusteck

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Proxwexx, a startup based in London. We are a marketplace that connects small international suppliers with UK buyers. We’ve put together an online platform that allows suppliers to showcase their products and buyers to discover those products. Buyers can then make more queries with the producers, and eventually make business. It’s a B2B platform focused on the UK market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Focusteck?

When we started working with Focusteck, we wanted to build an MVP. We had nothing in terms of technology, so they provided the first effective development we’d done, apart from the website. The MVP showcased our functionalities and presented them to our client base. We started doing that with Focusteck, and that was the very first challenge. Then, we moved from an MVP to a full-fledged technology platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Focusteck implemented all the technologies we wanted in the first phase. The website is based on PHP with a MySQL database. We have a platform that allows us to make queries on the database and send results to the website. We’re also working on a standard e-commerce website that will work as a pilot project. Focusteck is helping us with that as well as some aspects of digital marketing (social media, SEO).

What is the team composition?

They had a team of remote developers.

How did you come to work with Focusteck?

Initially, it was a tough decision. We wanted to hire remotely because it was very hard to find something that would work with our budget locally. This was one of the first things we did, so we needed to get it right. We conducted many interviews over the web with different candidates.

We had a call with Focusteck’s CEO over Skype, and they were very convincing in terms of their awareness, technical skill, and business perspective. They weren’t just a bunch of tech people; they could also think about it from the business perspective straight away and make recommendations. Focusteck spoke to us as though they’d been part of the business for a long time, from the very first call. Obviously, we looked at their past work, website, and references. Those all corresponded to what we were doing.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Focusteck around June 2019 and the project is ongoing. The second phase is finished and we’re preparing the ground for a smaller project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of software development, the feedback we have isn’t quantified, but it’s been generally good. We’ve had positive feedback on their software’s speed, quickness, and reliability.

It’s still early days on the digital marketing side. We’re monitoring progress in terms of Google Analytics, traffic, and all other SEO metrics. There’s a lot of progress that’s been made.

How did Focusteck perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Trello for project management as well as emails and conference calls. In terms of communication, they’re constantly present. We reach out to them through Skype and they reply instantly. We have a 4–5–hour time zone difference, but it doesn’t show. Their CEO is always reachable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive aspect of their work is how well they understood the project. The very first communication put them on the right track and put us in a very reassuring position. On top of that, their dedication and presence are spectacular. They’re always there—I don’t have to wait or become frustrated. Sometimes, they even raise issues I wasn’t aware of. Once, my website got hacked, but they notified me and fixed it, even though it wasn’t their job. They are passionate and dedicated to the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always something to improve. Something they could improve is the project management. They could use some more task delegation. If they had a crisp and clear structure in terms of project management, regardless of the technology used and the people, it would make their CEO’s life easier and allow them to expand themselves. It’s a piece of advice rather than a criticism.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I’d advise them to set up a plan that’s as clear as possible and have a conversation with Muhammad (CEO, Focusteck) to see how they can help and how they understand the business. You can’t just go on websites and use email to select a provider; you need to have conversations. That will give clients a lot of comfort and encourage them to choose Focusteck.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and Founder of vCandidates.com. We're a new, alternative, career platform that connects job seekers with vetted recruiters.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Focusteck?

We were looking for a very strong and talented web development company to complete our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created our website from scratch. It has a dual CRM system and job seekers no longer have to create an Excel spreadsheet in order to track where they've placed or where they've provided their application, as well as track their interview schedule.

They created a dynamic process with us that consumers will enjoy with ease. In terms of SEO, they laid out a thorough plan, geared towards driving leads to our site and helping us convert those leads and engaging them while they're on the site. It has a tracking system that automatically tracks the job seeker and shows things from the user's side.

We found that we not only received great development, but we also have a full-service agency partner that they're helping us with our SEO, social media, and our business development sales call.

What is the team composition?

We currently have a team of five, with marketing and SEO we have a team of 3-4, and with sales we plan on having a team of 4-5.

How did you come to work with Focusteck?

I was not comfortable with working offshore, I wanted someone who was in town, preferably someone in the Phoenix area. I noticed the same sales tactics they'd used on me are the same ones they're implementing on our team. I know their strategy works, and their cadence is effective. I was able to check them out on Crunchbase, talk to some of their previous clients, and I felt comfortable that we were developing a relationship with like-minded partners. I knew they sought to bring our goals to fruition.

How much have you invested with them?  

That's proprietary, but I can say that the cost was over six figures, and it'll continue to grow since we've signed new contracts for SEO and sales.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in April 2015, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a database of 47,000 people, and we've been slowly gearing up for our main launch. What we've seen from marketing to actual beta testing is that the site is user-friendly, and helps them to work in a self-learning scenario. Although we have the staff to help them if they need it, we wanted to create a platform that anyone can use by themselves at all hours of the day.

How did Focusteck perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Trello and Jira for project management, Slack for immediate communication, and have weekly standup meetings. We're very communicative. I don't see them as an extension of their team but as my partners and team members. When it comes to development, marketing, and sales, I know I have specific people I can go to and it's a very smooth process.

They're very on top of everything, and they think like we do. They've got a great grasp of what our product is and how it works. They make the best suggestions and brought this platform to a place that exceeded where I thought it should be.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their management is amazing. They're able to ask the right questions, are very communicative, and took the time to learn my industry. I've managed and placed many developers in my career, and I know they tend to be very linear in their thinking. To find a development team that's very creative, and able to voice that opinion, and that's trustworthy, has been invaluable. They're always able to articulate what they feel and why they think it'll be the best route to go. It's been very helpful for us to think about our product in the long run along those lines.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My biggest wish would be to have them travel here a little more. I really want to be able to connect with them in person. For me, it's all about making sure that my team is fully coordinated. We deliberately put a project manager on our end to streamline the process, and we didn't want to overwhelm our development team. Having them look at us as a partner instead of a client made our collaboration run that much more smoothly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We had to learn to be very mindful of their time. They made themselves so accessible that we forgot about the twelve-hour time difference. They would get out of bed at 2-3 o'clock in the morning to answer our questions, which was great, but it's important for any American firms that want to work with them to be mindful of their work-life balance.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of operations of FixAFib

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

FixAFib connects people with atrial fibrillation with world class AFib specialists.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Develop mobile application
• improve online presence

SOLUTION

How did you find Focusteck?

• Referral

Why did you select Focusteck over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

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

Focusteck provided our company with mobile application development and support, a web-based administrative portal, website hosting, and marketing services including search engine optimization and social media campaigns.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Increased meaningful user conversion

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

Focusteck was easy to work with. I appreciated their flexibility, responsiveness, and dedication as we worked through various aspects of mobile application development. They completed the project efficiently and with excellent attention to detail. In conjuction with app development, they also worked on 'bigger picture' marketing projects like improving our brand visibility and increasing meaningful web-site traffic.

What was your primary form of communication with Focusteck?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was most impressed with Focusteck's level of customer service, responsiveness, and ability to efficiently implement change requests throughout the project.

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

no

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

SAAG is a peer to peer marketplace for outdoor gear rental.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Focusteck?

To build the product.

SOLUTION

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

We were referred to them by a friend.

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

We had to design and then give the team a road map to build the codes from the scratch. And fix or modify along the way.

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

2 to 3 people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product itself came out nice. But there are things that I was not satisfied with at the end.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It could be much much better. I recommend them to use Jira for their future clients.

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

That they can build good product.

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

Yes, if they use Jira for communication. They have to work on their communication and how to deliver the results on time. Other than that, they do a good job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of an idea management platform who powers innovation programs in 39 countries and over 185 cities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our goals were to rewrite our platform from the ground up and to have more transparency than our prior partner.

SOLUTION

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

We made the decision to move forward with FT through a referral, and have never looked back!

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

We have several engineers building a complex product with an ongoing relationship. Our tech stack is NodeJS backend and Angular frontend.

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

5 Software engineers and 2 QA's

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have been able to significantly improve the functionality of the product in a shorter timeframe with FT.

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

Their team works very closely with you and the CEO of the company takes the time to setup monthly touch bases to make sure that the project is going according to plan.

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

The transparency behind the process, and how closely they work with us to meet our needs is impressive.

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

None, working with FT is great!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the project manager of a BPO company, and we support other businesses on their IT and software needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Focusteck?

We needed someone to develop my website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Focusteck provided me with WordPress web development and has been helping me execute my ideas into digital form. We also implemented a WooCommerce plugin and closely collaborated on the design aspect of the project.

We’re currently in contact with them for digital marketing, specifically for social media. I’m in the process of developing pages so they’ve been educating me on how to market my business professionally.

What is the team composition?

I’m working with one designer and one account manager.

How did you come to work with Focusteck?

I was researching for web development firms on Google and came across their website. After having a conversation about the project, I moved forward with them because I really liked their ideas and way of communicating.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $4,500 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in August 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Focusteck, I now have a fully-functioning website and even though it’s completed, they still provide me with ongoing support to maintain it.

How did Focusteck perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great from a project management perspective. I have a main contact person who consistently provides me with daily updates throughout the process, and communicating with them is always productive. The process has been smooth because we share and support each other’s ideas. 

We mainly communicate through email, and they have their own project management tool that they use.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their dedication and responsiveness.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always room for improvement but right now, I can’t think of anything they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice would be to always be responsive, because Focusteck is always good at following up on the process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Senior project coordinator of Forrit that helps client in CMS.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Focusteck?

Our company was growing, and we needed a vendor who could handle our IT needs. This include upgrading our systems, maintaining our network, and more.

SOLUTION

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

We searched on freelancing sites "Fiver & Upwork". After interviewing them we chose focusteck on their service package and experience.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

We were facing a lot of issues to facilitate customers but we couldn't. So we decided to get help form them and communicate each and everything that was necessary to understand us. They fellfield all requirements within budget. I hope we will continue again in another project soon.

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

2 Resources worked with us, On of them was senior full stack developer and project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Focusteck has been highly professional throughout the process and helped us through all the steps of testing. They had high technological competencies to perform the needed testing as well as relevant domain experience. Everything was delivered on time and on budget. I'd highly recommend focusteck.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was outstanding and memorable, all of them were polite professionals.

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

Cost effective and Customer support!

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

Nothing for now!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company is a Cyber Security Solution Provider and I am the CEO of Red Spider Security LLC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Focusteck?

We have hired Focusteck to provide us with dedicated Developers, QA Engineers, and Dev-ops specialists for Custom Application Development around different internal security products.

SOLUTION

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

I came across their website through LinkedIn and then I found a common connection for an introduction. They have been very helpful since we had our first call and from there onwards, I have realized, we can do business with them. We have a fair experience working with the,.

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

We started with their Business Analyst and Solution Architect. They have done technical discovery workshops to understand the scope of the project and provided us guidelines to pick the right engagement. We then designed a team of 3 developers, 1 QA engineer, 1 Solution Architect with them. We use to have daily standups with the assigned team, Weekly Calls with management, and Monthly client success calls. They were on top of everything and provided cumulative team support.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

They have a pool of resources available to kick-off in 4 weeks. We have picked the resources after reviewing their profiles. We had final calls with every member before we finalized the team. In this process, their director of engineering (Saad) was very diligent and the hiring manager was accessible.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have estimated the project scope was around 8-10 months but with Focusteck guidance and the right strategy, technical stack, and skilled engineering team. We were able to complete the product in 5 months. I think the major success factor for us is that we saved 4-5 months and our product is ready for customers earlier than expected.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective, We used Standuply, Jira for PM/Sprints, Google Meet for Calls, Slack for Communication. We never felt that we are working with a separate team. They picked our working culture and made it easy to communicate with.

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

Transparency, Cost, and Skill.

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

On the whole, the engagement has no downside. I can suggest that they should develop a Level-2 team for support and maintenance contracts.