Freshcode

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an educational company that provides services for universities and schools. We develop software solutions and offer support to our clients. I’m the product owner in the company, in charge of the features we develop and deliver.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FRESHCODE?

It was hard to find internal developers, and we had time pressures to deliver functionalities. We’ve leveraged FRESHCODE’s services when we needed something delivered fast, and they’ve also provided technical experts that could consult us on certain product aspects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

FRESHCODE has mainly provided full-stack developers, along with frontend and backend ones.

What is the team composition?

Depending on the situation, we’ve used 5–10 people from FRESHCODE. We haven’t used any project managers from their side.

How did you come to work with FRESHCODE?

Before I started working with the company, they were chosen. We were simply looking for a company that could provide the services we were looking for without a lot of headaches. FRESHCODE was able to answer all of our questions.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve paid them $200,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working for them in the autumn of 2019, and FRESHCODE followed that spring. The collaboration is ongoing, and we’re hiring more people from them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

FRESHCODE provided developers to us, so the impact has been the growth of our source codebase. They’ve also taken part in some architectural decisions. Their team keeps us moving.

How did FRESHCODE perform from a project management standpoint?

From my perspective, they’ve performed quite well. The work with them is predictable, and they deliver when required. We communicate through Slack and similar applications.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I haven’t had any negative experiences with them. They deliver what we need on time. We ask them to do a task, and they do it without any questions. That’s the best feature of FRESHCODE, and it’s why we’re continuing to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t provide any feedback from a development perspective. We’ve looked at each developer’s expertise before hiring them. I haven’t had the occasion to work with other resources like a project manager or analyst.

FRESHCODE simply does their job, and I don’t have any issues.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

My advice could be that, if someone’s looking for a team that gets the job done without any issues, FRESHCODE is that team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re. a software development company in Switzerland. We develop products for the health vertical. I’m the founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FRESHCODE?

We started for our next-generation software in the cloud with another company. The protocols were going on for about a year, and we couldn’t reach an end. Month after month, we just had them fixing bugs. We decided that it wasn’t worth it and would scratch the project and start over with another company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I hired them to go over our code to see what worked and what didn’t. We shared our code through GitLab and asked them to analyze specific parts. At first, they did a code review and gave us some feedback on the code quality. The results weren’t great, so we cut ties with our other partners and started from scratch with FRESHCODE.

The web application has portals for both providers and patients. The first allows practitioners to maintain their working hours, directory, and entry. They also have an online calendar to see all of their appointments and the services they offer.

The patients have another frontend with a directory that helps them search for different practitioners based on the services they provide. They can see the list on a map view as well, and book an appointment directly. There’s a patient login and dashboard, so they can see their own appointments.

The other part of the platform is an invoicing feature. It allows providers to print or send PDF invoices to the patient’s portal.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager who allocated resources, so we could scale up or down as needed.

How did you come to work with FRESHCODE?

I did some research online and found FRESHCODE. We selected hem because of their experience with calendar and Google Sync.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2019 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve finalized the project and made it stable. We recently launched the site, so it’s finally in the market. It’s not quite finished because we had to bug fix first, we couldn’t think about what features we wanted to add. So we still want to deliver on a few more features, and the product is going to be enhanced. We plan to collaborate with them at least through the end of the year.

Our internal developers have also learned a lot from them. They were more familiar with desktop

How did FRESHCODE perform from a project management standpoint?

Step-by-step they brought our project together. We didn’t know what was working, so it was difficult to plan ahead. Instead, we decided to have regular check-ins. I had a weekly call for 10–15 minutes with the project manager just to make sure we were on track. Communication went really well. In between, we could ask for more resources and they allocated those resources. Then we had standup meetings with the developers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We realized that communication is key to project success, and they’re far superior to the last team we worked with. We made sure that they knew what we wanted from the end result.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not at this point in time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have finalized product requirement documents. When you’re precise, they can build it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder of a Fitness Start-up that helps users optimise their routines by finding the activity they are most suitable for. This is based on an extensive dataset including 100 sports, powered by the insights from the Olympic library and hundreds of hours of interviews with respective coaches. In 2017, the start-up, then-named Love Your Sport, has been named as one of the Top 100 European Startups by GSE, based on the concept and data analysis work alone. After further consumer tests, it was time to create an MVP, which would automate the analysis from the manual 30 mins per user to instant, and thus enable testing at scale.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire FRESHCODE?

As a non-technical Founder, I came to FreshCode with all my work to date, but no clarity about what I really needed. I knew it was key to automate the calculations that were stored in Excel / Google Sheets, and to connect the output to the existing platforms I was already using. I had no idea about the technical requirements for making that happen, and was of little help when it came to providing the right technical elements to the team.

What were your goals for this project?

Primary: Create an acceptable looking MVP, quickly and at low cost. Secondary: Help me navigate the murky waters of tech requirements for a start-up.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I met this vendor through networking with one of the staff members on LinkedIn. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of their work to date, and particularly endeared by their friendliness towards a non-technical co-founder, enthusiasm to help, and commitment to keep things jargon-free for me. I have received a number of quotes from alternative vendors earlier in the start-up journey. All of them had offered overly complicated and overly expensive solutions that went way above what a start-up at my stage was in need of.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

FreshCode took my brief and documentation and turned it around in a matter of weeks, with a few iterations. I received a GitLab link with all the work to date and detailed instructions on how to integrate it with the rest of my assets. Whilst this may not seem like a detailed description - this is what you get from a non-technical Founder. It just worked!

What was the team composition?

I did not have interactions with anyone but the CTO of the company, so am not sure about the roles of those involved in delivery.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project has allowed my start-up to go from dream to reality. Conversation with potential investors and accelerators, which would lead nowhere with no MVP and only a non-tech founder at the helm, have started going uphill the moment I told them that the build is being put in place. We have since been in the final interview round with Startup Bootcamp (Amsterdam) and received an offer from Antler (Stockholm).

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was well-arranged an effective, because I was not aware of it at all. Despite effectively offshoring this task, communication was always smooth and professional; it felt like we may as well be based in the same office building.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Down-to-earth, real doers, very human, open, and forgiving when I wasn't exactly the easiest client.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wish I had been more on top of things when working with them, to match their speed and efficiency. Nothing to improve from their side - perfect work!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder and CTO of No White Walls. We’re a company that provides services to landlords to help them manage individual rooms. We help landlords rent spaces and manage the rentals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FRESHCODE?

We needed to create a platform to help promote rentals. Our company started to build a website with a different agency that didn’t work out.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Basically, they build the website from scratch until production. Their team used JavaScript. They continued working on other features and building new versions. The platform’s complicated and involves different entry points for different users. At the moment, our engagement’s in the support stage.

What is the team composition?

I worked with three people.

How did you come to work with FRESHCODE?

I already had experience with FRESHCODE, so I asked them to step in.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on this project in April 2018 and the platform went into production in January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site’s allowed our company to become a company. Before, we were just a startup. Now, we have clients and can try to find investments.

How did FRESHCODE perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via Slack or Skype. If we had an urgent matter, we used Slack calls. It was really good. We had a project manager with whom we addressed everything. Also, we had an account manager who was always available if we needed to escalate, which rarely happened. It was amazing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We never had a failed project. Their communication was good. They listen and always try to improve. After the end of the development, they checked in with us to review what went well and what went less well. Their team tries to apply new strategies and technologies. They’re developing all of the time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be amazing to have our developers here once in a while but it's quite difficult with visas. They tried to apply a couple of times for visas but didn’t succeed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more prepared you are for the project, the quicker and the cheaper the project will be. That's not only FRESHCODE. That’s with any remote provider. Be prepared at the beginning with your requirements.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Pareto Analytica (Pareto E.D Ltd) specializes with Big Data and AI, supporting large organizations with their data mining challenges

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire FRESHCODE?

Pareto develops a dedicated solution for one of our customers that includes logistics optimization system. We looked for company that can assist with complex we development that involves with complex data processing steps. We were recommended to contact CODFRESH and we were impressed by their experience and background with complex data related projects.

What were your goals for this project?

ROI, timelines, quality of the deliveries

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We got recommendation from a colleague , then we asked for to hear about their experienced and then we interviewed the candidate developers for the project

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Pareto develops a dedicated solution for one of our customers that includes logistics optimization system. FRESHCODE involves in the development of the management portal

What was the team composition?

Senior .Net Code developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Code quality, timelines and positive (can do) approach for chancing requirements

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Perfect, we communicate on a daily basis

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The quality of the staff and their positive can-do approach set them apart.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We improved our communication over the time so at the moment everything works fine. During the process the FRESHCODE staff was very open and cooperative regarding the communication procedures and procedures in general

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of a small startup. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FreshCode?

I hired FreshCode a year ago to provide us with a backend developer to supplement our internal development team. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

FreshCode provided staff augmentation to supplement our development team. They assigned us a dedicated developer to support our in-progress development of a marketplace-type platform. At that time, we were building upon our existing materials. 

He’s still building off the original code base, but since we've worked together for two years now a significant amount is his own code. We haven't had him start anything from scratch, necessarily. He has mostly jumped in mid-project. 

At first, the developer only provided backend services. Since then, our work has started to involve full-stack development. Technologies FreshCode’s developer uses in the scope of our projects include Vue.js for the frontend, and Node.js and MongoDB on the backend. 

Features and functionalities we've requested center on data aggregation, charting, and presentation. Along with programming, he has also provided DevOps services for AWS and Docker. The resource FreshCode initially assigned us has become our primary developer. Currently, he handles about 80-90% of our development work. 

What is the team composition? 

FreshCode dedicated one developer to our projects. He works with us full time. I've also interacted with Alex (Sales Representative, FreshCode) about paying the invoices.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the last year, we've spent close to $60,000. We pay about $5,000 each month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since January 2018. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've closed a major account since our developer from FreshCode joined. The platform is meant to be used by a very small and specific group of people, so traffic isn't a metric we track. There's been growth we've seen, though.

The teammate we work with from FreshCode is very prolific. He reports directly to me. I used to be a developer and am extremely impressed with the quality of his work. The fact that he's become our primary developers is a testament to his strength. 

How did FreshCode perform from a project management standpoint?

I manage the project in this case. The developer FreshCode assigned us feels almost like a co-founder in a sense at this point. I run my ideas by him, and he manages priorities quite well. 

The developer's communication skills are great. He is fluent in English. I would give FreshCode top marks across the board. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

FreshCode is a large organization, and I only have experience working with one of their teammates. Over the last ten years, I've worked with a ton of developers. I've never thrown FreshCode’s developer a task he hasn't been able to do. He's very versatile and productive. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I've been very happy with everything. I really like FreshCode. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I don’t have any advice at this time.
 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

BluFlow is an organization that offers digital signage products. My role focuses on development coordination. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FreshCode?

At the time, we had a prototype or MVP version of our platform complete. Essentially, we needed to do further development and work on improvements. We found FreshCode and contracted them for the development at our request. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

FreshCode provided web development expertise to build upon the existing code within the MVP of our digital services platform. They developed and added more pages to expand it further. For the backend, it's entirely built on Node.js with a MongoDB database. They used Angular.js to program the frontend. 

What is the team composition? 

The team was made up of two developers and a project manager.

How did you come to work with FreshCode?

A colleague of mine came across FreshCode on an online listing site. We considered and interviewed a few other options before finding them. Their explanations and the way they introduced themselves made a positive impression. We felt confident they'd be capable of doing the job correctly. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $10,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–December 2018. In the future, we will probably use them again. The features we requested are done now, so we don't need further development at this stage.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although we didn’t really use specific metrics, we thoroughly tested everything the team delivered to make sure it was correct. All the work FreshCode produced was well-built and met our every specification.

How did FreshCode perform from a project management standpoint?

FreshCode managed the project very well. Lisa (Project Manager, FreshCode) was on top of everything and highly knowledgeable. We didn't have any issues. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Communication was FreshCode's most impressive skill. The project manager they assigned us was really great to work with. She understood everything that needed to be done and made sure the team built all the right features. The cost was very competitive, as well. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wouldn't say they need to improve on much. For our purposes, they were well suited. I have no issues to comment on. Everything worked out well. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I encourage future clients to clearly lay out every aspect of the project FreshCode needs to complete. Early detection of issues is a benefit of their strong communication skill. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO at Clapp Mobile. Our software company has a variety of clients in Germany. We create native applications for end-to-end platforms and websites. Most of our developers are in-house, but we’ve been working more and more with nearshore companies in recent years. It’s tough to find and maintain strong relations with developers here because they’re in such high demand. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FreshCode?

We wanted to have scalable development resources. Most of our projects involve Node and React, and React developers are hard to find in Berlin.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

FreshCode has supported many of our complex web development projects, which are usually full-scale platforms. They provide both frontend and backend development. We mainly use their expertise with Node and React. From time to time, we work with them on native applications. 

For the first project, which mostly used Node, they picked up where another team had left off.  Freshcode developed the entire total-energy platform for our enterprise client that lets consumers manage products for gas and power. The most significant application they supported was backend development for the Eurovision Song Contest, a famous annual event in Europe. 

We’ve also done smaller engagements for clients like a multinational lighting manufacturer and have several ongoing web projects for media clients. Currently, they’re handling at least 3-5 concurrent projects for us. For a startup client, they provide web and backend development while a different team handles the frontend. We often have FreshCode collaborate with different providers.
 
What is the team composition? 

We work with 7-10 people at a time from FreshCode. They assigned 4-5 developers to the startup client’s project, along with resources for project management and QA. They scale their team and provide more support as needed. 

How did you come to work with FreshCode?

Our friend who runs a startup had an excellent experience with FreshCode and provided a reference. We gave them some smaller tasks as an assessment, then hired them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have internal development and technology team who assess the code and quality of products FreshCode delivers. The excellent results have always been satisfying. They meet our deadlines and deliver high caliber platforms with robust and clean code. Our engagement has developed into a real partnership. They’re part of our team and have always been 100% committed. 

How did FreshCode perform from a project management standpoint?

They always supply a project manager with every project, which has tangible advantages. Having a dedicated point of contact from their side actively part of the plan mitigates distractions for the developers and tech team. We also have the option to speak directly to the developers for more technical matters. They take an active approach, and we have strong daily communication. 

When we’re doing complex projects, it’s useful to have a teammate from FreshCode work onsite with us in Germany. About every two months, we bring them to our offices so we can work closely together. They pitch ideas to our clients and assist our internal project managers. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

FreshCode offers innovative ideas and great suggestions on how we can do things better. We’ve been greatly benefiting from their extensive experience. We have a give-and-take working relationship that’s never a one-way dialogue. Closely involving them in our process produces better results than just having them deliver code.  I appreciate that FreshCode is continuously committed to improving themselves.

One of the most significant benefits of working with FreshCode is how well we know their teammates. They regularly visit our apartment for in-person meetings. While Slack is a useful tool, being able to talk face-to-face and even socialize is key to our business relationship. It helps build up a strong rapport. We work with them like a team, which is the dynamic we wanted to achieve. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

A minor problem we’ve encountered has been with estimations for specific tasks. It’s impossible to foresee every possible outcome, but they could be more realistic about complex projects. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The key to success is making FreshCode a part of your team. Getting them involved will help them provide the most value. Ask them questions about their ideas throughout the whole process. Communicate through tools like Slack and Jira. Investing in bringing two people onsite will pay off tenfold if you foster team spirit through face-to-face interactions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CTO of an IT company. We approach clients without a lot of IT experience and help them find solutions, whether it’s an internal software solution or apps and websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FreshCode?

One of my clients needed a system to store all of their bibliographic information and distribute it to fulfillment channels like Amazon. They had no workflow, such as reminders of when they needed to do something. We needed a system that included everything.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I worked on the requirements side of the project. FreshCode developed and delivered the software. I provided the requirements document and they worked on the wireframes and design mockups. After that, they hosted it on Amazon Web Services (AWS). We had quite a few rolling versions and deliveries since the project went on for a couple of years.

They started by developing the basics. The platform holds all sorts of books, contractors, agents, and information. Then we started work on the distribution channel. For instance, if you have an e-book in the system, it has to be delivered to Amazon at the distribution channel. If metadata or the e-book itself changed, it needs to be redistributed.

They edit workflow into the system. When you start producing a book, you have a publication date. Six months before the publication date, all the metadata needs to be submitted. They send a reminder to the tutorial team to check that everything is prepared and send a reminder to a production team that they need to start work.

What is the team composition?

One main developer worked from the beginning. Sometimes I engage with a designer or a developer who works on producing HTML and CSS, like design files.

How did you come to work with FreshCode?

We found them on Upwork. I had quite a few interviews with different companies and freelancers, and I really liked their professionalism. Their dev ops and software development skills were quite advanced.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent $50,000-$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We delivered the product that our customers use. Before we developed this product, our customer used a very slow system. After we developed our product with FreshCode, the editorial team told me that it saved them around 30-40 minutes a day.

How did FreshCode perform from a project management standpoint?

They're immediately responsive, and I usually have a manager for every project. They send me a timesheet of what has been done each day. We also record their work hours and tasks on Upwork. We use Skype, Google Hangouts, and Trello for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I feel safe; when I start a project with them, I know they’re not going anywhere. They deliver on time, even if they need to work on the weekends or add extra resources. The quality is great. They learn new technologies and come up with new technical ideas all the time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a therapist and founder of Naked Recovery Online and Naked Divorce. We host an online platform that provides curriculums to assist users in coping with personal traumas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FreshCode?

While I hired a development company to build the base WordPress plugin for our platform, that vendor moved on and I became incredibly nervous that we would have to start from scratch. Thankfully, FreshCode came highly recommended by a friend and I hired them to take over the project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our platform provides personalized curriculums for each user that includes checklists, journals, exercises, and also features a way for users to contact a therapist on our team if they’re feeling overwhelmed. FreshCode not only took over the development of this important software, they rewrote major aspects of the base plugin to make it more robust.

They optimized the platform’s speed and rewrote the entire journal functionality. They crafted a complex personalization function that allows us to provide specific recovery materials to individual users based on survey question responses. They also enhanced the platform’s e-commerce function.

They proactively added small dashboard plugins, including a graph that allows users to track how their feelings improve over time, and a function for users to set and monitor personal goals.

FreshCode helped port the base plugin across multiple subdomains and continue to provide support.

They're currently developing a new program for us in which they’ll clone the plugin and port it to a separate subdomain on a different website. Meant for couples counseling, this complex program requires separate modules for each individual, as well as a shared module for both partners, all of which must be tailored to that couple’s unique circumstances.

What is the team dynamic?

We’ve worked directly with the same project manager from the beginning and she passes our requirements to their development team.

How did you come to work with FreshCode?

A friend of mine works as a chief technology officer with a sophisticated risk management company. He recommended FreshCode after I explained my dilemma with the previous vendor, stressing their expertise with complex plugin development.

I contacted them and presented a demo. They seemed to not only understand the technical aspects of the project but also appreciated the importance of the work we were doing.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over £50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the major development work in May 2016 and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our revenue has doubled in the last year, thanks in part to the fact that they developed a platform that’s leagues ahead of our competitors.

We have a support agreement with them, but these hours keep accruing because we just haven’t had any issues. We had a number of problems with our previous vendor, but the project has run smoothly ever since FreshCode took over.

I'm a raving fan of FreshCode. I can talk about them until the cows come home.

How did FreshCode perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager is very meticulous. She works with me to carefully outline any development requests, passing it onto their development team only after she has a complete grasp of my needs. They meet every deadline, and I know exactly when to expect a first round demo if I request an iterative development. They’re also flexible in their communication methods. I use Moxtra as a convenient way to share project folders with our SEO and social media teams, and FreshCode had no problem adapting to this tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We always viewed ourselves as trauma recovery specialists, but we’ve since realized that we’re also an IT company. FreshCode has essentially become our IT partner. They're extremely professional in managing any scope change requests, highly reliable, and have an incredibly talented staff.

They’re excellent business analysts. If I describe the platform requirements, they ask the necessary questions to translate those needs into technical solutions. They also come to me with their own suggestions for improving the platform.

I was really panicking after the original vendor left, but I was amazed at how quickly FreshCode understood and enhanced the plugin.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve recommended them to a number of my entrepreneurial friends, but FreshCode is often too busy. I would love to see them grow so they can help these other companies.