Gorrion

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is an online memorial platform. I am the president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Gorrion Software House?

We were looking for someone who would take care of the appearance and style of the UI, finish the mockups of missing pages, create the prototype in Figma and work with us on user messaging.

SOLUTION

How did you select Gorrison Software House?

I wrote on the internet that we were looking for a partner to redesign the site and Leo, their Partnerships Manager, contacted me.

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

We already had the UX part of the design (the wireframes). We wanted to redesign the application mainly from the UI side and a bit of UX. There was already research, style guide and brand book done, so we had a general outline of the project, typography, colours, and the Gorrion's team was going to take care of the visual side based on what was already there.

After the designs, we performed usability tests using the prototype in Figma.

How many resources from the Gorrison Software House team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The team consisted of a designer, project manager, 2 developers and one developer who conducted workshops for our internal team

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven't released a new version of the site yet.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Cooperation with the designer was at a high level of communication. The team listened to our needs and was open to training our team when necessary, so that the effect of our cooperation was the best.

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

I am truly impressed by the designer's skills. The designs are at a high level and even exceeded our requirements. The workshops for our dev team were also very helpful and conducted in a professional way.

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

The team may pay attention to some aspects of communication, but the overall effect of the collaboration is impressive.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Administration Manager, Customer Service Manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Gorrion Software House, and what were your goals?

The project includes a website managed from the admin panel and a custom CMS that allows sending push notifications to users with the installed application. Gorrion also delivered a CRM for managing schools and trainers with a web-based trainers examination system. We wanted to organize and simplify the training management process and show our organization in a more attractive form, thanks to the website. The systems allow us to make the courses more efficient and improve the communication with trainers and schools.

SOLUTION

How did you select Gorrion Software House and what were the deciding factors?

We decided to work with Gorrion thanks to the recommendation. Later, the company convinced us with efficient communication, and attention to detail, which was visible since project analysis and planning when they tried to understood what is really important to us and will help us in our daily work.

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

The delivered products are: - website managed through the admin panel, - custom CMS that allows, among other things, to send push notifications via the application, - CRM for managing schools and trainers, - a web-based system for conducting coach exams. Technologies that were used were Node.js, MongoDB Mongoose, React, Redux, Docker and Docker Compose. All parts of the project were completed on time and were consulted on an ongoing basis. Gorrion's team consisted of 2 developers, a designer and a product owner.

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

Most of the time, the team consisted of two developers, a designer and a product owner. A third developer also worked with us for some time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can say that the new website did contribute to the improvement of our statistics. Also, the systems allow us to save time because we have all the essential information in one place. We have gained an additional communication channel with application users thanks to the push notifications, and the web panel lets us conduct exams in a much more efficient and convenient way.

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

Communication was very smooth. We used Google Meet and Slack, through which we shared all relevant information, and the team regularly provided us with updates on the progress of work.

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

The Gorrion's team paid attention to the needs of our organization. They focused not only on the technical aspects of the project but also on bringing us real value. They made us know that our product is in good hands and that it will be designed in such a way that will allow us to achieve our goals.

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

I don't see any need for improvements. The cooperation was exactly as we expected.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a biolelectronics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gorrion Software House?

We needed help building a new mobile app product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app was for an equine therapy product. They worked off an operational wireframe we provided. It’s used for equine health, wellbeing, pain management, injury recovery, exercise recovery, and overall maintenance. The app controls our medical device and the ability to share treatment information with other users, the owner, or a veterinary surgeon. It’s available on iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

We worked with six people from their team.

How did you come to work with Gorrion Software House?

One of their partners reached out to me and we met in London. They pitched us their capabilities to do the work and the relationship was born from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2019, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re happy with their work and the feedback from my team has all been positive.

How did Gorrion Software House perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly standups and communicate via email. Before COVID-19 I flew over there. We also Hangouts and WhatsApp to keep in touch, too.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their appetite to meet our intended design outcome for the product is impressive. Other developers haven’t had the same positive attitude. They always say “If we’re not sure, we’re sure we can find a way.”  

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the past, we’ve had some communication issues, but those have since been resolved. They’re typically open about their limitations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’ve been an easy company to work with. They have a very positive, stable culture. My advice is to have a good idea of what you want as an end result.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work at Birdie, we are a healthcare company providing a SaaS for domiciliary care agencies in the UK taking care of our elders.

I am an Engineering Lead, working across product & engineering on the whole stack, from our mobile application that we provide caregivers on the field with to backend integrations with other softwares our clients use.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Gorrion Software House?

We need a talented backend software engineer to build and maintain integrations with third-party softwares used by our clients. The integrations were not simple as those were pretty old software - it required to work with CSV files on FTP servers and SOAP APIs

What were your goals for this project?

1. Building new integrations
2. Monitoring integrations to ensure they work at scale
3. Allowing the end-user to be notified with any issues on the integrations

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I met with one of the owner at a Meetup in London. When choosing a vendor for this project we had a call and he suggested one of their engineers that had become available.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Michal (the engineer provided by Gorrion) built 2 integrations successfully and together we architected and built the system to allow end-user to know of any issues with the integrations. All projects were completed in time and we had excellent feedback from the end-customer

What was the team composition?

Me (Technical Architecture / Product Management / Software Development) and Michal (Software Development / Technical Architecture)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We unlocked a large MME client by building an integration with their in-house software.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I was managing most of it, which was fine. The engineer provided was very talented and required little supervision.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Flexibility and quality of staff

Are there any areas for improvement?

Would have loved to get timetables when receiving invoices to easily double-check the time logged

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Co-founder and operations director at Medical Logistics. Medical Logistics provides time-critical medical deliveries, private blood tests and mobile phlebotomy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Gorrion Software House?

We have hired Gorrion Software House for an URGENT website development offering same-day blood tests for Covid-19 antibodies. The whole project had to be finished in just 2 weeks and amazingly Gorrion Software House finished it a few days ahead of our deadline! Amazing. Dawid (a project manager) has been in contact all the time updating me on our progress and answering all my questions (even over the weekend). The team have implemented some last minute ideas (like discount coupon) which were not discussed before starting the project. Very helpful and professional approach. An absolute pleasure to work with Gorrion Software House. Highly recommended!

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a website offering blood tests for the general public. - calendar with booking slots - discount coupon - customer profile management and more. All of our goals were met and solutions implemented. We now have a wonderful website doing exactly what we needed.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have met Łukasz Wroński co-founder & CEO a few months ago in London (Łukasz found me on LinkedIn and asked for a meeting). We stayed in touch since. This was the main reason for us to use Gorrion Software House - I had a connection for the project I needed. This is how you do business those days:)

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We have hired Gorrion Software House for an URGENT website development offering same-day blood tests for Covid-19 antibodies. Before we started, there was a 1hour long skype meeting. I have explained what we need and who we are. Guys caught the idea immediately and after asking a few questions went straight to work! All our communication was through WhatsApp / Skype / Hangouts. (and we didn't even have to do much of those- maybe 15mins/day on average?) They have built and designed a website and logo. Suggested appropriate brand colours and took care of all visual aspect of our project. On our side, we have provided all texts for the website.

What was the team composition?

Dawid - project manager Not sure who else - Dawid mentioned they have put 2 programmers on the job to make sure they meet our super short deadline.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The whole project goes live in the next few days so I can't comment on the impact of this on our business but - I have asked Gorrion Software House to design our website in the way so we can re-use it later on (we have some plans for the future where this website can serve a bit different purpose - sort of recycling :)

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Communication with Dawid a project manager through WhatsApp/Skype/Hangouts. Dawid was available all the time, even over the weekend to answer any questions etc. The project finished a few days before our -2 weeks- deadline! Amazing.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Speed - project finished in less than 2 weeks (this was super important for us) while at the same time they still provided a very high quality website with all functions needed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't see any areas for improvement. They were brilliant.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder and CEO of Spin Brands, a social media agency based in London that serves worldwide clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gorrion Software House?

We never had a full, clear picture of where we stood within the market, so we needed to find out our client mix, trends, expectations, and more. We wanted to ensure our clients are happy and our information is up to date. 

We’ve tried various CRM systems but none of them were really relevant for us so we decided to build our own and hired Gorrion Software House. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

On our introductory day, we started by describing our problem to them, which was that we lacked accurate information and storage for it. They helped us flesh out solutions and turn them into what they call a product book, which showcases their ideas to solve our problem. There was a bit of negotiating, agreeing on the scope and the MVP, and identifying the timeframe.

Their quote was pretty clear from the start and we reduced it based on what we deemed necessary at that moment. After a few weeks, they then developed our CRM for us and ran user testing efforts. 

What is the team composition?

We had a main project manager who was our day to day point of contact who coordinated and organized everything. There was a team behind him which we met at the start, and about 5–6 people supported behind the scenes. 

How did you come to work with Gorrion Software House?

My business partner met one of their founders and, when we had a software need, we remembered their team.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about £38,000 (approximately $46,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–May 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We went in with a massive scope but they delivered something that was much better than we would have expected and within our budget. People have been shocked by how slick the CRM is. Though we didn’t spend a small amount of money, the quality of the product is really great and people have been excited by it. It’s a fun, playful design and has been helpful with our data storage. 

How did Gorrion Software House perform from a project management standpoint?

They were really good. They managed our expectations very well. We chatted via Slack most of the time since I was struggling to find the time for phone calls. Every Monday they told us what sprint they were working on for that week and how we were doing with time and budget. Their communication was very impressive, especially being overseas with language differences. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everything felt very transparent. When we scoped it out, we knew how many days they had estimated for each individual part and we could, therefore, challenge them and they could explain. They were quite accommodating; we knew exactly what we were buying and where our money was going, which was really impressive. 

Communication was very smooth and the whole process was quite quicker than I thought it would be. Also, they insisted on user testing, which I thought would be a waste of money, and it turned out to be really useful. They made sure we got the best product in the end. 

They didn’t just build what we asked for; they really thought about usability and our clients. They focused on how people will use the product and understand it. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Genuinely, I don’t have any complaints. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them have input. Work with them and don’t make them work for you. They have an extremely intelligent group of people there who know their stuff and by letting them be involved with the process, you’ll end up with a much better product than purely making them carry out your plan.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president of FitnessProLive. Gives fitness professionals the opportunity to start their online business. With our built in camera they can train clients from all over the world online live face to face.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Gorrion Software House?

To build the app called FitnessProLive

What were your goals for this project?

To provide a networking system between fitness professionals and clients. Now you can train at anytime or anywhere no matter where you in the world, at the location of your chose and all you need is your cell phone.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They find me online while I was conducting a search one

Describe the project in detail.

Once they found me we immediately spoke. They sent me documents to sign before revealing my idea to them. I provided them with some content just for them to get started. I visited their facility one time, and at that time they’ve had already put together a mock layout Of what the will potentially look like. They took me through it and ask me for my opinion. The next several months we would communicated through email and slack. They designed the technology, logo and colors to make FitnessProLive what is today. We launched the first part of FitnessProLive in February of 2019. We released the full app in March 2019.i mostly

What was the team composition?

I mostly communicated with one person during the time the app was being built. I never had a communication problem, there was never a time when I could not get in contact with him.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We finished a full functioning app, that took a lot of doing especially on the technical side by its due date by only communicating through email and slack. The app is functioning great. The video camera and the sound is very clear.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Beautiful!! The communication was key! We designed this app by communicating over phone and email which made it more challenging. But because of their excellent customer service skills it was made very easy.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were very attentive, patient, professional, and they had great work ethic. They had great time management. Their communication was amazing. Not one time did I ever have a problem getting in contact with them. My goals was their priority. They made me feel important, and also gave me confidence that I had a great product. They gave me hope which allowed me to never doubt or question was I doing the right thing. I know that’s what companies is suppose to do, but this felt very genuine.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Just for them to get better at what they are already great at.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company sells a franchise for teaching English to young children in Poland. I’m responsible for our dedicated CRM system, which is designed to deal with our franchisees and with the kids’ application, and I’m also a board member.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gorrion?

At the time, we didn’t have any custom software in place. Our CRM was too general, so we needed a lot of tools tailored to us and our method. First, we wanted to create an application to help children learn English and maximize the results of our method.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, they developed an Android, iOS, and web application for students. It features interactive boards and games intended to help teach English. We used Cordova to develop the app for multiple platforms. The animations were done on HTML5, and they also created some of the simple animations on the app.

The second project was an online app designed to handle our relations with the schools we collaborate with.

What is the team composition?

There was one front- and one backend developer, as well as an Android and iOS one. We’re currently working with one programmer for maintenance.

How did you come to work with Gorrion?

I found them through Google and got in touch. Their mid-range pricing and the good impression they made during our meeting impressed us. We knew they had the right knowledge and skills we needed for this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from October 2016–June 2018, but they continue to do maintenance and Android and iOS updates. We’re also implementing another level to the application, which they’ll be working on in the months to come. It will remain the same, but with different content to reach children in the first grade.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is used by 12,000 children and 3,000 teachers in Poland. Their team was helpful in choosing the technology that it needed. It would’ve been hard to develop without a partner we could trust, and I can count on them to deal with any problems instantly.

How did Gorrion perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re in constant contact, and they explain everything to me. The management from the team was also very good, using GitHub.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a flexible approach, which allows us to discuss any technical disagreements and reach a conclusion that’s good for both parties.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't name anything on the application side.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Always discuss the project in detail to avoid any misunderstandings.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of FireCloud365, a company that provides a platform for businesses to manage fire safety checks online using a mobile app and near-field communication technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Gorrion Software House?

We needed to conduct a code review and then add a feature to the existing site. We also needed to develop a new Android app and API.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We spent many hours online looking for a partner and tried a few different companies and freelancers without any luck. I then found an article mentioning that Poland is one of the top five countries to find developers, so I started looking there.

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

They began by finding any existing security issues in our code, after which they added a QR scanning feature to the platform. Moreover, they developed an Android app.

What was the team composition?

Their head of mobile was our point person and kept everything moving. We worked with one of their senior engineers for the code review, then with an API developer and an Android developer later on.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their team never seems to sleep; they’re always working. They never missed a single deadline.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I found it incredibly easy to work with them via email or Skype, regardless of them being a remote team. They’re also great English speakers.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We always felt that they were helpful and added value to what we wanted to do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company created a mixed social networking service platform for foodies. I’m a co-founder and the current CEO. We launched in the UK in 2014.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gorrion Software House?

We needed an experienced iOS developer that could accommodate our budget. Our in-house team had already completed the full Android version and the backend for both platforms. Gorrion Software House offered the exact services we needed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gorrion Software House focused exclusively on the frontend iOS app build. They only had to build the client-facing component for the Apple version. Our internal resources had completed the full-stack Android programming. The iOS app is compatible with the same backend we’d created in-house. They were responsible for minimal design work. We asked them to reproduce the UX/UI of the Android version for iOS. They incorporated these design features into the new build.

Our app is a uniquely hybrid social networking service platform. An experience sharing component connects users through photos and videos. The restaurant discovery function sorts nearby establishments based on search parameters like distance, cuisine, and ambiance. Interactive “dynamic menus” preview food item options and let patrons order and request their waiter while dining. The social networking aspect works both as community building and a dating app. It connects diners with similar tastes so they can go out to eat together. Static features include recipes to cook.

What is the team composition?

We've kept the team small and streamlined. Gorrion Software House assigned us one project manager who has worked with us the whole time. She plans each facet of the build and the developers program the actual product.

How did you come to work with Gorrion Software House?

While I lived in London, their CEO was actually my neighbor. We lived on the same floor and know each other very well. We discussed my new venture and the struggle to find a reasonably-priced iOS app developer. He told me about his experienced team in Poland, and we started working together.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2015. Gorrion Software House has been with us every step of the way. We’ve been quite satisfied with their work. I don't foresee an end to our partnership anytime soon.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the Android app was made in-house, we can always run testing or makes changes. If that version is fully functional, we know everything works on the backend. The iOS app uses the same backend system, so it was easy to assess frontend quality.

We measure Gorrion Software House’s success by how well they solve problems. One particularly skilled developer fixes issues promptly and perfectly. If he passes his work down to a junior person, it takes longer, even if they produce similar results. Whenever delegation caused problems, they quickly pulled in a more senior resource.

How did Gorrion Software House perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve taken our time delivering the app stage by stage. During each iteration, we prioritize which features to include. They’ve completed tasks in an orderly manner since the very start. We conduct code reviews each time they program a new feature. The team quickly resolves any bugs we report.

The project manager is our main point of contact. We only interacted with developers when she was on vacation. They send frequent status reports and are always available by Skype or email. I have no complaints about communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Gorrion Software House offers remarkable flexibility in terms of budget, timeline, and availability. If tasks get delayed, they include a detailed report explaining what happened. They always find a way to make the project work within our budget. The team worked hard to maximize our ROI.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If we assigned tasks that required more developers than they had internally, they had to hire subcontractors. I saw some shifts in quality that were probably due to that dynamic. QA could be hard without knowing who was involved with the build. I truly believe they did the best they could with their existing resources. Finding and vetting qualified programmers is going to extend the timeline. Gorrion Software House is always transparent. They tell us whenever a developer needs to delegate work.

The project manager is our liaison to the developers, which is critical for productivity. It’s not the standard of practice, but I’d appreciate direct access to the programmers occasionally. It would be much easier to speak to the responsible party. For reviews, the product manager should fully understand the scope. Properly conveying our requests would minimize time spent on explanations and preempt mistakes in the app.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Customers should clearly communicate their needs so nothing gets lost in translation. Take the time to prepare wireframes and images rather than explaining verbally. It's time-consuming and difficult to lay out each feature you want, but it's important nonetheless and will preempt misunderstandings.