Ideo Software

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was an e-commerce manager responsible for cooperation with IDEO, creating and communicating a vision, coordinating and receiving the project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

For the implementation of a new b2b online store with 400,000 products on the proprietary Edito platform integrated with : PIM software (PIMCORE - IDEO implementation), payment technology(Przelewy24) , analytical tools, ERP system. Goals: Full availability of the offer for b2b customers, easy purchase, increased turnover from the e-commerce channel.

SOLUTION

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

We worked on the previous version of the store. Ideo developed this store. They were very involved, understood our needs and presented a clear offer of cooperation.

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

1. Vision
2. Pre-implementation analysis
3. Graphic design
4. E-commerce implementation on Edito software (frontend & backend)
5. PIMCore implementation
6. Store integration with PIMcore, ERP system, analytical tools, payment technology (Przelewy24)
7. Supplying data in PIMCORE.
8. Migration of data about products, customers and orders from the previous system
9. Testing
10. Production launch Technologies: Edito Software (PHP) PIMCore Statistics: Google Analytics JavaScript framework: Vue.js 2.6.11 Font script: Google Font API Graphics: javaScript: Chart.js Maps: Leaflet 1.4.0 Google Tag manager JavaScript libraries: jQuery UI 1.12.1 Lodash 4.17.20 jQuery 3.5.1 UI Frameworks: ZURB Foundation 6.5.3 Bootstrap 3.4.1

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

8 persons :

• PM
• 2 Programmers  
• Server administrator
• Graphic Designer
• SEO manager
• CPC Specialist
• Marketing Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the implementation of the store, online sales increased. The product offer has increased. Customer satisfaction has increased and the brand image has improved.

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

Communication was very direct, fast and professional. Redmine software was used for tasks, video communication was carried out by Google Meet. The project was divided into stages that were successively received by us without reservations

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

Very efficient work, open mind orientation, no conflicts. They had extensive knowledge and provided good support.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm an e-commerce manager with Black Red White. We manufacture and distribute furniture and home furnishings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ideo Agency?

We wanted to launch an e-commerce website that would allow us to sell our catalog online.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to establish an online image, improve sales, and meet our clients' demands.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We did market research and concluded that Ideo was the best fit for our needs.

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

Ideo developed a mobile-responsive website and did SEO. They built the website with user accessibility in mind.

What was the team composition?

We had regular contact with a project manager, developers, and UX specialists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The launch improved our sales and earned several prestigious awards in Poland. Millions of users can find information about our company and products.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Ease of communication made the project run smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Ideo understood the specific needs of our industry and the online market. They brought expertise to the project and we value their creativity, diligence, and flexibility.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

There are always improvements to be made, but their communication ensured that the team made changes quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the trade marketing coordinator of one of the leading global brands of office supplies. We constantly look at the changes going on in the workplace and how to better organize it.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ideo Agency?

We mainly needed website management for our brands.

What were your goals for this project?

We were mainly seeking to improve webpage management in the Episerver system.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Ideo Agency was suggested to us by a local agency that we collaborate with as part of our company’s marketing efforts. Because of that trust and the fact that we had already collaborated on similar projects together, we decided to choose them for this task.

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

We wanted a company that was familiar with the Episerver system in which our websites are hosted. Ideo Agency has taken over all activities in the enterprise information portal, which includes creating subpages for products and promotions, handling changes across all pages, preparing and sending newsletters, and more.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a full-time person to our project, who takes care of all the necessary tasks on an ongoing basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to our collaboration with Ideo Agency, we’ve managed to improve all the websites in our wide portfolio. We’ve been also able to speed up the changes on the websites that the market demands from us.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We’re in constant communication and always get results on time. All our expectations have been met and we intend to continue our cooperation for years to come.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re an honest team that reacts quickly, communicates easily, and is always honest.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I don’t think so.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a project manager at Cyfrowy Polsat S.A., a leading media and telecommunications group in our region.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ideo Agency?

We needed someone to develop a professional e-learning platform.

What were your goals for this engagement?

We wanted to help our employees develop various skills and maintain their competencies at a high level.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Ideo had already delivered our intranet system and we decided to continue cooperating with them.

Describe the engagement in detail.

The platform enables us to publish and share lessons, presentations, and online trainings in various formats, prepare and publish online tests, and monitor user accounts and training history with advanced reporting. The platform is synchronized with other systems that Ideo had previously implemented for us so employees can access them all with a single login.

What was the team composition?

I worked with a project manager on Ideo’s side who managed the whole project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Switching from our previous e-learning platform to Ideo’s was a great success and a huge relief for us. Ideo’s solutions are far more user-friendly, both for administrators and users, so we save a lot of time publishing trainings, managing user accounts, and preparing online tests and reports.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Ideo ran the entire project, from graphic design to implementation; I checked in at every stage to ensure that all our business requirements were met. We made many changes after the project started but they were flexible. I could always count on the project manager’s advice to stem from his great amount of experience.

What did you find most impressive about this vendor?

I was impressed with Ideo’s flexible approach to client needs. They gave us innovative solutions molded to our specific requirements, which stands in stark contrast to other IT providers.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I didn’t see any major areas that needed to be improved.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an admin for PGNiG, a Polish state-controlled oil and gas company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ideo Agency?

They’ve developed an electronic system for customer compliance. It’s used for integrating with bigger systems in our contact center.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ideo developed our platform using a custom version of Microsoft SQL Server. It connects to our CRM with GenesisSolutions. Our main goal was to integrate different systems to different databases, including Oracle SQL and SQL Server, in order to maintain consistency with client information.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one project manager and two programmers from their team. I was the main person in charge of the project from our side, responsible for development and testing.

How did you come to work with Ideo Agency?

I had worked with them while I was with another department of PGNiG, after I initially found them through a friend’s recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was 200,000–300,000 Polish zloty (approximately $50,000–$80,000).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Ideo Agency in 2009. The project was finished in 2010, after one year of development. The solution is still in use.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We didn’t encounter any negative effects as a result of the integration between the two systems. It took some time for our employees to get used to the new system after they had always used paper, but it had clear visualizations and it was easy to use, so they started to see its use after two or three months.

How did Ideo Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a good collaboration and we’ve maintained contact with them. Their team was available almost all the time, and they were productive and friendly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They developed a flexible, not too complicated system at a good price, and they provided good support. They were able to build anything I requested; nothing was impossible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s always possible to improve, but the general collaboration was very good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our business is an international dental tools and instruments manufacturer that has several subsidiaries abroad. I lead our marketing and development projects including site updates and building mobile apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ideo Agency?

For my work at this company for the past year and a half, most of my interactions with Ideo Agency have pertained to our website and e-commerce platforms. Our international digital platform spans several markets with different language bases.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ideo Agency collaborates with us on our website’s design and build. We assign specific tasks for new features and implementations. These add-ons enhance our two e-commerce shops for each country in which we offer direct sales. We provide wireframes to show them the design we want and describe what we want in terms of features and functionalities.

We’re continuing to introduce new languages, including Russian to our site. My colleague recently started working on pages in Japanese and Chinese. Currently, Ideo is developing our new online store. They are also in charge of ongoing maintenance.

What is the team composition?

Ideo Agency assigned us a project manager. But we also interact with other members of their team depending on our needs during different situations.

How did you come to work with Ideo Agency?

Before I began working here, our company had partnered with a local web agency. Three years ago, they were no longer satisfied. They considered several local and offshore web partners. Ideo Agency offered the best value and helped maximize our department’s ROI.

How much have you invested with them?

Ideo Agency gave a quote of about $30,000 to develop our requested e-commerce platforms. We currently have a maintenance contract based on the work they complete.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with Ideo Agency since the beginning of 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of Ideo’s best attributes is an ability to adapt their workforce to meet our company’s needs. Ideo answers our requests promptly and offers a valuable service proposition for our investment. 

How did Ideo Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate with a project manager and an additional point of contact from Ideo Agency. They manage their development team’s work internally. We’re rarely in direct contact with the developers themselves, which is an effective style of workflow.

We use the Jira project management tool for work requests. Whenever we need a new feature built or a problem fixed, we open a corresponding ticket for them to complete. This ticketing system lets us enter text and attach documents. For major developments that require in-depth explanations, we supplement this tool with a Skype call.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Ideo has the ability develop everything we request, but there’s always room to improve. We usually identify problems with their work at the detailed visual level when we send layouts for new product pages. Onboarding a graphic designer would help them take care of this issue.

At times, I’ve noticed a slight disconnect between what I try to explain and their actual takeaway. These misinterpretations may be related to distance or cultural differences. It can be difficult to express things clearly.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I would advise clients to meet the team first. Working with people whom I hadn’t met before created a distance. Meeting the specific resources who we’ll be working with before the project starts will make collaborating much easier than restricting contact to simply emails or faceless names on a screen.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is a metals and plastics distributor in Poland and the Baltic states. We are a part of the ThyssenKrupp international group, and also provide other services like metal processing to customers. The company has around 1,000 employees and more than 20 branches in Poland, and a turnover of around €500 million per year.

I am the head of marketing and communications for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ideo Agency?

One of our focuses is to provide support for the sales department. As such, we started a project for building a web tool which could help collect and share information about customers and sales, as well as act as a communications channel between sales teams throughout the country. There are often two to three people working with the same customer, so they need to keep up with any new information.

We had an initial idea and put together a briefing with all the sales people and branch directors, discussing their needs. At the same time, we started to look for a provider who could actually build our sales tool.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially worked with a two-person team from Ideo Agency, who looked at our idea and had long talks with our own IT and marketing people about how it could be programmed into an actual product. We created a project blueprint and met with one of Ideo Agency's programmers.

Much of the collaboration was done online through a software provided by Ideo Agency. We defined the stages of the project and had one point of contact from our side working with Ideo Agency's developers. They remained focused on helping us solve any issues which came along the way when building the product from scratch.

We have mainly worked with 2 people from Ideo Agency's team, but their numbers varied depending on the workload.

How did you come to work with Ideo Agency?

We had interviews with many different companies in the Polish market, offering both ready-made products and custom development services. It was important for us to find an experienced partner, and that they understood what we wanted to do and instill confidence. The developer needed to be willing to help and support us, not just make a sale. From our first contact with Ideo Agency, we had a very good collaboration. Their people were very friendly, open, and support-oriented. Rather than talking about money, Ideo Agency asked us what we wanted to do and concentrated on finding a solution for building our idea.

How much have you invested with Ideo Agency?

The cost of Ideo Agency's services was above $50,000. We have an hourly contract.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Ideo Agency in October 2014. Our tool was delivered, and Ideo Agency continued to make improvements to it while our sales team was using it. We continue to work with Ideo Agency and have started on a new module of the software recently, which will allow us to plan projects in collaboration with customers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It would be difficult to attribute a monetary value to the tool's results since it's not a commerce software. It has been popular within our sales team, making it easier for them to share information about customers. Our company's employees and directors alike have given good feedback for it, and have requested additional functionalities. We plan to have the software serve as a base for our company, and provide customers access to it as well, in the future.

How did Ideo Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Ideo Agency supplied an online tracking tool through which we could see the progress of the work. We have a great project management team on our side, which overlooked the project throughout its duration, but Ideo Agency's team was also willing to make progress with us and provide support. There were no struggles during the collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about Ideo Agency?

I would like to highlight Ideo Agency's ability to build a customer relationship. It was an important aspect for our people, and we've been able to build upon it. We were on a first name basis with them shortly, even though these relationships are more formal in Poland. Ideo Agency's team is also very knowledgeable on the service side, which was appreciated by our people from the IT side. If I were to start a new project in an area compatible with Ideo Agency's services, I would hire them again.

Are there any areas Ideo Agency could improve?

We haven't identified a need for Ideo Agency to improve its work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the digital project manager at Costa Coffee.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ideo Agency?

I needed assistance with creating a new application with corresponding CMS and CRM platforms to support a loyalty program.

What were your goals for this project?

Ultimately, I wanted to replace our legacy loyalty platform with an updated version.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We put candidates through an assessment center to analyze their skills and Ideo Agency was the best fit for our project.

Describe the project in detail.

First, we formulated an architecture for a new loyalty program. Through some analytical discussions, we put together a collection of UX designs and integration interfaces. Then, Ideo Agency developed both the front- and backend systems and put the solution through QA testing. They migrated data from our legacy application and added additional functionalities. They finalized both our CMS and CRM platforms and set up an internal accounting and business intelligence system. In their development, they prioritized compatibility with both web and mobile devices.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a large team that included a project manager, solution architects, network administrators, front- and backend developers, UX designers, quality testers, and a security officer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received positive feedback and reviews from our customers. In the first week after our launch, they loyalty platform was downloaded over 10,000 times. Ideo Agency delivered all aspects of the project on time.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They’re a great team. It was a very collaborative and communicative project. They’re quick to solve any problems.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciated their cooperation and customer service. Despite the complexity of our project, they met all of our expectations. They focused on every single detail to prevent future performance problems.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, there aren’t.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of internet sales at Grupa CSV Sp. z.o.o. We supply automotive, commercial vehicle and industrial paint technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ideo Agency?

We wanted to launch a new e-commerce website to cater to both B2B and B2C clients.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted this site to connect mainly with B2B clients, but eventually allow us to move into the B2C market as well. It needed to have online sales functionality, complete with a backend to support orders and mobile sales as well. However, we had a limited timeframe and budget to complete this project.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have worked with Ideo Agency before and know they are specialists in their field.

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

We planned the work we wanted Ideo Agency to do in a joint session, including designing how we wanted the functionality should look. The team provided helpful suggestions during this process. Ideo Agency then executed that plan and developed the site.

What was the team composition?

We worked with two developers and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the site launched, we experienced a 200% increase in orders from B2B clients and were able to branch into the B2C market.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We used Redmine to communicate with the team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They completed the project on time and were effective in their communication.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

No, we were very happy with their work.