Interactivated Solutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of a company that educates violinists world-wide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Interactivated Solutions to develop a bespoke affiliate marketing site that serves our worldwide audience.

SOLUTION

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

We selected this provider after reviewing their previous work and after interviewing the manager. The deciding factor was their trustworthiness and helpful thinking about what would be the best course of action for us.

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

After an initial meeting to discuss our objectives, Interactivated Solutions came up with two possible scenarios to solve our problem. We formulated a desired outcome, which they delivered subsequently. Technologies used were PHP and javascript on AWS.

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

A project manager was our main point of contact, but there were regular team meetings with developers, DevOp and QA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have seen an increased amount of sales and our customers have commented on the improved usability of the site.

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

Outstanding communication throughout, using Jira and Slack. The project was completed within the time frame set and we received weekly updates about the progress of the work.

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

The team listened very carefully to what our objective was. They made sure they understood our position and were very helpful in suggesting possible ways forward, which were subsequently implemented.

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

We had some initial questions about how communication between Interactivated Solutions and our company would take place, but these were answered in a timely manner and in a very friendly way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a product manager for an EPM (Enterprise Performance Management) provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactivated Solutions?

We needed someone to provide us with custom software development and implementation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Interactivated Solutions developed and implemented a plugin into our e-commerce platform for payment processing. The main functionalities they produced are the introduction of Alipay and WeChat, the utilization of UI components, and backend API integration. 

What is the team composition?

My main points of contact were the CEO and lead developer.

How did you come to work with Interactivated Solutions?

We already had a working relationship in the past, so we just reconnected with them for this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–April 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was more about introducing a new product rather than improving functionality, and I believe they were able to successfully deliver on that.

How did Interactivated Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed well from a project management perspective, as they never went over budget and communicated consistently.

They utilized JIRA to manage the project, and we typically talked through Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What impressed me the most was their ability to deliver quality work despite the odds and adversities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could maybe tweak their approach to project documentation.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide them with as much information and details for the requirements as possible, so they can fully deliver your needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a digital marketing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactivated Solutions?

We needed to do a deep dive into the quality of the programming on some larger e-commerce projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Interactivated Solutions has delivered several things throughout the process. They’ve worked on the layout, UI, testing, programming, and connectivity to a couple of systems on the backend. Additionally, we engage them regularly for maintenance.

For this particular project, we use Magento for the e-commerce part. The site is hosted on AWS, and it also has Vue.js for the framework.

What is the team composition?

We’ve had up to 10 people working on the project, including one of the partners, a couple of project managers, technical and hardware engineers, different developers, designers, and testing engineers.

How did you come to work with Interactivated Solutions?

I found them through Upwork. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent upwards of $180,000–$200,000 on this project. Altogether, we’ve paid between $200,000–$500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2019, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have Google Analytics on the backend tied to a POS system so that we can capture the amount of sales. Moreover, the client’s been very happy with the site’s success and metrics. The performance has been excellent.

How did Interactivated Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They hit deadlines and keep track of people’s time usage. We get updates, and they use Slack to keep everybody in the loop. They also use a combination of GitHub and Jira for project management. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a great deal of experience, so they know what they’re doing. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Maybe they could improve on the Amazon SES side.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them use their methodology; you just need to take their cue and ask them questions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a biotech startup in Boston, Massachusetts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactivated Solutions?

We needed someone to provide us with web app development to support our primary research and technological capacities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Interactivated Solutions is helping us build a tool that could help communicate our ideas, similar to Google’s translation software. We started by discussing the roadmap during the discovery phase and providing them with the necessary data to support the development.

It’s been an iterative process where we create drafts of the platform and resolve bugs along the way. They focus on front- and backend development, where they integrate Python as their main development language.

What is the team composition?

We mainly interface with a project manager, business development associate, frontend developer, and backend developer.

How did you come to work with Interactivated Solutions?

We came across Interactivated through Upwork and hired them based on positive reviews regarding their proficiency in web development.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere between $10,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t really have any measurable statistics at the moment because the project is not 100% complete yet, but Interactivated Solutions has been a great partner that has exceeded my expectations regarding the tasks they’ve accomplished.

How did Interactivated Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform well from a project management perspective because their project manager is consistently communicative regarding the progress and updates on the development.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What’s remarkable about Interactivated Solutions is their ability to fulfill our requests beyond expectations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could maybe improve the indirect structure of communication, because sometimes we want to quickly relay information to the coders without having to go through the project manager.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to be clear with your communication and expectations, to make the most out of your engagement with Interactivated Solutions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CEO of several companies. we make software for retailers, among others. For complex projects we worked together with Interactivated.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Because we provide Retailers with POS software, it was a wonderful challenge to make a bi-directional link with a Magento webshop that can be made by Interactivated and delivered by our own company.

The results were always very good in the beginning. Of course we sometimes missed some communication between us, the customer and Interactivated. We decided together to shape our projects from GOOD to GREAT.

SOLUTION

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

Very important was that, in addition to the major challenges, Interactivated would also be suitable to help the smaller parties (Retailers). That took some getting used to in the beginning, because Interactivated convinced the smaller retailers not to deliver QUIKCK AND DIRTY projects, but projects that arise from a solid structure.

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

The projects were tackled in a kind of Prince2 structure. Through a managed system we could communicate with each other so that misunderstandings would (almost) never arise.

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

We worked together with the consultant (CEO) Roy who was always very closely involved in these projects and called in various people (such as programmers, consultants) in case of challenges. Good solutions were always proposed. It seemed as if his people were always standing by for us. Even in the evening hours.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

What no one expects for a moment is that most projects also grew in turnover due to good advice on SEO and SEA and social media. I think that's the only way to keep the customer on board. One thing is that we always had to convince customers that decent investments should be made in this area.

That was not always possible because we did not have that experience. Roy, on the other hand, convinced the customer with countless other example projects that went from GOOD to GREAT turnover.

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

Interactivated never beats around the bush and always goes straight for our target. Sometimes this very direct approach was a bit difficult to understand for the smaller Retailers. Because usually it was about expectations with them, which did not correspond to what was in the order. and that in turn is accompanied by an extra investment on the customer's side.

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

My best memory was that I had a direct line with Roy and a very good professional colleague of his from Groningen. And that we discussed a communication strategy together to arrive at solutions that matter.

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

The improvements that had to come with Interactivated were all solved in time. I can't imagine a better party that has the intention to grow a customer in turnover.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I used to be a gynecologist, and I now work for Natural Push Up. We sell tablets for breast enhancement, menopause, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactivated Ecommerce?

I needed someone to develop our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Interactivated Ecommerce developed our website from scratch. I didn’t provide them with any documentation; it was all their idea. I just told them that I needed a website where we could sell the products and receive payments, and they developed it from scratch.

They have cybersecurity experts within their team, so now, they provide maintenance to the site and find security vulnerabilities on an ongoing basis.

What is the team composition?

I don’t know how many people are working on Interactivated Ecommerce’s team. I have a main point of contact, who is very competent. I also know about a few developers, but they are under her direction. I never interact with them.

How did you come to work with Interactivated Ecommerce?

A friend of mine recommended them. I saw that their price was reasonable and decided to give them a shot.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2001, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Interactivated Ecommerce built a beautiful, working website for us. Thanks to their great work, I’ve been working with them for 20 years. We’ve had virus attacks many times, and they’ve always solved them within a few days.

They’re really great. There’s no virus that they don’t recognize or can’t remove. Thanks to them, I’ve made ten times the amount I’ve spent on their services.

How did Interactivated Ecommerce perform from a project management standpoint?

Interactivated Ecommerce always looks into my ideas to see if they’re realistic or worthwhile doing, and I listen to their advice. They keep a record of everything they do and all the viruses that they’ve tackled. Additionally, I can call or email them at any time to get issues solved.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Interactivated Ecommerce is always available for emergencies. They didn’t just build a beautiful website; they’ve been there for me day and night when issues have arisen.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. If I don’t like something, they give me better options to chose from, and they make changes when I ask.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend you to work with them. In 20 years, they’ve never let me down.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of SkillMapper, an e-learning site.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactivated Ecommerce?

We lacked frontend development resources in-house, so we hired Interactivated Ecommerce to help us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went to Interactivated Ecommerce with a problem and request. After that, we provided them with the high-fidelity mockups in Figma that we needed to bring into production. The team is now using React.js and TypeScript to complete our project. So far, they've developed our landing page which features the services we provide and how we work.

They're now working on completing the features of our Chrome extension MVP which we plan to bring to market. Users will be able to post articles and save videos. The team is also integrating a feature that analyzes courses on the fly and provides recommendations for the best courses, based on the skill an end-user is looking for. Users can also drop a review at any point of the course and share it with anyone else in their circle. Both the Chrome extension and the landing page are aimed at enticing potential users to drop an email and let us know they are ready to join.

What is the team composition?

They provide us with a dedicated software developer, a business analyst, a QA lead, and a project manager which allows us to have a full and self-contained team.  

How did you come to work with Interactivated Ecommerce?

They were recommended by our UI/UX designer. She had worked with them in the past and vouched for their quality of work. We trusted her and took her recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent €25,000–€30,000 (approximately $29,500–$35,400 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing collaboration began in May 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In a few months, I can give metrics about their work. Anecdotally, they've delivered what we've requested, and we're very satisfied with what they've submitted. Currently, we've hired in-house frontend developers and are slowly moving to a fadeout.

How did Interactivated Ecommerce perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a very diligent team who are able to scope all our technical requests very well. They also consistently give us daily updates. We use Slack for day-to-day communication, and we also use Jira and Google Docs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Interactivated Ecommerce's proactive approach allows them to produce quality work. We also appreciate that they pay good attention to details.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes they go over expected time a bit, but it’s something that could be out of their hands.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-founders of Lootly, a B2B SaaS e-commerce platform that works with 2,000 brands. Our clients include businesses that earn $1 million–$300 million a year. I primarily manage our engineering and partner teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactivated Ecommerce?

We hired Interactivated to be one of our e-commerce partners. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We connected Lootly to many e-commerce systems, including Shopify, and we wanted to branch out to Magento. As a result, the first and most important thing Interactivated did for us was build our Magento 2 and WooCommerce apps.  

Apart from that, they’ve also helped us with a more complicated task. We work with large brands, and those brands sometimes have problems with their website. Plugins might not be working, or an error message might appear — these are beyond our comprehension since we’re not experts in that field. When these things happen, we ask Interactivated for their help. One of their senior developers will access the client’s account, find the problem, and then resolve the issue.

Moreover, I sometimes ask them to investigate platforms that we’re planning to use. They then draw up estimates on how much we’ll need for it. The team also takes a deep dive into the technology and gives us their expert advice about it. In this case, they also serve as consultants for our company. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with four people from their team. We interface with Roy (CEO & Magento Solutions Specialist) for business-related matters. Meanwhile, Denis (Senior Magento, Shopify, PHP, & JavaScript Specialist) handles our plugins and fixes issues that come up. Then, we also work with a QA manager and a project manager. 

How did you come to work with Interactivated Ecommerce?

We found them through UpWork. A lot of people there claimed they were experts, but they weren’t. Sometimes, they overcharged us. As a result, we wanted to find a vendor that could certify their expertise. We stumbled upon Interactivated, and we wanted to make sure that they were a good fit for the project. As a result, we researched their company outside of UpWork and found their Clutch profile, Google reviews, and Glassdoor account. Eventually, we built up confidence in them and gave them a test project. That was how we started working together. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $29,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We hired them in February 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen a large reduction in customer service tickets from our Magento and WooCommerce clients. That’s because we’ve been able to pull the plugins out and resolve issues quicker, making the process more streamlined. On top of that, we’re signing more clients in those fields and getting more reviews. 

Meanwhile, the hours that Interactivated charges are completely fair, and we can see that they’re legitimate. They don’t charge us double for anything. The team simply goes in, gets the job done, and charges us fairly, so I’m happy about that. Moreover, we’ve sent them over 30 requests from clients who need to fix something on their site. All of them have been solved within an hour, and I’ve never had any issues with their ability to fix errors. 

How did Interactivated Ecommerce perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is great. We have a time difference because their team is in Ukraine and we’re in Florida. I work in the morning, and when I see a note from Denis on Jira, I simply respond to him. He usually responds on the same day to say either he’ll investigate or will need more time. Overall, they’ve been on top of everything, and they run a tight ship. I’ve never had to ask for a status update. 

To communicate, we use Slack. They’ve invited me to their private channel and we use it for everything. They also use Jira for managing all tickets. I’m a project manager, too, and I’ve been using Jira for 12 years, so it’s extremely easy for me to send quick updates and notes — it’s super fast. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a lot more expensive than our full-time developers, but we get what we pay for because they work fast and get things done — that’s what I want. We also have 16 full-time engineers and two contractors. Over the years, I’ve learned that we shouldn’t skimp on developers, especially ones that handle our clients and a large aspect of our business. Overall, we learned that if we need heavy artillery, we must pay for it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they had expertise in a few more areas outside of our work. We have a lot of projects that I want them to work on, but they’re not experts in those areas. That being said, they only turn those projects down because they won’t take a project unless they feel 100% confident in doing it. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have all your ducks in a row. Interactivated can give suggestions, but the project will work well if you have well-defined specifications of your goal. Provide examples, and be around when they have questions on Slack. Do these things, and you won’t fail. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We have an e-commerce shop where we sell socks, pantyhose, and sports underwear online. We’re a small company, and I make the decisions together with my wife.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactivated Ecommerce?

They set up our Magento site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Somebody else made the site for us, and Interactivated implemented the design. We had a few specific features in the Magento shop; one of them was showing colors and sizes in one article. For example, we had socks with more than 50 colors and ten sizes, so we had 475 simple articles under the main article. At one point, we decided we wanted another checkout, so they implemented it for us.

If we want something, they give us a price, and we give it a go. The task is usually ready a few weeks later.

What is the team composition?

We’ve mostly worked with two people. First, I talked to Roy (PWA Evangelist, CEO  & Magento Solutions Specialist). Then, Ronald (Director & Magento Specialist) became my main contact here in Holland.

How did you come to work with Interactivated Ecommerce?

I knew Roy from the past. When we needed a Magento site, I called him, and we made the deal.

How much have you invested with them?

Every year we pay between $6,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2011, and they finished the website in January 2012. Since then, they’ve done maintenance and enhancements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site works as it should, and it’s still live and growing.

How did Interactivated Ecommerce perform from a project management standpoint?

They do what they say they’ll do, usually within the time they’ve calculated. We communicate by mail.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do what they say, and they’re pretty simple. If we make an agreement with them over the phone or email, then it’s done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes the distance is a problem because we’re in Holland, and they live all around the world. We can use FaceTime, but sometimes it’s good to see each other’s faces. However, we’re satisfied with them at the moment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You have to accept that the first time will cost you money, not give you money. With a new shop, you can calculate exactly how much you’ll spend. However, there’s always something that can give you trouble with an online shop, so it’s never done.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO and Founder of Riffer Music Inc. a music entertainment company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I hired them to develop a new music platform for venues and musicians.

SOLUTION

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

They were immediately able to understand my needs and bring ideas to develop my project.

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

We had few meetings before we actually started the project. This meeting helps to understand my idea and how to do it. The first meeting was with Roy then we have a few more with developers and project manager. We decided to use Magento 2 for this project.

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

I have more contact with Roy (CEO of the company) and the project manager. Sometimes I talk directly with the developers to explain how I want something to be done so they can translate my idea to reality. The team is big, in general, they have an expert for each area of programming.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform still working in progress also due to the pandemic I decided to postpone the launch and split the remaining work that we have to do.

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

We use from the start Slack and Jira to create perfect communication between me and the team so I was able every day to see the progress of the project.

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

They led efficient communication with all the staff.

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

Nothing, everything has been perfect for me.