ITM House

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the COO of a group of luxury menswear stores in Toronto.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ITM House?

We wanted to create an online presence that mirrored our in-store experience. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

ITM House essentially built an online brochure that featured videos, photos, and blog content about our brand. It was a way to portray us as a full-service image consulting brand for menswear. 

At the time, we weren’t considering an e-commerce site because we were looking to drive more in-store traffic. That was until they did a needs assessment of our brand. They identified that we lacked an efficient solution that could help us manage emails for our client-facing sales associates, and we needed to own that process through our own site.

ITM House built a WordPress site for us from scratch, ensuring that our email was integrated as well as our logo and brand colors. Since we owned the site, we were also able to update it using their provided templates to keep our catalog current as our collection changed. The backend was easy to edit, so our in-house team could upload new photos or modify content without having to go to a developer.

What is the team composition? 

Max (Board Member) was quite hands-on in the beginning. Throughout the scope of the project, he introduced me to an account manager and another resource. There were also other qualified staff who responded when things needed to be fixed.

How did you come to work with ITM House?

I don’t remember how the introduction was made, but Max came recommended. He was based in Toronto at the time, so we met in person to discuss if their process matched up with us. Out of all the companies I evaluated, ITM House seemed the most service-oriented. They gave the impression that they were responsive and followed through.

How much have you invested with them?

It was $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from January–April 2011, though they were available after that period as part of the service contract. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the website was built, we saw greater responsiveness from our email outreach. We used Constant Contact to track our metrics, which showed us where our leads were coming from. We also saw an increase in transactions from web visits. Anecdotally, our existing clients liked the content we published because it gave them more touchpoints with our company.

How did ITM House perform from a project management standpoint?

They were a friendly, responsive team. I found that I was able to let even my junior-level staff interact with them incurring crazy service fees. All interactions with ITM were positive, and they were generally on top of our needs. If we had to make a change or fix a bug, they did so in a timely manner. In terms of project management tools, we used Google Workspace emails and a screen-sharing tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a strong grasp of the English language, which is not always the case when working with an off-shore provider. One of their key partners was kind enough to actually do a site visit, which isn’t always the case for projects of our size. He helped manage the off-shore team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. The only reason we didn’t use them for an update was that our company direction was changing as was my role within it. Otherwise, we would’ve used them again for an update. They actually reached out to offer their services again once they saw that our site was starting to get dated.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared to give a lot of details upfront and take the time to do a needs assessment. You’ll see that it’ll translate into a well-managed end product, and you’ll get the desired end result.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing consultant for a technology consulting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ITM House?

We had some website development projects we needed help with.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We can’t disclose much about the project because it’s a public sector client. It was for a client in the financial sector that needed some development work. The design had to be accessible. 

We outsourced both the development and design to ITM House. They used jQuery and C++.

What is the team composition?

I usually work with the CEO and the senior product manager.

How did you come to work with ITM House?

Somebody referred them to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $80,000 CAN (approximately $62,576 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March 2019–May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were expected to meet the same benchmarks, metrics, and milestones that were set out at the initiation phase of the project. We’re satisfied with the results. Everything is a 100% success.

How did ITM House perform from a project management standpoint?

On a scale of 1-5, I’d give them a 5. They were responsive throughout. They knew what they were doing. Every commitment was well thought through. They delivered. 

We used Jira for project management. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re technically very strong. It’s good to work with people who actually know what they’re doing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Maybe they could spend some money on marketing and advertising so more people can learn about them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative director of a retail marketing company. We construct modern displays for retail stores by layering on purposeful technology. The end goal is to create a unique user experience that is customized to each situation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ITM House?

We needed a company to handle the development for one of our projects, including the backend technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

ITM House developed an in-store app that connected to a CMS backend for our client. With the backend, the client could upload new images and information — both of which allowed for a more dynamic, fluid display that could change over time.

What is the team composition? 

I worked with two team members.

How did you come to work with ITM House?

I wasn’t involved in the decision-making process, so I’m not sure how we first came to find ITM House. Our owner chose them and introduced me afterward.

What is the status of this engagement?

My involvement with them started around the end of July 2020, and we still in an ongoing partnership. We’ll be doing more projects in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ITM House was able to step up to challenges and adapt to the situation at hand. During development, there were some instances where they were relying on a dependency on our end, but we weren’t able to deliver. So, their team made the design changes themselves, working to accommodate our time and schedule.

How did ITM House perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated back and forth through a third-party instant messaging-like app, which allowed us to coordinate outside of meetings and emails. They were on top of everything. If we had a question or a concern, they would get back to us even when they didn’t have the answer — just to let us know that they were working on the issue. They would then message us after hours to let us know what they found.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility would be our number one pick. They’d look into issues promptly and get back to us after hours if they had to. The communication was great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only downfall that we experienced was that one of their team members wasn’t local, so there was a gap in communication.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In general, you should trust their approach and follow their suggestions regarding project management. Communicating through a third-party app made things a lot smoother and more instantaneous compared to email.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am COO of a Swiss Company called SpaceCode. We have tracking software that us used in Healthcare, fashion products and diamond.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ITM House?

To create a seed-to-sale platform called Allcann to manage and report on the production of cannabis and hemp.

What were your goals for this project?

To create an MVP product to take to market, prove success and generate enthusiasm in the product to raise further capital and develop the product.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Through Linked In.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

- Helped generate specifications - Documented specifications - Created project documents and timeline - Set milestones and objectives - Assigned project manager who dedicated time to project - Created look and feel through HCI training - Developed .php code and APIs - Developed My SQL database - Tested product and submitted report. - De-bugged product

What was the team composition?

- 2 project managers, one senior developer, one junior developer, one design specialist, one database programmer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have incorporated the seed-to-sale platform developed by ITM House into a larger platform that tracks and traces the production of cannabis for government entities.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project was arranged professionally and the team were very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their professionalism and ability to adapt to changing requirements due to information gathering stood out.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of...

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of FLYSHOT. We build marketing automation software and work with a lot of different marketing angles as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ITM House?

ITM House is one of our lead development companies who we worked with in developing our initial product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked together on a few projects, starting with our initial product development but including a few upgrades and other related projects since then. They built an MVP of the core platform that we use and have continued to upgrade that since then, as well as the mobile app for our social media creators, a web app, and the APIs that interconnect all of them.

They used PHP for most of the work and built everything on top of a Symphony framework for the backend systems. The mobile app itself is built in React native.

How did you come to work with ITM House?

We had a common connection in Toronto who has worked with them for close to a decade, so she was able to speak to their skills and professionalism very closely. As soon as we started working with them, we could tell they were a good fit for our company.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost has been around $150,000 USD so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2019 and are continuing to add features and improve our functionalities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The way they deliver their products is really seamless and professional. They have their own QA testers in-house, so whenever they turn over a feature to us, we don’t have to go back and rework anything. The details will have already been nailed out and all put in place, so we are ready to roll it out to the public. We have been very satisfied with the quality of all their work.

How did ITM House perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything that they’ve delivered has been provided before the deadline, which for a project that’s been going on over a year is very impressive. We use JIRA, Trello, and Slack as communication tools to make sure we are always staying on top of the project milestones and deliverables.
Their team also makes use of the Google suite to measure their time and report individuals’ workloads to us on a weekly basis so that we can adjust the pricing right away and know how much we’re paying at all times. There aren’t any surprises, which is great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This is the first outsourcing company I’ve worked with that I would actually recommend to other companies. Their whole team is incredibly dedicated to the project and is working full time to get it done. They treat you as their own team, which really helps them to integrate into yours as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They are a great team, so I really can’t think of anything they need to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you make them a part of your organization, they will do whatever it takes to help your project succeed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of sales for an AI software development company. We provide a service for a variety of clients where we use machine learning to compress images and videos. Basically, it’s saving data and utilizing a compression algorithm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ITM House?

We’re a startup and we hired ITM House to design and build out our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ITM House fully designed and developed our website. I worked closely with their team to find solutions to help drive more sales. That was one of the main priorities of the design. The engagement was a collaborative effort. I had some original ideas based on things I thought would be successful. ITM House implemented those ideas and delivered a number of other features I didn’t even think of.

What is the team composition?

There were three people on the team including a designer, project manager, and UX designer. At the beginning of the engagement, there was an additional person but they weren’t around for long.

How did you come to work with ITM House?

One of our investors recommended them to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from September–November 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We basically had some initial ideas and blueprints, and they worked hand-in-hand with us to implement them. ITM House excelled in collaboration by working well with our team. They abode to insight and feedback as well as incorporated what’s worked well on other projects they’ve worked on. Additionally, we saw a good uptick from some elements they included that weren’t on my team’s radar.

How did ITM House perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was great. The original timeline was 10 weeks, but they delivered in about 7–8 weeks. Their team stayed ahead of schedule throughout the entire engagement. We’d send edits through and depending on the amount; they’d turn them around within a few hours. ITM House was extremely quick in comparison to other agencies I’ve worked with in the past. I was impressed with their efforts, and would definitely work with them again.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The timing of how quickly they’d complete tasks was a big plus for us. As a startup, we want things to go live as soon as possible. ITM House was extremely responsive on that front. I was also impressed by the high quality of work.

Communication was very clear, and they set clear guidelines in terms of what to expect and when. I’ll reiterate that they brought forth many ideas that weren’t on my radar; I was happy to see them execute that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re looking for a very smart team that can execute a project in a very timely manner, they’re the one for you. They’ll work collaboratively and provide a lot of insight. I highly recommend the ITM House team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m one of the co-founders of a try-before-you-buy fashion app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ITM House?

We needed to design and develop an app that allows customers to find and buy clothes as easily as if they were in a physical store.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to recreate the experience of buying fashion products from a brick-and-mortar store in an app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We looked at various agency portfolios and interviewed several candidates. ITM won because of their mobile app experience.  

Describe the project in detail.

First, we had a Skype call with our project manager (PM) to describe the problem we were trying to solve. We then had a second meeting involving the UX team lead. Two weeks later, we received the first mockup of our app. We made some changes to it, and they iterated to produce a prototype.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a PM, a UX lead, and a tech lead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a fully functioning iOS and Android app after four months. It’s received great reviews in the app stores, too. ITM House went above and beyond to make us successful. We’ll be using them again in the future.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was easy and lightning fast. ITM House was always available. It was like our PM never slept.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their design expertise, rapid communication, and attention to detail were outstanding. Their tech team performed app magic.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything right now.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Gopher Leads. We’re a SaaS startup that offers a mobile solution to connect service delivery people with their sales team. If a staff member sees a potential lead or advertisement opportunity out in the field, they can relay it to the sales team through the application. If the lead turns into a sale, the service person is recognized and rewarded on our platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ITM House?

We had a proof of concept in a technology incubator for a while and decided to take our product to market. At that point, we had crude prototypes of both the iOS and Android versions, but neither were ready for launch. We could handle the iOS development internally, but we didn’t have the right specialists to work on the Android version and were looking to outsource our needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The prototypes of both the iOS and Android versions were built on a cross-platform framework, but we chose to develop a native Android app for the final product. ITM House created an elegant design for the interface and implemented features that allow users to capture audio and visuals. To accommodate users with a variety of technical experience, the UX elements are very simple. All of the main actions only require a couple of taps.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager and a team of developers, and all of them went above and beyond to address my needs.

How did you come to work with ITM House?

I considered hiring full-time or part-time freelancers, but that approach wasn’t working out, so I decided to look for a vendor. I met ITM House’s CEO in Toronto a few years before we officially engaged them for with project. We discussed the challenge our company was facing and our need for Android developers, and they offered to help us. After a few more detailed discussions, we chose to work with them. ITM House seemed capable of delivering high-quality work at a reasonable price.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $15,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from September–November 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ITM House delivered a high-quality application with an easy and intuitive user journey. All of their work exceeded our expectations.

How did ITM House perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. Their team was very helpful and worked quickly to deliver work on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by the quality of their design work. They’re very technically skilled in the Android space.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they did everything I asked of them.

Any advice for potential customers?

Future clients should use the time difference to their advantage. Layout solid and clear requirements at the beginning of the project, so the ITM House team always knows what they need to do. Then, use the small time overlap to meet and address any questions or concerns.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a Sport Branding and Retail Product Display manufacturer

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired ITM House to complete a Client Portal with an Artwork Approval component as it's primary function. This software needed to be connected to our ERP system for push/pull functionality.

SOLUTION

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

We selected ITM House after interviewing various other options. We found their skill level and cost to be in line with our expectations.

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

We hired ITM House to complete a full web based Artwork Approval portal. This portal is used by our customers to interface with our art department and ensure the submitted digital files represent the image and brand they want.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ITM created a stable software solution for this critical part of our business

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

ITM House is very professional and quick to respond to any changes requested by our team.

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

I would recommend ITM for your development needs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of Jamstack. Jamstack makes hardware and software to empower musicians to do more with less, and further enjoy their instruments. Our core offerings are smart guitar amplifiers and collaboration software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ITM House?

To develop our ambitious music collaboration software app.

What were your goals for this project?

To create a minimum enjoyable product and gain strong engagement with a stable high performing mobile app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were referred to by an advisor.

Describe the project in detail.

The mobile app development allows musicians to collaborate and browse new backing track experiences.

What was the team composition?

Their team is spread across the GTA and Minsk.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far ITM house has invested a ton of energy and attention to our project and taken the necessary steps to ensure our success.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They have kept up communication regularly and kept pushing for progress.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to get world class results for excellent prices, and their commitment to the long run, not just pushing out something that works.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are still early in our work with them, but so far we are happy with how they have been operating.