KITRUM

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a large shipbroker company, dealing in country markets globally, but based only in Singapore. I am a senior shipbroker.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KitRUM?

It is time-consuming for our brokers to input different types of information manually. Compounding that problem, we receive a lot of information in bits and pieces from various parties.

We engaged KitRUM to create an online cloud-based platform with automatically-generated reports and position lists. We wanted this tool also to track cargo in our system and display various sorts of analytics.

We hoped that this tool would allow us to focus more on client relationships. We wanted to do more business, make our service better, and become the most efficient shipbroker.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KitRUM developed a web-based portal for our company. It features automatic alerts and reminders that cut down on costly human mistakes. The platform also sends emails and updates to our clients to notify them of deadlines and other information.

What is the team composition?

I initially spoke with Vlad (CTO, KitRUM), but there were up to 10 people assigned to the team at its peak. We typically worked with around six people, though.

How did you come to work with KitRUM?

We reviewed a few local providers based on referrals, but I met Vlad through another connection. The first providers were responsive and showed signs of interest in our business, but KitRUM responded the best to our message and our problem. We gave them a task and an idea of what we needed, and they were committed to delivering it.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $150,000 on the bulk of the development. We’re continuing to invest in the platform.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with KitRUM in June 2018, and I’d say that the collaboration is ongoing. It took about a year to create the platform. We’re still finding new ways to improve the product, but I hope we’ll be done before 2019 is over.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform has allowed us to connect more with our clients, and the quality of our information has improved at different levels.

The product has been helpful for our claims department, in particular. Brokers just do business, but the claims staff has tasks that take much more time and effort. A lot of automation has come into play now so that they can do more with less stress.  

We’re getting there, in terms of what we wanted to achieve, but I think it would be fair to see how it goes in one year. Right now, it’s difficult to say how much money we’ve made through the aid of the system, but we’re getting there with our predictions.

How did KitRUM perform from a project management standpoint?

We initially talked more through emails and then moved to phone calls and WhatsApp, where they give us quick updates and feedback. We use Skype if we need to speak in groups. We were initially concerned about the time difference between our offices, but we’ve worked around it well. KitRUM opens once we finish with lunch, so we work together at that time. We can leave them with tasks before our day is over, and they deliver them by our opening the next day.   

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re great in terms of doing their part professionally without asking too many questions. They learned about our business and put themselves in our shoes. There are a lot of people here working crazy hours, and there’s no option to ask questions a second time; people get irritated, and they don’t have much time.

KitRUM was quick and super sharp on the delivery, and I’m surprised at how quickly they understood our goals. I believe they mentioned they’d dealt with a cargo shipping business before, and maybe that helped them with our project. I was surprised at how fast they, as IT people, understood what we needed and delivered what we needed without spending too much time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

By no means is this a complaint, but I think they have the potential to become big global players. They don’t yet have a presence in Asia, but I think they could benefit significantly from that. One of the next steps for them could be to get people here permanently. I hope they get here soon, and I wish them all the best.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to explain the main idea and set the project goals clearly. Vlad should be kept in the loop for quick feedback. Everything will go quickly and efficiently after that. Vlad is happy to supervise and be on the ball.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Linor Technology. We’re a C corporation in North Carolina and we design and manufacture electronic devices. Our key device is a network-enabled control, which we sell to a number of industrial users.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KitRUM ?

We’re in an expansive period and were looking for various types of support in the development area. We needed some outside programming services, although almost everything we do is an in-house function.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We use what’re called “embedded processors”, and they’re microcontrollers that’re designed into a product to do various control functions. We hired KitRUM to help with this type of specialized design.

The main thing they’re working on is a Wi-fi based control board. Essentially, it’s C language programming that enables Wi-fi to connect and report on various statuses of our board under-tabs.

We’ve also discussed web and app development, but we haven’t started those projects.

What is the team composition?

We work with one developer.

How did you come to work with KitRUM?

I reached out to several vendors, and their sales representatives claimed to be able to do specialized C language programming. I was very disappointed when I learned that most of them couldn't do it, and it was a colossal waste of time.

When I connected with KitRum through an online search, I was wary of dealing with another outside firm. They agreed to start the work without a formal contract. This was so I wouldn’t have to go through the additional expense of having my lawyer look it over before I actually decided I wanted to work with them.

We made an agreement for us to start with one programmer. Overall, I liked their business practices. They use PayPal for payment purposes, which was much easier than a bank transfer for us. Everything seemed to fit nicely and they appreciate small businesses.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested over $25,000 in total. Their fee is $6,000 ­­­– $8,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in February 2019, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I work a schedule with the programmer, and he provides me with weekly updates. I just put the C code into my development system and I’m able to look at what they’ve done; I'm satisfied that their work meets our standards.

It’s been successful for me so far because I can look on the schedule and know when to expect the code to come in.

How did KitRUM perform from a project management standpoint?

I do most of the project management by myself, and I treat my KitRUM programmer just like one of my staff.

They actually have project managers that make sure things get done, but I’ll only go through them if I have an issue planning something. We typically communicate over Skype.

They also deliver a documented weekly update, so I know what they’ve done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The main thing for me is that they’re honest about their abilities, which is great, because it would be a waste of time, otherwise. They deliver when they say they’re going to deliver. If I need to get to somebody online, there’s never a problem. I can always get to management right away. They’re a significantly bigger company than we are, but they’re always responsive. I’m looking forward to a long-term relationship with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, at this point I can’t think of anything. They’re not necessarily perfect, but I think we have a good relationship today.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

For technical programming, it’s important to have someone in-house to understand what the project is and what’s involved.  For me, they make a good development partner when they do the heavy lifting and we do the design and testing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Escape Quest AG, a Swiss-based company. We provide entertainment services including escape rooms, corporate events, and customized projects. We have about 15 escape rooms in our pool.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KitRUM?

We needed a booking system for our escape rooms. We used to be a franchise partnership and the system we were using was insufficient. We decided to build a new product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KitRUM developed our booking system working on both the front- and backend. It’s a combination of PHP on the backend and Angular on the frontend with MySQL for the databases. There’s an internal system that employees can use on a daily basis that includes reporting and analytics dashboards.  The admin panel allows us to manage the website, like adding or removing pages, ourselves. We can make bookings, track workloads, manage prices, and export reports.

They built both the web and mobile versions from scratch, first deciding which systems to use and how to manage the database. We went live a few months ago and they continue to make tweaks and implement new features.

What is the team composition?

I primarily communicate with the lead developer. There are other team members on our project who are minor developers like the tester.

How did you come to work with KitRUM?

We posted an ad on the Swiss job portal and received a number of applicants. I wanted someone with experience in the hospitality domain since we’re similar to that when thinking about the backend. I spoke to several of the applicants, including KitRUM’s CTO. He was easy to speak with and understood our business very quickly. I also went to their office to meet them personally. The price-quality ratio was the best from KitRUM that we could find.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about 65,000 Swiss francs (approximately $63,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m very happy with what they’ve produced. We have a stable admin panel through which we can make adjustments with a couple of clicks. The system makes things easier and saves us time. We also have a solid mobile version, which was one of my biggest pains before.

How did KitRUM perform from a project management standpoint?

We started our communications via email and phone and then moved over to Slack and Trello. We have calls as needed. I keep a couple of my managers in the loop with them as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was really impressed with their quick start and how engaged were they from the very beginning. They take a lean approach and have a clear vision of my business needs, which was hard to find since we’re a niche business. It’s not like we’re a restaurant and there are thousands of other restaurants. It was very important to me that someone could share my vision and work on it. They don’t just create the code; they created the solution that saves me time and brings instant value. My team and I use the system on a daily basis and we’re happy. They’re quick, deliver good quality, and are very helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had some issues with video calls when our lead developer moved from Ukraine to Tampa, Florida because he used cell data to connect to our calls. That’s a really minor point and not a weakness per se. Likewise, there’s a time zone difference but we chose to work with them so that’s not their fault.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The hardest part for me was explaining to them what I wanted. I didn’t start with clear requirements and that meant we spent more time. Document what you want to develop as clearly and cleanly as possible so that they can understand it. Discuss everything before you launch. If you do it properly from the beginning, things will work well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing and communications manager for Canyon. We sell mobile and PC accessories across the world.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KitRUM?

We hired KitRUM to add functionality to our contact forms and change our website template. We wanted to communicate more effectively with our clients. Our goal was to quickly reply to customers when they send questions via the website's contact form about recently purchased products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KitRUM developed a new website template for us using PHP and WordPress. They provided maintenance and troubleshooting support, as well. Their team made key improvements to our contact form and added new features to improve communication.

What is the team composition?

KitRUM provided a project manager, and a dedicated team of 1–5 software developers.

How did you come to work with KitRUM?

We were looking for software development firms and followed a recommendation to use KitRUM.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with KitRUM from March–July 2018, but they currently provide support if needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since working with KitRUM, our communication with clients is much stronger. We manage to answer all users inquiries fully and sufficiently, and it contributed to a 10% decrease in returns of our products. Our staff is fully satisfied with the results we’ve seen so far.

How did KitRUM perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly calls between our teams. We also communicated through email. Our project manager handled our needs and led the team of developers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team worked mindfully and brought strong expertise to the project. They met all of our expectations, provided great advice, and the deliverables fulfilled our requirements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any suggestions for them to improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technical director of a golf resort in Ukraine with a range of member facilities, including a restaurant and a spa. I manage all the online and offline components of the infrastructure, like a booking platform and the mobile apps we use to manage our ecosystem.
 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KitRUM?

The resort is 10 years old, and I’ve been the technical director for seven years. We spent a lot of time trying to find the optimum resort management solution. 

This project was new for both myself and our organization, and it was essential that we succeed. KitRUM offered an all-in-one solution for analytics and reporting.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Since we’re based in the same city, we had a series of meetings in person with Vlad (CTO, KitRUM) for planning purposes. We discussed the issues we needed to cover, and he clearly understood our challenge.

Our platform is a combination of a CRM and a booking system. I liked the clickable wireframes KitRUM produced, so I presented the concept to our owner. Once we got approval for the idea, we started development. 

The initial product was web-based. Later on, we built a mobile app for employees in different sections of the resort.  The technologies they used were a combination of React.js for the user interface and Node.js on the backend.

What is the team composition? 

We spent a lot of time discussing the project flow with the CTO. After I was introduced to the delivery manager, they served as my main point of contact from then on. The team included a frontend developer, a UI/UX designer, and a backend developer.

How did you come to work with KitRUM?

We posted an open tender in our country for the MVP development. KitRUM reached out to send us a proposal and discuss our challenge. Based on their extensive reply, they understood our problem and had the seniority and experience to handle it. A quick and customized response was the main reason we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with KitRUM on the main software development from June 2017–June 2018. Now, we continue our collaboration on-demand and reach out to them whenever we have a new development idea.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

KitRUM delivered a tool that allows our staff to work more smoothly and efficiently. Since we started using it, we’ve seen a significant increase in brand awareness among our employees. We have seen a very low attrition rate.

How did KitRUM perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve met with KitRUM locally and at their office in Florida. The rest of our communication was over the phone. After Jira proved too complicated, they started using Trello for tracking. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The type of etiquette and customized approach KitRUM uses are very unique. To use a tailoring analogy, they took all the right kinds of measurements and came up with the perfect suit for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The project was a bit expensive. A lower cost would have been nice.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I got the right amount of attention from KitRUM, and they were respectful of my time. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of ReVerb. We make marketing content for tech companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KitRUM?

We wanted management and marketing assistance for our platform, which is a sort of a digital newspaper, representing the user’s social media events and updates.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a social media aggregator that allows users to manage user accounts, connect a variety of social media accounts and smoothly manage the data from them all on one platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

My staff searched online for agencies in our area and compiled a list of five based on their case studies on their websites. We contacted each company and narrowed it down to two after we received their initial pitches. We chose KitRUM based on the quality of their final proposal and eagerness to do the project with us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We first held a few discovery meetings to discuss our goals and our company's plans. The team focused on understanding what the major drivers were, and they talked with several members of our team to understand the ins and outs of our company. From there, they developed an advertising plan that included traditional and digital media. They worked with us on creative concepts for outdoor, TV, social media, and paid online advertising.

What was the team composition?

I worked closely with the principals of their firm, and they were open to collaborating with my own staff members. Probably three people were involved on my end.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Managing our platforms has been easier since we implemented the project and it’s saved us a lot of time.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Our project manager was easy to communicate with and gave us updates on a regular basis. We connected over the phone at least once a week and used Slack for all other communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their knowledge of our industry and our market stood out. We appreciated that they were patient and thoughtful while we struggled to keep up with their innovative ideas. This was a particularly collaborative and positive experience. I will certainly engage with them again.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything could always be done faster, but otherwise, we were very satisfied with their work every step of the way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CTO of ClicData. We develop and implement cloud-based dashboard systems that improve business efficiency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KitRUM?

We needed to test the outsourcing of the development of specific components/functionalities of our platform. KitRUM was to test the visualization of one of these components.

What were your goals for this project?

The developed component needed to do everything stated in the design and be properly coded, documented, tested, and integrated. We were also testing KitRUM’s speed, as the project would take an internal team 3–4 weeks.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We considered several organizations with a strong focus on data, visualization, .NET, HTML 5, and JavaScript. We based our decision on their website, experience with similar projects, and our initial interactions with them.

Describe the project in detail.

They developed a solution with a .NET backend and an HTML/JavaScript/CSS frontend. A similar visualization widget was selected to speed up the development and introduction to our platform. Our internal staff worked with KitRUM to establish basic files and walk them through the code.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a single dedicated team member.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

KitRUM completed the work in the allotted time, and we launched the new widget in production two weeks later. Extensive QA testing didn’t reveal any major issues. This was impressive, especially considering they had to familiarize themselves with our team, coding style, and sizable code base.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs? 

We reviewed their work weekly and had on-demand Skype calls anytime there were questions. Our communication was satisfactory, but not optimal. There were some language issues, seeing as English was not both sides’ first language, but this may also have been our lack of experience in working with external engineers. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their proactive workstyle and willingness to put their best team forward was outstanding. They didn’t ask unnecessary questions or waste time with trivial matters. They were able to progress well and quickly through the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There’s always room for improvement, but it worked out well in our case. We don’t have any specific items.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

At Appresso AS, we design, develop, and maintain large, scalable web applications for a wide range of markets. We deliver customer solutions for the education and marketing sectors, responding to the high demand for robust and secure solutions with long lifespans. As the CEO, I’m responsible for the day-to-day operations in addition to organizing the development team. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KitRUM?

We had experienced a big influx of projects and needed to quickly scale up our development team. Because finding local developers would require us to spend a lot of time making sure that we hired the right people, we partnered with KitRUM to streamline the process.  

What were your goals for this project? 

We wanted external resources to help scale our development capabilities. As with all of our projects, our goal was to deliver top-quality work for our customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We tried several service providers the preceding year but weren’t satisfied with the results. Then, we reached out to KitRUM and have been working with them since. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail. 

KitRUM has allowed us to scale up quickly because we’re able to test their candidates beforehand. They provide us with developers who have a variety of capabilities to augment our projects.

What was the team composition?

The size of the team has changed rapidly over the summer of 2018 as the number of projects grew. We’ve also been able to downscale the team when projects were in standby.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve allowed us to complete projects that we couldn’t have otherwise due to limited resources. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it? 

The project management is very good. They’ve assigned a dedicated point of contact with whom we communicate.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I’m impressed by their professional communication.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The candidates’ CVs could be more specific, which would eliminate the need to test all the candidates so extensively to identify their incapacities. Furthermore, they often label junior-level programmers as “senior,” though this might just be a difference in company culture.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder and CTO of an EdTech startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KitRUM?

We needed a mobile application developed.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a flexible partner with considerable expertise in the specified backend and frontend technologies, as well the problem domain.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Several vendors approached us. After interviewing the project managers and developers, we decided that KitRUM was the best fit. They were poised to work with a startup like ours and help us make important early-stage technological decisions. Overall, the hiring process was time- and cost-effective.

Describe the project in detail.

The mobile app targeted students and included AR technology. We started with the prototype, a paid pilot by one of our customers. KitRUM iterated the solution weekly.

How much did you spend with this vendor?

We spent between €50,000–€100,000 ($57,030–$114,060 USD).

When did the project begin and end?

We started working together in spring 2017 and the partnership ended in early 2018.

What was the team composition?

The team included a frontend developer, a Unity developer, and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our client was very happy with the results and remains one our most important customers to this day. Consequently, we pivoted our entire company around the product.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Remote work is always a challenge for effective communication. This project had its share of communication mismatches, but the team was always eager to make the development process work for us. Video calls for critical meetings were highly effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team was highly skilled and reasonably priced. We couldn’t have afforded that level of expertise in the domestic market.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The make-or-break factor for any remote work is communication. It was good, but that would be the most significant improvement they could make.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder & Chief Strategy Officer of a digital agency that works with small to mid-size businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KitRUM?

We hired KitRUM to work on a number of small design projects for our clients. We work with them as needed, and the projects vary from web design to UX/UI design.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted projects to achieve the high-level of design that our customers are used to.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Design companies frequently approach us. KitRUM caught our attention.

Describe the project in detail.

We worked with our clients to finalize any content and design aesthetics. Then, we passed the project to KitRUM to design pages and other assets.

What was the team composition?

We work with a project manager and a lead designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

KitRUM lived up to our standards. What it comes down to is our customers’ satisfaction, and we achieved that.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their team quickly delivered drafts and responded to any change requests.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their attention to detail was noteworthy.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are none that I can think of.