Loadsys Consulting, Inc

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the project manager for an online medical education company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Loadsys Solutions?

We were trying to refresh the look of our WordPress site and redesign it to make it look more user-friendly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

 They redesigned the home page and a few additional pages. It gave us a whole new look. They provided new content and visual. We did give them some creative flexibility. Now they provide ongoing maintenance support.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with a project manager and he conversed with the rest of the team.

How did you come to work with Loadsys Solutions?

They helped us over 10 years ago on another site.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a little over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2019 and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our sales have definitely increased. We’ve received many reviews commenting on how user-friendly the new platform is. That has for-sure helped us.

Their work is top-notch. If there are ever any bugs, they fix it immediately and there is never any lag time.

We will continue to work with them for the long-term.

How did Loadsys Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Their response time is amazing. They get back to us right away and resolve any issues immediately. If they don’t know the answer right away, they look into it and get back to me as soon as possible. They always give us different options if what we’re doing won’t work for us. They’re very knowledgeable and easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The highlight of our partnership is our communication. We’ve worked with other companies before where that was a challenge. Loadsys Solutions is very transparent and is always available. Our site needs to be up 24/7, so it’s nice that I can text or call them at any time if we need help.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no complaints.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of the debate team at a large university. We’re primarily a competitive debate organization for college students, but we also offer summer programs for high school students to work on speech and debate, learn new formats, practice, and compete.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Loadsys Solutions?

Our summer camp is fairly large. We had a very ancient system for managing registrations and everything else involved in operating the camp. People would mail or email forms in, and we would manually enter that into a database. It was very inefficient and we faced a lot of challenges making role sheets, rosters for dorm living, and tracking who is coming to which camp — all of which limited the size and scope of the programs we could offer.  We were looking for a way to manage everything in one system that would increase our workflow efficiency and make things easier to handle.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Loadsys Solutions built everything we use from the ground up. For our customers, that looks like a public-facing website that has a CMS that displays camp sessions, locations, dates, and other pertinent details.  The app automatically generates pages that come out of the database structure for each type of camp with entries for each session we offer. Parents have accounts on our system, allowing them to sign up their children for camps we operate while making choices such as whether they’d rather live in a dorm or commute, if they need an airport shuttle or bedding package, making online payments towards their camp registrations, digitally signing permission forms, and other various features.

On our side, it’s very easy for us to maintain. We run over 50 different sessions, and our platform allows us to manage billing and payment collection.  Class roster lists help coaches take attendance, students can be checked in or out from the program, and administrative staff can send out email messages to any subset of participants as needed.

We’re also working on support for an all-online program for this summer.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked many people at Loadsys Solutions. Originally, we worked with Lee (CEO), but we’ve worked with other developers and project managers over the last decade.

How did you come to work with Loadsys Solutions?

I worked with Loadsys Solutions in a previous role. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent between $200,000–$300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2008 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Customers don’t always know exactly what they want to purchase when they first begin looking.  On the frontend we offer a lot of different program packages which correspond to a relatively finite number of fulfillment streams on the backend, which allows us to offer 50 different program sessions to customers without the overhead of running 50 standalone sessions. The systems and the features Loadys built for us has allowed us to grow our programs significantly, and we’ve been able to triple enrollment without hiring additional administrative staff.

How did Loadsys Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s been quite good overall. Sometimes I don’t need to work with Loadys much, whether it’s because we don’t have the budget for ongoing development projects or don’t have the need to add new features, and the project goes dormant for a while beyond support. They’re very good about ramping up when we need them, and they’re very responsive to our requests and needs.

We primarily use Basecamp for project management, and occasionally email. In the 10+ years I’ve been working with them, we’ve only had a handful of calls. We just talk when we need to get the full team on the same page as us on larger project modules so they can come up to speed and understand our approach and needs and how to implement the necessary business logic.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Whenever we have a critical need, they’re super responsive. For example, if we discover a weird bug that his been there for a long time, we can reach them. They gave us a phone number to text and call if it’s an emergency and they’ll be able to help, even if it’s on the weekend.

On less urgent things, they’re great at finding developer time when you need it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If I’ve ever had a complaint, they’ve been able to fix it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to get a realistic sense of what your budget is and what their estimate would be for getting the work done. They offer several options, whether it’s hourly or a flat 'project' rate. They’re pretty upfront about explaining the pros and cons of those options. So just make sure you’re on the same page so you can choose the approach that fits best with your needs and budget.

When hiring consultants there can be a steep learning curve to come up to speed on specific business logic, and it is helpful to remember that you aren't hiring a full-time developer onto your staff.  Loadsys Solutions can only build what you describe to them, they can't be experts in the workflow or business realities of all of their clients.  You'll want to begin the engagement with a cleanly formed idea of what you need, what you want, and a firm grasp of how you'll use the product in your day to day business.  You should be prepared to play an integral part in the overall process because at the end of the day only you know what you need to meet your goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner, co-founder, and COO of a digital platform called A07 Online Media LLC. We operate content sites, marketplaces, and e-commerce properties.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Loadsys Solutions?

We had purchased a wedding dress site from a previous buyer and Loadsys Solutions was the company that had built that platform. We owned other sites in the wedding space and we wanted to take the pre-owned platform and use that on a couple of our other properties.

We bought the wedding dress site along with its intellectual property and we wanted to repurpose it onto another platform, which is why we hired Loadsys Solutions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, Loadsys Solutions did maintenance on the pre-owned wedding dresses platform. They also took the code and ported it over to our other platform so that we could rebuild our marketplace and have everything under a single hood. 

The team did data migration and design work, and they are now also doing ongoing maintenance work on the platforms.

What is the team composition?

We work with 3–4 teammates depending on the amount of work. I interface with two teammates mainly and I work with Lee (CEO) on an ongoing basis. 

How did you come to work with Loadsys Solutions?

The former owner of the pre-owned site recommended Loadsys Solutions to us, so we decided to work with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We began working with them about 2 years ago, and our engagement is ongoing. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve spent in the low-to-mid six figures so far.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At the end of the day, finding a reliable development team is tough. Loadsys Solutions is flexible and reasonable, and the quality of their work is sky-high. I value their responsiveness, knowledge, out-of-the-box thinking. 

I work with Lee more so than I do the developers and he’s a very bright guy. He gets his hands dirty when he needs to. They’re a great company to work with.  The team is reasonable and doesn’t price gouge, and they’re also very transparent.

How did Loadsys Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The team works within their timelines and delivers great, high-quality products. One contact from my side works with the developers, and she loves them. In terms of project management tools, we use Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I don’t have to work with anybody because I trust them. I give them a project to do and they run with it. As an owner, my role is to be strategic and give the development work to the right people, and with Loadsys Solutions I’m able to do that. This allows me to focus on what’s important and focus on growing the business. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Loadsys Solutions does a great job and communicates well, which is key. In that respect, they hit the nail on the head.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an executive VP of operations at Searing Industries. We're a manufacturer of welded steel tubing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Loadsys Solutions?

We have to test all of our material for strength properties, and then we produce a report for every shipment that we supply. We used to print the results on paper, but some of the paperwork would get lost in shipping. We wanted our customers to access this information electronically, so we started looking for a vendor to build an app for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Loadsys Solutions built a native app for iOS and Android. The app can read a barcode, so our customers can scan the barcode on our material and access test results from anywhere in the world. Then, they can download, email, or save this information. We gave Loadsys Solutions our requirements, and they did everything else–from wireframing to designing and developing the app.

What is the team composition? 

We worked with their owner, who is also a developer, and three other members of their team.

How did you come to work with Loadsys Solutions?

They were a recommendation from someone who had worked with them previously. We're a family-owned business, so we wanted to find a small company that could pay attention to our needs. I interviewed a couple of other vendors, and Loadsys Solutions seemed to be the best fit. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We worked with them between May–August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is easy to use, which is exactly what we needed. We still have some more work to do on our part, but we plan to roll the app out to customers within the next month, 

How did Loadsys Solutions perform from a project management standpoint? 

If we had any questions, they responded very quickly. They hit every deadline we had and sometimes delivered ahead of the schedule, so it was a smooth process. We mostly used Basecamp and Skype for communication. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered everything on time and on budget, which we appreciated. We were impressed with the way they run their business. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have any complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're very responsive and have a great team. They gave us everything we had expected from them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner and co-founder at an energy solutions company that has an electricity rate comparison website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Loadsys Solutions?

We needed help with web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve been working on a new enrollment portal that will allow us to enroll customers directly on our website. Loadsys Solutions integrated the APIs of various partners, as well as Salesforce. They used Ruby on Rails and also did some WordPress work.

The website has been deployed but there are a lot of additional integrations and modifications that will take quite some time. We have multiple partners that we’re integrating with.

What is the team composition?

I’m in contact with a project manager.

How did you come to work with Loadsys Solutions?

We found them online. Another group was working on this project, but they made a mess of it; their company went massively into overtime and exceeded our budget. We had several interviews with Loadsys Solutions’ CEO where we shared our requirements and had several conversations about how they could do the project for us. We ultimately decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The biggest improvement over our previous development partners has been communication. Loadsys Solutions has been very good at communicating statuses and requesting the necessary information when roadblocks appear in order for us to keep the project moving at a reasonable pace. It has really allowed us to get our enrollment platform up and running. Before, it was barely operational and full of bugs, and we couldn’t get things fixed because it took weeks or months of response time. Responsiveness has been a major positive change for us in this collaboration.

How did Loadsys Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Basecamp, email, and phone calls to manage the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We really appreciate their communication and responsiveness. It was a refreshing change for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of True Photography, a photography studio that photographs mostly weddings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Loadsys Solutions?

We needed help with web development for our studio. We were looking for a team. I previously had a programmer who did a great job, but if he was sick or went on vacation, no work would be done. With a team, if one person is not available, it won’t affect my business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Most photography websites show a portfolio of images, whereas we have one huge, functional database. We use it to run our entire company, and there is a lot of functionality in place to automate as much of our business as possible. Everything was done in CakePHP.

What is the team composition?

We have three developers working simultaneously.

How did you come to work with Loadsys Solutions?

Originally, they found us. They were doing a marketing plug and emailed us. Usually, I ignore those, but they mentioned that knew CakePHP.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent around $200,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2016. The work is ongoing and not something I plan on stopping.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything that is becoming automated is attributed to their development. Our business has become much more organized and more streamlined by having them. The more automation I have, the more efficient we are. The more efficient we are, the more profit we bring in. Everything I have spent on development has come back and turned into profit.

How did Loadsys Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication has been perfect. Programming can be quoted 100 different ways, but once you start, it will change. They are very good at quoting and estimating, but when the quote doesn’t align with the work, they let me know beforehand versus afterward which has been very important to me.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Loadsys are more than just programmers because they are helping with the development. I tell them what I want and they expand on the idea, which is very helpful. They treat it like their own business. If they have a better idea, they share it with me, which has helped my business as well because they give me ideas I wouldn’t have thought of.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I am very satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

All Star Delivery Systems operates a series of refrigerated, frozen, and ambient temperature warehouses in the US, as well as providing transportation and logistics for consumer goods and chemicals. I am the Vice President of Operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Loadsys Web Strategies?

We had tried to use market-available warehouse management systems in the past, and found that their interfaces were very clunky, and the expandability was unsatisfactory.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Loadsys Web Strategies has provided development for our warehouse management application alongside our own team.

We've worked with different numbers of developers, depending on scope and scale. Loadsys Web Strategies has assigned between 3-9 programmers for our application. They take care of going from maintenance mode, to needing to develop new features, or branch out with application add-ons for customers who have a need which is not being met by what we'd already envisioned.

How did you come to work with Loadsys Web Strategies?

We had started to develop a solution in-house using CakePHP. We wanted to outsource that work in order to achieve faster development with a higher level of skill. We performed some internet searches and received some references, which led us to Loadsys Web Strategies.

How much have you invested with Loadsys Web Strategies?

Loadsys Web Strategies' development cost has been between $300,000 and $1,000,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with Loadsys Web Strategies for 5 years, and have an ongoing project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Nearly 100% of our business relies on Loadsys Web Strategies' product to function and operate. Some of our larger clients, with US sales totaling 150 million dollars per year or greater, rely entirely on the software provided by us. It has been impactful, important, and very complex.

How did Loadsys Web Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

Every need has been effectively met by Loadsys Web Strategies, as long as we provided necessary details for areas where they wouldn't have industry knowledge. We rely on scheduled phone calls, email, and Basecamp or other project aggregators for setting up tasks, projects, and updates. Loadsys Web Strategies has been extremely communicative, visible, and responsive. If something ever broke, Loadsys Web Strategies took care of it right away.

What did you find most impressive about Loadsys Web Strategies?

In our assessment based on previous experiences, and by looking at other options, we found Loadsys Web Strategies to be a competent and efficient organization. Their greatest strength was the ability to be nimble in working with a company like ours, which is constantly shifting goals mid-project.

Are there any areas Loadsys Web Strategies could improve?

Everyone has gripes from time to time, but as of this moment, I can't think of any specifics about Loadsys Web Strategies.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Loadsys Web Strategies?

I have no particular advice or guidance, but I find that Loadsys Web Strategies can bring a concept to life very well, as long as they're provided a good vision.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

APO Box is a mail forwarding company which caters to overseas military stations. We take the place of family members who would send military personnel items which they couldn't otherwise have been able to ship.

I am the Operations Director of the company. Given that we're only a shop of 4 people, I also handle human resources, accounting, customer service, and so on.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Loadsys Web Strategies?

We needed to revamp the processing software for our company and the website's dashboard to improve our customer's interaction.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, Loadsys Web Strategies developed a photo website for one of our previous companies. We enjoyed their team and work ethic, so we had Loadsys Web Strategies work on revamping the processing software for the main business, as well as the admin site where we store order information and customer details. We converted the site to a CakePHP version.

We are working with 2 developers from Loadsys Web Strategies.

How did you come to work with Loadsys Web Strategies?

Our Chief Executive Officer is also a coder in his spare time. He had previously used developers from India, and felt that the quality provided wasn't what he wanted. I believe that he found Loadsys Web Strategies on a freelancing website.

How much have you invested with Loadsys Web Strategies?

The total cost of Loadsys Web Strategies' services has been above $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Loadsys Web Strategies in August 2014. At this point, our website has been completed, but we are retaining Loadsys Web Strategies for support activities and bug fixes. We pay for a set number of hours each month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The only real criteria that we can base success on is how well-received the processing software for our main business has been within our staff. Processing packages and manipulating customer data has become much easier, so our employees are happy with Loadsys Web Strategies' work overall. On the customer side, Loadsys Web Strategies revamped the site's dashboard, enhancing the way in which users log in and interact with us. We receive feedback about this constantly.

How did Loadsys Web Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

Loadsys Web Strategies utilized Asana, which we used for correspondence. We also have conference calls once a week, going over what needs to be done and what's been completed. Loadsys Web Strategies is very good in this respect.

What did you find most impressive about Loadsys Web Strategies?

As I'm not a coder, I can't get into specifics in this area, but the availability of Loadsys Web Strategies' team was key, in my opinion. Our company is basically an online business, so if anything happens, it's imperative that we get it fixed. There were times when we had a crash at 10:30 PM, and Loadsys Web Strategies was available for assistance.

Are there any areas Loadsys Web Strategies could improve?

I don't think so. Loadsys Web Strategies was on-point in terms of timeliness and correspondence, and they seem to be knowledgeable when addressing our questions and requests. Loadsys Web Strategies never told us that they couldn't help with a particular task.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Preownedweddingdresses.com is an online listing service for buyers and sellers of wedding dresses. I am the founder of the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Loadsys Web Strategies?

Before working with Loadsys Web Strategies, I had used a different team in a different time zone to ours. This presented a difficulty in terms of coordination. We also wanted to work with someone who could strategically see what we were doing and where we were trying to go, helping us get there. We couldn't attack the work with a gigantic budget; we needed someone who could process the project into smaller pieces and help us address it in a manageable way.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Loadsys Web Strategies reviewed our priorities and created an action list for our company. Loadsys Web Strategies handles all of our web development, and has provided ongoing management for the site, either in the form of bug fixes or new feature development. In 2015, we performed an upgrade to the code and a site reskin, which Loadsys Web Strategies managed exclusively.

We typically work with one developer who is assigned to us on an ongoing basis. For bigger projects like our site redesign, we used 2-3 developers.

How did you come to work with Loadsys Web Strategies?

Loadsys Web Strategies specializes in CakePHP, which is what our site was built in. They were recommended to us by someone. I contacted Loadsys Web Strategies and found them to be great.

How much have you invested with Loadsys Web Strategies?

The annual cost of Loadsys Web Strategies' services is between $50,000 and $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with Loadsys Web Strategies for around 5 years. We have an ongoing relationship. Loadsys Web Strategies is the only web developer that we use.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's hard for small businesses to find trusted partners on which they can rely. This is what Loadsys Web Strategies has been for us. Everyone in their team has been transparent, honest, and full of integrity. I've appreciated this the most, as a small business owner. I know that Loadsys Web Strategies' team is telling me the truth, and I can trust their recommendations, even though I may not understand them at a technical level. The expertise and knowledge brought in by Loadsys Web Strategies has been extremely important for us.

How did Loadsys Web Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

Loadsys Web Strategies provided us with a project coordinator who made sure that the workflow was maintained in a timely manner. If timelines need to be adjusted, they're adjusted to our expectations. We work with Basecamp, which is a great management tool for keeping projects on track.

What did you find most impressive about Loadsys Web Strategies?

The reskin and recode project which we took up in 2015 was a massive undertaking. Loadsys Web Strategies managed it so that the work could be done in a timely manner and tested thoroughly. Their skills in this respect were fantastic to me. It was as massive of an undertaking as we've ever gone through.

Are there any areas Loadsys Web Strategies could improve?

Oftentimes, Loadsys Web Strategies will be so keen to get going with the work that the budget forecasting suffers a bit. It's not terrible, but it could be improved a bit, so that there's more expectations management on my part in terms of cost.