Lucent Innovation Inc

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of engineering of an e-commerce startup selling collectibles

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Lucent Innovation Inc, and what were your goals?

We had a Shopify site that was developed by another agency and the developers were inexperienced. So I approached Lucent Innovation as I had a pleasant working experience with them in my previous company

SOLUTION

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

I selected this vendor due to my previous experience working with them in my previous company as I had a good experience with their developers who were proactive and knowledgeable in the domain that I required

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

We had an initial Google Meet where we introduced all the stakeholders from business to creatives to developers and detailed all the requirements and set up a daily standup routine to get regular updates. The technology used was Shopify liquid and JS for the front end.

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

2 people from the vendor's team was allocated to us and their positions were senior Shopify developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the first 2 weeks of development, we saw an increase in development velocity where we were delivering features and bug fixes on a 2x to 3x improvement compared to our previous vendor

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

We have daily standups with a dedicated Slack channel for async communication. Important or urgent conversations were conducted using Google Meet

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

Good developers with experienced knowledge and who are always willing to suggest ways to improve your workflow

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

We had some communication issues due to different timezones, but after a discussion with the stakeholders. We came to a mutual understanding of when to hold your meetings with the timezone difference in mind

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of tech at a luxury lifestyle company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Lucent Innovation Inc?

We needed help to develop our e-commerce store. We required two main functions: online shopping and content and storytelling.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lucent Innovation Inc has used Shopify to customize our site according to our brand requirements. They’ve made many modifications and advised us on how to handle our business cases. They’ve also done UX/UI design using Figma and testing for us.

What was the team composition?

We have direct contact with the project manager and Scrum master. However, we can communicate with the developers and designers if we need to.

How did you come to work with Lucent Innovation Inc?

They’d worked with other companies that we knew directly and indirectly. Once we contacted them, we provided them with the project scope. Then, they created a small prototype for us which we validated. Ultimately, we decided to engage them in the project. 

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2021, and it’s an ongoing collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We mainly measure two metrics. The first is the quality of work; Lucent Innovation Inc has excellent quality. The second measure is their understanding of the project scope, our brand, strategic requirements, and their ability to help evolve the project. In that regard, they’ve done an excellent job. They keep track of the project and are flexible.

Additionally, they’ve been very cost-effective. Their service is reasonable considering marketing prices, so they aren’t excessively expensive.

How did Lucent Innovation Inc Perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager is excellent and very agile. She understands how to do quality deliveries and create effective plans. Overall, they’ve been great with timelines. We have a scrum meeting every morning to review the project.

Our daily interactions are on Slack and Microsoft Teams. For more formal communication and requests, we use emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their commitment and quality of work are marvelous. From top to bottom, Lucent Innovation Inc’s team is highly engaged, and they assure us they’ll deliver.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At this stage, I haven’t identified anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you can explain your requirements in detail to get the most out of their work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the administrator of an online jewellery company that sells custom jewellery of the moon in the sky on any significant date in time.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Lucent Innovation, and what were your goals?

We hired Lucent Innovations to do multiple customising projects on our Shopify website. The one that I'm reviewing now is one customisation that all other companies said wasn't possible but Lucent made our dream a reality. We wanted a custom coding to reflect the moon that was calculated by our customers to show up within the image of the jewellery.

SOLUTION

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

We were recommended by our partners in the US that Lucent Innovations were their programmers so we knew they understood the brand and what we wanted to accomplish.

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

We had a face to face video chat meeting to discuss the project and really appreciated that everyone was present, programmers, project managers and owners. This made us feel that everyone was on the same page from the start. They sent back their strategies and we were able to fine tune our expectations. The communication platform used was great and we were able to move forward and be part of the evolution of the project and put our input in all along the way.

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

A project manager and communications agent was our main point of contact, but we appreciated the direct contact with 2 programmers as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching our new site along with the new customisations we found our customers were able to navigate the moon calculator so much better and our customer support decreased as it was so much more intuitive for the user. Our site traffic has increased 7 fold and sales have followed suit.

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

We had daily communication with our project manager and used the GoodDay platform to answer questions, view previews and offer feedback. We also used WhatsApp occasionally for quick messaging about specific tasks.

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

They have a lot of experience with creating robust website and custom coding that make our website stand out from the rest. No task was impossible and they delivered. It was so cool to dream big and have the results become a reality.

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

There is a time zone difference and we had to make adjustments on when we could meet. They often stayed up very late in order to have meetings with us in our morning. But we found that we could manage easily enough as we would wake up in the morning to find all this work that was accomplished overnight.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I represent The Man Company. We are a premium men’s grooming essentials brand in India. We sell online and offline, and my designation is Ecommerce Business Head.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lucent Innovation?

We were looking for a partner who had expertise in Shopify as a platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When I say we were looking for expertise, it wasn’t just about designing and setting up the platform, but they also have the capability to customize the platform based on our business requirements. They had developed the entire website for The Man Company and are also managing it.

What is the team composition?

Our point of contact is the project manager, but there is a day to day account manager as well. Whenever it comes to any kind of technical brainstorming, their co-founder and CTO are also on the call with us.

How did you come to work with Lucent Innovation?

Lucent was referred to us by Shopify as a credible partner who has the ability to customize Shopify based on the client’s requirements.

How much have you invested in them?

We are spending close to $2,200 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

I wasn’t part of the organization at the time when Lucent was onboarded, but I can imagine it was around two to three years back for sure. The work is still ongoing. We are very happy with their services, and we definitely plan to continue working with them, and only with them for now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because we were looking for a partner who could customize the platform based on our business requirements, I think Lucent really stood up to the expectations. They actually provide solutions to any problems we have which has made a big impact in terms of our online sales. They have come up with innovative ideas that have helped us grow the business and also increase our conversion rates.

 I would give them due credit in all the conversion rates that have improved. For instance, we were struggling to optimize the speed of our mobile site and Lucent came up with a solution that has increased the speed of our website which has improved our ranking on Google as well as increased our conversion rates by almost 25%.

How did Lucent Innovation perform from a project management standpoint?

We have calls with them twice a week. They use a project management tool within their organization, but I don’t recall the name of the tool. They’re fairly organized when it comes to any kind of task because they are using this tool. They come back to us in terms of what is feasible and what is not. I don’t see a problem in terms of project management front.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The main differentiator that Lucent brings to the table and the main advantages of working with them is their capability of innovating and customizing Shopify as a platform. Not many service providers, at least in India, are able to offer that. I think that is a differentiator in terms of completely customizing the Shopify platform based on the client’s requirements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There is always room for improvement, but there is very little I can think of. Maybe their testing capabilities could be slightly better, and they could invest a little more energy into adding more of the team in the testing before delivering a project to the client as it would improve client satisfaction.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Any potential client that is considering working with Lucent, I would strongly advise that they clearly share the business problem with them and let Lucent come up with an innovative solution to that problem, rather than dictate solutions and tell them exactly what needs to be done.

As a team, they are very innovative and creative, so it makes sense if you tell them what the business problems are and let them come up with a solution. Their solution could be better than the solution you are already thinking of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior manager of e-commerce and customer experience at a cosmetics company. In my role, I oversee everything that has to do with our website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lucent Innovation?

We were working with a previous development agency to re-platform our website from the free version of Shopify to Shopify Plus. However, that team wasn’t able to deliver on all the things that we needed. Lucent Innovation inherited the project and helped us build out our custom site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Lucent Innovation’s team took over the project, rebuilding the entire site in Shopify Plus. We have a lot of custom scripts that aren’t native to Shopify’s standard functionalities. So, they helped find workarounds to meet our needs. 

Currently, we’ve continued to keep them on hand as our go-to developers. They help us with everything on the back- and frontend, including cleaning up our code to help our SEO and adding features. Their design team also supports us on more complicated pages — just to make sure that layouts are optimized.

What is the team composition? 

We have a US-based customer success manager who recaps all of our high-level strategy and makes sure that we’re hitting all of our dates. 

I also work with a frontend developer on a daily basis. He keeps and organized tracker for all of our upcoming QA tests. That way, we’re sure that our site speed and code quality is good to go when we launch.

Finally, there’s a backend developer who handles the more complicated tasks on the backend.

How did you come to work with Lucent Innovation?

Since we’re a small startup with a limited budget, we wanted to find a development agency abroad that was diligent and could move quickly. It took a lot of research before we landed on Lucent Innovation. 

We explained our key points during the initial phone calls, going over our concerns with re-platforming and explaining how our product needed to be built. In the end, we chose them because we felt reassured by how easy it was to communicate with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $30,000–$50,000 and still keep them on retainer. That costs a few thousand dollars per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in May 2019, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve significantly increased our site speed on desktop, helping us jump from a C to an A. It’s harder to get our mobile speed to the same level given the extensive custom code, but we’ve still seen improved performance.

Our Google ranking has also become much stronger thanks to the backend cleanup, which has led to a 30%–40% increase in our conversion rate.

How did Lucent Innovation perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s been extremely easy to communicate with them. We use GoodDay to track all of our tasks, such as the status and team members assigned, and then there’s Skype and WhatsApp for when we need instant communication. 

Although there’s a time difference, the team is still always accessible when we need them. If there’s an emergency or we need a bug fixed, we can rely on our US-based customer success manager to help us get in touch with the right developer.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They never hesitate to go the extra mile. Other developers that we’ve worked with often just do the task assigned. Any tweaks or changes would have to be calculated penny by penny until we were happy with the final product.

Lucent Innovation is different because they’re genuinely doing the work to make sure we’re happy with how things look and function. It’s been a fair relationship, and we trust that they don’t take advantage of us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We would like to have them pushback on some of our ideas if they know that there’s a better solution. Working with other brands allows them to have great insights into best practices, so they’re in a strong position to give constructive criticism. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you’re giving them the full details when you’re assigning a task. Things like copy, descriptions, and mock-ups make it easier for them to visualize what you’re asking for. You should also keep them in the loop when making changes because the different parts might affect each other in unexpected ways. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a goods supplier for online sellers on platforms like eBay, Amazon, and Shopify. We supply products and handle order fulfillment logistics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lucent Innovation?

We hired Lucent Innovation to develop an app that would help us better manage our process. We also wanted it to simplify the onboarding of Shopify merchants.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lucent Innovation developed a web app for us. To start, we decided on the specs and agreed on the plan. On a daily basis, they sent prototypes and designs to receive feedback. Together, we worked on the wireframes, referring to an existing foundation. They used Amazon EC2 and other AWS services. The final product displays our product list, connects to Shopify stores, processes payments and sends orders to our warehouse. 

What is the team composition?

They assigned a representative to be our main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Lucent Innovation?

We interviewed several companies and wanted to ensure the team completely understood our vision and goals. Lucent Innovation was experienced in developing Shopify apps and their quoted price was the best out of all the companies we considered. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project ran from January–December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has been live for a month and we already have nearly 2,000 users, with very few complaints about functionality. Everything has been working as expected and our team hasn’t had any issues with orders or tracking. The lack of problems speaks volumes about the quality of work they delivered.  

How did Lucent Innovation perform from a project management standpoint?

We kept in contact through Skype and got very quick replies. Their project management approach was very structured, so we knew exactly what was happening and when to expect work to be completed. We also had a lot of opportunities to review the work. Whenever a piece was done, we’d send our feedback and hash it out until we were satisfied. Their approach to this was the best part about working with them. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were willing to help us with things outside of the original scope and were quick to fix any issues. Other companies have been reluctant to add tasks and support other changes, but Lucent Innovation was strong in this aspect. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I was very happy, so nothing comes to mind for them to improve. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Think clearly about what you’re hoping and what you want. Making sure your spec sheets are good from the start will help avoid issues caused by the alternative.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm director for an online jewelry company that sells bracelets and accessories.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lucent Innovation? 

We have a Shopify store and they customize it to be exactly how we want. I’ve used them maybe 20–25 times over the last few years.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

I use Lucent Innovation on an ongoing basis for all areas of our website. They do big and small jobs for us. The base of the site is Shopify, and they customize it so that it’s our own. If we have any issues, we use them to make updates or changes. 

They made an app for us to help serve our customers. Not a mobile app, but a Shopify app that lets us easily download and sort through orders. It pulls out certain orders from all the orders we receive in a day. They also provide graphic design services. They customize the WordPress blog on the website. We create the content and they create the layout and how it looks. 

What is the team composition?

I have one primary point of contact. I email him directly whenever I need something done. I've spoken to a couple of other people, but most communication goes through him.

How did you come to work with Lucent Innovation?

I think I found them on Google. I chose them because of their good reviews.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We’ve been working together since 2015, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything on our website has been crafted or adapted by Lucent Innovation. Our company wouldn't be as successful as it is today without the website they built. The Shopify app saves us a lot of time and really makes things easier.

We've used them for five years. I wouldn't keep doing so unless I was really happy with everything they did. There are plenty of other companies that offer the same services, but we've never even looked for anyone else.

How did Lucent Innovation perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is great in terms of responsiveness and timeliness. We communicate via email. We usually get a reply within twelve hours even though we're in different time zones. It works well for both of us. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

We’ve never had any problem with the quality of the work, and it's always a good price as well. In addition to their responsiveness, I appreciate their speed in completing tasks. Being an online company, the shop is open 24/7. If something does go wrong with the website, I know I can email them, and they'll get back to me right away. Sometimes I can't believe how quickly they sort problems out. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

I honestly can't think of anything. I can't fault a single thing they've done over the last five years. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

If you have a loose or vague idea of what you want, speak to Lucent Innovation. They'll develop it for you into something more precise. You don't need to know exactly what you want for them to help you get to your end goal. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Growth Manager of What's Up Wellness

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

ECommerce website build and maintainace

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Lucent Innovation Inc to accomplish?

• Website Development
• Shopify
• Speed optimization

SOLUTION

How did you find Lucent Innovation Inc?

Referral

Why did you select Lucent Innovation Inc over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Lucent Innovation Inc were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Complete website makeowvr and shopify pages and cart devlopement 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Timelines of project submission
• Quick response and issue resolution
• Btter and stable code

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes they did deliver all projects on time

What was your primary form of communication with Lucent Innovation Inc?

Virtual Meeting

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

Lucent Innovation Inc' team and work quality impressed us.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Lucent Innovation Inc could have done differently?

Nothing as such

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of Drape Story Interiors Pvt Ltd

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Customised home furnishing

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Lucent Innovation Inc to accomplish?

• Develop Shopify Website
• Enhance Customer's Purchase experience

SOLUTION

How did you find Lucent Innovation Inc?

Referral

Why did you select Lucent Innovation Inc over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Lucent Innovation Inc were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

SHopofy developmenet, UI UX remvamp, custom Apps

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Revamp and custom development has lead to 3X growth in 1.5 years for our DtoC business

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Timely deliveries, dedciated managers

What was your primary form of communication with Lucent Innovation Inc?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their innovation was most impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Lucent Innovation Inc could have done differently?

Pro Activeness in new prodcut development 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO & Founder of of Shopify App

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We build Shopify apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Lucent Innovation Inc to accomplish?

• Develop a Shopify app

SOLUTION

How did you find Lucent Innovation Inc?

Upwork

Why did you select Lucent Innovation Inc over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Highly skilled team

How many teammates from Lucent Innovation Inc were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

After a previous developement agency failed to deliver our project, Lucent Innovation re-platformed and developed our Shopify app from the ground up. They managed to intergate complex Meta and Shopify API's, including helping with the submission process. The app is now live and the team continues to help us make further product improvements and technical support related queries. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We had outlined the scope of work and agreed on a rough time frame to complete. Each project comprised of a number of sprints and due dates. Progress was managed via a time app and Notion. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes! Everything has been delivered as projected. They're a very responsive team. They dedicated a project manager who has been very helpful and responsive. Their founders have also been involved in many of our discussions and been able to help. 

What was your primary form of communication with Lucent Innovation Inc?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their ability to learn new complex API's quickly. Including some of the platform requirements. Additionally, provide solid recommendations and product enchancements. Many of which has been on their own accord. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Lucent Innovation Inc could have done differently?

Nope! I can't think of anything at this stage.