MAGINX INC

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We sell wine and liquor in a brick-and-mortar store and throughout the US. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MAGINX Inc.?

Our website was really buggy, so we wanted to upgrade and fix the bugs. We also wanted to provide an integration between our ERP system and Magento. I worked with 2 freelancers and an agency prior to MAGINX. They had lower rates but, in the end, they were more expensive because they didn’t have the knowledge to do what we needed and wasted our time. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They asked about my goals and analyzed the system we had. They told us what could be done easily and what they would recommend. They went ahead and started building a complete redevelopment and redesign of our existing website. They worked on both the backend and frontend and integrated our system.

The main priority was the integration with our ERP system. They also made the system faster, put cash on it, and made sure it didn’t break.

How many resources have been assigned to your project?

I spoke with the owner, Tom.

How did you come to work with MAGINX Inc.?

A friend recommended them to me.

How much have you invested with MAGINX Inc.?

We’ve spent between $150,000 and $170,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2016, and the work is ongoing. They fix any issues and build any enhancement we would like. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My site is more responsive, and the speed is faster. We had a lot of 404 errors and a lot of duplicate content issues before, which have all been resolved. Schema.org issues have all been resolved. Our URL structures are better and cleaner. Everyone says the site looks nice.

How did MAGINX Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They digest what we need and tell me in laymen’s terms. We communicate via phone and Skype. Sometimes, I go to their store or they’ll visit my office. I created a Google doc to manage tasks and update that myself.

What did you find most impressive about MAGINX Inc.?

They know Magento really well, and it seems like they’ve been doing it for a long time. They know what the system is capable of and how to make it stable.

Are there any areas MAGINX Inc. could improve?

No, they’ve been great. If I ask for something, they do it on time. I’m happy. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I sell customized computer cases and power supplies on an e-commerce site. I design my own case and my own power supply, and I also control the manufacturing and the logistics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MAGINX INC?

I decided first to enable a currency function for the checkout. When a customer purchases from my website, they can choose their local currency. It’s complicated for my shopping cart engine to do that function, so I chose MAGINX. They are good at Magento, and I know Magento is pretty powerful. So, the first goal was to redo my web store using Magento to achieve this currency function. Most of my business is from customers on my website. I do not rely on channels like Amazon much.

The second goal was to enable a smooth browser experience for mobile users. My original site was not optimized for mobile devices at all. The new web store should be responsive, and the layout should be optimized for both desktop and mobile users.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their e-commerce website team focused on Magento, that’s their specialty, and that’s why I hired them. I told him what I wanted, and showed him my current website, which was using a different engine. We discussed migrating to Magento, how long it would take, and the budget requirements. He gave me a questionnaire, which helped us agree on the exact requirements. I did a mockup of what I wanted, we agreed on the budget and then we started on the project.

How did you come to work with MAGINX INC?

I first got to know them through a business startup group. I contacted Tony, who was in the group at the time. I told him what I wanted to do, and we discussed it for a year before I committed to this project. They speak the same language, and they were recommended through that group. Tony is a Magento-certified developer, and I see them go into those conferences. That adds another level of credibility to them. If I have a problem, I can just call him and get it solved. If I used a freelancer online, I wouldn’t get the same assurance.

How much have you invested with MAGINX INC?

The budget was initially $50,000, but then we realized that wasn’t enough for this project. It increased to around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I first contacted them in March of 2016, and we finally signed the contract in March of 2017. I’m still working with them. It will take another three or four months, but I’m not in a hurry.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The core function of the checkout support and the responsive theme for the mobile experience have already been realized. I think they’re pretty good. The user interface went through three or four revisions based on my requirements. It still needs to be improved, but it’s close. The website isn’t live yet, so I don’t have feedback from users.

How did MAGINX INC perform from a project management standpoint?

They stick to their timeline. I’m not in a hurry, so I never set deadlines. When they say they will deliver something by the end of the month, they do it. We use an instant message program, and they’re pretty responsive. We also use email and phone calls to communicate, which has worked well for this project.

What did you find most impressive about MAGINX INC?

They are pretty responsive; they will give you many options, and they listen to your suggestions.

Are there any areas MAGINX INC could improve?

I can’t think of anything for this project yet.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re the leading provider of 3D printers for customers around the world. I’m a backend software and data engineer, so I mainly deal with the business platforms like CRM [customer relationship management], ERP [enterprise resource planning], and e-commerce. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MAGINX INC?

I think one of the biggest issues we had was downgrading from enterprise. We weren’t using most of the features in Magento Enterprise, so we needed to find a way stop paying the licensing fee. Downgrading to community was the obvious choice, and MAGINX guided us in that solution. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After an analysis, it became obvious that I needed to find some help. I was aware of MAGINX’s services due to their reputation. They have some very qualified Magento developers, and I believe that’s their focus. They had the Magento-certified developers we were looking for. Our team didn’t have the capability or knowledge of the Magento structure to provide full support. We submitted a request, and MAGINX was sure they could accomplish this solution.

It was a collaborative effort. I worked with them on the features they were removing or upgrading to merge those into the different environment and go into production. I didn’t really communicate with a project manager, which I liked. I’m a developer myself, so I like communicating with other developers. I was working directly with two developers from MAGINX who were assigned to this project.

We have a tax mechanism on our site. We have to include features for a tax calculation, so that’s something they developed a module for. There are also some security patches they provided. They also worked on removal of some of the features we had with the integration that exists between Magento and Salesforce, our CRM. We have Magento as kind of the centerpiece of our information system, and we were trying to remove some of that load for Magento and push it to some other platform like an integration platform. They were able to scale that down.

How did you come to work with MAGINX INC?

There’s an agency here in New York City of which I was aware, as I’m a certified Magento developer myself. A lot of really good developers came out of this agency. The two main guys at MAGINX with whom I collaborated, Tony and Edward, came out of that agency. I knew they’d been working with Magento for eight years or so. I needed to find somebody who has a complete understanding of the platform.

How much have you invested with MAGINX INC?

I think we worked 15–20 hours a week. I think that would go to about $6,000 a month. It’s less than $10,000 to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March of 2017, and our relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have any numbers, per se, but I’d say that the turnover is pretty good. They really stuck to the scope timeline. If we had a specific timeline, it was followed to the T.

How did MAGINX INC perform from a project management standpoint?

I didn’t interact with a project manager. I liked working directly with their developers, and the communication was good. Whenever we needed changes, I would let them know right away, and they would provide that solution. It was very efficient. We used email and Slack to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about MAGINX INC?

They have developers who are able to communicate well with other developers outside of their team and provide really good solutions according to whatever needs to be changed. There’s usually some management in there that bottlenecks the solutions, but I didn’t find that in this case. It was good.

Are there any areas MAGINX INC could improve?

Maybe documentation would be something that could be added value. There wasn’t much provided because of the requirements and the timelines they set for themselves.