ManekTech

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of YouSpin a social music app and platform for social music entertainment anywhere.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I needed to do some upgrades to our app and platform. We needed to make a link inside of our app that took app users to our website, while still keeping them on the app. From there we decided to more upgrading and make the app more robust and user friendly.

SOLUTION

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

I selected the ManekTech team after numerous interviews with other developers. Two things that stuck out to me about ManekTech. 1. They had a team of 6+ people that would be dedicated to my project. 2. They were able to make a sample website link to my site, which we needed for app users to play music through our app.

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

The work has been vast we use React Native, Socket IO, and other programs. About every 2 weeks I had another APk to test on the app. I would give them feedback on the APK and we would adjust from there. We also have daily team meetings which are great to keep the vision of the project.

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

I don't know how many team members have worked on this project but a steady 6 individuals have help on this project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The APKs that they have been sending me keep getting better and better. The ManekTech team and I have made a lot of new and ground breaking innovations to music streaming. Which I am really proud of. Some of these innovations are secrets to our app's success and set us apart from other streaming music apps.

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

We speak almost everyday with team meetings. They also send me a daily spreadsheet of the work they have done that day. There is never a need to guess and wonder what they have been working on. Communication is great.

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

Having a team dedicated to your project without having to have a corporate budget.

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

No not really.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the co-owner of a small web development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had a client that we inherited with some old custom built software that was in need of updating to PHP 7X and also additional feature requests that required custom programming.

SOLUTION

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

We had talked with them previously and looked into their company. They had good reviews and seemed to be a good fit for our needs in our conversations with them.

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

They enhanced the features of an existing time based email link generator that displays videos pulled from Wistia to existing and prospective clients. During discovery, we got on a Zoom call and talked through the steps. They then provided us an approximate hours/cost which they ended up being pretty close on. We did go over a little, however not a significant amount. The project was all PHP / MySQL based and uses SMTP to send the emails and displays videos from a Wistia video server.

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

We worked with a project manager and one developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This allowed our client to offload MP4 files from their hosting server and instead use the Wistia video streaming account they had which is far more optimized for video delivery. Our client's server was getting buried trying to delivery so many videos to their clients which was causing an increasing amount of server-related issues.

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

The project management was very good and always on point. They did a great job understanding the needs of the project and communicated them well.

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

In some past years, we had worked with some other Indian developers that were very slow at getting things done and were often incomplete. We decided to try Manektech due to their good reputation and were happy with both their expertise and timeliness.

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

None that I can currently think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and part CTO of a software development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We required work to be done by the team to speed up production time since this application wasn't very proprietary to us. It was an electron desktop application with local storage of information.

SOLUTION

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

I found ManekTech on Upwork and they had the best resume out of all the options and was doing it for the best price so I proceeded with them. Very happy I did.

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

I brought them a design and needed the front-end developed in pure HTML, CSS, JS. I then needed certain local databases created for certain aspects to store the information. This was done by writing to a JSON file. Additionally I needed an API built to communicate with the application and I needed an existing endpoint integrated. All was done in node.js.

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

I had 1 billing manager, 1 project manager who worked with me every day making sure everything was done right and who made a .net API, 1 front-end developer who completed the GUI in record time, and then I had 1 backend developer. A total of 4 people roughly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Through my thorough testing it looks to have minimal bugs and the bugs existing were all easily fixed by myself. They wouldn't have been found unless you tried breaking the application. Delivery was at a good time, can't complain.

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

For hourly projects at the end of the day the project manager emails me what they did and how many hours it took. I was getting constant updates via email and on an online messaging platform called Discord.

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

They have a great team structure when taking on projects. They assigned a project manager and keep me very up-to-date with the workings of my project.

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

There's only 1 thing that could have been done differently and was when I asked if it was possible. I like to use a lot of error handling so when I started doing some myself they noticed and used more when they did more work. Great team so I am very happy with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a software and consulting company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ManekTech?

We needed to refactor our software’s mobile applications.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?
Their team refactors our preexisting iOS and Android apps. Our products include apps and cloud packs that are asset and maintenance management software. The features are very technical functions related to asset and maintenance management. ManekTech refactors the apps so they hold all the core features needed for a solution like that.

What is the team composition?
There are two developers, one project manager, and one customer relations person.

How did you come to work with ManekTech?
I found them after doing some online research and decided to try them.

How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested about $10,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?
Our ongoing partnership began in November 2019.
 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m satisfied and happy. Their work is good, and there’s nothing wrong with the quality. The apps' coding and performance are great. ManekTech has always achieved the goals we set. Naturally, there will always be a few bugs due to regression issues from outdated libraries, we can’t really blame it on ManekTech.

How did ManekTech perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve been mostly satisfied. We use Jira and Slack for project management. The only problems are related to communication. Their developers aren’t proactive about problem-solving on their own.

Therefore, my team has to rely heavily on the project manager to make decisions. This extra step in communication leads to a slower process. If the developers would carry more responsibility in making choices, I think the communication issues would be solved.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They go above and beyond the minimal requirements to report other issues we should look at — issues that aren’t apart of the actual project scope. They’re great at being aware of possible future problems. That’s always a positive sign about a developer’s skill.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their communication skills. From my point of view, I’m straightforward in giving explanations and instructions. I think I’m being very clear, but they still ask many questions and need additional clarification.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You need to provide detailed plans and guidelines for what you want. If you don’t, there may be misunderstandings or the process will be slow. Don’t expect them to solve issues for you without explanations. In order to have an effective collaboration, communication needs to be very clear.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a media portal that writes daily news about decentralized technologies like the blockchain and its first application area, known as cryptocurrencies. We are already Austria's largest portal on this topic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ManekTech?

We hired ManekTech because we had two bugs on our Wesite that we wanted to fix. We also needed 2 extensions. The extensions are the AMP function and the possibility to show ads on our site. These 2 tasks had to be solved with plugins.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goal was to fix the bugs quickly so that we could continue working well.

One of them was a bug that broke the megamenu during a theme update. The second bug was that when there were longer posts with a table of contents, the save function didn't work because there was a conflict with a table of contents plugin.

Therefore, we could not save the contributions we wrote. We also wanted the AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) feature to deliver our content faster and the ability to advertise on our website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We already had an agency with which we were unfortunately very dissatisfied. They have done their job completely, but unfortunately they have not kept the promised time window.

Therefore we searched online for a new agency and found Clutch.co. Here we wrote to many agencies and asked them if they could do our job and how much they wanted.

ManekTech was one of the most expensive offers, but the reviews were good and the contact person wrote on a high quality level, which is why we chose ManekTech in the end.

Describe the project in detail.

2 bugs need to fix: Theme Update Bug - After a theme update our megamenu became display errors. We wanted to fix this errors. Save Problem - Longer article with a table of contents could not be saved when creating.

The bug cost us a lot of time and we wanted to fix it. ---- 2 Extensions: AMP function - We needed this function to load our website into mobile faster. Ad Function - We wanted to display ads on our website. This should be realized with a plugin.

What was the team composition?

• Account Manager – Who will take care about initial involvement as well as invoices
• Project Manager – Who will be involved in discussion with you and will make sure about deliverables.
• Developer – Who will be main person which will take care of changes and fixes.
• Designer – Who will be involved whenever there will be any work related to design, CSS, html etc.
• Quality Analyst – Who will take care about quality.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Unfortunately not, since the job was not completed. We hoped that with AMP our traffic would increase because our main traffic comes from the mobile view and AMP would of course reach more people if Google would accept it.

But Google doesn't accept our AMP, although it was agreed at the beginning of the job that ManekTech would do the validation in the Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools).

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very good at first. The account manager who went through the job with us via email answered my questions excellently. After we started the job, the account manager didn't write us any more, because we now wrote with the project manager via Skype.

The team was always polite and kept us up to date. But towards the end of the job, after we paid, they slowed down and stopped answering our last message in Skype.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Her internet presence was very good. I felt in good hands with experts. They seemed very trustworthy.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Yes, there are some points that need to be done better.

1. It would be nice if you keep to the agreed time window. When we started the job it was said that they need 12 - 15 working days. But the job is still open after more than 3 months. We are also no longer interested in completing this job and are leaving this job with a loss of 800 USD.
2. There were some ambiguities during the email traffic that both sides misunderstood. When we wanted the AMP function, we thought that all pages and contributions that can be implemented in AMP would also be implemented. ManekTech probably saw it differently. But after a short back and forth ManekTech said that they do it the way we understood it. We thought it was very professional and we should keep it that way.
3. Check or cancel your Quality Assistant. He either didn't exist or didn't do his job right. We were told that the " Save" bug had been fixed. But this bug still exists and is not fixed. But we couldn't say ManekTech because we've been waiting months for them to finish AMP for Google to accept our AMP pages. 4. Not to write us because of the next job, although you didn't even finish the last one. We found that very rude and insulting.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on January 3, 2019.

When we received the job, the website was built using Visual Builder and running on a server. We agreed to manage a few tasks, one of which was to make the website AMP compatible. We notified the client that we didn’t build the website, and it’s using Builder, so it might not be possible to make it 100% AMP compatible. 

However, we mutually agreed on a plug-in and plug-in support. Please note that we also mentioned that the plug-in wouldn’t work 100%, and the client was aware.

The client mentioned two things:

1. AMP - Before starting the job, we confirmed with him that we would install the plug-in, which would convert the site to AMP as much as possible. During the quoting time, the client agreed on that, hence we took the job. As the client said, he needed lazy loading to work in AMP, but AMP doesn’t support Builder’s lazy loading functionality. We worked more than we quoted just to make sure that the client wouldn’t face any issues or inconveniences from our end.
2. Save Problem – We fixed the issue, which the client acknowledged. If this issue has reoccurred on the client’s server due to setting changes, then we are not aware of it. However, if the client comes to us at any stage, we will be ready to help him.

The client paid fully and appreciated our work, so we thought the job was successfully done. We’re not sure why he added this negative review after that.

We advise readers to not focus on the review but also check the job’s scalability.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of a startup. We offer a mobile app and web service that lets companies create and place AR content in any location from a desktop. The same app lets users discover that content as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ManekTech?

We needed help designing and developing a web service, a website, and our mobile app.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to build an MVP of our product.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose ManekTech after an online search and a rigorous selection process.

Describe the project in detail.

ManekTech took a brief and created a very detailed project scope. I went to their offices and spent two weeks deciding on the UI/UX. Once we had agreed, ManekTech spent the next several weeks developing an MVP.

What was the team composition?

We worked with three project managers, a business manager, and a team of developers. We also had access to senior management.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We developed an MVP—a critical element in our go-to-market strategy. We’re still in the early phase, and we are in business operations mode.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Given the detail in the scoping document and the face-to-face briefing, it went exceptionally well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Committed and passionate, ManekTech delivered a quality solution quickly and at cost-effective rates. They offered a breadth of professional and personable resources. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

Their design and language skills could use some work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder of HURBA, a startup that specializes in sustainable mobility solutions. We develop and produce electric scooters.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ManekTech?

We needed an app that could track the journeys customers take on our scooters and would credit each kilometer they traveled with bonus points for the CO2 they saved.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to create an app with a design that was clean, modern, and user-friendly.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I discovered ManekTech on LinkedIn. When I saw their company website and portfolio, I was convinced right away. Once they closely reviewed my needs, they formulated a very professional and precise offer, which gave me the confirmation I needed to hire them.

Describe the project in detail.

The product we requested was a mobile app compatible with both iOS and Android. ManekTech also provided backend and back-office services. They also built APIs and an automatic crediting system with coupon management. The app features localization capabilities.

What was the team composition?

The company assigned us two project managers who took care of different phases of development. Multiple developers from the team focused on the iOS and Android platforms, respectively.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ManekTech fully respected our development timeline. They had the app ready within less than three months. The team fulfilled all the requirements and produced results that aligned with our expectations.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was very good. The team was always responsive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was most impressed with ManekTech’s professionalism. They showed a high regard for our company’s needs.


Are there any areas for improvement?

I suggest they focus more on bug fixes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Mileke Limited, an IT company. We provide IT services to small and medium-sized enterprises.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ManekTech?

I was looking for better personalized services for clients who are looking to build mobile apps and websites.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I help clients determine their requirements, and I provide that information to ManekTech. Then, ManekTech does the development. They help me with e-commerce web development and mobile development for iOS, Android, and sometimes hybrid. Most of the work we’ve done has been from scratch. Sometimes we do some cloning. We mimic what the competition is doing and put our own touch on it. They use Java, C#, JavaScript, and Python. 

What is the team composition?

I work with the project manager. ManekTech selects the team. I don’t know how many people work on a project. I’ve spoken to the lead developer and some people on their business side. 

How did you come to work with ManekTech?

In my former job, I met one of ManekTech’s people on LinkedIn. They proposed that they could help me with my IT development and give me a better deal than the companies I was working with. They offered personal service that suited my offering to my clients. I continued using their services when I transitioned to my current position. I have confidence in them since I used them previously. Everything is built on trust.

How much have you invested with them?

Static websites are under $10,000. Mobile apps are under $10,000. A mobile app and website cost slightly above $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve not had any questions on the quality of their work or the timelines. Sometimes, we’ve gone over time for reasons we can’t control. Everything else is good. 

How did ManekTech perform from a project management standpoint?

They send us a full framework of how they want to develop it, give me a quote, and I approve it. If I want them to do a logo for me or content for the website and I don’t like the price, I sometimes outsource the development to another company. I’ve sent them quotes and they’ve worked with them as well. They’re flexible.

We work in an agile methodology most of the time. I can see what they’re building from stage to stage. We can see and test until the product is finished. After the product is finished, we keep testing it. We tested the last product we did for three months to check for errors. Whenever cloning is done, we make sure the site is cleaned.

We use Skype to communicate most of the time. We also use email and sometimes phone calls. They respond immediately. If I want something done and I send a message to them, everything is done within an hour.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The pricing is good. The project manager’s response time is almost immediately within a maximum of five minutes. They’re well-rounded.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything that they need to improve. 

We‘ve gone back and forth over what is in scope and what is not. I left out some details when I gave them requirements, and they wanted me to pay for something that they had done out of scope. We ended up compromising which was okay for both of us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a proper agreement in place first. Their payment approach is 40% at first, another 40% when they reach the next stage, and then 20% when the project is fully completed. I advise anyone who wants to work with them to make sure you have everything written down and signed, and any jurisdiction of any legal challenge they have should be specified from day one. You never know if you will encounter legal issues just because a team has nice people.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a vacation TV company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ManekTech?

We needed someone to develop our mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed an iOS and Android application where users can watch 360-degree videos of different locations on the islands. You can even send digital postcards to friends back home that include a picture of yourself and a message. ManekTech is continually updating the app.

What is the team composition?

We were in contact with a salesperson.

How did you come to work with ManekTech?

They developed our previous app, so we knew they could build this one.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is ready for launch.

How did ManekTech perform from a project management standpoint?

They were quick with everything and responded within the hour. They were also constantly available on email and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The best part about working with them is their responsiveness. They’re also very knowledgeable about app development.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more detailed in their questioning.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you work with them, you’ll get good results.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the owner of Two Sparrows. We offer custom WordPress website development and graphic design services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ManekTech?

I wanted support for the sites I develop and manage.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted a reliable partner who would give me confidence and provide me with quick and accurate support.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They contacted me through my website. I researched the company and spoke directly with them about what they could offer.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They’ve handled various website support issues that arise regularly for my WordPress sites.

What was the team composition?

I’m regularly in contact with an account manager and a project manager. They also have a dedicated developer whom I can contact directly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their availability has helped me turn around support issues much more quickly, and I trust them to perform well due to their demonstrated skill and expertise.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I have direct communication with the project manager, who assures me a fast response to any issues I may need to discuss. They offer effective reporting on tasks.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They offer a wide range of expertise, along with affordable options for either prepay or monthly support.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I’m completely satisfied.