Midware

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a furniture company. We manufacture and wholesale fashionable and affordable furniture.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Midware?

Our fast-growing company was new to the NetSuite ERP system, and we were far from impressed with their IT team. Amongst other factors, time zone constraints made it challenging to work with them. After ten months, we decided we needed to find and work with a third-party company instead.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Midware is responsible for building out all our systems within NetSuite ERP. They’ve helped streamline our operations and efficiencies. Their team assists with our constant need for change and customization in our processes—from warehousing to order fulfillment to production.

What is the team composition?

Initially, we worked with just one contact. Their team has grown as we’ve provided them with constant work. Now, we work with about five people on a continuous basis. The number of resources depends on the project. We have multiple projects going on simultaneously.

How did you come to work with Midware?

Our company found them through Upwork. We were seeking a company that’d be able to do our NetSuite development and potentially build a long-term relationship with. Specifically, we wanted a team that was more experienced and responsive than the NetSuite IT team.

After interviewing several candidates, I felt the most comfortable with Midware and Pablo (Founder, Midware). His communication and level of professionalism stood out to me. We started off with a small trial project and with its success, our partnership grew and evolved to where we are today.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested more than $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in June 2018 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy with the work. There isn’t anything negative. Both of our companies are expanding, so there are always hiccups in the process.

How did Midware perform from a project management standpoint?

Although I’m not a big fan of it, they use a project management tool called Odoo. Communication has been a little bit of a challenge, but any issues have been worked out.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There’re so many different tasks that we’re working on together, and our team is always pleased. As I said, they’re professional and very clear in their communication. All in all, it’s quality work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve on completing tasks in a timelier manner. As far as meeting deadlines go, things sometimes take longer than we expect. From working with other IT companies, I know this is common for projects within the industry. I know it’s not necessarily always their fault.

Sometimes they’re waiting for guidance from one of our team members. We’re an extremely responsive partner. I’d like to see improvement with meeting deadlines but it isn’t something that’s an alarming issue right now. We can improve together.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of operations at Gordon Sinclair. We manufacture and produce promotional products such as drinkware, desk and phone accessories, and electronics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Midware?

We needed support for our system. We don’t employ developers, so we needed an outsourced solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Midware’s our value-added resource for our NetSuite system. They recreated features that weren’t built right originally and continue to provide solutions.

What is the team composition?

Usually 3–4 people from Midware work on our project. However, I’ve worked with a lot of different people on their team. I speak directly to their developers who understand our goals with one conversation.

How did you come to work with Midware?

I found Midware by luck. They have a good understanding of the NetSuite platform and have specialists in different areas, which is helpful because NetSuite is complicated. They also only employ developers so there isn't an added layer of communication as with other companies that I engage.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $100,000 already.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Midware in March 2019 and the collaboration’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, it’s a pleasure to work with Midware. They provide quality work quickly. Their team follows best practices and provide good recommendations.

How did Midware perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication’s excellent and clear. When there are issues with communication, they’re resolved and improved. I like the fact that we can have visibility into all the projects at all times. We’re in the process of redesigning the way that the projects are posted and their associated charges. There’s a lot of money being spent on each of the projects, so there needs to be a clear understanding between the person who works on the project and the person who pays for it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Midware’s knowledgeable in what they do. It’s refreshing to work with someone who provides a working solution the first time around. We engaged with people in the past that built components of the system incorrectly. With Midware, we’re finally working with people who get it right. As well, it was a challenge to get certain projects done with past providers because they didn’t have specialists in different areas of the NetSuite platform. Midware is able to complete different projects for us because they have people on staff who specialize in different resource areas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Midware’s working to improve the visibility of cost structures. It hasn’t been an issue, but they could clarify the quotes. We want a solid quote upfront, but there were certain projects that did go over budget.