Miyagami

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of a social network for discovering the best dishes in town, rated and recommended by people you trust.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Miyagami?

Miyagami helps our company by making a roadmap and building the strategy for our digital growth. They provide insights in how to grow online and attract new users. Besides this they assess our technology and advise in future software development.

SOLUTION

How did you select Miyagami and what were the deciding factors?

We searched online and found Miyagami. I had heard there name before from other companies which where very happy with their services. I contacted the owner and he was very nice and helpful.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

They first did an audit on our current digital growth plan and technology stack. Then they helped with making a roadmap for the digital growth. Once agreed on the roadmap they started writing out the plans for, growing our user base, collecting feedback from important early customers and landing page conversion.

Regarding the technology stack they wrote an audit report for the comparison of 3rd party software that our company needs with a focus on price and scalibility.

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

We worked with a manager, digital growth hacker, designer and developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Landing page conversion increased with 70% after the project. Saved over thousends of euros by making the right choice by following their technological advice.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had 3 in person meetings. After the report we had another feedback round and a final delivery.

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

The whole company consists of young talents with tons of energy. Very smart people in combination with outstanding comminucation skills.

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

No everything went well

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of PIT Self-Placement, a career coaching platform. We typically work for the large corporate firms in the Netherlands, but also for a number of politicians, members of parliament, and ministers when they leave their job in the government.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Miyagami?

We needed someone to build our career coaching platform because we felt we couldn’t do it ourselves.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we met with Miyagami and discussed our needs. Then, they designed and programmed the whole platform for us. We tested it a couple of times and made some changes until we were satisfied with how it worked.

We use the Q method, a pretty well-known method in psychology, to evaluate our candidates and help them choose a career. Miyagami helped us build a unique system that uses this method within our platform to produce online reports about our candidates’ assessments.

Getting across this message was key for us, and they quickly understood this methodology. To achieve this, Miyagami read a lot of material online, and they also read a publication written by my colleague about the topic. Then, they translated this methodology into our platform.

What is the team composition?

We work mainly with Dale (Founder) and another person.

How did you come to work with Miyagami?

I heard about Miyagami through word of mouth. Someone told me that they could do this for me.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around €25,000–€35,000 (approximately $29,000–$35,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2019, and we went live with the first version 4–5 months later. Since then, we’ve been upgrading the platform little by little, so our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Miyagami has really grasped what our company is about, so we’re happy with the results. Every report that our platform delivers is a delight for the candidate because they recognize themselves in it. Additionally, the reports are very readable and well presented; Miyagami helped us design the output in an excellent way.

How did Miyagami perform from a project management standpoint?

Miyagami listened to our requirements and thoroughly understood what we were looking for. They work very fast and meet every deadline, so I have no complaints about their project management. When people have technical questions, they assist us. Our points of contact are very helpful, and they’ve become real partners for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Miyagami has an impressive thirst for understanding exactly what their clients want — they really feel like partners.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Miyagami is a group of young people, and I’m about 60. Although we have the classic generational gap, it is hard to say how they can improve. They have a great startup attitude, and from a technical and quality perspective, I have no complaints whatsoever.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very clear about what you want. My requests have been pretty specific, and our engagement has worked out well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

DENIM HUB WHERE WE CONNECT THE NEXT GENERATION WITH THE FOREFRONT OF THE DENIM WORLD “TOWARDS A BRIGHTER BLUE”. WE STRIVE TO MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE THROUGH KNOWLEDGE, EDUCATION, CRAFTSMANSHIP AND PASSION FOR THE WORLD’S BEST GARMENTS. ALL UNDER ONE ROOF, ALL FOR THE LOVE OF DENIM. DENIM CITY AMS My name is Milene Tjong and I'm responsible for the daily operations at Denim City.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had to create a new website in 1 month from scratch. We did have a new brand guide for the look & feel of the site, but we needed some professionals to help us form our strategy. Miyagami was responsible for the website, mobile application, webshop, and strategy. Our goals were: - Clear and Informative website - User friendly - Ready in 1 month

SOLUTION

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

We selected this vendor because they gave us the best price/quality for this project. Other companies gave us a much higher rate with less support. Our decision was made because Miyagami supported us from the start getting our strategy optimized. Therefore we also added Digital Strategy in this project.

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

The project steps we followed were: digital strategy, prototype, beta-version development, and user acceptance test. Since we had a short time frame Miyagami had to deliver fast. The technologies used: Wordpress, jquery.

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

The project manager was our contact person and the one who translated our queries to the team. Miyagami had a developer and a designer behind the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We asked Miyagami to deliver a user-friendly website and easy to update with our team. Our franchiser in Brasil gave super enthusiastic feedback regarding the site.

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

Miyagami's management style is agile & scrum-driven. Given all the tight deadlines, they performed at it's best. We communicated through the platform Monday to our satisfaction.

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

Young creatives, fast, precise, and super customer friendly. If they went too fast for our understanding of the content, they took the time for us to explain it.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive of Aithena, an account-based marketing software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Miyagami?

We needed help creating a feature for one of our clients, and we needed to have it done the same day.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, I called Miyagami, and they said that I could come to their office or speak to them remotely, so I decided to go to their office. They had a whiteboard where they drew a whole use case for the feature we needed. Basically, they made a blueprint for the technology required; I was there just to validate.

It all went smoothly. I stayed in their office and worked from there. They asked me some questions, and within three hours, they had made a great product for us.

What is the team composition?

I worked with the co-founder and the head of growth and operations from Miyagami.

How did you come to work with Miyagami?

I knew them from some friends of mine. Their branding online was good, so I felt that I could trust them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together in October 2021, and the project was done the same day.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to the speed of Miyagami’s delivery, we got a new client that day.

How did Miyagami perform from a project management standpoint?

Miyagami’s communication was really good, and their involvement was well balanced. We communicated face-to-face.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Miyagami’s speed and quality of work were impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I was satisfied with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get in touch with them, and you’ll be in good hands.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I run my own personal training company in London.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xenia Tech?

To build and design my website.

SOLUTION

How did you selectXenia Tech and what were the deciding factors?

I'd researched a few web companies and was recommended Xenia, I looked at their work and loved their design, it was very slick, smart and current.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

I had meetings with Will the CEO and his team of designers, they gave me such good direction on which way to go and were so supportive throughout the process. I was appointed a designer that guided me through everything, nothing was too much to ask and every change I wanted to make was met straight away.

How many resources from the Xenia Tech team worked with you, and what were their positions?

CEO and two web designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I've had huge compliments on this website, a lot of traction from potential clients and well respected people from within my industry complimenting it as one of the best PT websites they'd seen!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very, despite the time difference, Xenia always made it work and work very flexible if I ever needed to suddenly change a meeting because of work or kids.

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

They are very forward thinking and moving ahead of the times, they taught me things about web design, SEO etc that I just took for granted when looking at good websites. I now have a much better eye and understanding of what works because of them.

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

To be perfectly honest, not really. I was so impressed with their level of handling of the project that I would be scrimping to find errors. I really couldn't.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a full-service design agency that specializes in digital solutions, with an emphasis on web design and development. As Managing Director, I oversee all of our projects and daily operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were in need of additional development resources for two WordPress projects. Our goal was to find an external development partner that could deliver a high-quality build that met our high standards and could do so with an accelerated timeline to launch.

SOLUTION

How did you select Xenia Tech and what were the deciding factors?

We started by performing a code review of some of their previous work and were impressed with the quality of their build. Following that, we provided them with all design files and technical specifications and they were able to commit to our somewhat aggressive development timeline at a very reasonable cost.

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

Both were WordPress builds using modular components, with one being a nonprofit website requiring CRM integration and additional styling for an EveryAction donation page. Content from the previous sites would also have to be migrated, and the site needed to be thoroughly QA'd prior to delivery.

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

We worked with two project managers and had one main point of contact on their development team, with other developers also providing additional support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The completed sites met all of our standards as far as build quality, ease of management through the CMS, properly migrated content, and properly implemented integrations. We were also extremely impressed with their speed as we were able to start QA well before the target launch date.

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

We were provided clear and constant communications throughout the project. The majority of communication was via email/Basecamp, with weekly calls for the majority of the project and weekly status reports on progress. This allowed us to avoid any surprises and to keep our clients updated.

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

I was equally impressed by the level of communication, the quality of their work, the speed at which work was completed, and the low cost compared to other agencies we've worked with.

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

The only challenge we faced is that we were ready for QA before the client was ready to start testing things themselves so we had to shift some things around. Xenia Tech was extremely accommodating and adjusted their schedule accordingly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Managing Director of Beautizon Company Limited. Beautizon is a Vietnamese company that specialises in the distribution of Health and Beauty products in the Natural/Organic category.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to take advantage of the rapidly growing e-commerce market and build our own sales platform to advertise and distribute products direct to consumer.

SOLUTION

How did you select Xenia Tech and what were the deciding factors?

Having worked with Xenia previously and being very impressed, we were more than happy to engage them again. The team at Xenia are extremely capable, but further to that, it is their fantastic service in terms of communication and their ability to meet the deliverables within agreed timelines that is a large part of why we work with Xenia.

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

The key deliverable was the integration of WooCommerce into our already existing website.

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

Xenia allocated three of their team for the project. Their positions were - Project Manager, UX/UI Designer and Word Press Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Beautizon management made a decision to invest into developing our existing website into an e-commerce platform within a set timeframe. We knew what our goal was but needed a trusted partner such as Xenia to support us. Xenia were able to provide a very clear plan for every step along the way, and also highlighted some opportunities to improve our strategy as well as potential challenges (and then solutions) that we may encounter. Xenia then completed the work for us on time, and of the highest quality. This was the exact outcome we were looking to achieve for this stage of our project.

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

Both Xenia and Beautizon worked together to define the scope of work for the project, as well as timeframes for completion. Xenia kept us informed with regular updates on the process and where easily contactable and willing to take a phonecall to clarify any of my teams questions. The transaction was a smooth and seamless process.

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

Xenia's service level is the best in the business. Extremely responsive and an experienced and capable team that can quickly understand our requirements and put together a plan to complete the project inside of our deadlines.

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

I have always been very impressed with Xenia from our previous projects working together, and we will continue to work with them in the future.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a product development studio in London and I am one of the founders

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were looking for a specialty design and developmnent partner to help us with a number of projects. Xenia provided product managment, design and development for a number of these projects. They delivered in a short space of time with great results.

SOLUTION

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

They had a very good approach asking questions that we had not even thought of. They worked really fast and their proposal was tailored to our problems rather then a copy and paste. Xenia's team were very easy to deal with and led the process throughout

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

Xenia too an initial brief and designed wireframes and then high fidelity designs of the mobile-first website. This project was on behalf of a large multi-national clietn and they were working within their brand guidelines and to a tight timeline.

The final project was delivered with Wordpress and included a CMS for the customers to edit copy and assets. The site also included a number of quiz questions and entry forms for users to enter into competitions.

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

We had 3 people working with us, a designer, project manager/account manager and developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was delivered well within time and budget, with enough time for changes to come in from clients. The client loved the end result and has signed up for more work

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

We had regular stand ups using slack along with regular updates on video call. They were pragmatic in their approach and made sure everything as clear with what was outstanding and when to expect it.

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

The quality of communicatoin and project management meant that we felt comfortable the whole time the project was running. Even though we were in different time zones we had no issues with the speed or timing of calls and delivery.

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

Not really, it was all handled very well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a tech startup in the gratuity payments sector. We have both hardware and software which allows for easily adding tips to instant contactless card and mobile payments for the hospitality industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xenia Tech?

We needed a development partner for some of the specific requirements on our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team has focused solely on the digital aspects of our development, building the web backend and app frontend of our system. For those, they used React on the web side and React Native for mobile and have connected both to the cloud via AWS and MongoDB.

What was the team composition?

I’ve worked with Will (CEO) directly, as well as several other team members, including the operations manager. On a regular basis, I was in touch with 3–4 people but stretched to 6–7 on an ad-hoc basis depending on what stage of the project we were at.

How did you come to work with Xenia Tech?

I was looking for organizations that I could establish trust with off the bat and who had experience in the space. Their CEO not only has hospitality space as well as startup experience, but he also made himself readily accessible for us to access that expertise, so we decided to move forward with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed our initial contract in November 2019 and are continuing to work together, with plans for it to be a long-term relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the key things that was really helpful to us is their weekly report from their side that details all of the work that has been undertaken. That includes project management hours, development hours, key milestones, problem fixes, and the project status as a whole. Having that kind of comprehensive information in one place really helps to make sure everyone is always on the same page in terms of what progress and problems we’ve had.

How did Xenia Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been very responsive, and all of the documentation that they create along the way is excellent. We’ve never had any problems with communication because of how proactive and accommodating their team is around meetings, video conferences, and emails.

We’re connected over Slack channels and WhatsApp so that we can communicate relatively easily when necessary there. They’ve provided both official and unofficial channels so that we can tackle each challenge as it arises with whatever solution feels the most properly tailored to its size, which I really appreciate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a really impressive depth of UI designers and developers on their team so that they are able to produce wireframes, layouts, and other critical scope elements very quickly. That urgency allowed us to spend as much time as possible nailing down exactly what we wanted the final product to look like while still being able to get started on the actual build on schedule.

On top of that, the personnel that they have are just incredibly talented. One of their designers in particular is probably the best designer I’ve ever met in my 20 years in the tech space and was able to deliver a logo that I decided to go with after just 4–5 attempts. That was a really nice bonus on top of that the work that they were already delivering for me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There isn’t anything that comes to mind that I wish they were doing differently.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of VidOPs. We provide streamlined media creation as we like to call it. The idea behind it is that clients will be able to go onto our platform and book freelance creative visual media people such as videographers, editors, and photographers. On the other side, those creatives will be able to pick up jobs and more easily manage their work

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xenia Tech?

The first version we created of the platform was pretty basic. I put it together myself and I am not an expert in software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Originally, we were working with a relational database and they suggested using a different system for organizing our data. I can’t remember what it is called but it is a particular platform.

We are looking now to launch the first phase of the project and will be then moving onto phase two.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about 10 or 12 people, but it varies depending on when we need which expert. It is very flexible for us which works very well.

How did you come to work with Xenia Tech?

Will (Founder & CEO) used to work in London in the same office as I did. I got to know him there. I reached out to him to explore the possibility of working on this project and we traveled out there in June.

When I approached Will, I explained to him what we were working on, and the price point, to begin with, was fantastic which was a big draw for us. They are far more cost-effective than the next best option that we had available to us, and the quality of their work is really great.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent around $100,000 to date. We are putting a budget together at the moment and we will see how much we spend in that next stage.

What is the status of this engagement?

It was about 12 months ago that we started working together, but we officially started in June last year. It is an ongoing collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of success metrics, the design is one area where we struggled a little bit, but they were extremely effective on the technology side. They come up with many ideas and solutions that we hadn’t thought of. Overall, it is cost-effective, high quality, and they come up with a number of ideas and solutions that we didn’t originally think of.

How did Xenia Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very effective at keeping us up to date. We have a very well-organized system for working remotely. We had only been over there once and especially now with a lockdown; it is a seamless transition to working remotely from home because of the way in which we work. It is very effective.

We use Jira as our project management tool, and everything is kept very clear there. We have had the budget sometimes within $100 in any given month which has been really good for our planning. In terms of deadlines, we are only behind by about three weeks over the course of the last 10 months which is pretty good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The suggestions they provided us with for solutions we hadn’t thought of was one of the areas that was really helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The design side is one area we struggled with at a couple of different points during the project.