MOOSETANK

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're an apparel printing shop called Sembly.

What is your position?

I am the founder and Chief Executive Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Moosetank?

They helped us develop the software for a print-on-demand project in the form of an e-commerce website. Through the site, a customer can build their own designs. Once a shirt is designed, the user can process payment and arrange shipment.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

They custom-built the website for us. Its features include generating invoices, managing production and customers' shipping data.

How did you come to work with Moosetank?

They were referred to us. We had researched other companies as well.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together for a year. It's ongoing work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The results have exceeded my expectations. We've gotten a ton of feedback from customers, both positive and negative. The typical negative feedback comes from the desire for more features, which we're working on adding. There were no bugs on the site. 

How did Moosetank perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Trello for project management. It was recommended by Moosetank.

What distinguishes Moosetank from other providers?

They have a good sense of teamwork. They’re great collaborators with the ability to convey technical details to laypeople without much technical knowledge.

Is there anything Moosetank could have improved or done differently?

No. They performed very well given my requirements.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a full cycle development and design shop. We design mobile apps for practically any industry.

What is your position?

I'm the technical director. I manage all the teams, client relations, and technical issues.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Moosetank?

We've hired many contractors over time. As a business model, we don't employ full-time engineers, but rather subcontract other companies to do the technical work for us. They were one of the providers that we used. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

They performed programming work for one of our own clients. They worked mostly with HTML5, Javascript, and CSS3, so primarily front-end technologies.

We worked with them on another project that was centered on Joomla. There were a few other projects as well. I believe we worked with two managers and two developers from Moosetank. We primarily communicated through the project managers, though. Only on rare occasions would I interact directly with the developers.

How did you come to work with Moosetank?

We met at a conference for computer geeks.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was under $10.000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The most recent project was completed around June of 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We haven't done a lot of user engagement testing. The metrics we collect are based on the number of issues discovered after launch. We’re fortunate that we haven’t had a lot of bug reports from end-users.

How did Moosetank perform from a project management standpoint?

They always delivered their work on time. We used a number of project management tools, including Basecamp, Pivotal Tracker and Jira. I liked using those tools and felt like they really kept everything on track.

What distinguishes Moosetank from other providers?

They have a lot of great experience in front-end development. That was the main reason we contracted them. They were also located in Los Angeles, so it was convenient to speak at normal hours, as opposed to at night.

Is there anything Moosetank could have improved or done differently?

I don't think so.

Do you have any advice or tips for future clients of theirs?

My recommendation for prospective clients is to keep a knowledgeable project manager on their side, or at least an owner who would be available for all the calls. That is a must. If a client doesn't have that, I don't know how they can achieve anything. This is an industry where you're not taken under someone’s wing completely. You don't become part of the family; we're just doing work for you. When an external element is involved, the owner, CEO, or idea person must be present.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a startup. We have an app that improves your search experience on the web. We do two things: we allow you to discover relevant content based on the context of the pages you're browsing, and we improve the search experience by taking search outside of the browsing flow. We developed a piece of UI [user interface] that works as a browser plug-in, which is your one-stop shop for search. We are also working on a mobile app that will work as a full browser for iOS.

What is your position?

I'm the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Moosetank?

We hired them for designing 3-D motion objects. They provide different types of services, one of them being making these dynamic videos. We worked with them on a particular video. We made the script, and we managed the operational specifications. They created the visual footage and did the editing. They provided video production, exclusively.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

From what I understand, there were three people working for us. I communicated through only one contact, Boris [Goncharov, Co-founder of Moosetank]. His partner was present on his calls with me from time to time.

The goal of the video was to tease the beta launch of our product. It was a 30-second video with many challenges. There were many small details to take care of. We had a lot of communication to make sure that everything worked.

How did you come to work with Moosetank?

They were recommended to me. They were the only company that reached the specification phase with us, but we contacted others. They were also the only ones actually to make an offer.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was $10.000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was completed in August 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

All the feedback I got was positive. It's a very high-quality video with great detail, resolution, and flow. We wouldn't even have the video without them since we don't have those skills in-house.

How did Moosetank perform from a project management standpoint?

They were within budget. There was a little bit of slipping on the time schedule, but I wouldn't say it was their fault. I was maybe a bit of a perfectionist. I found things that I hadn't specified in the first place. They had to do extra work to make sure I was happy. They were very focused on customer satisfaction and didn't ask for more money. We used Google Docs for project management.

I had a specific vision for what I wanted, but it got more precise when I got the first mock-ups from them. The only thing we provided was a basic screen recording of our app. The rest was designed by them. They did great work with the 3-D design and morphing of objects.

Is there anything Moosetank could have improved or done differently?

There's always room for improvement. Making videos is not my profession, and it was the first time that I had this requirement, so I learned along the way. I would have done things differently if I'd known we had to go so much in-depth. They were very flexible, and it was a good, painless experience on my end.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m CEO of Famely, a music talent management agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MOOSETANK?

We hired them for branding and website development.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a website that would clearly show the activity and goals of a new sound recording and artist management agency.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of my friends referred MOOSETANK. I chose them because their portfolio and pricing compared favorably to the other vendors I considered.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They held a working session with us where they suggested several names. After we chose a name, they worked on branding and website design.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a creative director, a project manager, and a group of designers and website developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their development work gave us a professional online presence. Industry colleagues and clients have told us that the site makes our agency appear experienced.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicate through phone, email, and Skype. We also have on-site visits, and each meeting with their team is challenging and rewarding.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team is very knowledgeable and devoted to their work. They have excellent customer service. Whenever we have a question on our side, they always have an immediate answer, no matter how tricky the subject. They know the business and industry standards.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re highly satisfied with their work.