Net Solutions

BACKGROUND

Busy Little Kids is an Australian based company, started around eight months ago with one main employee.

The app was developed to help children get away from technology, and rediscover the art of play and creativity. I manage the marketing, social media, accounts; pretty much everything.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

I needed an app built that was elegant and beautiful. The main goal was to develop an app that was easy to use. Usability was the key criteria, more than beauty.

SOLUTION

The project involved design and development by Net Solutions. I chose Net Solutions because their price was reasonable, and I liked their design ideas as well as their friendly manner.

I gave them a rough design layout, and examples of other apps I liked and we went from there. They were extremely helpful, efficient, and delivered all aspects of the project on time.

The cost of the project was around $3,000. The app was completed in December of 2013. The app was just developed on iOS, but Android porting will come later.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Both myself and the people who have purchased the app have been really happy with it. Busy Little Kids has been ranked in the top 10 apps in the Australian App Store since its launch.

The app was completed successfully on time and on budget. I am satisfied with Net Solutions' efforts. They covered all of the requirements. I have no complaints because the project was wrapped up smoothly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your role and responsibilities.

I am a freelancer. This is a company I was working for as a project lead. The company is Nualight, an LED lighting company. They sell lights to supermarkets and commercial spaces, and the headquarters are in Cork, Ireland. They have offices in [North] America and Amsterdam. It's an international company. I managed the redesign of the website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Net Solutions?

The goal was a complete website redesign. The original site was built on Kentico, so it was pretty much a new website.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Net Solutions just did Web development. We are using Kentico. It's working very well as a platform. The support team at Kentico is very good, which I am told is rare for this kind of platform. I can only assess it on a project-by-project basis. I wouldn’t recommend it for every Web build, but it was good for our purposes. We needed a multilingual site, and it is very good for that capability. We needed quite a lot of functionality and access to the backend to make product adjustments and so on. It allows non-tech people to make the backend changes.

What was your process for selecting Net Solutions to work with?

We had a few different proposals, and a few of them were locally based. I wrote a brief of the proposed project and suggested looking at overseas firms and see what we get back. I looked on the Kentico website for their trusted suppliers, and they had a gold star or some kind of certificate. I contacted them through their website, and they followed up with me. They won on price and instilled a lot of confidence with their approach to the process.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was under six figures. It was more than £10,000, maybe £30,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

One working website is the only metric that matters. Our market is very niche, so we weren’t looking for a huge increase in traffic. We just needed to improve the brand image, and we did that successfully. We don’t have any stats.

Net Solutions performed well, and I couldn’t recommend them more. I don’t usually make recommendations because my time schedule is tight. But, they are definitely excellent, and I will definitely work with them again. They were so professional, and they led the project. My biggest worry was that I wouldn’t be able to catch their mistakes since they work remotely. I didn’t want to have to ask them to correct their work, but it was the opposite. They were asking me to redo things. They were completely on top of the project.

They were very good at thinking ahead and asking the right questions from past Web development experience. That can be very costly if you don't think ahead. Web firms often just do what you say, which is not what you need. Ideally, you need them to ask the hard questions and challenge your thinking. They did that very well. Their technical capability was immense. They always delivered, even if we had impossible things that we needed them to do. They were very good at that.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

One day, we were showing the first draft of the website to my project lead. The day before, the site had crashed because of some kind of bug. It was an absolute disaster. I was panicking and said we had to get it fixed. I didn’t know what had gone wrong. It was right at the end of their working day, and there is quite a time difference between here and India. One of their people stayed up the whole night and got it fixed in time for the morning when we were up. He didn’t need to do that at all since I was the one that broke it. He was very committed, and that is one example of how good they are. I couldn’t recommend them more.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

As a company, we could have saved costs if we had put off launching and written a more coherent brief. We set ridiculous deadlines that we were never going to meet. As a result, we launched early and agreed to pay them an hourly rate, instead of them quoting the entire project. That was great for them because they worked when we asked them to work. For the company, it wasn’t very economical. We should have invested in that.

I can’t think of anything negative about them. The time difference is something you have to manage. It's beautiful going to sleep with the list that you just emailed them, and you wake up, and it's all done. They were very good.

BACKGROUND

What is your role and responsibilities?

I work as part of a Web and multimedia team, so we do a lot of work on the company website. That’s internal work, and we do a lot of work for our external clients, mainly the oil and gas industry, finance industry, pharmaceuticals, and so on. There was a small project that we worked on with Net Solutions India a couple of years ago, which was fairly well received. We're generally responsible for the company websites, the Web applications that support that and the electronic and digital documentation that supports our products and services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Net Solutions?

We gave Net Solutions the task of creating a proof of concept for an oil and gas company that we work very closely with. It was essentially an HTML5 or a tablet version of an interactive map, where they could actually look at the emergency response information. We built an older version in Flash, but because we wanted to give them the benefits of repurposing the same XML content compatible with tablets, we thought this would be a good exercise to try Net Solutions for a one-off project.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

It was mainly development. There was a little consultancy because two to three years ago, the team here had some experience in developing HTML5 Web pages that would work on iPads. Obviously, we had spoken to Net Solutions, and they specialized in that field. Because we had a limited budget, we tried an outsourcing model where we gave them the creative brief. We gave them the Flash proof of concept that we built and just asked them to replicate that as closely as possible on the tablet.

What was your process for selecting Net Solutions to work with?

We met them at a digital marketing exhibition and spoke to the owner of the company. We also spoke to a sales agent. We established a good rapport, and when we figured out that they could work with us at a cost-effective rate, they seemed very responsive. When we worked with them on the project, there were times when they matched our working hours. It seemed like a very good partnership.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was a fairly small project, but it allowed us to deliver things quickly to senior management. It was less than $3,000. Because it was a proof of concept, it was used as a prop when they did presentations and demonstrations. It showed the possibility of repurposing the same content that we’ve built for other applications, but on something that would also work on a tablet. I believe it was completed in 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

We had very good feedback from the stakeholders. They were very happy with the result, and it didn’t need to do anything more than it did. It didn’t connect to any databases, but proved to be a useful conceptual tool that they could go to when they had sales meetings. 

How did Net Solutions perform throughout the project?

It was a pleasure working with them. They are very responsive and use an agile process, which is very useful. They had a ticketing system, where we could easily identify bugs or issues. We'd log into the system, and we'd get a response within a few hours. There were certain times when even though it was toward the later hours in the U.K., we still had guys in Net Solutions India working with us and matching our working hours.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

They are very easy to talk to, including the owner. We feel at ease when we deal with them, and they seem like partners we can trust. That’s why Net Solutions ended up on our suppliers list at the end of the project.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Not at the moment. From the times that I’ve dealt with them, it's been a very good experience. Occasionally, they use Skype, so the connection is not always perfect. Sometimes, I'll get a call or a voice-mail where the call quality is not that good. It's just a technology hiccup.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

My company is a social interaction app, and I contacted Net Solutions to make an application for us.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for the app and working with Net Solutions?

Back in the 1980s, there was a popular bar that had tables with visible numbers and telephones on them. If you and your friends were sitting at table 16 and saw a group of pretty girls sitting at table 9, you could call them at table 9 and break the ice. It was a little before my time, but I heard it made a fantastic evening out with your friends. That’s what I wanted to capture and develop with the app.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of Net Solutions' work?

I gave them what I was looking for, and Net Solutions pretty much did everything. They threw ideas on the table and looked for my approval. If I didn’t like them, they tried something else. This is just for iPhone, as well as the iPhone version on the iPad.

What was your process for selecting Net Solutions?

I talked to a few people, and they sounded the best. It took a few months of going back and forth with various people, but through our conversations, Net Solutions felt right.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was between $10,000 and $50,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Net Solutions perform?

Net Solutions was great. They were extremely professional and cordial. This was my first experience producing an app, and answered any questions I had. They were fantastic. I can have ideas and describe them via Internet the best I can. They surprised me by coming up with some better ideas than I thought. Others were not exactly what I was looking for. Overall, I’m pleased. The app is fairly basic right now, and we have a way to go. I’m happy with Net Solutions. They did a good job.

Do you think doing the app on iPhone was the right decision?

Yes. I plan to take it to Android someday, but iPhone was a good first step.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I’ve been working with them for a long time. Their professionalism and prompt answers in getting back to me stand out. They’ve been there for me the entire time. They’ve been very good.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

When I had an idea, I put everything in writing in as full detail as I could. I sent it to them, thinking that there was no way something could be missed. Something was missed slightly, and I looked back at my notes and saw how they could interpret it the way they did. It's important to have pictures and be as descriptive as much as possible so nothing is missed.

Also, I have my contact person there, who relays everything to their development and design teams. Some things got slightly lost in translation as it went through the communication chain. I'd tell them that was not exactly what I was talking about. It was usually close, and it was rectified right away.

If there were any situations when something was missed a couple of times, we had a Web conference where we could all talk to each other. We set it up, and everybody got on the same page.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are the technology arm of a 25-year-old training and consulting firm based in Montreal, Quebec. We service large organizations that have sales forces with five to 5,000 sales professionals as well as call centers and customer service organizations. We offer everything from sales training to managerial and leadership coaching as well as overall performance-enhancing tools and systems. We are the technology arm, and we build technology that complements the practices that we teach in our training and coaching. The tools support the coaching, technical training, soft-skill training, and so on.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the director of research and development for our technology arm. I oversee the technology division, with about eight employees in house. We work with companies like Net Solutions. We have about 20 employees working for us overseas on an outsource or contract basis. I perform needs analysis with internal and external clients as well as scoping projects and the ultimate approval of specs, user interface and user experience designs, the final product approval, and budget management. I also manage all of our spending on our internal employees and our outsource partners, including Net Solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Net Solutions?

We initially sought them out because we needed the ability to scale up our development team quickly. We didn’t have the local reach to hire the skill sets that we needed in a quick enough manner to respond to a couple of major projects we had in the pipeline. We did quite a bit of research, spoke to a lot of companies, and we turned to Net Solutions to complement to our team and add to it. We wanted them to work with us, but provide some extra manpower. That relationship blossomed into realizing that they were very good at what they do. We decided to use them as an extra arm of our development. We kept them on a retainer, and we have several employees who work for Net Solutions who are exclusive to our account. Whenever we need them, we’ve got them.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

That varies depending on the project, and the need at hand. They’ve handled some projects from design through delivery to us before we deliver it to the client. Most of the work that they do for us is based on the design specs that we give them. They’ll write the code for us. We take care of the quality assurance and quality control on our end.

What was your process for selecting Net Solutions to work with?

We looked at about 15 companies, some near shore, and some offshore. Some were in the U.S., and some were in Argentina, the Philippines, China, and India. We had an evaluation matrix that we developed. The criteria involved everything from communication to skill set to talent pool. For instance, we needed to know how many employees they had, so if there was a high turnover, they would always be able to fill the spots that we needed.

We obviously looked at pricing, the ability to provide accurate timelines for deliverables, and experience. We spoke to a lot of references. That was important for us as well.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

We use them on an ongoing basis, with eight full-time employees working eight-hour days continuously. That would be about 320 hours a week and 1,280 hours a month that they provide for us. It is a significant amount of time. What we spend on Net Solutions far outweighs any of the budgets that I’ve allotted to our other outsource partners. They certainly get the biggest piece of the pie, and it's comparable to what we're spending internally on our own employees.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

They provided a major deliverable for one of our clients on November 14, 2013 – an iPad application.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from that project?

It was quite successful. It was a long-term project that we'd been working on for quite a while. They are great to work with, integrating with our team, and working with our database administrator, quality control team, and security analysts. We worked closely with them, and the final product was exactly as we had hoped. They were more than willing to help support us in taking care of any last-minute glitches. They worked above and beyond their regular daytime hours to stay on the line with us, and to help troubleshoot issues. Overall, it was a very positive experience, which is why we've kept them on for so long. We look forward to continuing our work with them.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

It is tough to say. They way that our deliverables work is that it is tough to quantify success because our clients are buying products from us that they will use until they drop us for another customer. We build tools that are part of their day-to-day workflows. I could tell you that 10,000 downloaded the app, and that 7,000 people used it by the end of day one. That’s not necessarily success; it's just that they need it.

We're not having any issues. The client loves the app. We're getting only positive feedback from it.

I find their project management methodologies are superior to any company I’ve ever worked with. They are incredibly well organized. They use very good cloud-based tools to manage everything from inflow and outflow of messages and files. Every single employee who is involved in any way with any of our projects provides me with a daily update before they sign out. They tell me what they did, what issues they faced, what they’re working on tomorrow. It's very well organized, and incredibly well documented. They comport themselves with the utmost professionalism.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

We ran into a couple of issues when we first started working with them, on the teamwork side of things. They stepped on our toes a little bit, and they decided if they can’t get something to work with code that we did, they were going to change our code without letting us know. It was more of a communication issue. We let them know how we worked and that they couldn’t do that anymore. They learned quickly, and things changed quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We purchase underperforming apartment buildings. We renovate them, and put them back on the market. We're a publicly traded company in Canada, and we operate primarily in Western Canada.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the director of marketing and communications. All advertising and marketing fall under me as well as investor relations, which is on the communications side. I head all digital and non-digital channels for marketing and advertising.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge you were trying to address with Net Solutions?

We have a long-term approach to overseas, offshore outsourcing. We started with the website, mobile website, applications, and now we're moving to software. It's a long-term plan for these digital assets. We felt that to make it economical since we don’t have a one-off requirement, we wanted to try overseas outsourcing.

Are they the only firm that you’ve worked with in that capacity?

We have worked with other Web companies. I had an idea of where I wanted to go with it, so I provided content and direction. They did the design and all the coding. We worked as a partnership for the website, and it's an ongoing project. The same happened for the mobile site, although they took that more into their hands. Since we had the website set up, they had a clear vision of what needed to be accomplished. In January of 2014, we'll start working on the app development. The apps will be for Android and iOS.

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Net Solutions?

I searched for companies, and then I went to India and interviewed about 30 companies. They were chosen out of those 30.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

I’d like to leave that confidential.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

November of 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

We are tracking it closely since we launched the website, but we don’t have anything right now. We watch our Google Analytics closely; however, we don’t do online sales, so we can’t determine that. It's tough for the ROI. People don’t complain about our website anymore. We had a lot of complaints because it didn’t function as it should. We’ve have a lot of positive feedback, but it's nothing I can attach to a balance sheet.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

We keep going back to them. They’re skilled at what they do, with top-notch engineers. Their processes are fantastic. Right from the idea of doing apps, from doing the quote, through testing and launching, they keep things on track. The process is transparent, and you always know where you stand.

Their reaction time is very good. For instance, if we have an issue, we put it into the system. Generally, when we come back the next day, it's taken care of. This is a huge advantage for us. Their processes are fantastic; turnaround time is very good. The personalities are nice, too. We're trying to build a partnership, and I find they’re easy to get along with and professional at the same time. When the product comes out, and it's a hit, you combine all those elements, and they are a great partner.

One key point is that they are truly international, which many Indian companies are. It's a big part of their business. When I talk to them, there isn’t a huge cultural gap. When I spoke to the other companies, I could see that they had international clients. However, I questioned how they were succeeding because there seemed to be a huge cultural gap. I sensed they didn’t quite get what I was talking about. They are very much an international player, and they can accommodate and understand your objectives.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

I think it is generally true for a lot of Indian companies that their design isn’t as strong as I perceive North American or European companies to be. I don’t think many students in India go to a design school; they are engineers first. I think that many of the companies need to work on their design skills. I’ve gone through a lot of Indian sites, and Net Solutions' design is still better than most by far.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

The company that Net Solutions India has been working with is an online booking solution for various types of housing, including hotels and bed and breakfasts.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the founder and CEO. It's a small start-up with three employees based in New York.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Net Solutions India?

The goal was to turn an idea into an online platform that tracks millions of users. We had an idea for an online travel site, so our goal was to build the site.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

When I started working with them, we hadn’t developed any design. It was part of Net Solutions India's scope to help us develop the wireframes and design. The goal was to take the site from concept to wireframe to coding to live deployment. They were involved the whole way.

What was your process for selecting Net Solutions India?

References. We looked at a number of companies, but Net Solutions was recommended to me by a friend of a friend. I liked their approach, and the way they handled the work and their offer. I liked everything, so I went with them.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The initial project was about $60,000. They charged $20 per hour, so that’s about 3,000 hours of work. It ended up being two to three times that by the time I took it over myself.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

The first launch took place in July of 2011

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

The site went online from scratch, and we didn’t have anything to compare it to. We made improvements in the second and third iterations. They were very responsive, and they tried to understand my goals and come up with solutions. They established goals and milestones. They did a good job.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I don’t have too much to compare to. I felt a bit nervous in the beginning; sometimes, you work with a company that charges you excessively if you have tweaks that need to be done. I thought their hourly rate was reasonable.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Looking back, I didn’t pay too much attention to which technology we were going with. They suggested that we do it on .NET, on a Microsoft server, and now we're stuck with an expensive .NET server. It's not one of the coolest, most agile technologies, so I would have hired someone to help me select technologies before I started the work. Choosing the technology would be a separate project.

They were trustworthy, and some of their engineers were a bit junior, so it was a bit difficult to get top-notch programmers. I think I would have done more to ensure they put their best people on the job. Bugs happen in projects, but I think if we had better trained people who had a better initial understanding, some bugs and fixes would have been avoided. It was harder to make quick changes, which we needed as a startup. It is reliable, and it works because it's Microsoft. However, the tech people who I spoke to afterwards thought it wasn’t the best choice for a startup and that it was better suited for an established company. It was harder to get the best programmers because they use JavaScript and other technologies.

BACKGROUND

Can you provide a little background on what your company does?

Our interaction with Net Solutions began in 2009. I was in the process of starting a company while working full-time, and I wanted to find a way to increase productivity outside of the hours I contributed. I ultimately ended up hiring NSI to build out the entire product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What parts of the project involved Net Solutions involved in?

They were partially involved in the planning and the brainstorming process. As a half-wit engineer I was able to direct the project closely, but without having to code at every stage. I had completed the majority of the planning prior to hiring them, which meant our relationship began with me saying, “here’s what I want. Can you do this?”

SOLUTION

What technologies did they use to develop the website?

We built the site in 2009, so I wouldn’t have made these choices again in 2013. We used .NET and Flash (FLEX). The platform allowed the consumer to go online, personalize a greeting card message, and have it printed and mailed directly to the recipient, as if they had written it themselves.

Can you provide a very general cost estimate for the project?

I would estimate it cost approximately $50,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How happy are you with the results?

The results were great. I had done a ton of work with outsourced development before and worked for a software company at the time. I left to pursue this as a fulltime venture once it was done. They have very sharp people, and the engineers wrote extremely clean code. The project manager was also extremely competent. He took a personal, maybe even an emotional interest in the venture, which was a great thing. We actually ended up selling the company and I credit a lot of that to their effort.

Is there anything that stood out as being unique or special compared to other developers that you’ve worked with?

Absolutely. I’ve worked with a lot of firms in India and some firms in Europe as well. One unique thing was that they were based out of Northern India, in Chandigarh, which neighbors Nepal. They’re not a huge firm. With most firms, even in the U.S., you feel like you’re working with a revolving door. People come and go. You lose time. You lose money. There’s no consistency in the labor pool. They probably had a couple of hundred people at the time. I’m positive they’ve grown since then. They also had a family feeling to their culture, which was awesome. I remember them telling me on a Friday once, “Oh, you know, we’re leaving early. We’re going to a movie as a firm. We’re going to see Star Wars or whatever it was.” There was cohesiveness that you don’t often see, especially when people think about outsourced work.

Is there anything that you would do differently a second time around or think that they could improve upon?

I would probably do two things differently. One is not their fault.  I would not have selected .NET and Flex as the programming languages. If anyone had known that Apple would effectively kill Flash, they would have never chosen that product. The only the other thing is that they’re not a design firm. Anyone that allows an engineering firm to do their UI and UX design is likely making a bad decision. We attempted to make it work, but it just didn’t. That’s not a knock on them; it’s just a knock on my naivety. If you’re selling to a U.S. consumer, it’s hard to communicate what that consumer is looking for halfway around the world. You typically want to go down the street to somebody you can sit down over coffee with and have he/she sketch something out.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Founder of a construction company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a b2b saas company for the construction industry. We provide a simple and efficient way to keep track of safety certifications. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Net Solutions to accomplish?

• MVP Development

SOLUTION

How did you find Net Solutions?

Online Search

Why did you select Net Solutions over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Net Solutions were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Created user stories for review. Help to define the problem and possible solutions 
• Created UX/UI wire frames
• Created code for mobile and desktop applications 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Met all project milestones within schedule

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The team was very professional, responsive, and knowledgeable. 

What was your primary form of communication with Net Solutions?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They care about delivering a quality product to their clients and go above and beyond to understand your goals so that they can offer suggestions and insights as needed.

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

NA

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Digital Transformation of an automotive parts retailer. 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Automotive Aftermarket

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Net Solutions to accomplish?

• Create and maintain a highly integrated B2C platform

SOLUTION

How did you find Net Solutions?

We had used Net Solutions in smaller scale operations

Why did you select Net Solutions over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Net Solutions were assigned to this project?

20+

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The brief was much more than the creation of an e-commerce website, it was to build a B2C platform that was scalable, highly integrated and would form the basis of a long term partnership.

We were looking for a long term partner that would grow with our business, handle the changing requirements of the industry we are in, and be flexible enough to accomodate all the ad-hoc and unexpected demands that are typical of a fast growing organisation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

As an FMCG company we are focussed on uptime, reliability, and scalability.

We needed a system that could handle high transaction volumes while integrating to complex  and bespoke back end systems.

There would be a constant flow of functional enhancement requests which needed to be addressed effectively, while ways of working needed to dovetail into our operations.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We had a dedicated PM at all times who acted as a very effective conduit between the various teams on both sides. Having worked with many third party PM's who need constant oversight, the Net Solutions PM would provide accurate estiamtes for times and costs and consistently deliver his teams work to those agreed parameters.

It was also useful to us that the Net Solutions teams did not change personnel frequently, so the PM and other teams members came to understand our business, were able to build relationships across the organisations, and ended up being an extension to our own teams.

What was your primary form of communication with Net Solutions?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I found the willingness of Net Solutions to flex with us and support our changing demands, extremely valuable. Like any large organisation, things sometimes come unexpectedly and require a very rapid reaction. We had this level of commitment from Net Solutions, with them agreeing special support arrangements and providing access to all the right people whenever the event demanded it.

It felt like Net Solutions was an extension of my own team, accommodating every one of our requests as if they were personally invested in the outcome.

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

Initially we partnered with Net Solutions in a 'we tell, they do' type relationship.

After a number of years, recognising the knowledge that Net Solutions had built up about our business and technology stacks, we transitioned Net Solutions to a more collaborative and consultative arrangement. To begin with this was not an easy transition as Net Solutions had traditionally looked to us to determine how system solutions should look, but over time we achieved the needed level of involvement.