Netsmartz LLC

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT director of a luxury home furnishing retailer, a B2B company that predominantly serves the interior design community in the US, and we’re currently expanding our business in the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsmartz LLC?

We needed someone to provide us with a cost-efficient e-commerce solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I engaged with Netsmartz LLC as a third-party offshore provider primarily focusing on Magento e-commerce development. They’re porting our entire site along with its functionalities and interface to the newest version of Magento, and serve as our main front- and backend development resource for new features and functionality.

Apart from that, they do QA testing for our products and make further improvements by implementing new features. 

What is the team composition?

We work with Raj (Technical Project Manager), Pratik (Business Analyst), Sneha (Software Engineer), Sakshi (Software Developer), and a lead developer.

How did you come to work with Netsmartz LLC?

We found Netsmartz LLC through Google and decided to go with them based on their Magento and Adobe eCommerce expertise. Sanjay (COO) presented their services well and after checking a few references and vetting their company, I felt quite confident moving forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested around $600,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Netsmartz LLC has a great track record of delivering multiple requirements successfully, and consistently meeting our expectations.

How did Netsmartz LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is serviceable, but it takes care from our side to make sure everybody in their team is working efficiently and communicating smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We like that Netsmartz LLC has the commitment for our business to be successful. They understand the challenges and do a good job of keeping the project on track. In addition to that, we like their responsiveness and ability to mitigate issues.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great to see some accountability and ownership flow down to the lowest level of contributors. If the developers don’t understand the requirement, they should take it upon themselves to identify the problem instead of passing it to someone else.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to go into the partnership with your eyes open. As long as you have ownership inside the business and the right people to manage your project, you’re going to have a great experience working with Netsmartz LLC.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a nonprofit organization in the education area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsmartz LLC?

We purchased and installed a new learning management platform for our customers, but its shopping cart was inept for what we wanted, so we needed help with it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Netsmartz LLC built out and customized the shopping card product we got through Magento. We started by telling them what we needed, and they proceeded to fill out a scope of work on the timeline, then started to build and launch the product.

Currently, they’re helping us with maintenance.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with six members of their team, including a project manager.

How did you come to work with Netsmartz LLC?

They were referred to us by our LMS company. We chose them because they accommodated our budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $45,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been accommodating and have continued to work through any issues we’ve had.

How did Netsmartz LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great at staying on the timeline. In terms of communication, we have biweekly meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Their ability to adapt to us and work to get any needed solution is outstanding — they solve any issue until we’re satisfied.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The time difference between teams has been challenging in terms of having all the teammates on the same call to talk about the project.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on what you want and scope everything out, including the timeline you want to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product manager of a paper and media distributor. We sell to the photography industry and we also have a digital imaging platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsmartz LLC?

Our digital imaging platform is widely used in the North American and Australian markets, so we were looking for an easier way for companies to establish partnerships with solution providers such as photography production companies and photo websites, to provide consumers with a seamless experience when it comes to ordering, developing, and publishing photos.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Netsmartz LLC to create a one-point integration for gallery software and e-commerce companies to connect to a network of photography labs across our targeted markets. Using our production system, customers are able to easily make orders and establish business relationships as they choose.

The project has five phases starting with a feasibility architecture where we identify the scope of the project, a business analysis where we write high-level user stories, a Scrum implementation where we acquire resources from Netsmartz to do incremental developmental sprints, a testing phase, and the delivery of an MVP.

Throughout the partnership, we’ve established additional features, resized the Scrum team, and sent the product out to early adopters and testers. Additionally, Netsmartz has also been hosting and operating the software’s APIs and Azure cloud system.

What is the team composition?

We work with a business analyst, Scrum leader, and a senior technical person who’s responsible for the software architecture. At our peak, we’ve probably had about five full-time resources and we’ve also interfaced with John (General Manager & Channel Sales Manager).

How did you come to work with Netsmartz LLC?

The previous vendor we were working with on this project recommended them to us. They have limited experience working with Netsmartz, but have read about their visibility in the tech community of the Rochester area.

What is the status of this engagement?

The ongoing partnership started in December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been very pleased with the resources provided by Netsmartz. They’re phenomenal at taking ownership of the project and they’re definitely committed to our company’s success. Additionally, their communication and follow-through skills are always there, so we’ve never been afraid of having them directly interact with our customers.

Another thing that I found helpful was the ability they provided me to scale their involvement up or down at the initial push, depending on the project’s needs and budget constraints. We mostly communicate through Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

How did Netsmartz LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform well. One thing I found helpful was the ability they provided me to scale their involvement up or down at the initial push, depending on the project’s needs and budget constraints. We mostly communicate through Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We like that they help with our growth initiative by providing us with customizable resource solutions. The ability to be able to rent our own Scrum team has been very handy, especially in the last six months when business conditions have essentially forced us to put the product on pause.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While we haven’t succeeded with our project yet, it’s not necessarily something I can attribute to their performance, so they don’t have anything they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise them to break down their projects into smaller phases to gain some experience working with Netsmartz. Come up with a plan, get something delivered, and review the progress of the partnership.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of a company that focuses on data collection and sports analytics for distance running teams and general fitness customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsmartz LLC?

We brought in Netsmartz to join the other teams and vendors that were working on our primary application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Netsmartz provided senior-level engineering services and supplemented a lot of the bug-fixing and adjustment efforts. They played a major role in stabilizing the platform by taking out and reengineering different erroneous sections, working closely with the QA specialists and principal engineers. 

The platform itself is a mobile system that uses a universal timer to allow people –particularly coaches, distance running teams, cross-country teams, and track-and-field teams – to collect data at training and sports meets. This system can log data on up to 200 people on a team and do analytics instantaneously to provide real-time coaching insight. We’ve built the platform to help users manage team members logistically in a polished way.

What is the team composition?

We work with one senior engineer from Netsmartz.

How did you come to work with Netsmartz LLC?

We found them through LinkedIn. They contacted us when we were looking through different agencies that could supplement our team. We’re a startup, so the budget was a critical factor in our choice. Despite our different time zones posing a challenge to their integration with the other teams, Netsmartz was very affordable, so we decided to hire them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Netsmartz lasted from February– August 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measured the impact of their work based on the velocity of tickets that were being done and completed. In that regard, Netsmartz did a great job of fixing all of the bugs that were on our platform. Some tickets required them to work with higher-level architects, but all in all, they were getting pounded out on a regular basis. 

How did Netsmartz LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked in a very agile way so that we could constantly reprioritize and not base our success on whether or not we meet the deadline. Despite us having to delay our launch and accepting that some parts of our system were quite difficult to build, Netsmartz was able to help us build a high-caliber application. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The corporate executive from Netsmartz was a great person to work with. They were easy to communicate with especially when we needed to work through business challenges and other issues. They were also actively finding additional talent for us. The engineers from Netsmartz were very good, too, and gave our team the needed experience of working with senior-level developers. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the development industry, as a whole, many agencies will market their engineers as being on the senior-level when they, in fact, are not. This was the case with Netsmartz as well. I believe they could benefit from a better assessment and representation of their developers’ skills.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a martial arts membership management platform that helps martial arts academies of all types and sizes run their schools more effectively.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsmartz LLC?

We’re a bootstrapped company and we didn’t have the resources to hire our own in-house development team, so we outsourced Netsmartz.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Netsmartz has done mobile app and web development for our company. I was working with another agency prior to this engagement, so Netsmartz took on the project and got it up and running in their environment. They spent some time understanding the ins and outs of the available code before moving into expanding the features and fixing bugs.

The team also worked with me for the onboarding process as we started to get more clients on the platform. They helped me get to a point where I was able to secure a large investment from customer acquisitions. 

What is the team composition?

I had one main point of contact, Himmat (Senior Project Manager), who is very experienced and well-versed in the type of backend infrastructure that we were dealing with. He wasn’t the main developer but he took on the role of project manager, relaying all information to the designers and programmers. 

I also worked with the president of Netsmartz, who had initially sold me on the idea of partnering with them. 

How did you come to work with Netsmartz LLC?

The agency I had been working with prior to Netsmartz communicated poorly and dragged the project on and on. That’s when I started looking for other providers. I did some online research and came across Netsmartz. 

Besides being the most responsive out of the other agencies I looked at, the team had also done some work in this type of space before. Their services were well within my budget, so I decided to bring them in. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2020 and the project concluded in May 2021. When I was able to secure that investment, I moved over to a new development team. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When Netsmartz took over, we already had two beta clients. During the course of the engagement, we were able to increase our client base by 10–20 times.

How did Netsmartz LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

Netsmartz always addressed any bugs or issues that came up. They were prompt to have it fixed, which was great. The communication was stellar and they were excellent to work with. 

I met with Himmat once — and sometimes multiple times — a week to get updates on where the project is at, what the next releases would be. He was always available, day and night, which made me curious if he ever slept because I would always get an immediate response regardless of the time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The value that they brought to our company was extremely high. They had a really good price for phenomenal work, which is a big thing for a bootstrapped company like ours that is looking to get a high-caliber product at an affordable cost. Netsmartz is second to none. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have anything to say in this regard. I had a great experience And I don't know what else they could’ve done better. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very clear and concise about your deadlines and expectations. Expect to see some language barriers since they're an offshore development team, but be assured that your point of contact or whoever you'll interface with will be great in English communication. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of DoorClé. We’re building a software marketplace platform for the real estate industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsmartz LLC?

We needed their team’s product development expertise to build our software marketplace platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve been in a long-term engagement with Netsmartz LLC. Over the course of our partnership, they’ve developed several applications and websites for us, including our first iOS app. One of the iOS apps they created was in the App Store for more than a decade before being replaced by native iPhone functionality, they consistently improved the app over that long timeframe horizon with new features and functionality to keep it relevant.

For this specific custom software project, Netsmartz LLC works with our internal team to develop software solutions, conduct life cycle testing, and production deployment. We’ve authored the core set of requirements that they currently use to create outlines for our products. They then use those outlines to decide on the tech stack and other tools to utilize for the product design and development stages. 

Apart from designing mockups for our team to review, Netsmartz LLC also decides on the architecture that must be implemented across our platform. Upon securing our approval, they then proceed with the development phase, implementing our preferred functionalities and design elements.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with dozens of Netsmartz LLC’s resources throughout our engagement, but our main points of contact are their business analysts, project managers, developers, and testers.

How did you come to work with Netsmartz LLC?

I found Netsmartz LLC's team on Google when I was still employed at a different company. We chose their team to take on a development project as we saw their professionalism and commitment to deliver our exact needs.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent more than $500,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first collaborated in 2009, and they’re still working with us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Netsmartz LLC is an expert at producing first-class results — they’ve proven themselves to be world-class software developers. Their word-class software development is our main success metric for their work, and they’ve never disappointed us by delivering something that’s not on par with our expectations. Netsmartz LLC manages to be exceptional at anything they do for us, whatever the requirements are!

How did Netsmartz LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate via email, Microsoft Teams and rely on Confluence for additional communication. Netsmartz LLC has an organized and progressive workflow — they always stick to the plan and work in reliable sprints. At the same time, our team never feels left out in the process because they share regular product demos and progress updates. Overall, they’re a fantastic team that consistently meets both our needs and expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Netsmartz LLC integrates their skills smoothly into our own processes — they work like a part of our internal team, and that level of dedication has always impressed us. More than caring about their work, their personal interaction with us demonstrates that they truly care about our products too.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve never encountered a situation that’s left unresolved. Netsmartz LLC addresses any unforeseen circumstances with ample commitment and consideration — We have never worked with a more high-caliber team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open in communicating your business needs and vision, and they will articulate those by creating tailored solutions for you.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of Track and Assess.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Netsmartz for the app development. Our goals were to create an easy to use, clean and concise tool.

SOLUTION

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

We selected this vendor after months of researching other app development companies. We decided on Netsmartz because of their professionalism, communication and general experience with creating apps.

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

The scope of the project was challenging because of our vision but Netsmartz was always available to help us bring the project to life. They helped us build our idea from the ground up and really took the time to understand our mission and explain how/why the app would function.

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

We worked directly with Himmat, who is an outstanding project manager. He lead a team of developers, etc., kept an open line of communication, and helped understand the process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app works really well and it is beautifully designed. Our goals were met on several fronts and we remain happy with the execution.

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

Everything was laid out very clearly - especially for company that is brand-new to the market - and the project was managed in a timely manner with extreme attention to detail.

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

We were really impressed by the team's communication and customer service. There was never a time where we waited for answers. We always felt that the team was dedicated to our project,

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

Not at the moment. We are really happy with the execution.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m an IT project manager at a print production company. My role is to manage the eMerx project that Netsmartz works on.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Netsmartz LLC?

We needed help with a web-based product platform for photos.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop a software solution tailored to our customers, increasing our value as a supplier.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Their location, project management procedures, and the hourly rate of the developers were part of the decision-making process.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Since the web platform project, we’ve tasked them with ad-hoc development needs. They’ve also provided support for an application that spawned from the original web-to-print solution. Currently, they’re working on that application using SQL, .NET, ASP.NET, and C#.

What was the team composition?

We have two full-time developers and one full-time quality control member of our team. We’ve just added a designer as many of our projects require HTML/CSS and e-commerce platform integrations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The web-to-print solution is a major selling point for us when acquiring new clients. It’s also a great tool for enhancing our relationship with our current customers. It’s raised us above our competition in many instances.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We've implemented an agile project management methodology, carried out over Jira and Skype. Our team is always proactive, asking questions, and acting quickly to meet our deadlines consistently.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was really impressed with the knowledge base of our developers, and how they haven't shied away from any task we’ve thrown at them. I’m also incredibly impressed by the quality control procedures, which have ensured that a polished piece of software is always delivered when we go live.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don’t have any negative feedback.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of EZLinQ. We provide a mobile application that bridges the demand gap between Canadian truck drivers and fleet companies. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsmartz?

We needed help to develop the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided Netsmartz with a very sparse idea. Their team helped me shape the envisioned app, creating wireframes and user stories. They then built the app for both Android and iOS. It includes multiple APIs, such as Google Maps and Stripe as a payment platform.

What is the team composition?

I worked with 8–10 people, including project managers, developers, and a quality assurance team.

How did you come to work with Netsmartz?

I found them through MYLead. 

How much have you invested with them?

I spent about $250,000–$500,000 CAD (approximately $190,000–$379,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from December 2016–January 2017. Netsmartz still works as a support partner in developing new features.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Netsmartz delivered the app on time, which allowed me to bring to market on time and start earning sales. Since its launch, users have regularly praised its professional look and user-friendly feel. Netsmartz still provides ongoing development services.

How did Netsmartz perform from a project management standpoint?

The project ran smoothly from start to finish. Any delays in communication came from my part. Netsmartz was always on top of tasks and deadlines. We communicated through email, texts, and a project management platform that provided progress updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Netsmartz had a highly talented and diligent team; we had an awesome experience working with them. On occasion, they swapped out team members, but each person was an excellent contributor to the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m thrilled with their work.

Any advice for potential customers?

Visit their office in person at least once so their team can provide a personal touch to your project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Snowbirdseeker.com LLC, a website for seasonal rentals by owner. The website facilitates communication between snowbirds and the property owners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsmartz LLC?

I had an idea to build a website, but I didn’t know how to do it.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed my website and have been servicing it ever since it went live in June 2008. 

Initially, a user could list as many properties as they wanted and still access their mail center. This diluted the value of a particular listing spot on the site, so they worked with me to come up with an additional membership plan for these circumstances. It helped to curve this problem and is an example of how they worked with me to fix an issue and create a new application that increased revenues for my company.

What is the team composition? 

They’re all very nice people. There is a project manager, and a developer who works under him, as well as a quality control department. 

How did you come to work with Netsmartz LLC?

A friend of mine had worked with Netsmartz LLC in the past. He was the middleman in getting me the first requirements written up and ready to go, then recommending them to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $30,000–$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2008, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With their timely communication, they were able to make my concept and vision a reality. They’ve enabled me to build a business—I’m blind, and my screen reader won’t work on the dedicated server, so they created special applications where I can edit the static content of a particular webpage. 

Beyond that, they’ve built applications that enable me to create new memberships so I can get recurring revenues from my customers and developed a tool to help me with another consulting business of mine. They’re very adaptable and really work hard to make sure I’m happy. They’re understanding of my situation, which speaks volumes.

Not too long ago, I hired them to help me with some improvements to the communication on the website. I offered them extra money for these efforts, which they declined and said it within the original agreed upon price. They told us we were more than a client to them.

How did Netsmartz LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a great job. They’re timely and honest, and they keep to their deadlines. If there are any problems with what they’ve done for me, I jot down an issues document for them to fix. They look at that line by line and make sure that everything is resolved.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like them because they’re trustworthy. We’ve established rapport together, which is good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s a time difference that makes it sometimes difficult to communicate with them after 11:00 am. They’re sleeping then, so I don’t blame them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be extremely clear on the requirements that you have. Write them down line by line and make sure both of you are on the same page but expect that some things might not quite look exactly how you planned. When this happens, write down where they didn’t quite meet your requirements, and they’ll fix all the issues.