Olio Digital Labs

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner and founder of Refuel Mobile, which allows people to request a fuel truck to come fill up their tank while they're at work through a mobile app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Olio Digital Labs?

I needed to find an developer to build our app for both iOS and Android.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Olio developed our app from scratch for iOS and Android that allows users to enter their vehicle information and make purchases, so drivers can find and refuel their cars through a GPS locator. Once the fuel driver arrives, the app automatically links to the car's meter to track liters and dollars.

What is the team composition?

I mostly worked with Brendan (Partner, Olio Digital Labs), as well as a project manager and a few developers.

How did you come to work with Olio Digital Labs?

A colleague of mine found them through an online search for developers in the London area, and we interviewed a few options based on her research. I decided to work with Olio, because they seemed to quickly understand our goals.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January to March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Olio successfully developed a user-friendly, functional app that's receiving positive feedback from users. It's simple–users can order fuel in as few steps as possible. The GPS functionality is quite impressive and we haven't had any issues with it.

How did Olio Digital Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very responsive; whenever I sent their team an email, I'd usually get a response back within an hour. They also stuck to deadlines and kept me updated throughout the development process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Olio's team takes pride in their work. They thought through each step thoroughly to make sure the deliverables met our standards.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I just recommend working with them. They're a very hands on team and easy to work with overall.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a start-up with an application that connects drivers and local mechanics. I’m the director of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Olio Digital Labs?

We had an idea and a timeline for a product and wanted to find a developer that was knowledgeable, trustworthy, and within our price range.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a web app in Laravel, a PHP framework. We just launched.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is our project manager. We also have a lead developer, a designer, and two other developers.

How did you come to work with Olio Digital Labs?

We called around to local web development shops and met with several possibilities. Olio was the only one that fit all our requirements. They had an in-house development team and we liked their initial quote. Their knowledge and their understanding of the project shone through and helped us trust them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2018 and will finish in June or July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They kept us on time with very minimal delays throughout the process. We were partially responsible for any scheduling issues and their time estimates were mostly accurate.

How did Olio Digital Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

I wish I could describe how amazing our project manager is. She is one of the best managers I’ve ever worked with and made sure everything ran smoothly. We had extensive conversations with our lead developer and never had any issues with communication. The whole team participated in the project and always had time to chat with us when we called. They replied almost instantly to emails and were exceptional across the board.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really care about their clients. They gave us accurate quotes and made sure to provide us with money-saving options. They were conscientious of our bottom line and wanted to ensure our success.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of IDM Building Maintenance. We take care of cleaning, emergency response, regular maintenance, and record keeping and also check the safety maintenance in the buildings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Olio Digital?

We wanted to have more online exposure.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us to decide on the type of website we wanted, and what would suit our needs the best. They had asked us about the services we offer and helped us put everything in place.

We wanted to display the properties that we look after and they helped us to set up a carousel which displays photos of those properties. We also wanted to add comments from our employers and customers underneath, which they helped us with as well.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one person who was very helped. He helped us with very edgy wording and came up with different ideas within our budget. We were able to stay within the limits of it.

How did you come to work with Olio Digital?

I did a Google search. They’re located a few blocks away from us which was very convenient. At the same time, we didn’t want that to be the reason we picked them. We had looked at five other companies, not all of them were in the area we live. Ultimately, after looking at Olio’s portfolio we decided they were the ones to go with.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $2,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September of 2016, and the project was completed in October of 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re extremely satisfied. Our customers keep coming back and checking out our services. We haven’t necessarily gained more customers, but that’s because we don’t want to expand that much. The development helped us quite a lot regarding exposure and we haven’t noticed any bugs so far.

How did Olio Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was very good and went well. They were always there through email or even a phone call.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their expertise and advice were impressive. Any other company we had worked with only wanted our feedback, and only wanted to know what we wanted. Olio gave us ideas which made it a lot easier because we needed guidance when it came to that. I really appreciated their advice.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Olio’s input is very useful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a travel management company handling group and corporate travel, for both vacations and business. Our core business consists of customized tours for schools, community groups, and corporations. We handle all logistics for those tours. We sell across Canada, with offices in Vancouver, London, Ontario, Ottawa, Toronto, and Halifax. Our head office is in Exeter, Ontario. We have around 85 employees and handle 35,000-40,000 passengers per year. 

I am the vice president of the company. I have a general management role, handling day-to-day operations and business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Olio Digital Labs?

We were developing an e-commerce site for the company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Olio Digital Labs assisted in the design process, developed the site, and continued to provide help for enhancements and features as-needed. Our website was built using the Laravel PHP framework and integrated into our main WordPress site. Olio Digital Labs also handled content changes for the main website until we set up a marketing department. 

How did you come to work with Olio Digital Labs?

We have known Olio Digital Labs' owner since working with him through a previous firm which we approached for website design 6-7 years ago. At the late stages of his time with that company, we started looking at an e-commerce program and continued working with him when Olio Digital Labs was started.

How much have you invested with Olio Digital Labs?

The cost of Olio Digital Labs' work was between $8,000 and $10,000. Each enhancement will have charges based on complexity. So far, the total cost has been around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Olio Digital Labs 4 years ago. The site continues to grow, so we deal with Olio Digital Labs on an ongoing basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We're very happy with the site. The only issue we've had, which may be typical for programming, is that, when we make a feature enhancement, something else can break in the background. This can't be known until we've heard about it from a client inquiry. Olio Digital Labs is quick to fix these issues.

How did Olio Digital Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

I would rate Olio Digital Labs as good regarding project management.

What did you find most impressive about Olio Digital Labs?

Olio Digital Labs' owner is from our area, so he's hands-on in making sure that the staff is meeting our needs. He's the key to the company.

Are there any areas Olio Digital Labs could improve?

No, we have a good setup for introducing new features. In many cases, Olio Digital Labs will come to us personally in order to work on the deliverables.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide university and college students an opportunity to run their own business during the summer, primarily painting and window cleaning.

I am in charge of everything technology-related in the company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Olio Digital Labs?

We have built our own CRM system over the past 15 years. The biggest issue with it was it wasn't a mobile-oriented solution. We were looking at solving that problem, as well as gamifying the business. We wanted to have an approach similar to Fitbit, integrating the same types of dashboards and challenges into our business format. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Olio Digital Labs is developing our React Native platform, integrating with our current CRM system. Olio Digital Labs has built certain APIs for it, and also worked with some existing API connections. These aren't necessarily the best way to call out data, so Olio Digital Labs has had to approach some problems creatively.

Features include bar graphs, challenges, and friend relationships. We're using SendBird in order to build one-to-one relationships and have group or one-off conversations, allowing users to challenge each other to certain competitions. We have challenges and rewards based off of getting estimates done. We also have basic CRM functionalities, moving jobs along. We have a dot map for historical data, showing where all jobs are located. Olio Digital Labs is also building out a financial section, allowing franchisees to track every dollar of their business.

How did you come to work with Olio Digital Labs?

I had worked with one of Olio Digital Labs' founders in the past. We had a good relationship, so I thought that working with him again would be beneficial. I found that he had started Olio Digital Labs, so we included them in the quotation process with several other companies.

How much have you invested with Olio Digital Labs?

The initial cost of our platform was $225,000. Since then, we've grown our features and capabilities, coming to around $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Olio Digital Labs in March 2015. It's been an ongoing project ever since, and it will continue to be until the summer of 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

So far, we've only done small beta tests. We plan to have a big launch in 2017, during which we'll track a number of stats. We've given demos out for the platform. The feedback is that it's game-changing, and it will have an impact on how we do things out in the field. Everyone is excited to get their hands on the device and play with it.

How did Olio Digital Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Olio Digital Labs is able to deliver on really tight timelines. We were building a section for window-cleaning and were only going to get the beta out for painting, but the priorities reversed. Olio Digital Labs has had to work quickly during the past month, turning out on really tight timelines. They have certain managers which are looking over different aspects of the business, which has been helpful for us.

What did you find most impressive about Olio Digital Labs?

Olio Digital Labs has stood out through their creativity. Many of the developers we've worked with in the past were only able to work through the ideas we gave them, without putting too much input of their own. We can give Olio Digital Labs an overall picture and have them provide their own ideas.

Are there any areas Olio Digital Labs could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. Olio Digital Labs has been one of my favorite vendors to work with. They're nimble and work to please the client.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a municipal government in Canada. Our site was redeveloped in 2009, amalgamating all different departments to 1 place. I am an IT analyst for the organization and I work with the internal helpdesk for the site. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Olio Digital Labs?

We wanted to update the website, making a better, faster interface for it. During an upcoming event, we will be getting massive amounts of traffic so we wanted to make the process better. We also wanted to enhance the main page with larger graphics, simpler menus, and better mobile responsiveness.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Olio Digital Labs was in charge of a few facelifts for our home page. They were also responsible for adding applications and other enhancements to the site.

How much have you invested with Olio Digital Labs?

I don't know what the cost of Olio Digital Labs' work was, but they've been quite competitive. We've dealt with other companies and simply getting a quote can be like pulling teeth. We're a small municipality so we can't afford to work on a retainer.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Olio Digital Labs a year ago. We have continued our collaboration, adding a municipal tax calculator and other touch-ups to the site.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Olio Digital Labs has tested the work properly and discussed any details they needed around our operations as a municipality. We have hammered out all details and came to understand what each of our sides requires. Any programming glitches or design issues were always resolved, so the site came back working properly. We've received good compliments for our site's navigation and design. Our organization always seemed to lead the way in terms of our site's look and interface.

How did Olio Digital Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Olio Digital Labs is a very communicative group, involving 2 to 3 people from their team in order to ensure that we're on track. Different programmers have been assigned for different tasks so that things were done in a timely fashion. The manager in charge of Olio Digital Labs has handled things properly, giving us a heads-up for the timeframe in which things can be completed. Olio Digital Labs was also open to changes and came back with ideas of their own for making things easier for us. They send us working models which we can use to gauge how the product will look. The work was usually nailed within the first try.

What did you find most impressive about Olio Digital Labs?

Olio Digital Labs has a lot of talent and experience. Even though they're a newer company, they work together nicely as a team. I never had to wait for a reply, which means a lot.

Are there any areas Olio Digital Labs could improve?

We don't have that much time to look at other websites, so I would like to see demonstrations of newer features.