Peerbits

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company runs a large e-commerce website for jewelry. I am the Chief Executive Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Peerbits?

We've found that web developers in India tend to have a narrow scope of expertise. Our requirements were complex, and we needed to find a technically competent partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Peerbits has developed our platform using Python as per our requirements.

How did you come to work with Peerbits?

We had been approached by and experimented with other providers before working with Peerbits. We sent them an inquiry to which Peerbits responded quickly. We discussed our scope with their business analyst over Skype and put together a requirements document. I also flew to Peerbits' location in order to ensure that they'd have a complete understanding of our needs.

How much have you invested with Peerbits?

The total cost of our project with Peerbits was around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Peerbits in September 2015, and have an ongoing relationship for updates and maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of the work provided by Peerbits has been good. Due to the complexity of the project, we took some wrong directions which required 15-20 days of rework.

How did Peerbits perform from a project management standpoint?

Peerbits had a seamless work approach, logging the work hours put in by developers and providing this information to us. This is atypical compared to other service companies, who offer much less transparency. Peerbits spent time with us going through requirements and made a deep analysis of the project. The development milestones were broken down into the smallest tasks, like buttons, colors, user interface, and architecture elements, giving a good overview for our partners.

There were a few issues which we sorted out, so the timeline was slightly delayed. The quality was excellent. Peerbits has some good design capabilities and were able to understand our requirements as a client.

What did you find most impressive about Peerbits?

Peerbits is very impressive in terms of design.

Are there any areas Peerbits could improve?

We expect Peerbits to work even harder in the future.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We have developed a mobile app which helps people find food items close by.

What is your position?

I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Peerbits?

There are many app development companies in the world, but we were looking for one which had built successful projects in the past and had credible case studies and testimonials.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Peerbits developed our app for Android and iOS.

How did you come to work with Peerbits?

I found Peerbits through Upwork, which was called Elance at the time.

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

The total development cost with Peerbits was in the range of $5,000-7,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Peerbits during 2015. We're planning on starting the second phase of our project, but haven't approached Peerbits yet.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I have overall positive feedback for Peerbits. With their help, I was able to launch the product in time for a business competition. We're now planning on building the next phase of the app, and we will use Peerbits again.

How did Peerbits perform from a project management standpoint?

Our main challenge was managing the time difference. Peerbits is based in India, while we are in the US. Once we established common meeting times, the relationship worked well.

What distinguishes Peerbits from other providers?

Peerbits had a dedicated project manager for our work. I have worked with other outsourcing agencies in India and other places. Having a project manager meant that we could maintain communication through a single point of contact.

Is there anything Peerbits could have improved or done differently?

Peerbits could improve in terms of timing. In the beginning, we had challenges with setting up meetings and assigning tasks, but we overcame this after Peerbits' project manager came onboard.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a mobile app company. We have a lifestyle awareness learning app.

What is your position?

I am the Chief Technical Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Peerbits?

We needed an agency to help us make an iOS app that would make people more aware of the choices they make regarding their lifestyle.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Peerbits is coding the entire iOS application. They are also developing the app’s backend solution.

How did you come to work with Peerbits?

We found them through an internet freelance services site. If I remember correctly, it was Guru.

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

The project with Peerbits ran about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on the project with Peerbits in April of 2015. Our work with them is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The result is a close-to-finished app. It has been in pre-beta for two weeks. We’ve received diverse feedback, but most have stated that they like the idea. The app is a bit confusing to use, so we are redesigning and simplifying it a bit now with Peerbits.

How did Peerbits perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great. Peerbits has been very supportive along the way. Additionally, they have offered us good advice on the project.

What distinguishes Peerbits from other providers?

They’ve been working really hard for us, and are willing to go out of their way to help us.

Is there anything Peerbits could have improved or done differently?

No, not really. No suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a media and technology consulting company with a focus on creating products for the African market.

What is your position?

I am the founder and owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Peerbits?

We wanted to leverage global talent at an affordable cost, while only having an office within the US or Africa.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

A lot of the projects that I've run with Peerbits have focused on localizing global products to the African market. We have developed things like dog sites and social media sites with an Afrocentric approach. I have a European partner who has designed most of my websites. The main challenge was building a mobile application. I don't have a mobile development background, which is where Peerbits came in.

We've built a job app as well as social media and events ones. They performed very well, given the technological constraints with which they worked.

How did you come to work with Peerbits?

I did some research on their company and gave them some initial test projects. I found Peerbits through Elance.com. I reviewed a lot of applications for the projects that I posted on the site.

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

The typical cost of developing an app was less than $10,000. The development cost was very affordable, which was the main attraction point for them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together for two and a half to three years. Our relationship is ongoing. We're currently working on a non-profit app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Peerbits has done a decent job overall. I will keep working with them in the future. They are able to develop products which are on par to anything coming from Silicon Valley.  I see any shortcomings as being opportunities for improvement.

How did Peerbits perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication with them is excellent. It makes them stand out more than their quality of work.

What distinguishes Peerbits from other providers?

They are a very good company. Within a technological global market, the difference between a good product and a decent one is very wide. This is the reason for the failures within the industry. Peerbits stands out by being able to do good work within a highly competitive industry, without having the typical resources of an American developer. Out of the hundreds of development companies in India, less than 10% can deliver mobile apps with the same quality that Peerbits can.

Is there anything Peerbits could have improved or done differently?

I would like to see them get to the next level and create apps on par with ones being made by large corporations. Testing focus would be another area of improvement. Overall, Peerbits is a great company, but there are always areas of improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are an IT [information technology] technology consultancy firm in Nigeria. At the low level, we help businesses with web services: building websites, corporate identity designs, and technological consultancy.

What is your position?

I am the head of operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Peerbits Solution?

We were working on a new project involving a mobile app product. In house, we don't have capabilities of app development, so we needed a company to outsource that piece of work to. We went hunting for that, and we found Peerbits.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

The app was built for Android and iOS. For Android, they used native Android language. The iOS was built last because we wanted the Android version first before the iOS one. As far as technology is concerned, they offered to use native Android language, which was fine with us. They were able to do what we needed done. It's standard, and that was pretty much it for us. I wasn't choosy on what languages they used.

How did you come to work with Peerbits Solution?

I used Elance and Freelancer. It was pretty much going into Elance and then short listing what I'm looking for. I normally put a set criteria. The way Elance works is, you search by what skill sets you're after, and you can sort by their ranking on quality. Sometimes, I use the amount of reviews. After I have a short list, I quickly go to see what the portfolios are like. From there, I short list again. When I have a couple, I simply send them my job description and wait for feedback.

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

With everything we did with them for iOS and Android, I think it was something around $8,000 to $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them earlier this year, sometime in March [2015], and the collaboration is ongoing. We outsourced the mobile application development to them, which on one level was completed. The scope of work was completed, but we have some new additions that they are working on. The main scope of the project was completed, and they are still working on some new improvements for the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The outcome of the project has been good. We weren't disappointed. From a design point of view, to the way it's performing, we think we really got value for our money, so everybody's happy.

How did Peerbits Solution perform from a project management standpoint?

The management of the project was professional. I like the way Peerbits Solution structured the process. From the onset, the work and the timeline of each stage were spelled out clearly. They used a project manager or delivery manager style or approach. The business development guys who kind of engages you, before your project has been assigned to them, is different from the project manager who eventually manages your project.

For my project, their delivery manager has been very professional. He was able to communicate very well, both in writing and speaking. I worked with a couple of Indian companies in the past from Elance, and it's always good to be able to get someone who can communicate. Their project management style is good. The guy who is working on our project is quite sound, and they keep to the milestones and the timeline specified.

What distinguishes Peerbits Solution from other providers?

This is the first time I'm outsourcing a mobile application, so I wouldn't be in the best position to compare them. I can't really say for sure what makes them unique. On my project, they worked on promotional websites. That was like an add-on to what they did. Firstly, they were kind enough to do those pro bono. They are very flexible in that regard.

We needed a landing page, and that wasn't discussed at the start of the project, but they were able to help. We have a simple landing page, at least for the stage where we're at, that brings sign-ups. You go there and see that there's a project that's coming to life. They're currently building the main websites as well. They do web development from scratch, which is very good. They do design, then they show you the design. If you're happy with it, then they code it.

With the kind of websites that I have been doing in the past, it hasn't been that way – doing the design and then the development. In the market I serve, we try to bring efficient online web development. We rely on items like WordPress or the other platform based templates. From the web point of view, they do design and then they develop, as opposed to using templates.

Is there anything Peerbits Solution could have improved or done differently?

There were a couple of things that I think I would have done better. When it comes to the scope of work, there's a limit to how much flexibility I'm given. There are some items you might not know that you need when you start, but as you're developing it, ideas come up and you realize you might also want this or that. However, you have already approved the wireframe and the design, and they've started developing it. From a development point of view, the time has been used to do it, and when you want to make a change – sometimes it's kind of like you build a house and then you want an extra room. If you really want it, some costs will be involved with making major changes. It's a flexibility thing, but there's a limit to how flexible they could be.

I really wish I would have gotten some more flexibility. However, if I'm to be considerate, in the sense of development, time was put into it. If you come back with some adjustments, most of the time the developer has to look into the codes, to adjust them. If I'm being considerate, that wouldn't be fair. I wish there was much more leeway when it comes to flexibility, but I understand the way coding works enough to know that there's a limit to how flexible a developer can be.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

My company designs solutions to make living with cancer easier by garnering help from your friends.

What is your position?

I am founder and director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Peerbits Solution?

I simply needed a company that could design a functional mobile application to my specifications. They also needed to offer guidance and advice along the way, as this area is new to me.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

It was to build my app according to my brief. Being new to this area, I thought I had provided a full brief, but turned out it was not detailed by any means. Peerbits worked with me to get to a stage where we both had a workable understanding about what the app was to do.

How did you come to work with Peerbits Solution?

Initially, I selected companies according to their "star rating" on Elance. I then narrowed them down by reading about other projects they had completed and looking for companies who had completed similar projects to mine. I read their customer's feedback on Elance. Then, I contacted some companies they had worked with in the past to see if the fit would be right for my project and me. I liked that they appeared to be dedicated to being the best in their field and the fact they pride themselves on their business ethics.

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

I think they quoted approximately $5,600 to get the app up and running, and we opted to have an hourly rate for the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in October 2013 and the first version of the app was released in March/April 2014. I have since contracted them again in July 2014 to make additions and amendments to the app. At the moment, the project is still ongoing. Due to unforeseen circumstances from July last year to the middle of this year, I was unable to devote much time to the project. Since returning to work, we now have the new version of the app in presales and beta testing in the App Store.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I have had some press coverage and have media opportunities lined up for when the next version is released. I am currently negotiating a licensing partnership with a breast cancer organization – they feel the app will help their members. To date, due to family circumstances, I have not done a lot of promotion, but that is to change shortly. Suffice to say, you get out what you put in.

How did Peerbits Solution perform from a project management standpoint?
My initial contract with them was outstanding from this point of view. My second contract, once I started back at work, was not great initially due to issues with the project manager. I highlighted these to Patel and he immediately set about making amendments. I have just been assigned a new project manager, too.

What distinguishes Peerbits Solution from other providers?

I feel what is truly unique is that Peerbits Solution actually stands by the fact that they want to be seen as an ethical and honest company – and they deliver on these things. I have had a number of discussions with Patel and others about my project where they have actually guided me to the correct decision and not just the decision that would make them more money. This means I will return as a customer. I can also contact Patel with any issues via Skype and he addresses then straight away. They also work fast – very fast! Most of the time, they have been waiting on me to look over or test something and often give me the hurry up.

Is there anything Peerbits Solution could have improved or done differently?

I honestly cannot think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Right now, I'm working in a sole proprietorship called Face Off. This is the second app we've made.

What is your position?

I'm the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Peerbits Solution?

We've had multiple developers creating our apps, but we didn't have a good developer who is on time and organized. Our main goal, honestly, was to get along. It's hard sometimes, especially working with an overseas team, but they were very flexible with the timing. They catered to whatever we needed, and we got along with the project and now we're ahead of schedule, which is great.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We're building a game app for both Android and iOS. They've done literally everything. They've done the designs, the C-panels, the admin panels, all the program – everything. All we did was let them know what we wanted, and they did everything from there.

How did you come to work with Peerbits Solution?

We stumbled across Peerbits on Elance, and they actually were the first company that I've been satisfied with and very happy. 

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

That information is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them for a little more than a month, and we're almost done. Originally, I wanted to finish in two months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We've set up five milestones, and once they complete each one, we pay them for that. We're already on the fifth milestone, so we're close to being done.

According to the data I've had on the admin panel, it seems like they have a fairly large team working on the project. There are maybe four or five developers, and they've had more than 40 accounts testing my app, which is their internal testing. We're in the process of pre-releasing it to external testers, and we'll do that once we're done with the final stages of internal testing.

What distinguishes Peerbits Solution from other providers?

They're not a "yes" company. They don't agree with everything you say. If Peerbits Solution thinks there's something better, or they think there's something that might work better for a user or for someone outside the box, they'll definitely let you know. They give good input. I'm not that experienced as it's only my third app right now. Sometimes, what I have in mind might not be best, and Peerbits gives great feedback. Their input and advice is what I like most about them.

Is there anything Peerbits Solution could have improved or done differently?

I haven't come across anything. So far, we've been doing really well as a team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a mobile app that facilitates the peer-to-peer purchase of men's clothing.

What is your position?

I am the co-founder and project manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Peerbits Solution?

We needed to have an iOS technical resource for our platform.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Peerbits is developing and building out our iOS application. In the future, they will also be developing the application for the Android platform. The platforms contain an online payment gateway and user reviews.

How did you come to work with Peerbits Solution?

We received a referral from a friend to work with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative?

They have exceeded 300 hours of work.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in July [2015]. Since then, I have rehired them twice. Our projects remain ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Peerbits Solution do from a project management standpoint?

They work very quickly. I have worked with other companies, but Peerbits has been the best resource. They have done a great job. Their communication is great.

What distinguishes Peerbits Solution from other providers?

Peerbits Solution has a dedicated project management system. Everything with their communication and availability has been good. I can't think of any room for improvement for them. They take feedback very well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a development company based on Spain. We have 20 years of experience working with enterprise application development. Recently, we've begun developing smartphone applications.

What is your position?

I am the co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Peerbits Solution?

I was looking for a group of developers who had technical experience who could perform at a competitive price.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

The specific details are confidential. In general, they worked to develop a lifestyle application on both the Android and iOS platforms.

How did you come to work with Peerbits Solution?

We launched an RFP [request for proposal] with around eight companies. Five of the agencies were located in Spain, and the other three were located outside of our country. Finally, we made our selection based not only on the price, but also taking into account their ability to execute on a deadline and their development experience.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative?

The project expanded five months and our development team consisted of three people.

What is the status of this engagement?

We start the project in January 2015 and the project was completed in July. Of course, we are trying the application, and Peerbits will be our smartphone application development company for future projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Our goal for the project has been met. There is an interesting move. Apple approved the application without any problems, and we remain confident with the work completed by Peerbits. They have much experience working with application development and dealing with project management. Also, they work with a platform to improve and make easier, more effective project management.

What distinguishes Peerbits Solution from other providers?

Three words: Professionalism, responsibility, and flexibility.

Is there anything Peerbits Solution could have improved or done differently?

Our team is very demanding. We would not continue to work with Peerbits if they weren't the best for us. Of course, both of us always need to improve but, together, we are a good team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

The company is an on-demand delivery service. My partners and I have been developing the company for the last two years. I first had this idea about three or four years ago. I'm from a programming background myself, so I understood the technology that we could utilize to create a platform that can connect users with on-demand, contracted drivers.

What is your role in the company?

I'm the founder and director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Peerbits Solution?

The initial job was to create a minimum viable product. It was a fixed-price job to create an MVP product in Android and iOS.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

After getting advice from some of my mentors, the idea was to create a minimum viable product, whereby we could get something out there and get some testing done as cheaply as possible. Once that's created, you have to market it, try to get investors on board, and so forth.

Peerbits completed the first phase, and we're now getting help from them to polish off some of the iOS code, which was in a rough state. We needed more time to get it into better shape, so we've held back on the iOS version to get it working correctly. We're continuing to work with Peerbits on that. We've taken the back-end Android version in house.

What was your process for selecting Peerbits Solution?

After about six to nine months of developing a plan with a London-based developer, we decided to start looking at how much it was going to cost to produce the application we wanted, for both Android and iOS. We started looking around, we got quotes from the U.S., U.K., and Australia, as well as from some of the freelance websites. That process took a few months. We got quotes in the region of $50,000 to $100,000 from a lot of the western-based companies, whereas the Elance quotes were more in the region of $15,000 to $20,000. So, those quotes were almost a third of the western quotes.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?

We've spent between $10,000 and $50,000 working with Peerbits.

When was the project completed?

The collaboration started about 18 months ago, and it's still ongoing. We are now at the state where we have an Android and iOS product that we hope to release in about a week [June 2015]. We'll see how it goes. This is taking longer than I initially wanted, but I guess that's one of the biggest obstacles when you outsource. We have two developers in house that help me, and we still utilize Peerbits to do chunks of work, but I feel you have much more control when you've got people working right next to you.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

The technical quality of their work is good, but their design skills are a little lacking. I've had things designed by people in the U.K. and in the States, and I find the western design style a lot more appealing. It might just be the way Peerbits looks at art or at aesthetics, and mobile platforms are certainly a bit different from websites. But, in terms of design, I think their team as a whole probably needs to polish that up.

If I were to criticize anything else, it's the lack of attention to detail. I think with some sort of better project management and better user testing, they could achieve a better finish. If I press a button and it shakes, or if something happens that I don't expect, obviously it looks like it's bugged. To them, they're just all about the functionality. Functionally, the app works perfectly. In terms of the design and the user experience, it wasn't really up to my standards. That's why I got some people in Australia to come on board and fine-tweak the app.

On the other hand, Peerbits Solution is hard working, they're always communicative, and they're always online on Skype, so I can always have a chat with them. They're always happy to oblige. You ask them anything, and they'll help you. That's what I really liked about Peerbits.

The way we used Peerbits was to get them to create the foundations of the app. We then took the code and polished it to a level that we obviously think our customers need to have. The small things are probably my only criticism of Peerbits. Other than that, their founders always reach out to me and are always asking how the project's going. They're always looking for feedback, and I know they've taken feedback well. They're looking to improve their team and fill positions where they obviously need better expertise. Apart from that, they're an excellent team.

Is there anything unique or special about Peerbits Solution that really makes them stand out?

I haven't really had too much experience with other firms, so I can't speak to their uniqueness. When you go onto Elance, you're absolutely smashed with proposal after proposal. I think, for that project, I got close to a hundred proposals, and I had to filter through all of them.

The thing that I really liked about Peerbits is they actually went to their prior customers and got video testimonials. People actually spoke in real life about their experience with Peerbits, and that's what kind of swayed me to them. Those videos gave a bit of credibility to the company because one of the biggest challenges of using Elance is the credibility of some of these companies. I've been in this business for 10 or 15 years, I've imported products from China, and I've been scammed before, so due diligence is essential. When I saw those video testimonials and real-life feedback on Peerbits, that's what made me choose them.

I'm on Skype every day, and I'm constantly connected with two or three of their programmers. They're always there on Monday to Saturday, and they're always open to questions. Some of their programmers that are not even on my project anymore are more than happy to help me out. It's not like they won't help if they are not getting paid. They've got that good customer relationship beyond just making money. They're obviously working hard to establish themselves. I've spoken to the founder many times, and they are eager to improve their business.

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

Aside from the design issues, probably the only thing I would think of was the project management aspect, which was not always as structured as I would like. We are running two projects on Android and iOS, and, in hindsight, I should've just focused on one platform at a time, finished it, and then tried to get traction with that before creating a different one. But, we were going parallel with both Android and iOS, and we had different developers on each platform, and they weren't talking to each other.

One platform was ahead of another, and some of the features were getting implemented slightly differently because there were two programmers implementing it in different ways, and they obviously weren't communicating. It was proving to be a bit of a headache. A project that we'd originally estimated that would take six months took significantly longer. So, the project management could be looked at and improved. That, and the design elements, were my biggest concern, but the quality of the work was good.