Problue Solutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the ower of Showerplus+ - Ireland's showers, camping services and more, mapped! The Showerplus+ app is a comprehensive map of shower facilities in Ireland. It's for outdoor adventurers, hikers, cyclists and van lifers. We've added extra layers for viewpoints, instagram photo locations, mountains, lakes, rivers, piers, forests and much more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Problue Solutions, and what were your goals?

1 x Utilise existing Google My Maps by exporting KML file into Maps API and displaying as required in web apps, protected by paywall signup using Stripe. We are currently working on new exciting features.

SOLUTION

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

I contacted several vendors but Problue Solutions' expertise was unrivaled. They listened to my vision for the app and understood where I was going with it.

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

1 x Utilise existing Google My Maps by exporting KML file into Maps API and displaying as required in web apps, protected by paywall signup using Stripe. Make subscription management available to the user.

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

I worked with Clive. Website and app development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the site went live we have had great feedback on the user experience which was all positive feedback. Clean, easy to use interface.

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

Clives choosen choice of communication is email which is fantastic because it is also my preferred means of communication. When I contacted Clive he was very responsive with the information requested. Clear, detailed responses.

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

I found Problue Solutions to be excellent communicators and very professional in every aspect.

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

No I have had an all round positive experience with problue.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Managing Director of Astech Cleanroom Solutions, a fully integrated division of Astech Ireland Ltd, dedicated to serving the cleanroom monitoring requirements of the Irish Bio/Pharma, Life Science, Medical Device, Microelectronics and Educational sectors. With a dedicated team based out of our office in Bray, Co. Wicklow we provide a local, turnkey offering for design, installation, validation and support of cleanroom monitoring systems. Established in 1991 the parent company, Astech Ireland Ltd has built a reputation of providing high quality products and services to the Irish high-tech sectors. This ethos follows into Astech Cleanroom Solutions where we provide best-in-class cleanroom monitoring products by our principal, Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions. Alongside this we are recognised for excellence in quality dependable and flexible services, crucial to providing our customers optimal cleanroom uptime.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Problue Solutions, and what were your goals?

We decided to set up a dedicated website for our cleanroom monitoring division. The goal was to identify the division as a niche supplier of these products

SOLUTION

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

Having working with Problue previously we were familiar with their services and quality of work

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

Modelled on website of key supplier.

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

Myself and administrator

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Increase in website originated enquiries and very positive feedback from all stakeholders

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

They're very collaborative.

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

High quality, flexible

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

More intuitive website controls

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the marketing manager of Keith Borer Consultants, a firm of independent forensic science and engineering consultants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Problue Solutions, and what were your goals?

At the time, our company was owned by a parent company in the US who specified that any new website had to be built in Drupal. It was something we had no knowledge of and set about obtaining quotes from firms local to us in the North East of England. We wanted an updated website.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online for Drupal developers and found they were few and far between. The quotes we obtained ranged from £1500 to £20000 for what we thought would be the same final product! Price was a big deciding factor, having a very small marketing budget to work with. Clive at Problue Solutions was able to offer everything we needed at the right price.

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

As Clive is based in Northern Ireland, we conducted all our meetings by telephone and communicated by email. We had a broad idea of what we wanted the site to look like and how different pages would be interconnected. Clive truly understood our needs and built a great site that met all the requirements quickly and on budget.

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

I only dealt with Clive directly and that made the process seamless.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our new website was in instant success with clients and colleagues alike. We didn't measure this specifically, but 4 years on the site still looked fresh and was functioning as it should. Working with Clive taught me that web development does not need to be prohibitively expensive and that working with a smaller team, rather than a huge agency, has many benefits.

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

We couldn't have asked more from Clive and his team. The project stayed on track and was delivered in a timely manner, on budget. We were left with a great, new website and the tools to be able to update and maintain it.

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

When I found Problue Solutions, Clive was working from home as a 'one man band' with back office support. Professionalism was evident, from my initial enquiry, all the way through to the final product. Taking ownership of the project was obvious by Clive's responsiveness and the high quality work he delivered. Obviously a business owner who takes pride in what he does.

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

Due to the sensitive and confidential nature of our business, we were unable to have ongoing support from Clive - through absolutely no fault of his own, just a requirement of our quality system. Had we been able to do this, I feel we would have learned more about Drupal and how powerful a tool it is.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a small family business focused on Mechanical Inspection, Non-Destructive Testing and Machinery Safety of which I am the Director and Principal Consultant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Problue Solutions, and what were your goals?

To design a company website from scratch. The goals were to have an online presence and target the local Irish market with our services.

SOLUTION

How did you select Problue Solutions and what were the deciding factors?

By an online search for local web developers in Northern Ireland. Deciding factors were professionalism and cost.

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

Create a website with various webpages detailing the company services. Photos were provided to include in the web page but the developer also provided the option of using his own image bank. A contact form was also set up on the website that links directly to the company work email.

The webpage was set up on a German server and a company email address set up.

How many people from the Problue Solutions team worked with you, and what were their positions?

One person who was the sole member at that stage. He was the Director of his own company from my understanding.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The webpage was finished to a high standard. Some tweaks were required at draft development stage but these were adjusted quickly and professionally. The level of service was very good and I would highly recommend the company.

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

Most communication was via email but also by telephone for more urgent matters. Communication was very good and he always responded to any calls made or emails sent.

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

The team's professional service with a personal touch has been impressive throughout the workflow.  A quality product delivered in a reasonable amount of time.

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

At the time their website was limited in information but a new website has been launched that provides a better window on their services.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an office administrator at Transparency International Ireland, a nonprofit organization that engages in research advocacy, lobbying, and similar, related activities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Problue Solutions?

We needed support for our website, domains, and hosting, so we turned to Problue.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Problue provides general support for our websites. Their team ensures that the appropriate security modules are up to date and that all systems are running on the latest patch of software. They also advise us on technical and web-related matters. 

They’re not working on a specific project, but they do engage ad hoc with some of our developers to update either our own website or any of the other websites that we’ve made. Problue has recently developed the research side of our website, building bespoke modules to allow for process automation. 

Prior to that, they worked on the e-commerce or donation aspect of our domain. Working with other providers, the team created and implemented a secure communication platform through which we could advise and inform whistleblowers.

What is the team composition?

I work exclusively with Clive (Owner).

How did you come to work with Problue Solutions?

The type of platform we built our website on has a limited market, so we had to cast our net wide to get suitable developers. Clive had a good portfolio of previous works and he offered a very competitive rate. Based on those two general criteria, we decided to work with his agency.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent €10,000 (approximately $12,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017 and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Clive has been excellent. He’s one of the best developers I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with, adn I’m very satisfied with the quality of his work. He’s very proactive when it comes to identifying problems. He can also plainly explain why issues are occurring, which helps us understand what’s going wrong. We appreciate that he goes beyond the scope of his contract to provide us with proper assistance.

How did Problue Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Clive has been excellent at meeting both hard and soft deadlines. We’ve never had any issues with his work since he’s made himself constantly available. He’s there when launches need to be conducted early in the morning, and when he can’t be present, he gives us clear instructions so that we can manage what needs to be done ourselves.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Clive has the ability to clearly articulate technical matters to relative novices. This is why we value his work so much.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that I feel needs improvement. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having a general understanding of the systems would be helpful, but it’s not a prerequisite for working with Problue. Even if you don’t have a background when it comes to these things, you can still count on the fact that Problue is very accommodating.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of an electrical engineering company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Problue Solutions?

We wanted to develop a new dynamic website that was modern and easy to navigate.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Problue Solutions provides us with their web development services. We initially walked them through what we do so they can convert our vision to what we wanted. As of now, they’re still modernizing and updating our website.

What is the team composition?

They’re a relatively small team and I usually interface with Clive (Owner).

How did you come to work with Problue Solutions?

We did a little background research on a few local web designers, and their work seemed to catch my eye the most.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $15,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is highly optimized and I’m satisfied with the results from Google Analytics thanks to their SEO. We’ve also seen a noticeable increase in multinational companies coming to us for our services and equipment.

How did Problue Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve had no issues with their project management. They’re very easy to reach and they’re very straightforward.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their reliability to accomplish their tasks.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m very happy with what they’re doing for us so I don’t think they could improve on anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would say to just make sure that everybody understands the project goals and timelines. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the owner of a consulting business advising people on workplace practices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Problue Solutions, and what were your goals?

We needed our website kicked into shape and quickly!

SOLUTION

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

I’d worked with Clive before on previous projects

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

Development of our website template and build of specific pages, also included some detailed functionality.

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

1 - the owner

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Delivered on time and on budget

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

Kept up to date regularly and especially when issues were encountered

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

They are easy and flexible to work with.

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

N/A