Ravn

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the SENIOR IT PROJECT MANAGER of RACETRAC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

RaceTrac is a family-owned company that operates over 550 convenience store locations across seven Southern states, under its RaceTrac and RaceWay brands, while also managing Energy Dispatch and Metroplex Energy divisions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Ravn to accomplish?
We hired RAVN to help us develop a well functioning mobile application to improve our operation.

SOLUTION

How did you find Ravn?

• Referral
• Clutch Site

Why did you select Ravn over others?

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

How many teammates from Ravn were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

At RaceTrac, we faced challenges in improving customer experience and operational efficiency across our network of convenience stores. After checking many B2B platforms, we found RAVN on Clutch. We were impressed with their portfolio and client reviews and decided to partner with them to develop a mobile app that would transform the convenience store shopping experience for our customers. 
RAVN helped us develop a full-featured mobile application for iOS and Android. The app enabled customers to order, pay, and complete their purchases entirely through the app without needing assistance from store staff. It included essential features such as mobile ordering, self-checkout, personalized offers, and loyalty program integration. 
On the operational side, RAVN built powerful tools for real-time inventory management, sales tracking, and seamless integration with our existing point-of-sale systems. The app also prioritized security, with features like biometric authentication, end-to-end encryption, and contactless payment options, ensuring a secure and modern user experience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Ever since we launched the app, we’ve seen improvements in areas of our business. Our checkout wait times have been reduced, leading to faster and more efficient transactions. This speed improvement has also resulted in a massive reduction in labor costs for checkout operations. 
Also, there have been improvements in inventory accuracy and reductions in checkout errors, both of which have eased our daily operations. Additionally, shrinkage has decreased; this was one of the challenges we faced before the app’s introduction.

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

Our experience working with RAVN was impressive. Their team maintained clear and consistent communication and project management techniques throughout the project, keeping us informed at each stage. They responded to feedback faster and made adjustments where necessary. 
This approach ensured the app met our business objectives and customer needs. The project was completed on time and I must say the entire process was smooth and straightforward.

What was your primary form of communication with Ravn?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What impressed us most about RAVN was their ability to understand the challenges convenience stores like ours face and deliver a solution that addressed those challenges. Their attention to detail, technical expertise, and integration of various systems like payment gateways, POS systems, and inventory management contributed to the project's success.

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

The project was a success, although one area that could have been improved was the initial user education. Although RAVN provided support materials and continually refined the onboarding process based on feedback, additional guidance for customers at the start would have quickened app adoption.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of a health care company focused on connecting patients and caregivers to information and community.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ravn?

We wished to stabilize and build upon our initial app, which included video features and dedicated roles.

SOLUTION

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

We found Ravn through word of mouth. Ex-Pinterest engineers had used Ravn for another startup and spoke highly of their abilities. Other deciding factors: Ravn leads behaved with high integrity, and appeared to be engineers *first.*

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We worked on the following:

1. Backend in Python straddling GCP, with container based deployments.
2. CI/CD based on CircleCI
3. Data structures in an RDBMS system (PostgresQL) also on GCP
4. NextJS middleware for SSR/SSG
5. A ReactNative front end

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

We currently use 2 ReactNative/FE and Python/BE engineers. They are senior. We have also used iOS eng (2) who were quite senior, but we only used them for 1 month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

see https://app.roon.care/

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Quite effective. We use our own internal systems.

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

The motivation and drive of the engineers, who interact with us as if we are one team.

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

We think invoicing should be more intuitive.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of a company that provides software that enables companies hire and pay employees globally in a compliant manner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To build a new employer of record SaaS platform, hireborderless.com

SOLUTION

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

Level of engineering skill. Ease of contracting and working relationship.

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

Embedded engineering staff delivered features as part of the larger team developing the product.

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

5:

• frontend software engineer
• backend software engineer
• mobile software engineer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've launched the product on time, and a big part of it is due to the contributions of the vendor's team members.

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

Slack and video calls. Very responsive. Flexible on working hours.

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

The flexibility in working with us was very helpful. Their contractor agreement was client friendly.

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

1 new team member improved after going through some internal Ravn training. If I were to do it again I would have waited to have the person start for a week or 2 until they had completed that internal training.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Co-founder / CEO of a mobile app startup

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Ravn was hired to develop an MVP of the mobile platform and prepare it for launch on the iOS App Store.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed 10-15 app development companies and chose Ravn for several reasons: the rapport with Micah (project lead), Ravn's pedigree and track record, their flexibility with respect to the development process, and overall pricing for the project.

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

Social platform built as a native mobile application on iOS.

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

Micah was the project lead and leveraged an extensive team of local off-shore developers to coordinate and complete the work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Successful completion of the project.

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

Micah was very thorough and thoughtful with both the manner in which he approached the project and communicated throughout the duration that we worked together.

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

They have a great mix of high-quality design, experience, team, and thoughtfulness

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I own a music production company and am responsible for operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Ravn as full stack developers for the front and backend of our website.

SOLUTION

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

Micah and the team were selected largely based on their interpersonal and communication skills, and their previous dev work. We like working with people we like and that like us. Ravn and we made friends immediately.

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

We had a bunch of kickoff meetings where we discussed how best to collaborate (apps to keep us on task, etc). Once we kicked things off, Ravn took the reigns. Ravn walked us through each step of the process with and they were good on their benchmarks and deadlines.

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

Micah, the founder and CEO, was our main point of contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We repeatedly receive positive client feedback. As we're in the entertainment sector we're less concerned with data/analytics and more about personal perception. Ravn nailed it here and our clients rave (pun?) about the site.

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

Slack & Trello were used to keep us in lockstep. Communication is timely and professional.

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

Micah is diplomatic, responsive, creative and levelheaded. They were the perfect entrepreneur with both people and know-how skills.

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

Buy 10 websites get 1 free? ;)