Reef Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Trouceflow. We collect and curate data on financial markets and emerging economies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Reef Technologies?

When the company first started, I was the acting CTO managing a team of developers. It became clear that I wasn’t particularly good at the task as I lacked the expertise necessary for success. We needed an experienced development firm to assist with ongoing projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Reef Technologies made our MVP into a working platform by suggesting and executing enhancements. As part of the engagement with us, they built out a message passing interface (MPI) and increased our website’s processing speed. They also set up a proper workflow process that we use when onboarding new resources. Their team introduced us to more effective and efficient technologies that we’ve since integrated into our platform. Those systems help us monitor productivity and check for coding errors.

Requests get sent out to websites many times each second to see if there’s available data. Our platform extracts the data that gets passed around and stores it in our SQL database. Then, that information is displayed on the site’s frontend interface through various charts. The frontend was built using JavaScript, and it features multiple API integrations.

What is the team composition?

We interact with a total of three resources. That includes their CEO, a backend developer, and a frontend developer.

How did you come to work with Reef Technologies?

I can’t remember exactly how we found them, but I believe they responded to the RFP that we sent out. After talking with their CEO, it was clear that he runs a quality firm. We decided to give them a shot.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $50,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2017, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Reef Technologies has had a tremendously positive effect on the company as a whole. They continually improve our existing code. I’m super happy with the work they provide. Everything they deliver functions as promised.

How did Reef Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a highly professional organization, so management responsibilities are allocated efficiently. I usually contact the CEO directly, but the whole development team uses Jira to track project workflows.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Reef Technologies is the total package of what we want in a development firm. They understand we’re a startup, so they work with our strengths and accommodate our weaknesses. They consider low-cost solutions and advise us not to move forward with projects that won’t ultimately benefit the platform.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We haven’t even tested them to the full extent of their ability yet. They’re fantastic.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I suggest hiring Reef Technologies. Talk to their CEO and come to an understanding regarding project goals. They’ll provide excellent service.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a founding partner and VP of marketing at Paragon VMS Inc., an online health brand. We combine evidence-based testing with a lifestyle and nutrition questionnaire to provide a daily nutritional supplement program based on unique biochemistry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Reef Technologies?

We needed help to build a custom software system to support an algorithm. The partner needed to be experienced in Python and general backend development.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create a functioning system that can collect customer data from multiple sources and fulfill custom subscriptions based on the results. We had an existing system, but it was only partially functional.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of our junior engineers found them on Upwork.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Reef Technologies took over the preliminary concept for our system. They designed, developed, configured, and launched our Release I. They built the backend of our system to work with our Shopify store on the frontend. They put testing systems in place and help analyze UX testing.

What was the team composition?

Our main points of contact are a project manager and a backend developer. They lead the rest of the team, which is made up of a junior engineer, a frontend developer, a marketing manager, and a R&D specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to launch a Release I thanks to their expertise. They solved problems so that we could go to market with our first version. We had a rough idea of how the system would work when Reef Technologies came on board, but only some of it was operational. Their team quickly identified what needed to be done, implemented the steps, and built all the missing pieces.

They also dramatically improved the UX. By implementing testing systems, they were able to detect errors in our system that would’ve likely lead to failure.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their project management is excellent. Pawel (project manager, Reef Technologies) is one of the best I’ve ever worked with in over 20 years in marketing and operations. I’ve rarely seen someone with his skill level.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their skill level, ability to solve problems, and capacity to quickly implement solutions is highly impressive. We’re extremely fortunate to have Reef Technologies as our partner.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I’ve not identified any areas for improvement at this point.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president of an executive search platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Reef Technologies?

I wanted to create a database management system that tracks a specific profession and employees’ movements throughout the course of the year. A different computer programmer had already helped me create an initial version, but they hadn’t been able to complete the project. Certain tasks proved too difficult for them, so I hired Reef Technologies to take over.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Reef Technologies picked up where the last developer left off. They essentially recreated the core of the app and then added a variety of new features like data tables and scrapers. While the previous programmer had been inefficient, Reef Technologies used a very effective methodology. The technologies they used included mostly Python and Django along with some JavaScript.

What is the team composition?

I’ve interfaced with about five people from Reef Technologies during our project.

How did you come to work with Reef Technologies?

Reef Technologies replied to a job description I had posted on Upwork. I decided to interview them even though their prices were at the higher end of what I wanted to pay. I spoke with Pawel (CEO, Reef Technologies) for several hours and was impressed with him based on our conversation. I figured I would be doing myself a service by paying more for highly competent resources. A skilled team would produce better results the first time around than a cheaper one.

How much have you invested in them?

I have invested roughly $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in July 2018 and have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Working with Reef Technologies has been night and day compared to the prior programmer. The CEO genuinely seemed to have an excellent grasp on the project. He leverages the team’s creativity to come up with ways to improve my concept beyond what I originally requested.

Reef Technologies utilized their array of skills and resources to determine how they could best help me help myself. In my opinion, they succeeded. Rather than just a technical expert, the CEO is entrepreneurial and innovative, which is a rare combination of strengths. Usually, people only have one or the other.

How did Reef Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Slack and Trello to communicate. Reef Technologies has been quite responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Reef Technologies excels at thinking outside of the box. They don’t limit themselves merely to what you ask them to do. Instead, they make suggestions regarding things I might not have considered.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve been very satisfied and wouldn’t have done anything differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to make sure you are on the same page as the team. Otherwise, you will waste working hours on things you didn’t want. I frequently spoke to the CEO on the phone and face to face using Zoom or other technologies. Consistent communication with the project manager has been the key to having a successful and cost-effective project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of an e-commerce company with a big data background.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Reef Technologies?

Our company requires a very specific system that supports how our products are automatically created, processed, managed, and scaled. Everything is just-in-time. We built own system, but it wasn't scalable, so we were looking for a vendor to help us rebuild it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they looked at our old code. Then, they completely redesigned and rebuilt the entire system from scratch, making it scalable. They worked with Python and Django and were able to come up with creative technical solutions when needed. One of the key functionalities that we have is a tagging system within a complex tagging system, which automatically maps the designs that are ordered to customers. Since we're a just-in-time company, we often make and design first-time products. For example, if someone orders a Viking ship cookie cutter, the system will automatically find that design file, put it in a template column, which is "cookie cutter," and that will be attached to an order that goes into the machine. That is how the fulfillment process is managed.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with two or three of their team members, including their owner.

How did you come to work with Reef Technologies?

We found them on Upwork. We had an informational interview with them and they seemed very knowledgeable, so we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With the scalable system that they developed, we launched about 200,000 new products within the past year. The system has been running without any problems, so we no longer need our previous technical in-house team, which allowed us to save between $50,000–$80,000. They're by far the most impressive team we've worked with. Their technical understanding is incredibly comprehensive.

How did Reef Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly use Slack and Trello to communicate. They're very responsive and available 24/7, so they usually get back to me within minutes. We haven't had any issues with communication despite the fact that they're an offshore team

What did you find most impressive about them?

The solutions they propose are incredibly comprehensive and thoughtful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open-minded when it comes to technical solutions. Often, we found their solutions much simpler and more scalable than what we had in mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for a sales transaction analytics firm. We offer consulting services, as well as a custom SaaS product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Reef Technologies?

We hired Reef Technologies to productionalize a portion of our analytics engine.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to convert an existing internal tool into an external customer-facing solution.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We evaluated reviews of their work via Upwork and then scheduled a phone interview.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They took some Python code that we’d already developed in-house for our internal staff and productionalized it, making it robust for everyday use by our customers.

What was the team composition?

We worked with our project manager and a front-line developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got off to a good start, and their expertise meant that they were able to easily solve any technological challenges we faced. We’ll definitely call on them in the future with similar projects.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They were reliable and very professional. It was a small project, so it was easy to manage.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We felt confident in their abilities. They possessed an impressive breadth of technical acumen and delivered very high-quality work.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I can’t think of anything.