Saritasa

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of account management for an integrated marketing and communications agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Saritasa?

We hired Sartiasa to build a website for one of our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It’s very early on in the process. So far, they’ve delivered wireframes.

What is the team composition?

We’re currently working with three people, but we plan to bring on more developers as the project progresses.

How did you come to work with Saritasa?

We met them through a connection and they have relevant experience in the industry our client is in.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in October 2020 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We expect to wrap up the project in May 2020. So far, they’ve been great to work with. The quality of their work is great.

How did Saritasa perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve delivered on time and have communicated well. We use Slack and email to get in touch with them and they’re very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They grasped the concept very quickly and have been able to execute based on our needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There isn’t anything they need to improve at this point in the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior product manager for Christie Digital Systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Saritasa?

We had an Excel tool that was still highly functional, but lacked anything beyond a Windows 95 style presence. We consulted with them to bring the product to the modern era.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The calculator was an Excel file and we wanted to bring it onto the web so that any browser, including mobile, could access it. Saritasa digested the tool and reproduced it into something that could be accessible via the web.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with four people so far. On the frontend we had those get it started, and those on the backend to work on UX and graphic design.

How did you come to work with Saritasa?

They were one of a few companies we evaluated with. We took their evaluation, got an estimate, and found them located in Orange County, which made it easier for me to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

At this point, we’re just shy of $25,000 spent.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began work on June 2020 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve established the gating process on our end with them and the initial proposal on what we wanted to see at each step. We've gone through the initial discussion of the project, finished that. We've gone through the user experience, design of the wireframes, and now we’re putting it into place. So, the success has really just been measured based on team feedback approvals, making sure that we continue progressing from one step into the next. We’ve had great success in these beginning stages but have no external metrics.

How did Saritasa perform from a project management standpoint?

We had great initial success with our first project manager. He left the company, but the transition was mostly smooth. We had a recent where some expectations weren’t communicated properly.  We continued to build on it, and monetarily and budgetary wise we’re back to our point. It was a minor slip up, but the process has been very smooth with both communication and development so far.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a strong ability to understand what we’re looking for and for their UX team to turn it into a visual almost immediately. A lot of times, it felt like the pressure was on us to deliver which was great. They turned everything about quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would say it just falls back to the communication process with them as if we were to go along with everything. They're great communicators. We scoped the project initially as being about four hundred hours. As we got carried away with the design to say these are the functionalities we were looking for, no one ever came in at any point from the project side to say, if we were to look at those things, it would double the amount of time. I think for them to continue to agree was to appease us. But, at the same time, we needed realistic expectations set to say, OK, these are all things that you would want, but maybe you need to push them into the second phase of this project if we wanted to maintain a track record of finishing by this date. That was probably the only missing link there.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The better the understanding you have of your project, the more details you can brief them with upfront, the better they’ll be able to run with it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a software provider and engineering contractor. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Saritasa?

We wanted to maintain existing .NET applications that we’ve built over the last 15 years and expand it into a cloud-based application rather than an on-site installed app. They did this for web apps and native apps for iOS, Android, and Windows.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started by discussing our business process that would use internally and for our customers. After walking through the process of work, they built out the database structure on the backend and moved it into the UI based on how the business process would be for office or field users.

The final product was a web app and native apps for iOS, Android, and Windows. It allowed users to log on to any of the operating systems or a combination of using a native app installed on the platform or the hardware-based operating system.

What is the team composition?

I primarily worked with four people, but there was a larger team behind the scenes. 

How did you come to work with Saritasa?

We were looking to have an extended staff based on our requirements for specialized skill sets and being able to scale up or down. I did a search for vendors in Southern California, where our office is located, to find a local team.

We interviewed a few different organizations and thought that their team would be the best fit. To test the fit, we gave them an opportunity to work with our legacy application. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent almost $1 million, and we’re about halfway through the project. This will be an ongoing, long-term partnership.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since the spring of 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Through testing and use of the apps, we have customer, user, and staff buy-in on their work. 

How did Saritasa perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve been very happy with their communication. During the creation of the backend database, we worked with one person but the project manager was also involved to coordinate. As we moved onto the UI component of the work, I was very happy with the migration from one step to the next.

I’m very happy with the level of intelligence and engagement I’ve seen from our project manager. He has a good understanding of our product and our entire business model. We communicate via in-house project management software.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They offer a broad scope of knowledge and can bring a variety of technologies into a project. They’ve handled some complex app projects with us and were great at blending various components together. We had very good access to people within the organization throughout. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The total cost estimate has grown over time, which is understandable because the project has grown in complexity. It is a challenge to come up with an anticipated cost upfront.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have your own internal knowledge and goals based on your business's processes. Define that clearly to their group so they have the opportunity to bring in the best resources for the job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Burger Boss, a new concept burger chain that’s technology- and health-focused.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Saritasa?

We wanted to develop a customized ordering application for kiosk, web, and mobile. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’d already started to develop the applications, but it was a tedious process and we realized we needed outside support. When we came to Saritasa, we showed them what we’d done in the past, and told them what we wanted for the future.

With their project and creative teams, Saritasa was able to create a plan and timeline based on the vision we proposed. They came back with all the visual and creative elements we wanted. Once we’d agreed on the milestones and schedule, they got to work. 

We provided them with a good deal of creative elements in terms of imagery, such as materials from photoshoots we’d done in the past. We also provided them with wireframes and user flows based on what we’d discussed in the design meetings we had.  

We’re continuously looking to improve our application. We regularly update it and strive to create a better platform, which we continue to do with Saritasa.

What is the team composition?

We have a project management team that facilitates communication between our side and theirs. 

How did you come to work with Saritasa?

I came across them because they were advertising kiosks, and not many companies advertise customized kiosk technologies. They were also close to us, so we reached out to them. We liked their approach more than the other companies we’d been looking at, so we decided to move forward with them. Partnering with Saritasa turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since July 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Saritasa understood our vision, and they also understood that we’re a small company without a lot of resources to create the elements we wanted. We’ve dealt with several companies in the past, and in terms of timeline, none of them could ever achieve what Saritasa has achieved. 

When it comes to the quality of the application, we’ve seen very few errors or bugs. When we first released the app, we probably had less than 5 bugs reported overall. Saritasa did an amazing job from a QA standpoint.

The team is also always available to support us. We have a support contract with Saritasa, but there’s a lot of things they do that go above and beyond that. The team is always available to work with us and resolve any issues. 

How did Saritasa perform from a project management standpoint?

They have very strong project management. I’ve never had such a strong project management team working on a project. They really understood the scope from front to end, and were able to gauge when we were and weren’t meeting certain timelines, and get us back on track.

I never had to interact with anyone on the development team to describe the process — our project managers handled all of that. I was very impressed with their ability to meet every single timeline and milestone we’d agreed upon — they even launched ahead of schedule. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with their diligence in understanding the scope and completing the entire project on time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, no. We’re super happy with Saritasa. They’re the kind of company that goes above and beyond to provide results. It’s as if they were part of our own team rather than an outsourced agency. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your due diligence and analyze the difference between different companies for this kind of project. However, based on my experience dealing with many companies around the world, Saritasa stands above and beyond many of them. They’re very strong in project management, they understand the scope, they’re loyal to the timeline, and they have great teams behind them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a system administrator and developer for a commercial upholstery and wall covering distributor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Saritasa?

We wanted to develop a mobile app that would allow users to search for wall coverings based on industry criteria.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Saritasa developed our new mobile app for Android and iOS. Their team connected the product to an API backend that I wrote, enabling us to supply data to the platform. They created the platform’s graphical layout to establish its look and feel. We, however, supplied them with images that guided their building process.

What is the team composition?

A project manager and 1–2 developers worked on the project.

How did you come to work with Saritasa?

Saritasa developed our first mobile product around 2015. I initially found them by searching for developers within our geographic region. Saritasa’s close to our corporate headquarters, which made it easy for us to meet in person. They had a nice portfolio of projects that they did with other companies.

How much have you invested with them?

This latest project cost $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our latest project in July and finished it in November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t publicly launched the app, so we don’t have customer feedback yet. However, the management team that initiated the project was happy with the final product. We’re all satisfied with the platform, which works exactly as it should.

How did Saritasa perform from a project management standpoint?

On the project management front, they were fantastic. Their project manager was extremely responsive. Anytime I emailed him with a question or issue, he addressed them quickly. The developers were offshore, and they had any issues fixed by the next morning.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical expertise was great. Their team didn’t have any problems addressing the challenges that we threw at them. We have a nonstandard backend, and their team didn’t have issues working with it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I wouldn’t have made any changes to the process. It was smooth.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To help make the project run smoothly, plan your requirements well in advance. Know what you need from them to provide Saritasa with clarity and limit back and forth.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of Begerz.com.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Saritasa?

There were a couple of challenges that we needed to address with Saritasa. The first challenge was to launch my website, so I hired them to transform my goals into a viable product. The next challenge was to build a fully functional platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

During the project's first stage, Saritasa is building wireframes and branding for my website. Their team’s almost done with that first stage. In the end, I’ll have a site to show to potential investors, but the platform won’t be fully functional. Saritasa will also be able to estimate the price to fully develop the site. In the second stage of the project, their team will complete the website’s development.

What is the team composition?

About four people from their team have worked on this project.

How did you come to work with Saritasa?

I reviewed and interviewed three separate companies — two onshore and one offshore. I felt that Saritasa was a better fit across the board. I interviewed them, discussed the project, received a cost estimate, and then hired them.  

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested $25,000 in their services so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing project started in September 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re almost done with the first stage of the project and so far, they’ve exceeded my expectations. Their design team understood my vision and created a product that I can use. I'm able to take their work and relay my site's message. That’s the metric that matters the most to me right now. Their work also helped to increase traffic and the number of my users.

How did Saritasa perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project manager has kept us on track and on budget, which are two important factors to my startup. They’re responsive and responsible, meaning their team communicates any issues early. Their team’s also always on time and prepared for our meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Saritasa team is completely aligned with their company’s vision and my company’s goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re successful for a reason. They only need to continue to put great people on their team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensure that your ideas and expectations align with theirs. Also, be prepared to think outside of the box and lead. Saritasa will listen but also help you through the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager of systems engineering for a medical device company. Our main focus is sensor technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Saritasa?

We leveraged Saritasa for their mobile development expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Saritasa helped us build a continuous temperature monitoring app. The team was responsible for building the app from the initial development stages all the way through. We gave them some of our sensors and some libraries to connect them, and Saritasa handled the app UI. 

After, we collaborated together to put the final touches on it. The mobile app is compatible with both iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Max (Director of Operations). He had a team of developers, both Android and iOS, as well as a QA team. I’m not sure exactly how many individuals are on the team.

How did you come to work with Saritasa?

The decision to partner with them by our leadership; I wasn’t involved in that process.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since July 2020. We’ve done our first release to the app store, and now we’re working on the upgraded version.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Most of the measures for success with Saritasa are anecdotal. The team was able to negotiate the timeline and meet the deadlines we expected from them. Whenever they found an issue or something was taking longer than expected, they always communicated well. The experience between our development teams was very positive. 

How did Saritasa perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. I’ve always felt Saritasa has had a good control and understanding of where they stand in terms of product delivery. Whenever there was any risk, the team clearly communicated and collaborated with us to mitigate any risk.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about working with them is their commitment to meeting our timelines. They pushed hard to meet our final release. 

In times when the requirements aren’t clear, they’re able to make really good decisions. Saritasa works to keep both our needs and our customers’ in mind. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Saritasa has done a really good job, and we’re happy with what they’ve accomplished.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work closely with them and make sure your requirements are clear. It’ll make things as smooth as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of a company that manufactures aftermarket automotive parts. We make performance suspension systems, shock absorbers, and like components for off-road enthusiasts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Saritasa?

We needed a partner to help us develop an app for a new product that we built.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Saritasa developed an app that's compatible with our new product. Their team designed the UI/UX and helped us procure a hardware specialist because the product required hardware development. Their team helped us develop the hardware and the software and helped with manufacturing.

The app is for our customers. When they buy a particular shock absorber, the platform helps them adjust the damping. Using their phone, they can decide to make their shock firmer or softer.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 people from Saritasa. We also worked with a hardware specialist on their team.

How did you come to work with Saritasa?

We wanted to work with a local company. After looking at Saritasa’s website, we gave them a call and talked with Michelle (Technology and Software Sales Lead). We talked for about 15 minutes and then set up a meeting with them. We then headed to their office and Nick (President and CEO)  sat in on the first meeting. We told him what we wanted to accomplish, and he said it would be no problem. He was proactive and focused.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a little over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We reached out to them in November 2019 and released the app in December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They went above and beyond just building a product. Their team helped us from start to finish. When we tested the beta version of the app, it was pretty much flawless. We only needed to make revisions on our end.

How did Saritasa perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via phone and email. Their team was on the ball throughout the project. They wanted to ensure that they performed as efficiently as possible. Their team answered all of our questions, so I had zero complaints.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by their professionalism and ability to cover all aspects of our project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of any areas for improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When you’re ready to start a project with Saritasa, have as much information as possible ready. Outline what you want to achieve. Their team will take it from there.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of B.T. Trucking. We work haul dirt, sand, and gravel for contractors up and down the state of California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Saritasa?

We decided to create a mobile application that would help our operations in the office.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app is available on both iOS and Android. It tracks all of our haulers’ operations when they’re out on the job. That information is then relayed back to our dispatch team so we can update our contractors and keep them informed. Now that the main part of the project is complete, we’ve come up with new features that they will continue to add on to the app as we go.

What is the team composition?

I had one direct contact on the development team. Beneath him, he has seven developers working on our project. I’ve also worked with one other person for all of our billing questions.  

How did you come to work with Saritasa?

I read a lot of reviews on Saritasa and how satisfied their clients were. It was also very nice that they were only a few hours away from us because that prevented any complications from working with an offshore vendor.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2020 and will continue to work with them as we move forward.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re launching the first few phases tomorrow. We’ve done a lot of testing and I’m very pleased with how the app is operating.

How did Saritasa perform from a project management standpoint?

We had some financial restrictions, so we took our time at the beginning of development. However, once we were nearing the end of the project, I proposed new deadlines. Saritasa was able to make adjustments and bring on more developers to meet the timeline I proposed. They were easy to work with and communicated with me several times a week.

I also appreciate that they go over all the hours they’ve spent on the project so I know what they’ve worked on and what to expect when I’m charged. I’ve never received a surprise bill. They’re very good at tracking what features they’ve worked on and have been very transparent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were able to scale up and down depending on what I needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been wonderful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

New clients need to be as transparent as possible, too. Saritasa tries to manage their operations based on what the client needs, so they need that information up front.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m VP of Strategy and Integrated Solutions within the Government Initiatives Division at iHeartMedia. We serve government media contracts all over the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Saritasa?

iHeartMedia has experiential capabilities, which means we put on events (whether that’s a fair, a concert, or a community gathering) to educate attendees about our clients’ campaigns. 

One of the things that we’ve wanted to do was create an interactive VR experience with gamification concepts. As a user plays the game, they’re actually learning about our clients’ messages and services. We engaged Saritasa to develop those experiences.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Saritasa has created about three separate VR experiences: two for the Vive VR headset and one for the Oculus Go. For each project, they’ve been involved throughout the steps, from the initial discovery to brainstorm the client’s concepts to the content and game development all the way through to testing and location support. 

What is the team composition? 

I interface with 3–5 people, including an account manager, a project manager, the head of engineering, and a developer on occasion.

How did you come to work with Saritasa?

My colleague had found them, so we flew down to meet them in Southern California and walked through our services. They had competencies across a wide range of things, including IoT, UX design, and app development. When we got to their VR labs, our in-person visit and interview sealed the deal.

The main issue was if they knew their stuff. VR is still so new, so it’s rare to find a lot of people who can confidently get you what you need. Saritasa helped us understand what services we should be using, which platforms fit our projects, and how to develop our solutions. It was amazing to see them do this within very tight deadlines.

How much have you invested with them?

 We’ve spent between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2016, and our engagement is still ongoing. The last project we did was probably back in early 2019. COVID-19 has since shut down all events. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measure their success based on our clients’ happiness. These government agencies want to know that we’re doing innovative things to help people experience their services in a new way. It says a lot that our clients understand our work and are happy with the results — especially when someone tells us that we’ve produced a game-changer.

Each of our projects has gone to 10–15 events a year, and several thousands of users have used them. Anecdotally, it seems like everyone is blown away by our VR experiences and walk away with an understanding of our clients’ concepts.

How did Saritasa perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management is stellar. We do weekly meetings with multiple touchpoints, depending on how tight the timeframes are. The team always comes in on or under budget and always on time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I find their transparency and collaboration the more impressive. I can come to them with a half-baked idea, and they’ll show me how to make it better while keeping within our budget. 

Additionally, the expectations are realistic given the time in which we need things, so there are no surprises. That’s a big deal for us. We can’t just promise our clients something and then come back and say, “No, we can’t do that.”

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. After working with so many development houses, I expect screw-ups to happen because these are complex projects. Sometimes, an individual decides to go rogue and do something without telling you, and I’ve never experienced that with Saritasa. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just be honest with your expectations and about your understanding of what you’re dealing with, and their expertise will take over from there. They’ll take you a long way in terms of your understanding so that you’re in the right frame of mind to develop your project.

For example, there are things that people aren’t ready to experience in VR because the technology can cause vertigo easily. They needed to educate me on that point so that I could better calibrate my ideas.