SJ Innovation LLC

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a website design company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SJ Innovation LLC?

We needed developers to build a website development team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re helping us build a custom registration website for a conference company.

What is the team composition?

We work with around four people, but we mainly work with a project manager.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $75,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2013, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The coding overall is good, and the website works at 100%.

How did SJ Innovation LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t set specific deadlines for the project, so this project is a big undertaking. Overall, everything goes smoothly with the handling of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have good communication, and they’re easy to work with as a team. Additionally, they deal with issues quickly in terms of bugs and glitches — that’s the biggest thing for me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have major complaints; I’m happy with how everything goes.

Any advice for potential customers?

The time difference might be the challenging part of working with them. Understand that you’ll deal with an overseas team, and things can happen on a different schedule 10–12 hours ahead of you.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Campaign Manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SJ Innovation LLC?

Email Development UX Web Development Graphic Design Quality Control

What were your goals for this project?

Create front to end customer journeys with numerous touch points to leave lasting impressions with customers and align with customer goals.

SOLUTION

How did you select SJ Innovation LLC?

We selected SJI via the Upworks platform due to their wide range of services, and eyes for quality.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

There were numerous moving parts to the defined project, including over 50 different customer Journeys and 150 different emails for various customer segments. SJI not only handled each request in a time friendly manner, but also actively went above and beyond advising us of best practice, and suggesting improvements.

What was the team composition?

We actively worked with a number of project managers, email and web developers, and designers to ensure each element of each campaign was handled efficiently.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We detailed specific targets and metrics we wanted to hit via this project before we commenced work. Due to SJIs attention to detail, and design recommendations we hit each of these metrics. A few are listed below. Email - Open Rate Click through Rate Web - Google Events Conversions.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow was extremely effective. The SJI team got back to numerous queries and last minute change requests from the market in a time efficient way. The team always managed to go above and beyond what we requested.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

There attention to detail, and problem solving ability. Very easy to communicate with, and grasp difficult concepts in a challenging industry very quickly. The work they provide back has never not being exceptional.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of POWERLEAN personal training, a company that builds science-based training programs and meal plans to help people achieve their fitness and health goals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SJ Innovation LLC, and what were your goals?

Website creation and design, to gather more clients and build up the company.

SOLUTION

How did you select SJ Innovation LLC and what were the deciding factors?

Through a mutual connection, and I was happy with their founders and team after speaking to them.

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

I spoke with the manager and developer of the team, we settled on using Wordpress. We had a few meetings on how the site should look and feel, and they built a plan for the coming weeks for production.

Every so often the team would ask me question about certain aspects of the site, and how things should be added/reviewed.

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

4 people: manager, PM, developer, tech lead

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It looks sleek and brings out the vibe I am trying to give to potential clients.

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

They are very communicative and timely, and always open to suggestions and feedback.

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

I think the versatility was the best aspect - I didn’t start out with all the details of my site, it was just an idea. After each week as the site grew in development, I wanted to add more aspects to it, which they happily obliged and discussed with me, and made it happen.

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

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Motivational speaker for schools, author and public speaking coach.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SJ Innovation LLC, and what were your goals?

SJ Innovation redesigned and developed my personal website. They explored every idea I had imagined and took it multiple steps further by reimagining a concept that has a pulling power to meet the needs of my target audience. Their ongoing support is invaluable.

SOLUTION

How did you select SJ Innovation LLC and what were the deciding factors?

Whenever I select a company to work on my projects, I always look at the people. The spark in which they carry and their approach. Likeability sells for me...and their staff carry the likeability charm. They are probably the finest and nicest people to work with who all excel in what they do. Great team, great company and super outcome for carrying out the work.

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

I worked with SJ Innovation with an initial idea of just a redesign of my original website which was traditional HTML. They introduced me to wordpress for the first time. Very easy to use, easy to learn and they guided me through the whole process, with video tutorials too. The work might seem simple, but when you are someone who has a lot of ideas, What SJ innovation did really well was to take each and every thought and idea and package that into the design concept, making the website easy to understand for visitors.

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

Such to the likeability of SJ Innovation, I've actually got to work with many of their staff from their multiple offices around the world.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Yes, enquries to deliver talks and host workshops grew substantially. I increased revenue by more than 40% simply from the redesign of the website.

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

I had a team dedicated to the project. I was engaging with them almost every day throughout the duration of the project. They kept me in the loop with every action they took and required my approval before moving on the next. The efficiency in which this was carried out was remarkable.

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

As mentioned, I always look for likeability in people. Their work speaks for itself, but knowing you have such a friendly team to work with is an extra reward when it comes to working on a project. You not only see positive outcome on the objective set, but the you build a strong relationship which sets the foundation for further work and collaboration.

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

No. They are exceptional and I would highly recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Operations Manager and a Web Project Manager at Tendenci - the Open Source AMS. We are an open-source SaaS company that helps nonprofits and associations launch and manage their websites and member management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SJ Innovation LLC, and what were your goals?

We hired SJ Innovation to bring an additional third party mockup/design for our clients to compare and select from. We also hired them to do a mockup for our own site redesign, as it is hugely beneficial to have a fresh, outside perspective on this.

SOLUTION

How did you select SJ Innovation LLC and what were the deciding factors?

We found them on Upwork several months ago and were so impressed by their professionalism and fast turnaround that we continued to collaborate with them on other projects, and will continue to do so in the future.

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

Key deliverables most frequently involved a Q&A session, starting with a wireframe to lay out the information architecture, then delivering a homepage mockup for the websites we collaborated on.

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

We worked with approximately 3-4 people, I believe - where at least one was a graphic designer, one was the project organizer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The mockups were very well received by our clients, and SJ Innovations was very easy and smooth to work with throughout the projects we collaborated on. Any issue of timeliness was always on the client side (many volunteers manage these nonprofits and associations), and never theirs.

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

We communicated via UpWork. We always set up milestones and goals there, and occasionally had a video conference call where it was more efficient to communicate this way. They communicated throughout the project if they had questions or needed approval of a milestone to proceed. Work was very timely and professional.

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

I found their communication and attitude impressive! They also have a dedicated team working on each project, so the turnaround time was also very quick, even though the work was high-quality.

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

Not to my knowledge!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is an agency that helps our clients with all facets of their web presence. Our in-house team mostly handles their ad needs and overall PM needs. I oversee all client operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SJ Innovation LLC, and what were your goals?

Some of our clients have extremely robust sites and web applications. One, in particular, uses Drupal, which is a beast in itself. Pair that with integrations to third-party software and some custom development and it becomes a behemoth to maintain. When their dev agency wasn't being responsive, the client asked us to help get the project on track. We took it over and partnered with SJI for the execution.

SOLUTION

How did you select SJ Innovation LLC and what were the deciding factors?

I love the intimate communication we have with SJI through every step of the process. We work hand in hand with them, from getting the client RFP, through the final delivery. Someone is always available to help. They take my client's needs seriously and are super patient when we aren't armed with all the answers. It is really a wonderful experience. Obviously, they're fully capable of doing what we need, but the strong communication sets them leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.

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

It always starts with us getting a request from a client. We do our best to get as much info as possible but we don't know to ask for things well outside the realm of our expertise. We present what we have to the team. They ask additional questions for us to bring back to the client. Once we're armed with all the info they need, they present a transparent price, scope, and timing. We re-brand and share this with our client who approves it. We work hand in hand with the team on ensuring the deliverables are hit and they have what they need. To communicate, we mostly use email and Slack.

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

We deal with multiple project managers (Saidul and Merlyn most of the time - they're both fantastic at their jobs and all-around great people.) The CEO Shahid is a message away. He's super helpful and always reachable. We have worked with countless developers and QA resources there but our main points of contact are the PMs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our client is a fast-growing company that quickly and abruptly outgrows their technology. If they don't improve it, there will be a serious negative consequence on their business. Being able to work with SJI and get these things turned around quickly and correctly is imperative for their growth. There is no one else we trust with high-value clients.

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

Most of our communication goes through the PMs via email and slack. I love that they will sometimes involve a developer in the conversation to cut down on the game of telephone.

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

Of course they're skilled and pricing is fair. What impresses me the most is their strong communication and fast turnaround.

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

Very infrequently we get bids from them that are substantially higher than from other partners. At that point, we have to weigh if we can bring them the business. Looking back at the few times we opted to go with the cheaper partner, we likely didn't have as smooth an experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the President of Kaizen Solutions Group, LLC, a Cybersecurity consulting services firm, specializing in Federal, State, and Commercial Cybersecurity services and solutions. We provide support to our clients in both advisory and engineering solution implementation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SJ Innovation LLC?

We have leveraged SJI and their cutting edge solutions in multiple projects ranging from 5K to 25K. Some of the projects involved obtaining SJI's services in web design, web development and maintenance, and mobile app development.

We were extremely pleased with the optimum level of customer support and technical solutions provided by SJI in all of our engagements with them.

What were your goals for this project?

The primary goal of the aforementioned projects were to obtain cutting edge solutions in a very short window. SJI did not disappoint at all! Their service delivery was on point and always on time. We gained a lot of efficiencies in our own business based on the services and solutions offered to us by SJI.

SOLUTION

How did you select SJ Innovation LLC?

We interviewed and researched multiple companies in the web design and management space, and SJI came up at the top of our list based on the solutions they were offering at a very competitive rate and the quality of customer service and results were top notch.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected SJI, their team of professional consultants and developers instantly setup a project plan after the kickoff meeting where they obtained all our business requirements. The first meeting was enough for them to guage what we exactly needed and they got to work right away.

We were always kept in the loop of the progress being made and would provide us an update each day. They were always proactive and driving the project forward to ensure all milestones were met on time if nota couple of days early.

What was the team composition?

The team comprised of a project manager, who functioned as the POC. The PM was always available to respond to our questions or integrate any real-time feedback we had to offer. If we changed our requirements, the team of developers were very quick to respond and adapt in order to accommodate our needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within 2 weeks our website was launched and was fully functional with strong security measures built in from ground up.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

To put it very simply - the correspondence and workflow worked like clock-work. Very impressed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The knowledge, skills, customer support, professional interactions, and laser focus of the team are excellent.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Syed Shafie and I’m the trustee and the chair of Cann Hall Deen & Education Trust which is based in the UK. We are a charity and religious institute.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SJ Innovation LLC?

We were looking for someone to design our app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SJ Innovation LLC designed and developed our app for our community and mosque. The app features all the information of our daily prayer timetable, upcoming events, information posters, and access to program videos and events we conduct on the premises. The app is currently released on both the Android and iOS platforms.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with quite a few team members from different countries. As far as I remember, we worked with two people from Bangladesh, two from the United States, and two more from Bulgaria or Romania.

How did you come to work with SJ Innovation LLC?

We had done some internal research within our board and trustees. Many of us know that there are very few mosques that have app support, so the market isn’t very wide and competitive. In our research, we found that there are plenty of mosques in the United States that have app support. This made us think that somebody in the US might have the knowledge and idea of what we want.

Therefore, after weeks of research, we found that SJ is a good provider as we got to know them. They gave us the conditions and had a few formal meetings — which obviously went well, so that’s why we decided to go with them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2019–March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The people who have used our app were quite happy with it. This concept for the mosque is very new in the UK, but people have expressed their excitement to us. Although some features are currently unavailable at the moment, they told me they will sort it out when the budget permits.

Sometimes though, the app gives us a little bit of trouble, which I think is because of the time zone issues.

How did SJ Innovation LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication was wonderful, and they have set a very high standard in terms of customer service. The response from our developers from the three countries are very good as they would consistently email us for updates. They managed this part very well and I’m very happy.

We communicate mostly through email and calls but when they need to show me something, we do a zoom call or use the TeamViewer service.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m very impressed with their customer service. One time, there was a small issue in the app, so I just sent them a picture on WhatsApp, and a couple of hours later they’ve already sorted it out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our partnership was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but obviously, it was slowed down everywhere. Besides that, there’s nothing they can improve on. It was fine.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice would be to always do your research. Tell them what you want and what your expectations are. This can be applied to any service provider, not just them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a rental startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SJ Innovation LLC?

I’m not a technical person, I’m a teacher. I needed someone I could trust to handle the technical side of my business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took over all of the technical aspects of my mobile application and website. The team provided both design and development work. They work in PHP and Swift.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager, product manager, and 2–3 other developers depending on the scope of the work.

How did you come to work with SJ Innovation LLC?

They cold-called me and they were different from the beginning. They’re based in New York, they’re a husband-and-wife team, and they’re affordable. They just seemed like good people.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2018, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re pretty satisfied. We actually have a big release coming out at the end of December and I think it’ll go well.

How did SJ Innovation LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re considerate and have a team of good people. I really have enjoyed working with them. There are always going to be some issues, especially with time differences, but we got used to those. They’re always very punctual. We communicate via Slack and regular meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is very professional, punctual, and great at getting startups off the ground. I’ve worked with a lot of young developers previously and SJ Innovation is more professional in comparison.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m not sure. I knew exactly what I wanted out of my apps, but it might be a different outcome if you needed more creative feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with any outsourced partner, you to lay out your plans beforehand and hit the ground running.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a pharmaceutical company as the lead in digital marketing. I work on our website, app, and create content for the brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SJ Innovation LLC?

We were trying to solve the problem of the quality of work from our developers. We wanted to ensure that we had a solid QA team that could thoroughly evaluate new development, work, and content on our website before it went live so that there would be no typos and no issues with how it worked, how it looked, and how it’s rendered on different devices.

We previously had marketers doing this work and it wasn’t a good use of their time, and they weren’t really able to review things in a comprehensive way. As a result, we brought on SJ Innovation LLC.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re doing QA on our development and design work. They ensure that our website content matches the project's specs and requirements after it is created.

They thoroughly do that by testing it on a multitude of devices and OS for all different phones, browsers, tablets, laptops, and more. Aside from the website, they also do QA with our apps. The team checks our apps' functionalities before we release them to our customers.

For every QA project, we create a testing plan, so that the team knows what to look for. Our detailed spreadsheet features our test cases, ranging from hundreds to thousands. SJ Innovation LLC also records videos to show how the QA testing goes, along with screenshots and results.

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with the QA testers on their team. 

How did you come to work with SJ Innovation LLC?

A colleague of mine recommended them. We chose them because of the amazing value they offer. They have cost-effective solutions and their quality of work is good. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We work with them on an ongoing basis and have been for the past two years since January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measure the success of their work by looking at the detail of their tickets, their findings, and reports on the QA testings. They submit deliverables quickly and they've been really helpful. Typically, QA happens at the end of the project and you don’t want it to slow you down before launch. However, that hasn’t been an issue with them, and they get us what we need in time. 

Overall, they’re helping us deliver better consumer experiences and ensure that everything we do works perfectly across a variety of different platforms for both web and app.

How did SJ Innovation LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Jira to communicate with them. Their communication skills and timeliness are definitely one of their strengths.

They’ve been helpful in crafting testing plans. The team has been fast and responsive. When they do their testing, every single test that they do, they respond back with the test results. Their video recordings have been helpful since it gives us the details on what went wrong so we can fix it. Additionally, their notes have been outstanding too. As a result, our developers quickly figure out what went wrong and repair it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their work is strong. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve never had any problem with them.