Skapa

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President & CEO of Virginia 811

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Serves as the Notification Center for Virginia so that excavators can inform utilities about excavation projects in order to have pubic underground utilities located and marked, thus protecting life and property and ensuring essential services are not interrupted.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Skapa to accomplish?

• Provide excavators a convenient means to manage locator responses
• Improve communication efficiencies between excavators and locators
• Increase safety at excavation sites

SOLUTION

How did you find Skapa?

Met the CEO at a conference

Why did you select Skapa over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Skapa were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Skapa worked with Virginia 811 to design and create a mobile app, available on both iPhone and Android. The application allows excavators to review and manage the response codes locators enter into our system that inform excavators the status of their locate requests. The application also allows excavators to respond to one code that allows for 2 way interaction between locator and excavator.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application functions as intended. It is still in its early stages in regard to being launched, but early feedback from excavators has been positive.

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

I was very impressed with the way in which Skapa oversaw the project. It was well organized, allowed for opportunities for feedback, worked with us to have excavators provide input and test beta versions of the app, and delivered everything within the agreed to timeframe. They were exceptional in regard to responding to our needs and requests.

What was your primary form of communication with Skapa?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The project management. The project advanced in a positive way as the team engaged both our team and stakeholders. At times, I was surprised at how much the team accomplished in a short period of time.

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

Nothing comes to mind. This was an incredibly positive experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the IT Manager of Specialty Marketing

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Wholesale consumer electronics distribution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Skapa Tech, LLC to accomplish?

• Create a more functional website for our customers.

SOLUTION

How did you find Skapa Tech, LLC?

Online Search

Why did you select Skapa Tech, LLC over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Skapa Tech, LLC were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We needed to update our website into something much more modern, with the ability to have dealers place orders on the site and be imported into Sage 100. It really needed to pop, be modern and work on all platforms.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was a great success. The new site is exactly what we were looking for, and the reception by our customers has been overwhelmingly positive. Working with Skapa Tech has been very productive and enjoyable.

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

We have never been let down in this project by Skapa Tech. They respond quickly and do the things they promise. They were very easy to communicate with and always followed through.

What was your primary form of communication with Skapa Tech, LLC?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The honesty and transparency we experience working with Skapa Tech is so very refreshing. We feel like they are much more than a web developer, they feel like part of our team.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Skapa Tech, LLC could have done differently?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Cardno is an international environmental architecture and engineering services firm. Our division deals with government services and primarily reports to and works for the US Department of Defense and other federal agencies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skapa Tech, LLC?

We hired Skapa Tech for several projects including the creation of public-facing websites and several private, password-protected internal websites. We also turned to them for database work in our SQL server.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have several undertakings with the US Department of Defense, the scopes of which require us to build public-facing websites that people can turn to for information about the project. In conjunction with that, Skapa Tech builds a private website where our team and our clients could review comments and store documentation securely. 

These projects usually begin with me discussing the contract with Skapa Tech’s project manager. They then relay that information to the rest of the team to see what questions or concerns they may have and to get an initial estimate of what it would take to develop a website. From there, we hop into the actual development, which is a pretty collaborative process.

Skapa Tech has recently offered to assist us with other initiatives that we've got going on, such as the migration of our web applications and systems from an on-premise data center to the Azure cloud. 

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with Ryan (Principal Consultant & Founder) and Huda (Senior Consultant).

How did you come to work with Skapa Tech, LLC?

I've been working with Ryan for over 10 years now, even before he joined Skapa Tech. I've talked to a few of his clients, and everyone seems to think that he is fantastic. That — plus the fact that Ryan was already well-acquainted with our systems and requirements — was the reason I took him up for the project.

How much have you invested with them?

Off the top of my head, I can say that we’re approaching a spend of $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since Skapa Tech was founded. That was around August 2015. We’re still actively working with them. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Prior to hiring Skapa Tech, I and my systems administrator were the only ones handling web development. Anytime a project manager provided an update, we were forced to drop whatever IT project we were working on to tend to their website ourselves. Now, however, there has definitely been an increase in our efficiency. Skapa Tech’s involvement has allowed us to focus wholly on our tasks. 

The people that I’ve worked with have also been very impressed with Skapa Tech’s products and turnaround times. Our partnership has been great.

How did Skapa Tech, LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

Depending on the project, Skapa Tech either works with me or interfaces directly with different project managers, essentially cutting me out as the middleman. We hold regular recurring calls to keep track of the project’s progress, but they're always available for a quick call, email, or chat — whatever we need. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Skapa Tech’s always has a willingness to get things done. If, for example, I need something done by Friday, they work hard to make happen. They serve several other clients, and I appreciate that they’re always able to make the deadline no matter what we throw their way. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. I've got no complaints about Skapa Tech.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have your scope and requirements at the ready when you have your first initial discussion with Skapa Tech. This allows them to start planning and get off to the races as immediately as possible. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the IT project manager at USA Wine Imports, a New York-based wine and spirits wholesaler. We do back-of-house work involved with alcohol importation and sales in New York and beyond, such as warehousing, FDA compliance, port deliveries, shipping, trucking, and more. 

Alcohol laws in the US are a literal patchwork of 50 different types of regulation, so we have to be aware that we're compliant with every one of those whenever we're shipping a product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skapa Tech, LLC?

We were looking for an outside resource to help with a lot of the technology challenges that we had. For example, our website was very outdated, and it's not useful to our clients who need to check their shipments. We also needed resources available on call to help us whenever we encountered a technical issue. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our clients use our website to see our inventory. However, the site was not optimized for mobile devices, and updating information was done manually at the beginning and end of the day. 

Skapa improved the site and made it mobile-friendly. They also tied the site to the live database that gets updated every five minutes. A sales rep walking around in New York City selling our products can pull out their phone and look up the inventory in close to real-time. 

Skapa added more content and reports on our website to reduce our clients' general inquiries, phone calls, and emails. 

Additionally, Skapa integrated our system to SevenFifty, a well-known and industry-standard wine and spirits platform. It allows users to search for alcohol products and their pricing. We use it as an additional sales outlet.

The alcohol industry in New York is very strict with payments, and people who don't pay their bills are reported to authorities. Because of this, Skapa integrated us with PaySimple, an online payment processor. 

Beyond those projects, Skapa provides us with ad hoc technology support, whether hardware or software.

What is the team composition?

I work with Ryan (Principal Consultant & Founder), Huda (Senior Consultant), and one other resource.

How did you come to work with Skapa Tech, LLC?

Our old boss brought in Skapa Tech. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2018, and it's ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before working with Skapa, we had around 115 orders per day. Currently, our orders average over 200 daily — the volume of our invoices has just about doubled. 

The pandemic has helped us increase our sales, but Skapa has gotten us set up to take advantage of the situation. We've become significantly busier than we used to be, and that's because of the marketplace access that we didn't have before.

Our sales reps have greatly appreciated the ability to check stock levels. We have multiple sales reps selling the same product, and they run the risk of overselling if they can't see how much is in stock. Skapa has helped avoid that.

In addition, our integration with PaySimple has streamlined our payment processing. If a buyer makes a payment to us, their transaction is instantly emailed to our accounting department. This prevents their being reported to the state as delinquent buyers.  

When we first launched PaySimple to our clients, we got about $3,000–$4,000 daily from the platform. That has increased more than tenfold. The ability to pay online that Skapa has integrated has made the process so much easier for us, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic.  

How did Skapa Tech, LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

Skapa is very good at responding to our needs. They usually communicate through me, and I've never had any problem getting a hold of them. They evaluate projects and set out deliverables and their feasibility. We've never had issues with tasks being delayed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ryan is a nice guy, and he helps our business succeed — I consider him to be my friend. There is a drive from Skapa to get things done and keep us happy, not just from a customer service standpoint but from the big picture. 

I can call Ryan even during off-hours, and he will talk to me to resolve the problem. Skapa's hands-on approach has been impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It will be nice to have more aspects of our business updated and automated to eliminate manual tasks.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be aware of Skapa's size — they're not going to be a round-the-clock call center. Try and select someone from your organization to act as a point of contact.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the senior product manager at Relias — I direct all of our platform operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skapa Tech, LLC?

We really needed help with platform development. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skapa Tech is an all-in-one platform development house. They’ve developed customer-facing features for our online platform for education technology in the medical sector. They help us with product management and product ownership — they also help us finalize project requirements. 

Skapa Tech also focuses on native app development. They've built an entire recruiting pipeline for us that includes a recruiter and candidate manager. Their team has built out many learner-focused solutions, including gamification, crossword puzzles, flashcards, learner dashboards, personalized learning initiatives, and various exams. 

There is a very robust QA team that is involved from the early idea iteration through launch. There are also two teammates working on native and platform architecture. 

What is the team composition?

The team fluctuates slightly, but 20 teammates are working on the project now, including Huda (Senior Consultant, Product and Project Manager). Generally, there are several project managers, 16–17 developers in three teams, and two scrum masters. We also occasionally contact Ryan (Founder, Principal Consultant). 

We have a base team budget of $3 million, but it can be bumped up to $4 million if we need additional capacity. 

How did you come to work with Skapa Tech, LLC?

Skapa Tech initially worked with another company that Relias purchased, and Relias decided to continue the relationship. I believe the CEO of the company that Relias acquired knew the CEO of Skapa Tech. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $15 million with Skapa Tech. 

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in September 2018, but I believe they first were contracted in May 2017 — our partnership is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The functionalities they've developed have increased our annual recurring revenue from $250,000 to $30 million a year. Our client base has gone from a couple hundred to 4.5 million. 

The team we initially started working with has grown from three to 20 — the team is now supporting 10 distinct product lines. Our main platform connects to five other platforms, so our interoperability via API and connections has grown. 

What started as a very small DevOps operation has morphed into a large, robust zero-based operation with five different boards running several different agile styles. 

How did Skapa Tech, LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

We have meetings throughout the week. We use Atlassian suite, and Skapa Tech’s project management is fabulous. 

I’ve never had a single problem with a developer; everyone is great. Huda is the glue that holds the team together, she has a background in engineering and does a final review of all of the deliverables, so I get a technical perspective of the work. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Skapa Tech has been able to cover everything we need. Huda is absolutely instrumental in the success of the team, and I couldn’t be happier. 

They have great engineers — they are very focused on prototyping projects and getting them to market quickly. Their speed and efficiency are impressive, especially compared to other engineering teams I’ve worked with. I have over 200 developers, and Skapa Tech makes up about 10% of the team — they’re the most efficient of them all and if I want something done promptly, they’ll deliver. If we're going to hit a go-to-market or launch date, Skapa Tech will get us there. 

Their team works with the product to maximize the outcome or solution. For the Skapa Tech team, it’s not a project hand-off to from the project manager to the development team: they all work collaboratively with the content and product. They provide feedback at a very early stage, which maximizes engineering efficiency and yields a more innovative solution. 

Internally, we’re focused on new tech, prototypes, tiger teams, and efficient go-to-market strategies. Skapa Tech matches our focus — their strength lies in their ability to develop new and innovative solutions and get them to market quickly and efficiently. They do all that and can still do maintenance and architecture. 

Ryan leads the company with grace and the utmost professionalism — he is calm under pressure. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients get what they pay for — Skapa Tech isn't the cheapest, but they are worth every penny. It’s essential to listen to their input because they are always spot-on. 

They need the room to provide feedback and enhance and optimize ideas that clients have. They have a creative team, and even if a client has a good solution, their team will one-up the client with a better solution and earn the client millions of dollars.