Skynix Agency

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Shouted is an online application that allows customers to purchase drinks to consume on-premises at participating venues. Drinks purchased by customers can also be shouted to other customers on the platform enabling people to buy each other drinks from all over the world. I'm the Co-founder and lead Software Engineer for Shouted.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Skynix LLC?

We hired Skynix LLC to aid Shouted develop its 'Shouted Clubs' subscription functionality. This involved developing a Rails API to consume WordPress webhooks whenever a Shouted Clubs transaction took place.

What were your goals for this project?

To enable seamless integration between the Shouted Clubs website and the the Shouted platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Skynix came highly recommended on Upwork. After an initial conversation, it was easy to see that Oleksii and his team were quick to understand the requirements, clear in their communication, and had a good track record of past work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Webhook actions and functions to trigger in Shouted provided to Skynix for review. Functional requirements and back end schema of the Shouted platform provided to Skynix. Refinements made to model after various discussions over MS Teams Configuration of WordPress webhooks. Development and testing of Rails API. SSL cert renewal on AWS servers and Lightsail instances.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of a dev from Shouted, a dev from Skynix, and an infrastructure resource from Skynix.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had tight deadlines to launch Shouted Clubs. With Skynix's hard work, we were able to effectively meet our deadline to launch for Adelaide University O-week.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was loosely arranged with communication handled largely with Microsoft Teams. We'd have daily check-ins and regular communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Speed of service. Quality of service. Friendly and professional.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No real areas of improvement for our engagement. We got delivered what was promised within the timeframes specified. Very happy!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and founder of MyManuscripts, a business that provides a digital way for budding authors to submit, and publishers and literary agents to review, book submissions

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Skynix LLC?

My previous developer had decided, with very little notice, that they would no longer provide development services. I needed to find someone who could pick up the various tranches of current work (as well as future work) quickly and efficiently.

What were your goals for this project?

To put in place a new developer that could support both changes to the website as well as being able to handle any and all work on the portal. All of this in a timeline and cost effective manner

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I went through a formal review process with this vendor and one of their competitors. I had already looked at pricing, recommendations and fit. The final piece was the sense of confidence that they could quickly get things in place

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Skynix provide me with the following:

- All forms of design, support and development on the current MyManuscripts website (front and back-end) including integration with Active Campaign and the portal service

- Support of the MyManuscripts portal including maintenance of current features, the development of new features, the enhancement of existing features and integration to services like PayPal

What was the team composition?

There are probably 5 key people who have worked with us to-date plus a lead/project manager/account manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have been able to identify and resolve a number of bugs that clearly have been in the system from the beginning. Also, my ability to relatively quickly make changes to either the website or portal is significantly greater than with my previous developer

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was setup as both a formal 30 minute weekly meeting supported by adhoc emails and or messaging. Internally, the Skynix project manager liaises with the various technical resources, especially where multiple skills are required on the one piece of work

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were very responsive to requests. They are also well organised using an application for the logging, tracking and closing out of issues/requests/bugs

Are there any areas for improvement?

It would be helpful if the tickets that they use to track requests/issues etc. would be more clearly updated all the way through to completion

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of the company Damp-e. We sell electronic cigarettes and e-liquids. We currently have three physical stores in the Netherlands and a webshop. We mainly sell directly to consumers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Skynix LLC?

We built our first web shop five years ago, and it has since been managed in the Netherlands on a managed server. Because of our plans for building an entirely new Magento 2 webshop, moving our server was an important task. We contacted Skynix and asked if they could do this for us.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was a server relocation without extended downtime because our webshop generates daily income, and we don't want to lose customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We worked with Skynix on our current Magento 1.9 webshop, and they did a fantastic job. This gave us the confidence to continue working with them.

Describe the project in detail.

I asked for advice for a new server without giving too much information, because I wanted to know if Skynix was the right party. I wanted to see if they would ask the right questions about setting up this server. All information from our current server was requested in detail by Skynix, and they came up with better ideas for setting up the new server to burden everything as little as possible.

Skynix then made a detailed offer and explained everything clearly. This gave me so much confidence that I was certain that I wanted to work with them. After the quotation was signed, they performed everything exactly as described and even better than expected!

What was the team composition?

Before we started working together, I expressly asked to only work with one contact person. I prefer it when everything goes through a single point of contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the server was moved, everything has continued to run smoothly without problems. It is still too soon to be able to say whether there have really been major changes. The server and installation do exactly what we expected, and we experienced much less downtime than we predicted.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication went exactly as I had hoped. Everything went smoothly without things having to be explained or asked too often.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The quality and professionalism that Skynix delivers are not easily found in our area. When it can be found, there are often long waiting times before projects can be picked up. This is something that other companies could learn something from.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are always points for improvement, but I can’t think of any right now. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the perfect communication and the speed with which everything was completed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a motorcycle dealership with an e-commerce website, where we sell motorcycle jackets, pants, boots, gloves, and so on, as well as parts and accessories. I’m the product manager and technical lead for our e-commerce segment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skynix?

We previously used Interspire as our e-commerce platform, but eventually, we decided to recreate our site. We needed resources to rebuild our platform using Magento 2.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built our new website from the ground up with Magento 2 as the framework. This involved constructing numerous custom modules and a Google Cloud Platform server solution. The platform accommodates both our online store and our motorcycle business, handling all of our motorcycle listings through a subdirectory created with Ember.js.

Additionally, they supported our SEO efforts according to our specifications, which involved a custom URL routing module that allowed us to have human-readable addresses. They also mapped out all of our keywords, meta descriptions, titles, and headlines to reflect those URLs.

What is the team composition?

The team scaled up and down to accommodate the project requirements. We primarily worked with their CTO who served as our main project manager. Throughout the engagement, we also worked with three programmers and a system administrator.

How did you come to work with Skynix?

We found them through Upwork. Compared to the other firms we considered, they excelled at communicating clearly with off-shore partners. They also proved that they could consistently work online at established times to facilitate collaboration and answered our questions promptly.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent just under $300,000 AUD ($226,442).

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work lasted from September 2016–June 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the site launch, we’ve seen a 30% year-on-year growth due to several factors. From a technical perspective, they created a clean, structured, and well-commented code. As a result, the current site is notably faster than the old one and can handle all of our new traffic. In terms of bugs, we haven’t experienced issues directly caused by Skynix’s work; rather, they were Magento-related.

How did Skynix perform from a project management standpoint?

Because they worked online at set times, we could easily coordinate our schedules to talk. Their CTO spoke fluent English and was very responsive. A few times, I contacted him in the middle of the night with time-sensitive issues, and he addressed the problems immediately as they came up. We communicated primarily with HipChat on a daily basis and occasionally spoke through the phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As I’ve mentioned before, I appreciated their consistent and clear communication. They answered questions within a 24-hour cycle, which streamlined the entire project and allowed me to keep my team updated.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should understand their project requirements and prepare their scope before approaching Skynix. Clear objectives and mutual understanding facilitate success.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of a software consulting and design firm. We specialize in software for contracting and service-based companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Skynix?

We recently purchased a cloud-based software program called EMAC, so we hired Skynix because they were the key development company for this program. We’ve asked them to assist us in turning one of our desktop software products into a software-as-a-service cloud product.

What were your goals for this project?

Our first goal is to make sure the current codebase is up to date with current standards and technologies. The second goal is to quickly add features required by our end users and new features that we designed. This was important because we plan to offer this software internationally, which could potentially yield a large return on our investment.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our team lacks expertise in EMAC, so we needed someone who could quickly provide the skills and people we needed. We wanted to engage a company that not only understood our requirements and the technology, but also had the commitment and expertise to take this product forward. Since our team was already focused on internal projects, we needed to have an outsourced company that we can trust.

The first part of the selection was to look at all vendors that had experience worked on this program. Once done, we checked their knowledge of the software and their understanding of our goals. We also verified their familiarity with the hardware and technical infrastructure we used for hosting. Initially, we considered three companies as well as employing in-house staff. Eventually, it became quite clear that Skynix was the only company that had the knowledge, understanding, and experience we were looking for.

Describe the project in detail.

We’ve asked Skynix to go through the code on a regular basis and to stay in front of all development changes. The documentation and style guide were already in place, particularly for the skeleton of the software.

They’ve implemented several external features, including an updated API link to XERO as well as a secure link to the eWay payment gateway for client trial requests and monthly payments. They’ve linked our support page and ticketing system via Zendesk and reviewed the speed and security of our hosting platform on Amazon Web Services. Other requirements include user security permissions and new client modifications.

In addition, Skynix provides ongoing feature design, development, and application. Our internal team usually investigates the desired feature, then gives them a general overview of the changes needed. Skynix would take these summaries, explain their proposed process in detail, and proceed with the code development and implementation.

What was the team composition?

We chose the company with the belief that they would assign qualified team members as required.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

Since we started working with Skynix, our customers have been very impressed with how quickly changes, maintenance updates, and fixes are done. We’ve exceeded our goals so far, so I’m confident about the next six months of this project.

Since my internal development team does not have to double-check their work, this allows us to focus on internal projects. Skynix has even suggested options for improving the quality of our product and giving a better customer experience. We are excited about the potential we can reach with Skynix.

How effective was the project management?

Oleksii [CEO, Skynix] is the project manager and has been very easy to work with. Though we are almost a world away, we’ve never had any issues with their availability. The time difference has worked well as it gives us a good 3–4 hours to chat via Skype for clarification. Oleksii always answers emails and Skype communication.

We communicate mainly via Jira, where we keep track of all board sprints, deadlines, new features, fixes and quote requests. We also have access to their CRM, where we can see all of the timesheets and work performed, as well as Bitbucket for all code movements. They also confirm things when there is any doubt.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Aside from delivering high quality, Skynix’s strength lies in their desire to build a relationship. They are always available and are willing to prioritize requests outside of the general project. Other vendors I have worked with in the past were often difficult to contact when they were busy. However, this would often change if we started spending more money. In contrast, Skynix has never done this.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

If we are not on top of our requirements and fail to communicate clearly, scope creep often occurs. It is also important to check the time zones, especially for communication.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO and founder of a major digital marketing agency that's based in the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Skynix Ukraine?

Skynix has provided additional support for a number of our outsourced web-development projects using WordPress and other PHP-based frameworks.

What were your goals for this project?

We had to launch multiple projects on a tight timeline. Our internal team needed a bit of extra support, and Skynix perfectly delivered custom-developed designs from PSD to HTML on WordPress. In addition, they helped manage the projects well. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed over 10 agencies and firms looking for the perfect partner that matched our high expectations for security, quality, communication, and cost. Skynix fulfilled all of our requirements and went beyond our expectations.

Describe the project in detail.

Skynix developed websites from scratch while we provided design and strategy. They custom-built numerous functionalities and managed integrations, hosting, and more. They also helped with more in-depth projects including Salesforce (SFDC) integrations and recoded plugins for WordPress.

What was the team composition?

When working with Skynix, we usually have one main project manager and point of contact who coordinates their development team and interfaces with us. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

We're continuing to increase efficiency and decrease operational costs. Skynix is always open to communication and eager to improve processes in order to adapt to our needs.

How effective was the project management?

They’re extremely responsive and directly integrate with our project-management platforms such as Slack and Trello. We haven’t encountered any language barriers.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Skynix’s project manager is extremely good, and the team is highly reliable and available. These are some of the most important elements of any outsourced development work.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

I’d definitely recommend working with Skynix. Bogdan [Business Development Manager, Skynix Ukraine] primarily directed the project, and I have only the highest praise for him and the whole team. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of Colour Ways, a digital marketing agency in London, UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skynix Ukraine?

We were looking for a cost-effective solutions for building a number of new products for ourselves. This ultimately proved difficult in the UK, but Skynix presented a great offer to us. We’re not very technical, so they really helped us through the process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve built a number of different products, one of which is no longer in existence because it didn’t work once we tried to take it to market. It was essentially an online electronics components database-driven website where people could upload details and receive purchase offers on their excess inventory of components.  

The solutions offered by Skynix were all industry-known, so we were confident that the products and platforms being used were standard when we were scoping out the project. The parts which needed to be built from the ground up were tested extensively, and they also worked well.

Some of the products we’ve developed were ours, but as a marketing agency, we’ve also built some for other customers.

What is the team dynamic?

Oleksii Prozhoga [CEO, Skynix Ukraine] is my main contact at Skynix, and I’ve known him for 6-10 years. We tend to have a project manager who oversees the work of any project we undertake. There can be anywhere from 1-15 developers depending on the size of the job. We currently have a large team working on one of our own products.

Skynix is responsible for technical details, and I’ve relied on Oleksii to ensure that the developers assigned can fulfill the tasks. He advises me from a technical perspective, but I’m often involved in the selection process for project managers. This person is typically someone I’m comfortable with because I’ve worked with them previously.

How did you come to work with Skynix Ukraine?

Oleksii used to work for another business 6-7 years ago that was owned by a friend of mine. He left that company and moved to Kyiv, Ukraine, from another town. I stayed with him because he had built the electronic components product for me, and the project was still running at the time. He set up his own business, Skynix, and we’ve stayed with the company ever since. We have a great relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of our most recent completed project was about $20,000-$25,000. I’m currently working on a new project with Skynix, which has brought costs to about $56,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Skynix Ukraine 6-7 years ago, and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The component listings website worked really well, but proved more difficult to take to market than we initially thought.

From a development perspective, Skynix is knowledgeable and helpful. Not having a project manager in place can lead to issues, and can also cause the check-in process to take longer. However, the cost efficiency is there.

Skynix’s attention to detail is good, their technical ability is excellent, and overall, they’re very helpful.

How did Skynix Ukraine perform from a project management standpoint?

Often, tech people can get caught up in the technical side of a project and don’t oversee the frontend. This issue is apparent across the board, and not specific to Skynix. We’ve generally put a project manager in front of this, so the check-in process has improved.

The communication is good, but it’s probably better with a project manager involved. I’m UK-based and working out of London, so Skynix is two hours ahead of us. Despite this, I can email them late at night and they still get back to me. They’re on the ball, and quick to respond. The service is excellent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

My main experience with Skynix has been that the team is knowledgeable and straightforward. If there is an area in which they’re not up-to-speed with in terms of skillset, they will be honest about it and take steps to research and find out whether they can assist in that area. I haven’t found anything yet that Skynix wasn’t able to do for me. It may take longer sometimes, but the hourly rate is cost-effective enough for me to allow them to investigate issues.

By comparison, the UK tends to be more expensive, and people are dishonest with what they are capable of up front. They tend to promise they can do something, only to research it afterwards.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their testing of the sites prior to going live and being shown to customers as an end-product needs to be improved. There are sometimes little things which aren’t quite right, but this gets better when a project manager is involved. Skynix has improved over time, and I’ve helped facilitate this by paying extra for a project manager.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Manager of Wagner Greenhouses, Inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are agriculture, construction, mining machinery manufacturing company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Skynix LLC to accomplish?

• We hired Skynix LLC for Magento 2 multistore development. With the primary goal of expanding our target audience, we tasked them with designing three online stores (Strapworks, Honest Dog, and Killer Straps) to allow Strapworks to sell products to different clients. One of the stores launched successfully in September 2021, and the other two will be live soon. For the past 5 years, Skynix LLC has provided us with ongoing maintenance and support services. Additionally, they helped us enhance the Advanced Product Options Suite extension developed by Mageworx to tailor our business needs.

SOLUTION

How did you find Skynix LLC?

Referral

Why did you select Skynix LLC over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Skynix LLC were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The scope of the project was extensive. It began with customizing the Advanced Product Options Suite extension, which didn’t meet the needs of a store with large amounts of product data like ours. Skynix LLC suggested and implemented a solution to this problem, which other vendors failed to do.

They also made several other vital customizations on our website that greatly facilitate our business operations. We turned to their team again for custom Magento theme design and development services. Skynix LLC designed custom themes for multiple websites and delivered excellent results.

Over the years, they have provided us with ongoing maintenance and support, including regular updates of the platform, themes, and extensions, fixing compatibility and other issues, consulting our team on new technology (we used to work with Volusion before Magento), AWS EC2 instance configuration, and 24/7 server support. Skynix LLC has done much for performance optimization.

They conducted a performance audit to find and uninstall unused extensions, including core ones, and recommended removing bottlenecks between the codebase and database. This allowed us to optimize website performance, which is crucial when you have hundreds of thousands of users per month. We continue working with Skynix LLC. After the website release, they helped us set up Magento BI for better data management and analytics.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m satisfied with Skynix LLC’s services and the designed website. The website is fast, with a TTFB of 104 ms, which is impressive. It’s also secure due to the AWS EC2 server configured and maintained by Skynix LLC. Most importantly, it provides us with all the functionality, including multiple customizations, needed to operate an e-commerce business effectively.

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

Communication with Skynix LLC’s team was one of the best we’ve ever experienced. They were very helpful and supportive during difficult times. We didn’t have any communication problems. The team worked on the production site during low-traffic periods and provided us with 24/7 support.

What was your primary form of communication with Skynix LLC?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Skynix LLC’s people. We have worked with several team members over the years, and each has impressed us in their own way. They have all done top-tier jobs fulfilling our requests and providing innovative solutions.

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

Our project was particularly complex, so there were times when there was a disconnect in understanding what we wanted and how. The only suggestion would be to refine the discovery phase of any request or major project part. However, even there, Skynix LLC did an admirable job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder and CEO of Starmount Healthcare Management

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a management services company providing non-clinical services to healthcare practices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Skynix LLC to accomplish?

• New ecommerce site
• Magento expertise
• Magento on Azure

SOLUTION

How did you find Skynix LLC?

Referral

Why did you select Skynix LLC over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Skynix LLC were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Magento config and development and deployment to Azure.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

faster time to market with more features.

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

professional team with scope respect and quick response even outside of scope as they helped us deploy the solution to Azure and mobilized architects to help us overcome architectural and technical difficulties on Azure

What was your primary form of communication with Skynix LLC?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I liked Skynix LLC's young and energetic team. They wanted to help customers by giving them all the tools to succeed.

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

Expand Skynix expertise and take on more technical stuff