The Smyth Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of Independent Testing & Balancing Corp. We test commercial ventilation systems in high-rise office buildings, hospitals, laboratories, and institutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Smyth Group?

I approached them because we wanted to step away from the server setup and move all of our applications and programs to a cloud-based solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first tasked The Smyth Group to move our office to a new, custom operating system. They moved our programs and set us up on Amazon WorkSpaces. After that project was successful, we decided to work with them to develop a custom app to streamline our processes. They’re currently working on building the mobile app for iOS and Android.

We're in the process of developing a plan and having them understand what we do and the tools we’re currently using, focusing on the changes and expansions we want to make. We want to basically finetune our day-to-day operations with regards to reaching out to contacts, sales, development proposals, tracking our technicians in the field, allowing them to upload reports with the field data they gathered, scheduling, and a host of other functionalities to help our operations.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with around five of their teammates, including Jamie (CEO), David (Project Manager), Brandon (Product Engineer), Paul (Product Engineer), and another developer. 

How did you come to work with The Smyth Group?

The Smyth Group was referred to me by a vendor who fixed a specific issue with our server and couldn't take on the additional work we were looking to have done, which was migrating from our office servers to a cloud-based solution. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement started in August 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, it has been a very positive experience. The quality of their work is fantastic, and the migration project has been very successful. As far as the development work, we're just getting started. They haven't really developed anything for us yet. 

How did The Smyth Group perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management has been excellent. I appreciate the online technology that the team uses for billing and payments because it’s very convenient. They're also very honest with their billing, especially regarding how much time they spend. In terms of communication, we use email and Zoom. Our interactions have been on point — they’re responsive to any questions we might have.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed by how quickly they understand our goals and what we want to develop. I didn’t have to explain much because they picked up on things pretty quickly. They’re very skilled — we're currently working with them on some issues we have with Amazon WorkSpaces, which they've resolved very quickly for us. We appreciate how knowledgeable and responsive they are. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

At this time, I don't think that there’s anything they can improve upon because we haven't gotten into the development phase of it. However, I'm very comfortable with the team that The Smyth Group put together for us, and we're delighted with their work so far. We're looking forward to having a long-term relationship. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with them well. Be proactive in establishing what it is you're looking for and what you're expecting. They're very knowledgeable and understanding, so my advice is to give the team all the information and feedback they need to succeed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

A global consumer products good company bringing quality products to our consumers all year long. My role is to help bring technology solutions that drive business growth.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Smyth Group?

We leveraged The Smyth Group for various projects including the custom development of a mobile application to be leveraged across our wholesale digital sales cycle.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals of this project included a functioning POC mobile app which would include the framing of the development pipeline, visual aesthetics, functional scope, user experience, and support components.

SOLUTION

How did you select The Smyth Group?

The Smyth Group was selected for their expertise, nimble structure, flexibility, and comprehensive skill set and vision.

Describe the project in detail.

This was an iterative/agile approach with regular updates and dynamic feedback loop. Planning, development, and implementation was all done on a highly collaborative approach between The Smyth Group and internal resources.

What was the team composition?

Collaborative approach and division of work between The Smyth Group team resources and internal team resources, leveraging the mobile development expertise of The Smyth Group.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Successful completion of POC and all key components to support a fully functioning mobile application.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Outstanding communication, collaboration, knowledge transfer, and problem solving.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Outstanding team. We worked with several different resources from The Smyth Group, and all were top-notch. We leveraged them for development, formal training, analysis, recommendations, consulting, and knowledge experts. Fantastic team, great to work with. Excellent partners in all areas of engagement!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Always looking for more opportunities to work with The Smyth Group. No recommendations for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Manager of Brazil Roofing

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Construction

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Smyth Group to accomplish?

• Map out unique software for construction
• Map out unique software for quotes
• Map out unique software for estimating and supplier integration

SOLUTION

How did you find The Smyth Group?

Referral

Why did you select The Smyth Group over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from The Smyth Group 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 work is designing and integrating extremely complicated formulas and functions to estimate, quote and order materials and manage construction.   The number of variables are astounding.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have good communication and Inhave confidence the end product will fit my vision as we work on this project together

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

• Yes and very responsive.  
• Regular meetings and updates.  
• They are very professional

What was your primary form of communication with The Smyth Group?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They are all based in America with tons of experience.  The time zones and work hours are when I am awake. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Smyth Group could have done differently?

Not so far

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Consoliplex

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We serve as plan managers for health benefit cooperatives

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Smyth Group to accomplish?

• Develop a Sales Support Tool

SOLUTION

How did you find The Smyth Group?

Referral

Why did you select The Smyth Group over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from The Smyth Group were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

They were charged with providing system design for the project

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

TSG analyzed our needs and concluded it would be premature to move into development. They suggested we continue to develop prototyping so we would better understand our objectives

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

They delivered on time and were strategic in their approach. Rather than start programming, they suggested we continue to identify our needs so project scope could be better understood

What was your primary form of communication with The Smyth Group?

Virtual Meeting

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

They recommended we no proceed to the development work which was a losss of work and revenue for them.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Smyth Group could have done differently?

No, high quality design work with a system orientation

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive assistant of NC Equipment

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a heavy equipment rental company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Smyth Group to accomplish?

• Create a billing program
• Create a program to assign tasks
• Create a program to track equipment

SOLUTION

How did you find The Smyth Group?

Referral

Why did you select The Smyth Group over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from The Smyth Group were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

This program is to make invoices and equipment tracking program. This program gets rid of many paper systems that were in place and gives us an ability to have all the information in one place that is easy to use and look up.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As of now there is screens that work and have gotten rid of some of our paper systems we had had.

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

Yes. They are very responsive and give very systematic updates on the project.

What was your primary form of communication with The Smyth Group?

Virtual Meeting

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

Every single person that we have interacted has been very pleasant to work with, as well they have spent the time to really understand the needs of our company.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Smyth Group could have done differently?

Not that we have seen so far.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of Founders Network, a mentorship organization of 600+ tech startups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Smyth Group, and what were your goals?

We had a site outage and needed the site back up and running ASAP.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I've known their founder through Founders Network for a decade. I sent out a few SOS messages to other agencies and he responded fast, within the hour.

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

They gained access to our servers and removed unnecessary backup files that were causing the site downtime.

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

There were 3. The owner, the PM and the lead developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The issue was resolved within a matter of hours. When it was discovered that the elastic search had been disabled, they fixed it quickly and free of charge.

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

Phone and slack. they were very professional and responsive.

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

Very professionally run and highly competent team.

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

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Systems Engineer

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Smyth Group, and what were your goals?

Needed someone who could quickly build out a niche solution that integrated with Google APIs to facilitate personal communication for a client.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Having worked with the Smyth Group in the past we knew they were knowledgeable and professional, we didn't hesitate to reach out to them for their expertise.

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

They developed a future proof custom solution to seamlessly and securely integrate with our Google apps services using Google's published APIs.

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

We had a dedicated project manager and knowledgeable developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We finished the project in record time - which made both us and our client very happy.

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

The team was very responsive and professional.

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

Professional and timely skilled developers.

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

The Smyth Group did everything we asked, and they left us very satisfied. We will call on them again!