SoloWay Technologies

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m Slava Fioletov, VP of business development at QArea. Our company provides software development services covering the full cycle from design and development to testing and DevOps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire bvblogic?

A CRM system was being developed by our in-house team. However, as the project grew, we found that we need to extend our team. To extend the team currently working on the project we approached bvblogic to work with us as an fulltime out-staffing partner.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to hire an experienced Middle or Senior-level developer with at least upper-intermediate English (B2+) and proficiency in the .Net framework.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After looking at bvblogic’s company portfolio we discovered they had extensive experience with similar projects in fintech area. They also impressed us with their roster of skilled developers, clear communication, and ability to start working on the project quickly. This helped us narrow down our choice and eventually choose them as our out-staffing partner.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We were working on a CRM system that would help merchants manage the entire client lifecycle. - The system must support 150k monthly active users and over 30m daily transactions. - The system was set up using Amazon Web Services and built on a .Net framework to allow for secure and quick development of complex solutions.

What was the team composition?

We began working with bvblogic by hiring a single Senior .Net developer. A few months into our work with them the project expanded further, and we hired three more middle .Net developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone from our side was satisfied with the work of the first .Net developer, and we ended up expanding our team to four developers. These developers continue to work on the Fintech CRM project right now. Furthermore, 6 months ago we began working on a mobile application to supplement the existing CRM system. We decided to contact bvblogic one more time to hire several mobile React Native developers as well.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Our project manager communicates with the bvblogic developers via Slack.The working process is very smooth and clear. We arrange daily and weekly meeting with bvblogic dedicated team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The developers' experience, clear development workflow, and high attention to detail created a very fruitful working environment.

Are there any areas for improvement?

bvblogic team is a great partner to work with. We wish them to grow, expand their knowledge and competency.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of the travel2kite.co.uk project. We focus on making kite travels easier to choose and book. When i had a contact with bvb I only had the specifications for the website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire bvblogic?

There is a segment in the market which I have identified and decided to invest into a project to be able to monetise it. There are lots of websites where you can find lot of information about where and when to go kitesurfing, and there are few travel agency style websites. But there are no websites with relevant and bookable trip prices.

What were your goals for this project?

Twofold. First i wanted to create this engine so that i am able to use it myself. Second i think that most other kitesurfers will like it and start using it regularly.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

It was a very difficult task for me, because i don't have any IT background. I have spoken to a number of teams, including few aggregators in europe and in us. What i really liked about the BVBlogic is the flexibility of the approach.

Given that the project was at MVP stage i didnt want to commit for a big contract straight away. They have suggest to start with smaller part and then expand if I like to work with them.

Describe the project in detail.

We started with working with the back end developer. There was a meeting and he read the specs to understand what i need. After that things have been going fairly fast. For couple of months we have been working on the flights import with the API from Skyscanner.net.

I was testing to be sure that the algorithm is able to choose better flights than me (it did!). After flights have been done we added the hotels via the API with booking.com. When we have been comfortable about the backend we added the design part.

That was a difficult part because often I didnt know what exactly I want. So there was a lot of discovery. Now they work on the integration of the back end into front end. I like that bvblogic uses daily interaction, also i am able to check and control what are they doing on the project every given day.

What was the team composition?

Started with the project manager and back end developer. Now we also have the designer and front end developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are still in the progress, i hope we'll launch by the end of January. Happy to share about the successes after.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I have used trello for myself. We also used google docs to exchange the site related info. I am happy about the organisation of the workflow.

One thing i liked most is the testing material which they have been giving regularly. Three components - backend functionality, design and front end. All of those i had as links and was able to test, provide feedback and change where necessary.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Flexibility and personal involvement in the projects. I feel that they are involved in the project, and they want it to work well. Also they are much smarter than the guys i have tried to work with before.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not really, everything is good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of infrastructure at Enjovia. We offer gift vouchers for experiences at companies in the hospitality industry, be it hotels, restaurants, spas, bars, etc. We aim to make it easy for our client companies to sell their vouchers and for customers to buy and redeem those vouchers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with bvblogic?

We had a functioning website, but it was quite technologically dated and visually unimpressive. Because of the size of our company, much of our internal development time is spent fixing bugs as opposed to making an effort to redevelop the whole website. We engaged bvblogic to serve as an extension of our development team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the most part, we knew what our customers wanted and what we needed to end up with. We tried to simplify what we offered without removing any key features. We started with an MVP approach—building something that would allow us to start moving existing clients over while also onboarding new clients to the new platform. We determined the tech specifications on a sprit-by-sprint basis. We ultimately had 17 or 18 sprints, where we outlined in as much detail as possible what the goal was for that period. We used PHP on the backend based on the Laravel framework, while the frontend utilized JavaScript and Bootstrap.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, a senior architect, two backend developers, one QA tester, and one frontend developer and designer when needed.

How did you come to work with bvblogic?

We found bvblogic through a middleman company based in the UK. Our team was initially skeptical about outsourcing the work, but we were swayed because the middleman would assume any liabilities that went along with the project. For instance, if we decided that bvblogic messed up our product, we could hold the intermediary company liable. They would shoulder all of the legal fees and whatever else was needed. That kind of thing wasn’t needed at any point, however. We worked well together and communicated well from the start.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over £150,000 (approximately $186,425 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement spanned June 2018–July 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall revenue from clients that we moved over from the previous platform to the new one increased 20–30%. Sales through the public checkout portal increased more than 40% across the board for all clients. In that regard, this has been very much a success for us.

How did bvblogic perform from a project management standpoint?

We didn't have much experience with this kind of a relationship because we're a relatively young company, so they took the lead in terms of project management. They were extremely flexible and willing to make edits whenever we needed them. There were plenty of times in the middle of the night where we’d send a Slack message, and they got back to us as soon as possible regardless of the time difference.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m not in a position to compare them to other companies given our inexperience with this kind of arrangement. But I can say that they are very personable and make working together enjoyable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were times when deadlines for software development were a day or two behind. We quickly learned to build that into the estimates we passed along.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're pretty straightforward people, which suited us well because we're not beat-around-the-bush people either. Culture-wise, we aligned very well in that regard. That was a positive attribute from our standpoint, but maybe it wouldn’t be for others.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Advertising agency that provides a full range of marketing services: national promotions, trade marketing programs, event-services, integrated advertising campaigns, creative services. The agency relies on the use of network experience and the widespread introduction of the best foreign marketing practices, which makes it possible to successfully solve clients' tasks and help them achieve their goals in the best possible way.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire bvblogic?

An advertising agency has developed an online platform to automate field projects. Some time ago, the company decided to change the team of developers to a more reliable and professional, to be confident in the quality of the services provided.

What were your goals for this project?

Expansion of the current functionality of the online platform and high-quality technical support.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

CEO of the holding advised to contact bvblogic. So, bvblogic became one of the companies with which we negotiated and at the end, having received high-quality feedback and interest in our project, the choice was unequivocal.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Online platform for automation of the field projects, which provides a new qualitative approach in planning projects of any complexity, managing personnel in the fields and providing optimal and timely reporting. bvblogic provides technical support and develops improvements for the current functionality.

What was the team composition?

Account Manager, Backend Developer, Front End Developer and Q&A Tester

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Advanced functionality will attract new customers, and high-quality technical support ensures stable user experience.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

In most cases, the communication is held by the account manager. To solve technical problems, we use general chat with programmers, and for more important issues – conference calls.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

A good team, excellent specialists who, if necessary, will make concessions, which is very important for the client, and will also give good advice and take the initiative to resolve the issues that have arisen.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can only wish the company to grow, develop and acquire more good customers.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the senior manager at a company specializing in innovative cyber protection services, providing total protection for all devices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire bvblogic?

One of our customers needed to integrate a new kind of charging pole for electric cars into a payment system. We needed an outsourced developer who could connect the necessary mobile API, which is used in the mobile application.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to hire an experienced developer who knew how to connect the API and who would do it in time, adhering to all the requirements of our third-party client.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had interacted with bvblogic earlier, and I was interested in cooperation. I had a limited budget and certain requirements, and I thought they could fulfill them.

Describe the project in detail.

Their developer connected the necessary mobile API in order to integrate the charging poles into the payment system.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a senior .NET developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The completion and integration of the API helped to implement the functionality and start an e-charging offering.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their management handled all communication and management processes. We held weekly online meetings, which were very efficient. Their strategies were a great advantage for us.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I’m very satisfied with their service. They live up to their motto, “Hire Tech Talents.” bvblogic screens all of their candidates quickly and they offer resources whose expertise is as advertised. They gave me different options, depending on my budget.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we are satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a startup called P.aid. Companies use our platform to crowdsource tasks to users, to complete in real time.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with bvblogic?

We engaged bvblogic to design and develop our platform for both web and mobile. They also provide us with consulting services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

bvblogic oversaw the entire development cycle. Their IT department translated our vision into a technical scope of requirements. Their design department then presented us with wireframes and mock-ups. Once we approved the designs, bvblogic developed the Android app and the web platform backend. The team is now advising our roadmap for future development.

What is the team composition?

The team comprises three developers and a QC tester who checks their work at every stage of development.

How did you come to work with bvblogic?

I met Vitaliy (President, CEO, Co-Founder, bvblogic) at a local business event. We kept in touch until I inquired their services for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

bvblogic built an MVP of our platform for which we are planning tests with several clients. We have launched our Android app in Google Play. We’re highly satisfied with the quality of their work.

How did bvblogic perform from a project management standpoint?

They made the collaboration effortless. The account manager first divided the project into two-week increments with milestones. At each period’s end, we met to go over progress and address any issues. We also had shorter daily standup meetings to keep both our team on track. We used Redmine to track progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

bvblogic demonstrates a high level of expertise. They act like partners and invest time into finding the best solution possible to meet our specs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re highly satisfied with their work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of sales at a software and software development company promoter. We started as an outsourcing company but changed our business model. We also provide software development services from time to time.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire bvblogic?

Someone requested an iOS and Android mobile app, but I didn’t have the necessary mobile developers. After working with frontend developers for a month and liking their work, we expanded the engagement to include backend developers.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to develop a stable, bug-free app that fit our client’s requirements.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I searched local job websites for someone in my region with competitive pricing. bvblogic contacted me after I sent them a request.

Describe the project in detail.

Our client gave us a prototype, so we worked with bvblogic’s artists to create the UI. Then, we brought on backend engineers to build a node.js MVP.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, an artist, two native iOS developers, two native Android developers, and a backend developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our client was happy and was able to raise money from their investors. They then asked us to build the app with full functionality. I’ve made almost $10,000 from reselling their development services. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had daily meetings and scrum reports every Friday. Good communication drives our success.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re a flexible, high-level organization with expert mobile developers. They also deliver what they promise.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Even though PayPal doesn’t work in Ukraine, I'd still like more payment options. Ukrainian banks charge heavy fees for money transfers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the project performance manager for University Cribs. We’re a property search engine that works with agents and landlords across the UK to sell housing to students.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with bvblogic?

Our administrative site was experiencing a lot of issues with bugs and wasn’t easy to navigate. We host hundreds of agents on the site and had no simple way to access each account. We needed bvblogic to update the platform to make it more efficient.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began by analyzing our site’s issues and giving bvblogic a priority order to follow. From there, they gave us a timeline and we had a meeting to set up the sprints. We provided them with our wireframes and designs, and they implemented the changes we needed. Their development team used Node.js and PHP to create the new features for accessing all accounts.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with bvblogic’s team lead, and they provide 2–3 developers.

How did you come to work with bvblogic?

I heard of bvblogic through word-of-mouth. After testing their skills with a smaller assignment, we decided to hire them for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $9,000, so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in July 2018, and we’re continuing to work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re now able to access all property information more efficiently. Everything they’ve produced has been to the highest standard—we’ve been pleased with their work.

How did bvblogic perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through Slack and have daily sessions over Google Hangouts to receive updates on their progress and timeline. Though they’re based abroad, they’ve been great about communicating with us. They accomplish everything quickly, with very few instances of going over the timeframe.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their work combined with their speed is valuable to us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO of a data analytics platform for companies who sell their products through Amazon. We are based in Seattle and have two full-time employees. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with bvblogic?

We're a startup, and our biggest problem is developing lots of software and quickly pushing new features through. We reached out to bvblogic to help us accelerate our development pipeline and accomplish all our pending work items as soon as possible. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

bvblogic has tackled many administrative features for us, along with backend and frontend development. Most of their tasks are in the service of our platform. They've worked very closely both with myself and our team using a sprint-based model. We continuously give them new functionalities to develop. Each one takes a few weeks to complete. During development, we provide consistent feedback on their work. 

What is the team composition? 

We typically interface with both a project manager and a developer, which has proved very useful.

How did you come to work with bvblogic?

I met one of their business development managers at an event in Seattle. I had a pressing need for a development team. Our first phone call went well, and we built a strong working relationship before even signing a contract. They provided high-quality code samples. Reading reviews on their Clutch profile made me feel confident about working together. They're an offshore company, I hadn't heard of them before, and they didn't come through a recommendation. They overcame all those hurdles to earn my trust. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent in the $20,000 range. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've shipped many deliverables bvblogic created to production. These products are currently live on the market. That's an important metric for us. We've worked with teams who never produced work we could actually launch. bvblogic's work has been high enough quality for us to proudly ship to our customers. They’re easy to set up and integrate, and we're happy about the results. 

How did bvblogic perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, they've been great communicators. We've worked together quite well. We set up daily calls that range from quick check-ins to lengthy discussions. We've been able to communicate back and forth effectively. I can send them any work item request I need, and they'll provide feedback to improve it. We've quickly resolved any miscommunications or misunderstandings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our collaboration was even better than I expected. bvblogic is a talented development partner. They’re pleasant to work with and offer excellent value. I especially appreciated their willingness to take our feedback. Overall communication has been seamless.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work as a project manager for multiple companies. My role is to connect a client with a subcontractor to accomplish what they need.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with bvblogic?

One of my clients was looking for a reliable contractor to implement their idea and create an app that works. The app would allow students to buy cheaper leftover foods from restaurants. The goal was to push the first version of the app before the new educational year started in September 2017.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The customer provided us with mock-ups of the app, and we passed them on to bvblogic. These contained the visual representation of the app’s UI, which helped us create all the user stories and use cases in Jira. It is a location-based service application that shows the restaurants that are the closest to the user. They can also search based on favorites and preferences.

We selected React Native because the technology allows a mobile application to be developed using just one developer for both iOS and Android. bvblogic had a high-level React Native developer who integrated a lot of third-party services, including connections to all the restaurants and different payment options.

They have overcome several challenges in building the app. First, even though we used React Native, it was still difficult to make the UI look the same for both iOS and Android. Second, we sometimes had issues integrating location-based services. Our customers were manually creating restaurants on the backend, which we would then attach to the server and display to users. Sometimes, if our customer didn’t create the entry correctly, the application would not load the correct information. Also, for each meal purchased on the app, a certain amount is donated to charity. A counter displays individual donations, but it was failing at some point. Fortunately, the bvblogic team fixed it quickly.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with a developer and a QA engineer.

How did you come to work with bvblogic?

We were referred to them. They provided clear and detailed estimations of the project before they began; contractors rarely do this.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent $10,000–$50,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them on this project in June 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

bvblogic has met my customer’s expectations for delivery and functionality. They implemented all the features and functions correctly, so the app doesn’t freeze or slow down. My client launched the app last fall. It is now gaining market traction, with a lot of downloads from both the App Store and Play Store. So far, we have not received any user complaints.

How did bvblogic perform from a project management standpoint?

They never go over their estimates, which is extraordinary. They break down tasks well, allowing us to receive the product within the set timeline. They are always on time for scheduled meetings, and they are always available for urgent matters.

Communication has been great. While they use technical language, they make every effort to explain it to me in a way that I will understand, which I really appreciate. If I understand it, then I can explain it to my customer.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with their communication, timeliness, clear estimates, and delivery within budget. I absolutely love working with them. Their products always work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their knowledge of the English language, which would let them speak directly to the customers and explain technical details when needed. Currently, I write it all down and then translate it for my customer. Given that it isn’t an obstacle—they do their job according to expectations—I can live with it. They’ve never failed me.