Stakk

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a UK-based technology company that focuses on international payments and foreign exchange services. I’m the director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with STAKK?

We needed a development partner to help us with some of our projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

STAKK has worked with us on a number of web development projects, including a new website for our end-to-end rebrand and a site for a remittance product.

What is the team composition? 

I spoke with Girish (Project Manager) on a day-to-day basis. My team also worked with some of his developers directly. 

How did you come to work with STAKK?

Our head of IT found STAKK and brought them in for a technical assessment. Based on that test, their ability to deliver, and our project roadmap, we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$50,000. It’s an hourly rate.

What is the status of this engagement?

The two main projects started in June 2019, but we’ve been working with them on and off ever since. They’re currently one of our suppliers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From my perspective, I gauge them based on their ability to deliver on brief and within budget. They’ve developed two websites that looked great while mostly staying within our costs. There is some back-and-forth on bugs, but no more than what we’ve seen from other developers. 

The team is also flexible. If we want to make an iteration during the process, they always work to accommodate those changes, which leads to a positive experience. 

How did STAKK perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Google Docs to track their progress. They generally stick to our deadlines, though there are some occasional delays. All in all, they deliver within a reasonable margin of error.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a positive attitude and really want to deliver good results for their clients. Even if things don’t go quite as planned, they’re able to take the hit on the chin and get back to the task. We’ve never had any sort of confrontation because of their client-oriented perspective.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes Girish’s own technical understanding is limited because he’s not a developer himself. That means there are cases when things have been lost in translation. Our team has found it effective to communicate certain things to their developers directly. 

This situation was also a positive because Girish was willing to let us talk to his team, even though there would be more communication points. He understood that this was necessary at certain times.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Headspend. It’s a platform where I can track employee expenditure. It can be used to monitor what is being spent on a daily basis, and where and how it is being spent.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with STAKK?

They’re helping me build the platform and the app for the business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re helping us build a web app, as well as a mobile app in React Native which has a parent account. It’s going to be a management account with a real-time spending platform. As soon as someone within a company uses the card, the platform will show the details of that purchase. The app will be for iOS and Android and we’re expecting to launch around December 2020. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve been working with two people. Jack (Co-Founder) and Girish (Co-Founder & Product Lead) are my points of contact. 

How did you come to work with STAKK?

I found them on LinkedIn. I messaged a few companies, but I really liked how quickly they responded, how they interacted with potential clients, and the knowledge they had behind the work.

How much have you invested with them?

The overall cost will be $68,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, they’ve developed well above all of my expectations and meet all of the deadlines. 

How did STAKK perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication has been excellent between both of our points of contact. They always deliver ahead of deadlines — which I value in them. The fact that they let me know they’re done ahead of schedule is something I really appreciate about them. If there are any questions, they take the time to listen to me and explain everything in detail. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve become part of the team. I didn’t think I’d find a development partner that would feel so much like part of my own team, but our communication has been second to none. They love what they do and are keen to engage with their clients. They have great attention to detail, are strong communicators, and really nice people to work with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing at all for them to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them as much information as possible so they get an understanding of what you want. They will take everything you say and give you new ideas, so communicate as much as possible and basically overload them with information. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a flooring contractor, and I’m the manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with STAKK?

We were rebranding, and they built our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an existing site at the time we hired them. With them, we decided to completely scrap the original site and build a new one from scratch. The took charge of the entire process.  

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Jack (Co-Founder).

How did you come to work with STAKK?

Someone in my network recommended their service to me after having a positive engagement with them. I trusted their word, and didn’t bother looking elsewhere after talking to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $1,500 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I highly recommend their services because they dealt with this project very well. We didn’t run into any problems.  

How did STAKK perform from a project management standpoint?

They never let me down, often delivering a day or two before necessary. We communicated mostly through phone calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to detail really made a difference. They were always willing to pick up the phone to talk through a problem.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. Their service was very strong.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CTO at Nivoda, a B2B marketplace for the diamond and jewelry industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with STAKK?

We had our in-house development team building our platform for desktop and mobile, but we got a clear request from customers and suppliers to build a mobile app. Since we didn’t have those resources in-house to build it in the timeframe we wanted we engaged STAKK.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Compared to other projects our requirements were very clear. We were aiming for feature parody with the online platform so the way everything looked and worked was based on the web platform. The API to connect everything was already done so STAKK created the frontend and did the implementation. The app is cross-platform and built on React Native.

We provided them with a few mock-up designs in Figma, as well as updates as we went on. There was also a full API specification ready for them. They built the React Native application from scratch.

What is the team composition?

We had one project manager and three developers. One was full-time and the other two were on and off. We had an hourly agreement.

How did you come to work with STAKK?

They reached out to us a few months before we started the project with a generic pitch about what they did. When we wanted to do the project we compared a few outsourced companies and STAKK stood out because of their quality of work. The sample projects on their website were really good. We also got a good feeling from speaking with them. They seemed like they would be open and transparent.

How much have you invested with them?

We ended up spending £60,000 ($74,600 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2019 until May 2020. The app is going live in the next week. If we want to add more features in the future we’re definitely going to engage STAKK again.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve sent the app out to external beta testers (our most engaged customers) and almost all of them say the app is intuitive and smooth, and that it works like they expected it would. This speaks to the quality of STAKK’s work. I’m a developer myself, so from a developer’s perspective, the code is high quality. There weren’t many bugs; whenever we went we got the best thing. I’ve worked with other external development companies before and sometimes they just don’t understand what the product needs to do. STAKK stepped up, though. They’re the best I’ve encountered so far.

How did STAKK perform from a project management standpoint?

I spoke with them twice a week, chatting through Slack or a weekly call. The developers were on both Slack and that call so we could answer any questions about how a feature should look or the API itself. We communicated and worked together like they were a part of our internal team. We also added them to our Jira.

Finally, they met most of our deadlines, and if they didn’t there was a very good reason why that was. Their communication around that was upfront too.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver high-quality stuff and understand our intentions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The communication with the developers could have been a bit better. The project manager was great, but sometimes I felt a disconnect between the project manager and the developers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure there’s no ambiguity on deliverables, as you would with any outsourcing company. If they’re clear on the deliverables, then they’ll be able to execute very fast. Also, make sure to add them to your internal Slack. Both sides have to be responsive.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the managing director of Black Square Joinery LTD. We are specialising in building bespoke fitted furniture, such as kitchens, wardrobes and all types of cabinets

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire STAKK?

We hired STAKK to help our company develop the Web Presence. They were responsible for the entire range of our web presence, from the web design to social media to SEO.

What were your goals for this project?

1) To build the responsive website that will allow our clients to get a clear picture of our offering 2) To gain web exposure by the means of social media marketing and to rank higher in search engines 3) creating a prototype of an innovative application based around Augmented Reality to fit the bespoke furniture units in your space.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

STAKK was recommended to us by one of our business partners.

Describe the project in detail.

STAKK was hired to do the following objectives 1) To build the responsive website that will allow our clients to get a clear picture of our offering 2) To gain web exposure by the means of social media marketing and to rank higher in search engines 3) Creating a prototype of an innovative application based around Augmented Reality to fit the bespoke furniture units in your space.

What was the team composition?

We first got assigned to a project manager who took care of all the technical aspects. Throughout the project, we had very fluent communication with the three developers assigned to the project, which helped in the communication and the ongoing development according to specifications.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the initial project of launching the website and increasing our social presence, we saw a regular flow of leads from around the web, and accomplished an average conversion rate of 20-25%. This continued to increase after improving the SEO and continuing the development of the website.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Both the project manager and technical lead assisted us in every step of the way, from creating the overall vision to the look and feel to the functionality of the website. Along with the developers assigned to the project, they worked in a very agile way.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Given our lack of experience within web development and optimisation, we were amazed at the knowledge and expertise provided by the guys at STAKK. They were able to adjust and accomplish a great amount of work within a set budget.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Although they delivered on time, they could have delivered the project earlier... ;-)

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a travel planning company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with STAKK?

We needed some UI/UX assistance in building a mobile app for Android and iOS.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They do both the design and the development work, but I only contracted them for the UI/UX because I had my own development staff working with me.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Jack (Co-Founder & Relationship Director) and a design lead.

How did you come to work with STAKK?

I met them in a networking company and they were very friendly and got the conversation going from the start.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent 8,000 pounds (approximately $8,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2019, and we wrapped up in February 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m very happy with the format of the file they provided. At the end, everyone seemed very happy with the finished product.

How did STAKK perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a Google drive folder shared between us, but we also communicated via phone and in-person meetings. They were very responsive, even for last-minute changes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What really sets them apart from other offshore teams was the one point of communication. There was no language barrier between us and they had both a technical and business background, so they were an outstanding element.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to sit down and discuss the project before you take a contract with them. They pride themselves as more than just a contractor and like to get very involved. If that link doesn’t happen, you might be better off working with someone else.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of SFS Listings LTD

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Mobile location based app for finding campsites

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Maintain existing applications
• Improve stability
• Continued development

SOLUTION

How did you find Stakk?

Referral

Why did you select Stakk over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Stakk were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We were already running a succesful mobile application approached Stakk when our current developer retired due to ill health, We approached Stakk after a recommendation and they were willing to take on the existing application without forcing a rewrite where other developers we contacted were only interested if we would commision a full rewrite 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• The existing application was maintained and updated to support latest third party developments.
• New functionaility was succesfuly developed, tested a released 
• Platform remianed stable and relaible during the entire project

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

Regular weekly zoom meetings were sufficient to keep project on track with monthly summary updates

What was your primary form of communication with Stakk?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Friendly approach but still felt proffesional

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

No. We were delighted with the work provided.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Conferencing and events manager at the London Museum

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Stakk, and what were your goals?

Our company hired Stakk to build an app for events and conferences attendees. The goal of the project was to create a seamless experience, where attendees could navigate around the museum and connect with other attendees. The main objective was to enhance the attendees' overall experience at the event.

SOLUTION

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

We selected Stakk as our app development partner after receiving highly positive recommendations from our colleagues who have used their services in the past. Additionally, we were impressed with Stakk's track record of delivering high-quality and user-friendly apps, as well as their commitment to meeting project timelines and budgets. These factors, along with their technical expertise and great communication, made them the ideal choice for our events and conferencing app project

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

The scope of work for the events and conferencing app project included the following key steps:

1. Requirements gathering and analysis: This involved working closely with our events and conferencing team to understand the specific needs and goals for the app.
2. Design and prototyping: Stakk created wireframes and prototypes to help us visualize the app's user interface and functionality.
3. Development: Stakk used cutting-edge technologies to develop the app, ensuring that it was user-friendly, reliable, and scalable.
4. Testing and quality assurance: Stakk conducted thorough testing to ensure that the app met all requirements and functioned seamlessly.
5. Deployment: The app was successfully deployed and made available to event attendees.

The key deliverables from this project included a fully functional events and conferencing app, which provided attendees with a seamless experience, allowing them to navigate around the museum and connect with other attendees. The app was developed using modern technologies and tools to ensure that it was scalable and reliable.

Overall, our goal was to create an app that would enhance the overall experience of event attendees, and Stakk helped us achieve this goal by delivering a high-quality and user-friendly solution.

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

Girish, Co-Founder & Project Director at Stakk

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The events and conferencing app project was a huge success, and we received lots of positive feedback from attendees about the app. They were impressed by its user-friendly design and the ease with which they could navigate around the museum and connect with other attendees. Attendees reported that the app made the event feel much more organized and seamless.

In terms of measurable outcomes, the app significantly improved the attendees' overall experience at the event and made it easier for them to find what they needed and connect with other attendees. The app was well-received and helped to make the event a success. Overall, the feedback we received was extremely positive and demonstrated the success of the project. The app delivered on our goals and exceeded our expectations in terms of user engagement and overall impact on the event experience.

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

Stakk's project management style was highly professional and efficient. Our main point of contact was Girish, the Co-Founder, who was always responsive and communicated effectively throughout the project. Stakk utilized a variety of communication tools to keep us informed and updated throughout the project, including email, video conferencing, and project management software.

They ensured that all stakeholders were kept in the loop and that any questions or concerns were addressed in a timely manner. Girish and the Stakk team were highly responsive and always met their deadlines. They were proactive in ensuring that the project stayed on track and that all stakeholders were aligned. We found their project management style to be well-organized and efficient, which helped to keep the project moving forward smoothly.

Overall, we were very impressed with Stakk's project management style and communication tools. They were a pleasure to work with, and their professional and efficient approach was key to the success of the project.

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

Their people, the way they communicated and made us feel as a vendor, and the way they really understood our vision and turn it into life.

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

Not really. At one point, we were in a different time zone which made it harder to arrange a meeting that worked for all but this was only for 2 weeks of the full project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a shareholder of a recycling company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stakk?

We were looking for someone to help us develop our mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Stakk is our primary mobile app development partner, helping us build an iOS and Android-based app. We’re working with them to implement different functionalities, such as a database management system, barcode scanner, and ongoing support for optimization.

Apart from that, they’re also helping us develop and design a website.

What is the team composition?

I’m working with a business development manager, project lead, and developer.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested about £20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in April 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is still ongoing, so I’m unable to provide any information about the development until its completion.

How did Stakk perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform well from a project management perspective, and we communicate and meet consistently to review the progress of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their overall understanding of the project and how they’re able to bring different aspects to the partnership, such as branding and design.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any constructive feedback because everything has been going smoothly so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Stakk is a great development partner, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking to hire their type of service.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of a mortgage broker company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire STAKK, and what were your goals?

I needed a website that portrayed my personality and my businesses.

SOLUTION

How did you select STAKK and what were the deciding factors?

STAKK understood completely what I needed and wanted and were able to create my website perfectly.

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

I worked very closely with STAKK and they were able to build my website isi g their expertise but without blinding me with the tech behind it.

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

I worked with Girish.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

By launching our website and clients seeing how polished it is it gave my company more credibility over my competitors.

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

Girish worked very closely with me and listened to exactly what I wanted. We chose the images together and he did the rest!

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

STAKK are unbelievably attentive and really understood what we wanted rather than what they thought we needed.