Syberry

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and owner of Pixrit, a photography social media management platform. It manages pictures and galleries and allows users to automatically schedule posts for sharing on social media networks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Syberry?

Nothing like my platform existed previously, so I had to find the right partner to develop it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Syberry developed my platform using MySQL, PHP, and a lot of JavaScript, because it’s quite browser-heavy. The initial predevelopment phase—going over everything together and finalizing designs—was supposed to take six weeks, but it got pushed because of changes I wanted to make. It took a few months, but Syberry asked the right questions and produced detailed reports.

What is the team composition?

I mainly worked with Timour (Senior Vice President, Syberry), Sergey (Vice President, Syberry), and a project manager. Timour acted as my financial point person, while Sergey worked as an overall project manager, overseeing the technical team. They’re based in Austin, Texas, but most of their development team is in Belarus. The project manager in Belarus was my day-to-day point of contact. I believe the team had 6–8 people, regarding actual developers and the project manager.

How did you come to work with Syberry?

After talking to multiple vendors, I realized I needed to identify the language I wanted my site built on. Everyone seemed to be building on WordPress, so that didn’t help me know who I wanted. Additionally, I often spoke to salespeople who only said they could build my platform. I would ask to speak with lead developers and then be made to feel as if I was a burden.

I found Syberry after spending a month waiting for a quote from a vendor who later admitted they couldn’t build my platform. Timour answered the phone right away, and I could tell he was an integral part of the team and knew what he was talking about. He answered all my questions and understood my concerns. While I was vetting Syberry, they evaluated me to ensure I’d be a good fit and was far enough along in my project. They gave me a high-level quote quickly, and we made adjustments from there.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial build cost $230,000, and the ongoing development cost was $10,000 per month. That went on for 3–5 months after the initial project. From there, I had an ongoing cost of $1,500–$2,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Syberry around October 2015 and launched in April 2017. I continued for 6–8 months with further development, after which we limited it to ongoing support. Once the platform was stable, there was no need for further development, so we drifted. Syberry always encouraged me to keep the meter running, but I told them the platform seemed stable and wasn't having any issues. This was all my own money, so I needed lay off the pedal a bit. It’s been fine; the platform’s extremely stable.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I thought photographers would freak out about the platform when it launched, so I didn’t leave myself any money for marketing. It exploded by word of mouth in the beginning, and it did really well for a few months, but then it tapered off. I didn’t do a marketing push, and I had no idea how to utilize Facebook or other platforms.

Still, user feedback has been excellent. People email constantly about how amazing the product is, and because the management is so easy, I can focus on improving the design and developing more features for the future. The peace of mind of knowing the platform works is brilliant. It’s built like a tank, and issues are incredibly rare. When they crop up, it’s usually because social media networks have changed their APIs. The stability blows my mind, because, in my experience, software can be so hit or miss.

How did Syberry perform from a project management standpoint?

I spoke to my project manager on Jira on an almost daily basis. We also communicated changes and questions on Basecamp to finalize designs. They were periods when we wouldn’t communicate for a week, but if something needed to be updated or changed, we’d communicate throughout the day. I took part in weekly meetings, but Syberry guided the effort for the most part. I’ve run into undisciplined contractors before who couldn’t stick to a schedule, but Syberry hit every projection along the way unless I made a change. They handled these requests formally and had me sign-off on any updated agreements.

As we moved closer to launch, I started seeing better alternatives to specific things and felt pressure to get to market as soon as possible. This led to anxiety and delays on my end, but Syberry was incredibly accommodating. They never got impatient with me or treated my ideas as dumb. They were always cordial, professional, and understanding, and if I was upset, they never responded defensively. Not butting heads with people on the project made my life so much easier.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their organization-wide professionalism is their best quality. Everyone I spoke to was cordial and understanding and responsive. They were also flexible. If I wanted to add something separate from the initial quote, I’d put together a video or prototype to walk them through it, and they’d come back with a detailed breakdown.

There were no gray areas or misunderstandings because they were honest with me. We weren’t sure whether interfacing with social media platforms via APIs would be difficult, or even achievable, but they educated me on the risks, and we determined all our unknowns. This honesty extended back to their first proposal. There wasn’t any bloat, and they never surprised me with an extra charge.

Doing business with them was simple because they were highly organized. This helped me feel secure and enabled me to focus on the product itself. I didn’t have to worry about them disappearing or failing to deliver.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I saw.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Talk to Syberry and compare them to others. You’ll see that Syberry understands how stressful and scary it can be to find and invest in a partner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Fox Business Automation Solutions. I’m a prime contractor, and I work with several large, internationally-recognized companies. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Syberry?

I needed a qualified, competitive vendor who’d be sustainable for our larger customers and their budgets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

To begin, I gave Syberry a functional specifications pack and received their quote. I provided designs, and their team created it using a standard software development lifecycle. I collect all customer-facing issues and requirements, and the Syberry team does the development work.

What is the team composition?

I only directly interface with the project manager, but they provide three others on the development team and a QA individual.

How did you come to work with Syberry?

We considered six companies and compared their expertise and pricing. The Syberry team provided both developers and sales members during the interview process, so they understood my needs and questions. Additionally, I was confident in their scaling abilities if our project requirements changed.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $360,000–$400,000.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in October 2015, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Every project they’ve worked on for us have been successful—I’ve assigned them to two of my largest customers because they earned it. Syberry’s work consistently exceeds my expectations.

How did Syberry perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning, Syberry asked for my communication preferences, and we settled on receiving a weekly status report from them. However, we speak daily if there are design questions or any ambiguities. They provide different project managers for every project, but each has a standardized approach and internal process. Everything is planned and delivered on time. If they anticipate any delays, they inform our team, and I pass that information to the end-customer. They’ve been flexible and have made it easier to run my business.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their understanding of our business’ needs is valuable to us. If there are any bugs, Syberry promptly finds solutions, and that skill is paramount in custom software development.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There aren’t many areas where I think they could improve—they’re an incredibly qualified team. On the rare occasion that they interface with my customers, there is sometimes an expected language barrier. However, that is one of the reasons I handle most of the customer-facing interactions, so it hasn't been an issue.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to establish your budget and timeline at the beginning of the project. Don’t expect the final price to be a penny more or less than your original quote–they’ll deliver on the exact requirements you set. If you’re looking for a fantastic, elite development team and are willing to pay for it, they’re the right company for you.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Fahrenheit Marketing, a full-service agency based in Austin, Texas. We cater to Fortune 5000 companies around the globe. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Syberry?

We don't specialize in .NET development, so we partnered with them to develop a complex application for a high-profile client.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a partner who had the experience to build an extensive .NET application. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected a vendor carefully because of the visibility they would have. A friend who had worked with Syberry recommended them. After considering a few possibilities, Syberry became the natural choice. They had the bandwidth and knowledge to take our project to the finish line.

Describe the project in detail.

They built a multi-faceted application with a .NET backend. We produced the blueprints, and Syberry took it from there. They implemented countless dependencies and third-party integrations without any hesitation. 

What was the team composition?

We had a dedicated project manager and three other developers, including two .NET developers and one PHP developer who brought various pieces together. We mostly interfaced with the project manager, which was nice. He was knowledgeable and understood the project requirements better than most.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We met every milestone and delivered the project on time and within the budget. Syberry created a perfect, seamless integration with every feature we requested. They produced a flawless piece of software.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was solid and constant. They said they would overcommunicate, and they did. Since we had the right answers, it was easy to manage their progress and the client's expectations. Both teams used Jira, so we didn't need to learn new project management software.

Their project manager was competent; he sometimes delivered updates twice a day, especially as we started to wrap up the project. The ease of collaboration was a key element in their success.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive things about Syberry were their attention to detail and communication style. We had a few hurdles in the middle of the project, such as when the client changed his mind, but they worked around them without a complaint. It was refreshing.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't fault them for anything. I will definitely work with Syberry again, and I expect they'll continue to deliver.