Synergo Group

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

My company name is IGIG.

What is your position?

I am the CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Synergo Group?

We're using the Magento e-commerce application. We've been using it for a number of years, and we had a small team that worked with us. We outgrew the team and, about a year and a half ago, we signed a contract with Synergo Group and became partners. They took over all of our website and technology needs. Not MIS [management information system], not dealing with day-to-day office tasks, but obviously dealing with the website, with the e-commerce, with the integration of various data systems, and things like that. It's still Magento, but we added additional technologies and integration with various different systems.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

It's been development, integration, and testing. They've also been helping us on a number of related things. For example, they've been working on search engine optimization, search engine marketing, AdWords, user interface, things like that. They've taken a much more active role.

How did you come to work with Synergo Group?

A friend of mine recommended Synergo Group to us about two years ago

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We have a monthly retainer. It's about $20,000, maybe a little more – between $20,000 and $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We're still working with them. It's an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We're happy – they've done quite a bit. They're very professional. They've been working nonstop – weekends as well when it was needed. They have levels of support. They maintain and manage the system. With a number of upgrades, we've developed the system quite a bit. Magento is a huge system. When they took over, the Magento we had running was a very old version, so it was very patched. They've done a huge job of moving things around to clean up code and everything else.

How did Synergo Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They have done very well. We also used different systems. We used Basecamp for functionality and Redmine for issue tracking.

What distinguishes Synergo Group from other providers?

They're extremely helpful, they're knowledgeable, and they're willing to do whatever it takes. I really like that. Even though they are located in Europe, in Romania, Synergo Group has been doing quite a bit on our time – I'm on the West Coast. We haven't had many issues.

Is there anything Synergo Group could have improved or done differently?

They guys are awesome. I would love them to get more business. It's not really an improvement, but from that point of view, I'm wholeheartedly behind those guys. I like them a lot, and I wish them more success. In addition to us and a number of other clients, I would love them to grow.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our company offers an online personal information vault. We help people document and catalog their personal belongings. Our customers are insurance companies, and they actually provide it to their customers. It's a web-based cloud and mobile platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Synergo Group?

I approached them with a business concept, and they helped me build out a website. They helped me design it from a user experience as well as the back-end architecture.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They did the iOS and Android apps for us. They took our inventory and methodology and put it on the phones for us. We went to the Microsoft Azure environment. Initially we were on a dedicated server environment, and then we went into a cloud environment. From there, I think we used .NET. They did all the architecture. Everything is built with them. It was 100 percent outsourced.

How did you come to work with Synergo Group?

I was actually working with another firm prior to working with them, and I was referred to them by a friend, so they were recommended to me. We're based in the SoHo Valley Area. I've been in the technology business for almost 20 years now, so I know a lot of people, and this person recommended them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

In time, I've probably spent in the neighborhood of $1.5 million with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

I've been working with them for about five or six years at this point, and the relationship is still ongoing. The good thing about them is they can scale with your business. When my business would slow down, I was able to scale back resources, but still maintain a relationship with them. As the business scaled up, they were able to add additional resources as I needed them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any feedback from this engagement?

I've introduced them to clients of mine. I've had them be my partners on sales and service calls as a member of my team. It's been really good in that regard, too. I see them as an extension of me.

How did Synergo Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Synergo Group has performed very well. They have all the appropriate tools, so they track everything, and we agree on what is going to happen and when it's going to happen. For the most part, they deliver when they're supposed to. Obviously, with technology things can slip and other issues can come up that you weren't aware of, and that needs to get put in the practical schedule. But, for the most part, they were able to deliver.

What distinguishes Synergo Group from other providers?

I think what makes them unique is that they are kind of a partner. They take a long view on the relationship. They're willing to go above and beyond constantly to maintain the relationship and do what's right. I've been with firms, and I had situations where they deliver or solve the problem that I have right now, but they don't think about the problem I'm going to have tomorrow. There will have to be rework or redesign in terms of the architecture or the solution versus thinking through, "OK, here's what you're saying you want today. These may be some of the things you're going to want tomorrow. So, based on these technologies, this is what we would recommend, and this is how we would recommend going forward." So they give you a more holistic view of not only what you have a problem with today, but what you might have a problem with in the future.

Is there anything Synergo Group could have improved or done differently?

The area that they have improved on is in the mobile side. They got into that a couple years ago, and they're getting better at it. I think they're better on the Android than they are on the iOS right now. That would be one area when they could evolve, but they're already investing in the mobile space anyway.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Project Manager of The Coalition of Persons with Disabilities Newfoundland and Labrador (COD NL)

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Incorporated in 1983, COD NL is a provincial, cross-disability organization that educates and advises community stakeholders interested in advancing the status of persons with disabilities. The Coalition systemically advocates for an inclusive and equitable society for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians living with disabilities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• RFP Development
• Software Development Consultation

SOLUTION

How did you find Synergo Group?

Clutch Site

Why did you select Synergo Group over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from Synergo Group were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

RFP development and consultation for mobile app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Volunteer recruitment
• onboarding
• management
• scheduling.

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

Synergo was very prompt in their communication and delivered documents to us on-time and high in quality.

What was your primary form of communication with Synergo Group?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We're impressed with their knowledge, promptness, and professionalism. They're also very straightforward in their approach and provided excellent advice to an organization that had little experience in this field.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Digital Marketing Manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Synergo Group?

Build a design exclusively for the business we serve with UX in mind

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Comparison and Interview

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

• Design a new website and navigation functionalities exclusively for our business with UX in mind
• Develop a tangible brand vision that is easily understood and recognized
• Map milestones of the buyers journey into the functionalities and element.

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

One

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Synergo developed for us a very well balanced and contemporary designed vision of a new website. They incorporated all functionalities we required in it for a great UX.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Synergo is 100% professional and easy to work with.

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

I was impressed with the level of their design expertise and attention to detail + their project management skills are rare to find.

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

We were 100% happy

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a business entrepreneur with a dream of globalizing the traveling community and creating an app to help people connect all around the world

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Synergo Group?

Travel Mobile App Creation.

What were your goals for this project?

Travel App creation with the ability to connect Locals to Travelers all around the world

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Very nice back end and design to allow for a simple but yet sophisticated app that works fine and serves the purpose of connecting locals and travelers.

Describe the project in detail.

We had severla vendors to choose from but Synergo was giving us the best deal in terms of cost and timing. After we selected the vendor they were very quick in showing us a draft model and starting collecting all requirements for a further development.

What was the team composition?

Myself as the project owner, the Synergo project manager and a few developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All the functionality that we asked for was included in the app in the right timing and tight as much as possible to the initial discussed budget

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication by email or phone was very easy and the response was always timely

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have several developers in the team that helps out. They are very responsive in every phase of the project

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of right now

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the COO of a retail loyalty company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Synergo Group?

Our company hired them to create a customer-facing application, starting from UI/UX design all the way to development and testing.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to obtain a good-looking and functional app for both Android and iOS platforms at an affordable cost.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Synergo Group was recommended from staff within our company. They passed a number of video conference meetings and provided good demonstrations of their previous work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Synergo provided design resource to work with our client and project teams to help design the app. After agreeing on designs, they moved the project on to the developers.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a management representative, a design resource, and several developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our company and our client are in admiration for how quickly the project was pulled together with minimal issues. The app reached a large number of customers within the first few days of being live and received good feedback.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

There was good representation from both their management and project team. Synergo Group provided great communication throughout the project, using Trello to keep reporting up to date. They were even willing to help us after work hours.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their communication and speed are remarkable.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.