Tallium Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Technology of Global Nomads Group

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Since 1998, Global Nomads Group has offered young people safe digital spaces through which to express themselves, share their stories, and connect with peers through youth-created online courses, content creation internships, discussion platforms, and events for young people worldwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tallium Inc. to accomplish?

• Build out a Student learning experience frontend to GraphCMS
• Build extensible API backend
• WebOps / CI/CD / testing frameworks, to ensure success
• Integrate with existing custom Student Management web app (React / Firebase)

SOLUTION

How did you find Tallium Inc.?

Clutch Site

Why did you select Tallium Inc. over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Tallium Inc.’s team?

6-10 Employees

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

Global Nomads Group was looking for help to build out a Student learning experience frontend to GraphCMS, integrate it with our existing custom Student Management web app (React / Firebase) and equip it with the WebOps / CI/CD/Testing frameworks that ensure we can continue to evolve the UX with ever evolving GenX / GenA expectations in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Platform delivered
• User satisfaction ratings
• Impact metrics

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

They were open and transparent about deliverables, timelines, and potential creeps that we inevitably added.

What was your primary form of communication with Tallium Inc.?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email
• Messaging App

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

From the very beginning, our values and needs alignments were considered and their team applied. It was important for us to have an age & gender diverse team designing and developing our new platform and Tallium caught onto this early on. We loved the evolution of the designs post Youth (User) feedback but also the product ownership they gave and strategic direction they provided.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Tallium Inc. could have done differently?

Tallium performed well and I am grateful that they were transparent around changing priorities, timelines and impact of architectural choices. There were a couple of instances where non-approved technology choices would have or did lead to budget implications and in a non-profit environment, that's a potential issue to improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Product Manager at the African Leadership University.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tallium Inc.?

We hired Tallium Inc. to work on wireframes, UI designs and illustrations, for our new learning experience platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We went through a couple of proposals and Tallium's emerged the best.

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

The Tallium team would always first try to understand the business case of the problem we were trying to solve at different stages. They would then internally brainstorm on designs and would always present at least 2 or 3 different representations for us to select from on Figma. We would have weekly review calls with the team where they would walk us through the reasoning behind different designs and our team would share our views/preferences. The Tallium team was open different viewpoints, and would iterate accordingly until the desired option was identified.

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

We worked with 3-4 team members; one illustrator (occasionally), two UX/UI designers, led by the Chief Business Development Officer (as a project manager)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Throughout the design process, we would carry out testing with real users and the feedback was always good. The users navigate the screens with little to no difficulty.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had great, open communication lines between both teams, and would always communicate even when they could not make a meeting (e.g. a holiday or sick leave). The Tallium team would always be willing to adjust to make up for any lost time.

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

They were always open to feedback and their ability to adapt was superb. Requested changes were always implemented swiftly.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CPO of a SaaS company oriented towards the travel & hospitality industry, where we provide customers with booking tools for additional revenue through experiences and excursions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tallium Inc., and what were your goals?

Developing the refined and user-friendly eco system needed for our customers required no small amount of expertise. Connecting the stakeholders of our industry requires tight project management across all applications where Tallium have provided invaluable support.

SOLUTION

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

The choice came down to cost-effectiveness, competence and trust where we feel that Tallium have really delivered.

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

From the scoping out of our dynamic web applications (based on Laravel/React) and the first design wireframes, Tallium have been able to advise all the way til completion and launch of our MVP.

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

We have had the support of a project manager, a backend dev, a frontend dev, UX designer and QA tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Due to a very recent deploy we have so far only managed to complete performance testing and eagerly await the commercial results.

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

With a lot of the work being done remotely, communication through Slack, Jira and documentation provided through Google's tools have been sufficient to carry the work forward.

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

Their grit and willingness for timely delivery were impressive.

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

A few miscommunication errors and opinions voiced or not voiced with bad timing. Although working together over time often leads to learning what needs to be said and not.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

BR[AI]YT is an AI company that provides AI products and services. One of it's flagship product is a retail analytic platform called BraiytVu that is designed to provide an AI-driven analytic platform for physical retailers. BraiytVu collects data from a list of various IoT sensors and connected CCTV cameras, and these data points are processed and presented to retail operation teams in both real-time as well as historical reports.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tallium Inc., and what were your goals?

The objective of this project is to redesign the UX/UI interface of our platform, and ensure the sub-modules that make up the Management Dashboard were intuitively designed with an attractive and easy-to-use Analytic interface, including the development of all the front-end artifacts.

SOLUTION

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

We reviewed Tallium previous work, had a meeting with them to discuss the project and received their proposal and approach. We liked what they presented and decided to proceed forward with the engagement with them.

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

The primary scope of this project was to ensure the delivery of a modern, attractive UX/UI interface for AI Analytics platform. The platform was made up of the number of sub-modules. (login interface, landing page, heat-maps, etc)

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

During the UX/UI design phase there were 2 designers and a PM. and during the development phase, there were 1 developer and 1 PM

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcome of the design phase far exceeded our expectations. The design team was able to understand our aim and objectives and provided various designs that helped us refine the final output. We were so happy with the design and the way the project was managed, we decided to give engage the Tallium team to also do the development. The results were amazing.

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

The PM style was professional. A communication channel was established in slack. A weekly touch-point was scheduled, and we were able to monitor the project progress comfortably.

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

Were most impressed with the quality of their work and their PM skills. well-organized and incredibly professional.

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

No areas of improvement for these guys. They are technically strong, great at communicating, and well-organized. Strong PM skills.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a partner at Eurotelecom, a Ukrainian system integrator that develops, implements and maintains IT solutions from the world's leading manufacturers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tallium Inc., and what were your goals?

Our company was looking for a strategic partner who can take over the development of software solutions, web and mobile applications for midsize and enterprise clients, while we focus on system integration, providing hardware solutions and cyber security.

Such an alliance would allow us to jointly offer comprehensive seamless solutions that would cover the entire IT circuit in large enterprises and the public sector.

SOLUTION

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

Our goal was to find a company that has deep technical, product and industry expertise, as well as a proven track record of successfully completed projects.

The decisive factor for us was the willingness of the Tallium team to act as experts at meetings and participate jointly at all stages of the project, from Pre-Sale, Discovery and Prototyping, and to the full cycle of project execution, its enhancement, and support.

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

The first joint project included the implementation of an integrated system to digitalize a modern A-class business center aimed at working with the world's leading companies.

The complex system contained of several interconnected web and mobile apps, that were designed to provide tenants and their employees with the ability to manage access, business center services, parking slots, local infrastructure, and also integration with internal security systems.

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

Tallium team consisted of 15 experts and included 8 software engineers (2 each for iOS, Android, back-end and web front-end), 2 QA engineers, 2 UX/UI designers, a Business Analyst, a Product Owner and Project Manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All milestones of the project were implemented within the established deadlines, and the result was highly appreciated by both the client and end users.

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

From the very first steps of the project, the Tallium team showed commitment to the Agile methodology, openness and complete transparency of the process for all participants.

At every stage of the project from discovery to implementation, all team members had an equal voice, demonstrated a proactive attitude and they had a passion for creating the best product for the end client.

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

What impressed us the most was the flexibility of the Tallium team and the ability to find solutions to even the most complex issues with a high degree of uncertainty.

Separately, we would like to note the team's high UX/UI expertise, the ability to conduct researches and user testing, as well as the willingness to go the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.

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

At this point, we are fully satisfied with our partnership with Tallium.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work in the investment team of a Nairobi based Venture Capital fund. We invest into startups and SMEs in the sectors of energy, connectivity, mobility and clean technologies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tallium Inc., and what were your goals?

We rebranded recently to E3 Capital and we needed a complete new website.

SOLUTION

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

Tallium has been recommended to us by someone of our network. We knew they would deliver a good work in good delays. This is what we needed.

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

Development of a website using wordpress.

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

A project manager was our main point of contact, and he has been amazing in addressing our requests in time and very available for us! In a context of a war in Ukraine, we are very impressed and we recognise the amazing job which has been done.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got very good feedbacks from people of our network on our new website. Information comes clearly to the user.

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

We had regular calls with our project manager. Most of the communications were done through emails which was very efficient.

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

They gave us a very professional website easy to update. They delivered the work in very good delays. They were very patient with us. They listened to all of our requests and gave us very good design advice.

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

Not really, everything was very smooth.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm one of the founders of a sports-tech startup. We're building a platform where amateur athletes of all levels from any sport can connect with and get coaching as well as technique analysis from professional athletes in their respective disciplines. We use technology to enhance the process of coaching and analysis, for example by providing various video annotation tools. I am taking care of tech and product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tallium Inc., and what were your goals?

We validated initial assumptions with a small prototype, based on which we built our MVP, which enabled us to get initial traction, collect feedback and understand our users and their under-served needs better.

As a next step, we wanted to design and build a new version of our web app, to have a stickier product and implement the feedback we've received so far. Here's where Tallium came into play - they designed and implemented the 2.0 version of our web app.

SOLUTION

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

As with most projects similar to this, we started with online search for web designers and frontend engineers. We've come across and reached out to many different agencies, but shortlisted only a few based on criteria such as their portfolios, availability and their communication style. We ended up choosing Tallium because of their costs and time estimates, affordable rates, experienced engineers and last but not least - their working and communication style.

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

We had a few exchanges and a kick-off call to present the company, our vision and what we would like to achieve during the project.

In the first phase, we provided them with low-fidelity mockups, based on which Tallium designers proposed a few concepts. After having chosen and adapted the concept that fit our needs best, we had a few design iterations, during which we gathered user feedback and adapted the designs accordingly.

In the second phase, Tallium front-end engineers worked on building the web-app according to the designs.

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

Our main point of contact was our key account manager. In addition to that, during the first phase we worked with a designers, and during the second phase with we worked with two senior front-end engineers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have received positive feedback from our users - both the professional and amateur athletes regarding our new designs and features. The pro athletes included in feedback loops during the design and development were happy with the video annotation tools. The amateurs athletes praised the new design and UX.

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

We had a weekly call during which we would get an overview over the work done, clarify any unknowns, and discuss the work to be done during the next week and discuss details. The designs were done in Figma, for communication we used slack. For issue tracking we used Jira - where we defined the work to be done, priorities, acceptance criteria etc.

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

There were many things that we loved in working with Tallium. We were very happy with their communication style, work ethics and the quality of work they've done. But one of the things that stood out was the proactive behaviour and creativity when it comes to dealing with complex and unexpected difficulties during the project. Also, we very much appreciated their fast, honest, transparent, and straightforward communication.

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

We are very happy with how the project with Tallium has gone. Whenever anything came up that we thought we could adapt or improve from either side, that was brought up during our calls and we would quickly adapt/integrate that in our collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Creative Director of a Design Agency. We serve customers from industry, culture, gastro or retail.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tallium Inc., and what were your goals?

We developed a whole new Corporate Design for an industrial customer which also included a bespoke wordpress website. Our team was to small to handle this big project beside all others, so we were looking for a partner helping us to design and develope this website.

SOLUTION

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

We had contact before and where impressed by their good organisation, design and development skills.

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

We had a kick-off meeting to discuss all the requirements. We delivered the page structure which was already discussed with the client and made a design prototype of one page to communicate our vision with the designers. They adapted it really well and created a beautiful, modern website with over 15 pages. After reviewing everything, they started the development in Wordpress. It turned out to be not only pixel perfect but also clever and effective coding with custom fields to make the usability with the CMS really easy.

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

A project manager was our main contact. One designer created the page and two WordPress engineers coded the website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The client received a completely updated website which goes hand in hand with the whole CI. They are able to communicate their services much more clear and are happy in the way they can present themselves.

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

We had weekly talks with the project manager and also the designer to get updated on the ongoing process and the ability to give feedback anytime. We used slack and Google Meet to communicate. Everything happend on time.

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

Such great organisation during the whole process. These were the people that you could rely on.

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

There were some minor bugs after launching the page which is quite normal and they immidietly fixed them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and founder of a tech startup and I’ve developed an information mapping platform to guide tourists in our town. Currently, I’m developing a similar platform for a local tourist attraction that is more location-specific.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tallium Inc.?

I don't have any knowledge of how to develop platforms so I hired Tallium. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tallium has helped me do a lot of development. The platform I had built with a previous provider didn’t have a backend to it, which was terrible, but Tallium has filled in the gap and made it a fully integrated system. The team has also redesigned the UI to make it work better and give it a nicer, cleaner look. 

All I provided, in the beginning, was a PowerPoint presentation containing what I wanted them to deliver. They’ve taken that and turned it into a fully functional website.

Additionally, Tallium has also developed the website to allow full customizability. I'm offering this platform as a white-label product, so it's important that future users be able to change the logo and the posts within it. 

What is the team composition?

The main contact is the account manager. As far as I'm aware, there are a lot of developers working on this project but I don't interact with them. The account manager is the one who relays and delegates tasks to the development team.

How did you come to work with Tallium Inc.?

I was previously working with another provider, but I was recommended to Tallium when I applied for a new business enterprise fund. Their price was significantly lower than that of development agencies in the UK. Since it was no longer financially viable for me to carry on working with the previous provider, I decided to go with Tallium.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested around €40,000–€50,000 (approximately $47,000–$60,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Wizard working together around December 2019. Our partnership is ongoing as there are still features that could be added to the platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A lot of people have used the accommodation guide of our platform to be able to locate holiday homes, hotels, and bed and breakfasts in our town. 

One of the several holiday hotel owners in our locality has said that our platform is a really good alternative to outdated leaflets. Another hotel owner has also expressed that our web app was a great idea and is very useful to guests who want to find all local information in one convenient place. I've also heard others say that they're starting to include the link to our web app in their emails to guests because it's an informative resource.

How did Tallium Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

I was initially wary of working with them because we are not in the same location and I couldn’t walk into their office to speak with them personally. However, their location has not been a problem at all because they’ve been really good partners to me. If I need anything, they will get back to me straight away. The account manager is also really good at providing explanations. 

Whenever I want to get something done, they always come back to me with a quote and an estimate of how long it's going to take. They'll talk me through the process and any issues we might encounter. There have even been occasions where the development took less time than they had promised. This has helped reduce the costs, and it has been really good to see.

We talk through Slack and make a few video calls now and again if there are any issues. The communication is really good and they're constantly available if I need anything.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tallium is really able to get things done without any snags. Even if something seems impossible to do, the team always tries to find a way to do it. There’s nothing they’ve not been able to do. In addition, they would also fix any bugs found at no extra cost. Their customer service is just awesome.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It's out of my control but it would be nice if I could go to their office and do face-to-face meetings. It's the only thing I prefer to be different but there is nothing we can do about it. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tallium will do exactly what you ask for so make sure to draw up what you want as clearly as possible.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of Rant + Rave, a digital story telling and engineering company that provides businesses with innovative answers to their unique questions. It is my responsibility to analyse a client's request and assign the task/project to the most appropriate solutionist amongst a global network of problem solvers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tallium Inc.?

Our clients required a web based application to create a new branch of their business. The area of interest is the creative industry recruitment for Gen Z. The WBA had to be a platform that is convenient for both businesses and users, enabling interaction and content to be easily uploaded and viewed.

What were your goals for this project?

Create an app that acts as a hub for tailor-made career resources and a showground for ethical brands on the lookout for new recruits. To have a seamless and an enjoyable journey for the end user, and to have a logical methodology for businesses to tap into young talent.

SOLUTION

How did you select Tallium Inc.?

Being receptive of global solutions, we created a list of potential companies that we thought would suit the problem. With further arbitrary research we narrowed the candidates to 5. Following conversations and some fact finding, Tallium were the most impressive and fitted the brief.

Describe the project in detail.

To create from the ground up a WBA. A general scope was given, freedom of design was granted with guidelines and boundaries discussed during progression. As the app was being built, the more the clients decided to be involved which Tallium took in their stride.

What was the team composition?

The team was very fluid, increasing and decreasing in number depending on complexity of the given task. That allowed cost saving when numbers of the team were small, and time saving when the team grew. Assigned team included; Project manager, technical officer, designer, developer(s).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With phase 1 and testing complete, the WBA was able to be transferred to the client and subsequently launched. Although the app cannot be considered to be the 'final' version as more features are to be implemented at a later date, it was able to be used as intended with bugs being addressed as and when found.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow was as efficient as possible under the circumstances (reactive and evolving scope as to a set static one). Messaging platforms, email and online video conferencing were all used to keep the project within control.

Feedback was always enthusiastically received with instantly acknowledged. Communications were absolutely first class in all areas, extremely impressed with the ease of conversation in English.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It is great when you are able to find a team that is so dedicated to creating solutions for your problems. Their positive attitude, obvious pride and care in their work, and awareness of what was needed to succeed stood out the most.

Are there any areas for improvement?

As with many projects, having a clear concise objective (on our side) would have helped with the time scale. Also this period the world is going through disrupts consistency as not everyone is able to sync (globally), however these were mainly due to external factors.