Varfaj

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Arrived Communications, which was founded in 2018.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Varfaj Partners?

We were looking to develop an Android and iOS application that could bridge gaps in communication using automated push notifications, so we hired Varfaj Partners.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app that we asked Varfaj Partners to develop was intended to be used to notify a host when their guest has arrived at their address. It is similar in function to a doorbell, but it could also provide an ETA to the host. 

Going into this engagement, my expectation was to receive a fully functional app and an accompanying landing page. The initial contract that I signed with them allowed for unlimited revisions as well. To this day, however, Varfaj Partners has not provided me with anything. 

The team was working on the app, but each time they presented it to me, it looked mediocre. It was as though they were outsourcing the development because the app didn’t reflect what we discussed. What ended up happening was that every time a payment was due, they would mark that as a milestone. After I paid over 75% of the development cost, they no longer had an incentive to accomplish the app. 

What is the team composition?

I have communicated with Steve (CEO), Ben (CTO), Niv (COO & Project Manager), and Jay (Development Manager & Designer). There was also Charles (Point Director) and Jared (COO). I eventually transitioned into dealing with Cameron (Head of Growth) and then with Dave (Managing Partner). 

I’ve talked to multiple people from Varfaj Partners but still didn’t get the quality of work I was looking for. Kyle (Former CTO) had to leave their organization because they were biting off more than they could chew and were not properly paying him, so there are issues going on externally as well as internally. 

How did you come to work with Varfaj Partners?

I was hoping to find a local agency as opposed to outsourcing the work overseas. That way, I could communicate face-to-face with the provider. I came across Varfaj Partners through Twitter and saw that they had already developed applications in the past, though that later turned out to be a lie. The sample application that they had shown me was actually developed by someone else, and that individual was the one that informed me that the app was not designed or developed by Varfaj Partners.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve paid them around $30,000 at this point and with nothing to show for it. I’ve used my savings, pulled out a lot of personal lines of credit, and spent a lot on hotel reservations to see them personally, but the quality of what they presented me was not even worth $5,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership began in February 2019. The person who was working on the development has left the organization, so we’re at a standstill. They believe they can no longer complete the product but Varfaj Partners doesn’t want to give me a refund or the app in its current state. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Varfaj Partners address the challenges that arose?

Everything started to go downhill when Varfaj Partners started giving me an app whose quality wasn’t up to par with what we discussed. They were essentially making the app the way they wanted without addressing the things that I wanted to be changed. The team would always go back to the drawing board and come back with a product that reflected nothing of what we discussed. That’s what gave me the impression that they were outsourcing the work. 

From their perspective, they feel as though I’m indecisive when in reality, they just bit off more than they could chew. Talking with Niv, I discovered that several others have gone through the same negative experience. They have a whole bunch of projects right now that are just sitting on the back burner.

They’re essentially just scamming people and it has become a major setback for me. I feel like I have missed out on a fortune because my app would’ve been very innovative. Other aspects of my life outside this business have suffered as well.

When I left my first review for their company on Clutch, they immediately stopped interfacing with me. I tried everything under the sun to get a hold of them until I was able to reach out to their project manager. That’s how we were able to reengage. Varfaj Partners felt like they had to make amends since my initial review could cripple their image, but it still felt like they specialize more in web development and were using me and others as guinea pigs to try to break into the app development market.

How was project management handled?

There were no milestones or commitment dates set. We simply had conversations via email, text, phone calls, and sometimes in person. They would promise to get back to me but would only do so whenever they wanted to. They need to improve on everything.

I wish I had done more research to look into their legitimacy. I’ve discovered too late that they’re not even with the Better Business Bureau. They have no structure and I felt like the project managers were simply shielding them from the customer base.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your research, especially around their legitimacy and the legitimacy of their sample works. As cliche as this sounds, if anybody talks too fast, they’re only after a sales pitch. Make sure that you’re hiring somebody that can actually get the job done based on their track record.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on May 29, 2020

Vladimir Justinvil

CEO & Founder, Arrived Communications

IT Services

1-10 Employees

Albany, New York

$10,000 to $49,999

Feb 2019 - Ongoing

Project summary

Varfaj Partners was hired to design and develop an iOS application and a landing page for a company website. They were also hired to recreate a logo.

Feedback summary

Stakeholders are dissatisfied because, despite providing extensive guidance, their expectations were never met. While the team maintains a positive can-do attitude, they haven't followed through to deliver the outlined products. The group could be more focused on meeting deadlines.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO/Founder of Arrived Communications founded December 2018, we have a total of 4 employees our intention is to bridge gaps in communication using automated push notifications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Varfaj?

Our challenge is to design and develop a sleek, user friendly IOS application that simplifies processes of communication. We also required a landing page (Company Website) to get the ball rolling

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to invest capital into a trust The vision for Arrived as well as this project is to change the world by simplifying the process of communication and automate push notifications of safe arrivals at destinations including planned events, safe arrivals home, school, work etc.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

12/28/2018, After making a tweet online requesting if anybody knew any app developers to help design and develop our idea I received a direct message from Varfaj Partners "Hey, just saw your tweet. Our app developers would love to help." I exchanged contact information with Steven Schwartz and immediately received a phone call, Steve who was then located in Chicago coordinated for us to discuss the scope of the project in person which later became a Coffee shop in the lower east side of Manhattan; Steve and I had an extensive conversation which included both back stories of our respective organizations/long term goals and visions to me being shown the "Vendefy app" that Steve claimed Varfaj designed and developed which would be launched in the Apple App Store "really soon". Everything from the long term vision for Varfaj and the sleek design of the Vendefy app gave me a level of confidence that Varfaj was the right organization to take on the task of developing our IOS mobile application. A couple weeks later after I received an official contract offer and spoke to a few references provided by Steve; These references were "friends" that have done business with Varfaj (Cameron LeCoque of Basecampfunds.com, Mark Plaskow of Scientific Clinics and Steven Peer of Sole Strike).

Describe the project in detail.

Although our contract was written rather vague by Varfaj it included "unlimited revisions until customer satisfaction" as well as a clause that any third party vendor to touch the app would have to be authorized by Arrived Communications - it was also verbally agreed that only "in house" Varfaj employees would be involved to ease my initial fear of going with Fiverr due to outsourcing; the details of the contract were to design and develop our IOS application, remake our company logo as well as design our company landing page (website) most of the granular project details were mainly verbally discussed and I took all conversations and verbal commitments at face value as an inexperienced consumer eager to get a new company off the ground while entrusting an organization that had seemingly been "there before". Immediately after starting the project with Varfaj (February 14th of 2019) A Slack chat group was created and broken down into the following subcategories "General, Design, Random & Website" Slack was a space where we could discuss ideas and receive status updates on all design and development changes.

What was the team composition?

I was assigned the following team members from Varfaj which I was told would work specifically on my project for the entire duration of the project (Niv Henn was my assigned Project Manager, Ben Devera was my assigned "Developer Manager" and Jay Ayoub was my assigned Designer) Jay who was said to be a Varfaj employee was later determined to have been a contractor who had worked previously with Co Founder Cameron Zoub with other companies in the past. Jay left stopped working with Varfaj because "Varfaj, started outsourcing the work for cheaper alternatives"

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Unsuccessful is an understatement, this project has been nothing short of a disaster - We have constantly produced document after document to provide guidance and our expectations were never met. To date we continue to receive mediocre work and have requested a FULL refund after spending more than a year being ran in circles.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What was most impressive about Varfaj was their positive "can do" attitude, any and everything sounds possible. Any request or Following through with effective communication and actually delivering the products requested/discussed are the only issue

Are there any areas for improvement?

They could have better communication & consistency in their efforts. That is an area in major need of improvement. My experiences with Varfaj included several instances where I was provided commitment "dates" that not only weren't met, I would have to be the one to reach out to them and find out that they weren't met. Examples of this include receiving updates, receiving quotes. Varfaj tends to give commitment dates by saying

RATINGS

Overall rating: 0.5 - Overall, I feel Varfaj has the potential to be great

Quality: 0.5 - Myself as well as team members of the Arrived organization has always felt the quality of work looked very poor and "dated"

Cost: 0.5 - Varfajs initially quote was GREAT, after seeing the poor quality and lack of receving a product of to be satisfied with we feel they are overpriced.

Schedule: 0.5 - Scheduling was/remains very inconsistent, could never get a consistent weekly meeting/conference bridge to receive updates.

Willing to Refer: 0.5 - Highly unlikely to refer Varfaj, this process has taken a toll on all parties involved on a personal level as well as a professional level.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The name of the company is Leysi, and what we are is a fintech mobile application that focuses on managing the budget of college students, as well as providing a unique social experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Varjaf Partners?

We engaged with Varjaf for the development of the tech itself. We’re in the early stages and have only recently completed the first version. We’re working on the second version with them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re currently providing us with mobile app development. Initially, we came into their offices to talk through the project, and they came back with a scope, detailing the work and how many hours each sector will take. They also told us the costs for each part and once that was done, we signed up on a consulting agreement and they got right to work.

As of the moment, it’s only available on iOS, but they’re currently building out the Android features as part of the second version. One of the biggest features of the app is the spend per day, where you can add a monthly target spend and it’ll automatically update the transaction in real-time. It’ll show you how much money you spend in a day, month, or year, and you don’t need to have a spreadsheet to keep track of your finances — it’s all automated.

On top of that, since they deserve the credit for building this app, there’s a social experience that comes along with the app as well. They’ve integrated Yelp APIs to bring in all these restaurants on what we call a “leasing map”, where users can see restaurants, post pictures, look at prices, and read/write reviews.

What is the team composition?

I started the project with Charles (Project Manager), but we ended up moving to a different project manager and assigned us David (Managing Partner & CEO). David is really talented, he talks us through with any upcoming features we want to build on, and he’s just a really hands-on professional.

How did you come to work with Varjaf Partners?

I am in a fraternity in Wisconsin and one of the founders is also in the same fraternity in Texas. My friend, who is his frat mother, recommended me to him. I went down to Texas to meet them and that’s pretty much it.

How much have you invested with them?

They charged us $25,000 for the version one build, and then $30,000 for the version two they’re currently building. We initially put a price reduction and gave them two percent equity in the company. We didn’t have a lot of money starting out, and that was part of the deal we were able to strike.

What is the status of this engagement?

The ongoing engagement started in February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve set out to get a good user base for this data. A small scale, just to get feedback for version two — which is really our main launch. On the first closed beta, with only about a couple of hundred users, we collected over 10,000 data transactions in the past three months. This is close to about $100,000 of revenue that we’re tracking. We’re not necessarily bringing in any revenue to ourselves, we just kind of have our own database. They definitely did their job and we’re ready to scale that up very soon.

They’re pretty timely, but they were a little bit slower at first since they’re a very young group. As time goes on, you can really tell that they’re growing, and the body of the work is improving with it.

How did Varjaf Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Dave, our assigned project manager, is the person we go to if we have any questions. He’s there to relay any concerns to the team, whether it’d be good news or bad news. And if we wanted a greater meeting with the whole team, they’ll do that for us, because they’re open and transparent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s important that they carry themselves the way any company would and they’ve certainly done that. They’re professional in everything they do, from every invoice they send, the software they use, and even their offices are gorgeous. They’re efficient and professional, and that’s something that should be acknowledged and respected, especially given how young of a group they are — it’s really quite impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think the timing and how they meet deadlines are something I want to see them improve on a little bit. However, they’re still growing and they’re planning on improving that. That’s the only real critique I have.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Before reaching out, I think it’s important to think about your idea all the way through, because you wouldn’t want to bring stuff that’s out of the scope of work, and throw it at them. The best way to go about working with Varfaj is to make sure you already have a clear idea of what you’d like. If you need to talk about how you can reach your vision with them, they will work with you before signing the scope. It’s important that by the time you sign, you already know what the exact project will be.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Art Director of The Only Agency, I oversee the agency's creative and work closely with our artists who are developing brands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Varfaj Partners helped us develop and code a website for our artist, Scotty Cunha, called Rose Rescue.

SOLUTION

How did you select Varfaj Partners and what were the deciding factors?

Varfaj Partners reached out to us, wanting to work with our agency on our website and it just so happened that we were looking for web developers. We set up a meeting in December 2019 and have been working together ever since!

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

We needed a consumer site fully coded and developed to be user friendly. The team helped us set up our Shopify storefront and added in all the detailed features we were looking for!

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

We have worked with both Jared and Steven, who have been so friendly and easy to work with!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Anyone looking for web developers should absolutely hire Varfaj Partners. They have a great team, a sharp eye for web design, and work quickly and efficiently!

They worked thoroughly, plus the team is very friendly and quick to respond to all of our needs. Because we have had such a great experience working with them, we have now recommended them to many of our clients!

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

Their team is very responsive and have open communication. Additionally, they got all of the work done in our desired timeline.

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

What we like most about Varfaj is that they are innovative and always provide us with quality work!

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

Not at all!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Trade Ideas LLC produces A.I. generated, actionable market intelligence for institutions, fund managers, wealth management advisors, and self-directed investors to mitigate risk and capture alpha. Our mission for our clients is simple: enable better, consistently informed decisions in the markets.

As a SaaS Fintech innovator for over 15 years, Trade-Ideas award-winning technology leverages algorithms derived from recursive, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence to develop trade plans and produce statistically optimized performance results. I am a co-founder and managing partner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Varfaj?

We constantly seek to evolve and innovate on our platforms to create experiences that maximize value on the first impression. We engaged Varfaj to assist with what a near term first impression would look like.

What were your goals for this project?

The outcome was intended to create a roadmap of which direction our user interface would further evolve towards.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Varfaj reached us via an alumni network of The University of Texas at Austin. Their initial approach caught our attention and additional reviews of their portfolio indicated solid experiences and previous projects.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They reviewed, tested, and evaluated the existing customer experience of our web platform. They prioritized key elements of the current layout that required added emphasis and which elements could be receded. They then created several mock designs that served as the basis of discussion and further revision.

What was the team composition?

We had one point of contact as project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The solution provided by Varfaj acts as a design signpost that points to near term directions the interface will reflect. This allows us to spend more time in the deeper layers of the technology perfecting the machine learning AI and other capabilities.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was effective with regular check-ins, review sessions, and questions where needed to drive to the result.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We enjoyed the enthusiasm and energy around the engagement. there work was marked by an approach that sought to understand the technology first and then provide design guidelines.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Given what was asked, there is little room for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Geo Ivery the owner and CEO of Ivery Towers LLC and International Best Selling Author of Soulstream the Mancer epic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Varfaj?

Game Development of a Mobile App Game that was based on my novel series "Soulstream the Mancer Epic" and the high fantasy characters. The game was supposed to be like Candy Crush or Bejeweled and very inclusive for all ages to be able to play while learning more about my series.

What were your goals for this project?

When Cameron reached out to me in February I was on a book tour in Egypt and looking for a development team that could create a fun and interactive Puzzle game like Candy Crush that was based on my characters from "Soulstream the Mancer Epic".

Cameron said he was a fan of my series and read my novel which later I found out were lies. He's never read the book at all so therefore could not possibly be a fan or know what I want as a client.

Varfaj, according to the contract we signed in April 1st was supposed to create the game from start to finish in 3 months. We are now on August 20th and the company only recently within the last 27 days set up a GDD (Game Development Document) which is usually one of the first steps of development.

I played the alpha version of the game only to find over 55 issues. Cameron and Ben apologized that they were behind and swore they would have the game done with all of the bugs complete this month and a proper Beta version would be live for the public to play.

I checked the document today and there are still over 40 bugs and issues that make the game unplayable. They are costing me money every day as I cannot start my other gaming projects. Their communication comes days after I text them sometimes weeks or more usually followed up with an excuse about traveling or fake apology with no answer to my concerns or questions.

The Game is supposed to create micro-transactions through an in-App store that would allow players to purchase in-game currency and special moves that improve their gameplay experience. None of which were ever completed or even playable.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Linked In was how my assistant was contacted by Cameron from Varfaj and he called me when I was in Egypt saying he could guarantee through a contract that his company could complete the task within 3 months which I thought was ambitious considering all the other companies we spoke to said 6 months+ Basically, he said anything to get me to sign the contract. Bait and Switch.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Cameron said there would be two phases to the project. First would be the Art design and next would be the Programming.

Cameron presented me with Art that could barely be considered art or design especially in the capacity that I sent him references and asked for beautifully rendered pieces that would wow a Fantasy audience and better yet me as the creator. This was supposed to be the first time the world got to see the characters animated and in full color as action heroes.

Not only did he send me abysmal artwork but I had to personally draw out the characters to give him references and photoshop my own work so that he could see the level of work I expected him to complete. He was never able to complete the task so I personally provided the character designs that were to be used in the game.

His only other job at that point was to provide the graphics for the puzzles and the Interactive map that would look fantastic. He did not complete the puzzle pieces which set back production and the map he provided looked Elementary at best. At this point, I realized he was either outsourcing the art to people on Fiverr or other independent artists which means he lied to me on many occasions about being the artist and that he was not capable of creating the level of rendered artwork I asked of him.

He said the Map he provided would simply be a marker for him to go in and detail, but Ben needed to get to programming as soon as possible so please sign off on the artwork so Ben can be able to work. I asked many times for him to please make sure that he adds the details and render the levels like beautiful paintings. He agreed and we went to the next phase.

Ben said that he could program 100 levels, to begin with, that would be puzzles of interactive fun with the characters. I told him that is ambitious, but if you believe you can program 100 levels with proper game flow, Characters with special powers, interactive gameplay, and an Item mall for players to add additional features that made it a fun experience then so be it.

He assured me he could do it and here we are 4 almost 5 months later and still no game and 10 times more issues than actually playable features. They provided a link to the game to test the product and I have never been happy with it.

The features don't work, the characters were never added. There is no storyline. The map's artwork was never updated and rendered to acceptable quality. The features I specifically wanted were never added. There are tons of misspellings and typos that make the game look like an amateur mistake.

I could go on and on about this but I would rather say there are a lot of issues on the bug report. Now it seems like they are infighting as Ben said Cameron never paid him. They are unprofessional and frustrating at best.

What was the team composition?

Cameron - Art Director and Project Manager Ben - Programming Development

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This game was projected to make over $30,000 per day in the beta testing phase and up to $1 million per day once it's properly launched. To give you some industry numbers, Candy Crush made $980 million last year and Bejeweled makes over $9 million per month to this day.

I have a large fan base anticipating the release of the game and most are already currently Candy Crush players so they are more than familiar with the game and concept and they are actual fans of my novels. It was an easy shoe in to fit my fans with this genre and add their families and friends as new potential clients. Varfaj is 2 months behind on their due date which costs me money every day.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Cameron was the Project manager for his team. He was extremely unprofessional and terrible to speak on the phone with. He argues instead of offering solutions and thinks he knows everything which is a turn-off.

He finally admitted to not reading the novel after 5 months and said that "he shouldn't have to know the characters to develop a game for them." In which I felt betrayed and let down by his services. Ben was the only Programmer that contacted us from Varfaj which used to be professional until he said he was not paid by Cameron and would not release the game.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They're quick-witted and on their toes with slick talk and fast answers, but there's absolutely no substance behind it. At one point Cameron went to my own website thesoulstream.com and quoted from it when I asked him to name characters from my book. He went as far as to name character classes instead of actual characters which is how I knew exactly where he was reading it from because I wrote it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are too many areas to improve to list. Maybe start by hiring people with experience with portfolios in the field you are trying to sell the dream on. Listen to your clients and do your homework.

At this point, they were literally paid to read the book and know the characters. They even had the audiobook as an option which I narrated. They didn't bother and it is offensive that people like this take away from actual good and professional video game development teams and designers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re xchange llc, a marketplace platform for students to buy and sell college-related goods. I’m the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Varfaj?

We were looking to develop our website and build out our entire mobile-application based platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We contracted them to build our iOS and Android mobile application, but they thew in a landing page for free. The system has a chatroom that allows students to negotiate, accept, and decline prices for goods. Purchases happen directly through the system. If there’s a good a student doesn’t find, they can fill out a form and receive a notification when it comes up for sale.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of five people. Everyone was hands-on and made me feel like I was their only client. I had a single point of contact that acted as a project manager. There was also someone overseeing the web development and someone to talk to about code. Another person set up the payment system with the bank.

How did you come to work with Varfaj?

I heard about them online and through referrals. I only heard impeccable things about them and the work they’d done.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in May 2019 and finished three months later. They’re still available whenever I need consulting or advice.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been integral in founding our company and idea and building and marketing our platform. The design is fantastic and has all the functionalities we wanted. It’s better than we could have imagined. Lots of people have said they love it.

How did Varfaj perform from a project management standpoint?

We talked through Slack, email, and WhatsApp phone calls and texts. They were communicative and consistent with updates, always sending photos of the platform that described how the development was going.

What did you find most impressive about them?

All team members were highly qualified and knowledgeable, as well readily available whenever I had questions. Even after we finalized the design, they were willing to go back and make changes. It all fit our exact specifications.

They were also helpful in providing valuable insights into running and marketing our business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Varfaj reaches out when they have questions, so not really, no.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of an online electronics distributor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Varfaj?

We needed a series of backend processes that would integrate with our multiple third-party vendors in order to sync, manage, and place orders in real-time for our customers on our e-commerce store. Order placement, updating, tracking, and return tracking were core components that we wanted available on our web store, which weren't available by the software we were subscribed with—Shopify. We ended up hiring Varfaj for enhancing the website’s backend.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main objective was to extend our current website to track, manage, place, and handle returns for our e-commerce store.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A friend of one of Varfaj’s satisfied clients recommended them to us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Varfaj took care of various developments for us. The project needed a centralized administrative application with a database system that integrated with multiple APIs through vendors, shipping providers, and Shopify, in order to maintain a streamlined workflow for our customer service staff that manages customer relations and orders.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of a project manager and two developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our system was finished on schedule and it single-handedly took all of the legwork out of my hands and let our customer service agents completely automate the e-commerce business. I’ve gone from spending 10–15 hours a week on administrative tasks to about 30 minutes a week.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Varfaj’s project manager stayed in constant contact with me and asked questions as they arose. The status updates on the project were also great.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciated their openness with their processes, speed, and quality of work. Varfaj’s communication was also impressive as I never felt out of the loop on the status of our projects.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and creator of a platform that allows you to turn your software into a paid service within minutes. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Varfaj?

I hired Varfaj to do the full frontend development for Shrey Auth and to maintain their code and provide updates for a month. 

What were your goals for this project?

My main goal was to have a clean interface that communicated a level of security and clarity to users. I wanted them to make our website responsive as well, as many viewers and users would come from mobile sources.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I selected Varfaj mostly because of their previous experience and professionalism. I seriously considered about four other design firms before deciding to go with Varfaj. The deciding factor besides their previous work was the fact that they made me feel like I'd be taken care of, not just handed a finished product as soon as possible.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

I did not give them much input besides the text I wanted to be displayed on the site and the general feel I was going for. Varfaj handled the rest. They provided a finished website with over 10 pages.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of two developers from Varfaj.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Almost every user comments on how our UI stands out and how clean the website is. I attribute this to their team's design eye.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I was in collaboration with one project manager, and every single deadline was met. I didn't have to haggle with them or constantly bother them. They came to me whenever they had questions and met every single goal in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The company culture was the most impressive thing to me. Everyone on their team seemed rather self-motivated to get things done. The developers were extremely forward with me and made sure I had all my needs met.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder and CEO of a platform that allows users to sign up for weekly inspirational quotes sent directly to them every Monday through SMS.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Varfaj?

We hired Varfaj for front- and backend development for the website and web application. They also automated the delivery of quotes to clients along with the automation of a referral system.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to build a platform that would motivate people every Monday by texting them an inspirational quote. Another goal was to have an automated referral system with an intuitive dashboard for our users to earn money by referring friends to the platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A couple of colleagues I work with have worked with Varfaj in the past, and they recommended I use them to build out my website. We had a few other vendors we spoke to in consideration, but Varfaj's impressive showcase and welcoming team inclined us to move forward with them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Varfaj built the whole system for us, along with automating a referral system. We came to Varfaj with just an idea. They were responsible for design and development. We discussed our key functionalities and desired features and we got going. Shortly after, we were already receiving wireframes and mockups for the entire platform.

What was the team composition?

The team was composed of a dedicated project manager, designer, and development team that was overseen by the CTO. The CEO has been with us the whole time, making sure everything was running smoothly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The first version of our product was completed quickly, and we were able to launch sooner than we expected. We are very pleased with the results so far as we are beginning to pick up more and more users daily. The team is still with us to ensure everything is running smoothly and to handle necessary updates.

Varfaj also provides marketing services, which are convenient, and we are currently strategizing a plan to grow our company to something huge.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I was very impressed with the project management. We were given consistent updates daily through Slack, which was our primary form of communication. Anytime we request a progress update our project manager gets back to us immediately. Overall, we haven't faced any communication issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The overall experience is just unmatched. Everything is swift and work is rapid. We were blown away by how quickly the first version fo the completed product was delivered and how well-built it was.

Are there any areas for improvement?

At the moment, I don't see any areas for improvement. Varfaj has blown us away and nailed every aspect of the project, from idea to product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of SoleStrike, an online business in the sneaker industry. We connect customers to limited release sneakers and clothing from official retailers for a fee.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Varfaj?

After multiple unsuccessful projects with freelancers and specialized developers, we needed a development partner with multiple resources and skills in-house. We were looking to revamp our e-commerce website and make our business more efficient.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Varfaj redesigned the front- and backend of our WordPress website. They automated several tasks—such as refunding orders or putting up products—using custom plugins. They also created tools specific to our business that improve our efficiency. Lastly, they implemented ways to make our social media accounts—our primary tool for marketing—more attractive to customers.

What is the team composition?

I work with Steven (CEO, Varfaj), Ben (CTO, Varfaj), and Niv (COO, Varfaj). Niv serves as our project manager, and Ben is in charge of the development team.

How did you come to work with Varfaj?

I knew Steven from working in the same industry as him. I heard about Varfaj through him and decided that partnering with them would benefit my business.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $30,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The plugins and tools built by Varfaj have brought us a lot more business. We can take in more orders and successfully complete them. Our newfound efficiency makes my job easier. Varfaj is now working on other websites for us as well.

How did Varfaj perform from a project management standpoint?

The team has excellent communication. They provide both weekly and daily updates on their progress through Slack, emails, or a group text message. By having multiple ways to reach out to Varfaj, I can choose whichever is most efficient for me at the moment. I always have someone I can contact if needed. Ben keeps the team on track to meet our deadlines and milestones, and Niv gives us regular reports.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Varfaj provides customized service and solutions to our business; we never feel like just another client with them. I definitely feel like they genuinely care about improving my business according to our specific needs and wants. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

As of right now, I can’t think of anything negative to say about them. Varfaj’s team is efficient and easy to communicate with. If anything, their work and processes have exceeded my expectations.

Any advice for potential customers?

Clients should communicate exactly what they’re looking for with Varfaj. The team will then make sure that their expectations align with the client’s. We’ve never had any issues with hidden fees—Varfaj is transparent about the scope of work and the costs in advance. They also make sure to resolve any problems as they come up. So long as a client communicates with them, I don’t anticipate they’ll have any problems.