WEZEO

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a technical solutions architect for a systems applications and products consultancy focused on retailers. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire WEZEO?

We hired WEZEO to help us develop more modern and user-friendly apps for promotion management. 

What were your goals for this project?

The majority of retailers still use Excel to plan their promotions, so we wanted to provide a new more unified and intuitive solution to replace it. In addition to unifying and simplifying the planning process, the app needed to address all user needs with a modern UI/UX. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They had helped us bridge the gap in our UI development capabilities multiple times in the past. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Following an iterative process, they work with our internal team to develop apps based on customer needs. They are responsible for delivering all UI-related backlogged items.

The current solution, which is based on an SAP stack, required the SAPU15 development toolkit for the frontend and features a UI entirely reliant on web technologies.

What was the team composition?

WEZEO contributes between two and three individuals to the team of 10-15 members—excluding business resources—which is not expected to change.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We generally receive positive customer feedback on everything WEZEO produces. In fact, customers are often so satisfied that the initial project leads to follow-on engagements. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

WEZEO’s work is always delivered under budget and within the specified timeline, and the current project is no exception. All communication is conducted via email or Skype in addition to other tools like Trello and Bitbucket. We are all located within Europe, so there have been no issues. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team boasts very strong frontend technical capabilities. Their flexibility also allows them to quickly accommodate new requirements. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is always something to improve. The developers could be more proactive in terms of understanding the overall goal and driving the customer’s end goal. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a designer and manufacturer of mobile, beautiful, and energy-independent microhomes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WEZEO?

We’ve run two development projects with them: a website and a mobile application for a smart home system, the latter of which is still ongoing.

Our old website was a one-pager, and we wanted more than that. We needed to build a new website within 1 ½ months, which is a pretty short timeline.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After making an initial analysis, WEZEO developed the frontend of our website and made the graphics. Another company developed the backend and our hardware.

Currently, WEZEO is developing our app for Android and iOS. The app integrates and controls a lot of systems, including water and electric. We’re running some final tests on it.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with a project manager from their side. During meetings, we typically interact with their COO, the project manager, and with the developers who are needed for the particular topic.

How did you come to work with WEZEO?

We did some market research, looking for companies that weren’t too big. We didn’t want to work with a corporate partner, as we had a 10-person team at the time and wanted a provider of similar size. After checking WEZEO’s work, we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost has been below $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the website project at the end of 2015. We’re satisfied, so we plan to continue working with WEZEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any special metrics for the website, but there are a lot of clients coming to our business because of it. While we haven’t launched the apps yet, we’ve had some people look at it. So far, we haven’t heard any negative feedback. It’s quite clean and adheres to our corporate colors.

How did WEZEO perform from a project management standpoint?

They work fast, sometimes much faster than we do. In fact, they’ve had to wait for us at times. Our offices are not that far from each other, so it’s easy to catch up. We’ve had in-person meetings as needed. There’s been no excessive talking.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve done a great job, even for our budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since I don’t have experience in the IT field, it’s difficult for me to answer.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Finax. We are a brokerage company offering client services, such as asset management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WEZEO?

I was looking for a long-term, reliable team with more than 15 programmers and experience building web pages.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Because we are a broker-dealer company, the platform and website need to advise clients using various algorithms. We worked on an October CMS. WEZEO programmed the website and implemented the necessary algorithms. The system is very dynamic in accommodating client investments and providing tailored advice. Additionally, the team built an evaluation calculator, personalized mailing system, and a visualization dashboard.

What is the team composition?

We were in direct contact with an account manager.

How did you come to work with WEZEO?

I knew one of the co-owners from school. I looked at other companies and reviews, but ultimately the personal relationship was the deciding factor.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent €50,000–€70,000 Euro ($58,457–$81,840 USD) so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

WEZEO programmed the entire product without any downtime or major issues. We received positive feedback from our clients. We provided them with requirements and our expectations and they have met each of them so far. I think they have done a tremendous job and the site is really modern, progressive, and accessible to our users.

How did WEZEO perform from a project management standpoint?

We are happy with their level of communication and proactive work ethic. We used BugHerd to report mistakes and discuss the next steps. They had a customer-first approach to project management. The WEZEO team was very agreeable and patient with our budgeting issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I am most impressed with their precision. Quality wise, the system was programmed very well and we didn’t have to ask them to rewrite any code. We found minimal bugs after the product was tested and launched. They delivered an excellent product that fully exceeded my expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Vacatuner. We provide a mobile platform and a web-based content management system (CMS) for travel agencies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WEZEO?

We previously developed our platform with a local agency and we weren’t happy with the results. We decided to find a better development company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WEZEO is working on developing the core functions for our web-based platform called Iconic. They are upgrading the product using Angular and the same base coding. There are also supporting our current iOS and Android developments.

What is the team composition?

They provided a project manager and a team of three developers.

How did you come to work with WEZEO?

We did a huge tender with 10-12 other development companies. We engaged WEZEO based on their ability to redevelop and continue to improve our product.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent €100,000 ($117,300 USD) on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2018 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have received great feedback about the app from our clients. In our experience, the WEZEO team was professional, quick, and extremely experienced. Their schedule of work supports our marketing efforts.

How did WEZEO perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate via Slack and keep a database of project information on Nuclino. We are fully satisfied with their collaboration skills.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re extremely knowledgeable of technical elements. Their speed and professional worth ethic speak for themselves.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would recommend they expand their borders.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a water boiler manufacturer working in the Slovakian and foreign markets (U.S. and Asia). I'm in charge of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WEZEO?

We were considering starting a loyalty program for B2B customers, the installers of our products. Our new sales leader came from a company that had had a good experience with this approach, in the form of a mobile app used for collecting points on each product installation. We felt that this might also work in our firm and started looking for a company that could produce and manage an application to satisfy our needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WEZEO was responsible for the design and development of the app. They followed a brand manual that we provided.

Technical details were mostly discussed with our IT department. The iOS and Android application is intended for our installers, who can register and start earning points. The installation information is gathered by scanning product codes, after which the app will determine what kind of product was installed and add points to the account, which can be exchanged for vouchers in the online store.

What is the team dynamic?

There were multiple people involved in the development process.

How did you come to work with WEZEO?

We asked our long-time marketing agency about app developers that could satisfy our needs. WEZEO was recommended.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was €30,000. [$35,000]

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with WEZEO in October 2016. We are finalizing the last change requests and expect completion by November 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t launched the app yet. There are some final changes being done, after which we will make it available. We’ve done our own testing, which has gone well. It remains to be seen if we were right about its operation.

How did WEZEO perform from a project management standpoint?

The process and communication were satisfactory; we were kept informed about the project. We discussed the process through email and phone calls, when necessary.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We didn’t have that much experience with other app developers, but in comparison to the other company we considered, WEZEO presented more capabilities during their first dialogues with us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were additional costs and some dissatisfaction from our side on the speed of delivery, but the overall process went well. The only problematic area was our lack of detailed knowledge around the requirements in the beginning. We didn’t present a clear image of the app, so some expectations were left unsatisfied and had to be done separately. Some people were not happy about this since they expected those to be a part of the main project. But in the end, it was the fault of both sides, as we didn’t specify the details of what we wanted. It’s not really something that WEZEO can improve, other than ensuring that there is a common vision between them and the customer.