WillDom

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief product officer. I’m responsible for the product’s engineerin, as well as the design and software development of the apps and website of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillDom?

It was a staffing issue. The company raised a significant amount of money and was going through a merger. Therefore, I had to staff up to meet with some of their big goals for the integration across the two teams.

We needed software engineers with experience in Ruby on Rails. For the frontend development, we needed senior developers who knew React, and on the QA side, people who did test automation. We didn’t have a strong engineering management, so we also needed help with that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WillDom has a network of offices in Latin America. They have branches in different countries, and these branches attract talent at a local level. We told WillDom what we were looking for, and then they presented candidates based on which branch they could find somebody.

Then, we put them through the interview process, just as if we were hiring someone full-time. We put the developers through a challenge to make sure that they were strong in their technical skills, had a good level of English, and generally were a good addition for the team.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is Laura (Managing Director).

How did you come to work with WillDom?

It was a referral from somebody in my last company. She had worked with a firm in Argentina on some kind of long contract, and she had them as a referral. Then, I just decided to try them out, and it worked.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re spending between $300,000–$400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership in October 2020, and we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They care a lot and make sure that there’s a strong fit within the team. Local engineers may feel threatened that we’re bringing somebody from another country, but they’ve been great at their work and just really professional about it. They really add value to the team, and in some cases, they’re even better than some of the engineers within the company.

WillDom’s team is just so talented, and they have a good, humble attitude. The team dynamic has been great so far. We’re still working towards a launch in October, but overall they’ve done a great job.

How did WillDom perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Jira and Slack, and we hold regular meetings. I do a lot of the planning on Google Sheets, but in terms of tools, we just use Jira as the main one.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They check in on the engagement on a regular basis and if there are any issues, they address them really fast. They also spend a lot of time making sure it’s a good fit upfront. Many other companies might just send someone and hand over a contract, but WillDom ensures there’s a strong team chemistry, and that’s what makes them different.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Designers and product managers tend to have stronger communication with the business people. We’ve had some challenges placing and fitting in product people. Therefore, if they could source more people that are able to fit in with the business people, that’d be a good idea.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have your internal hiring processes streamlined and make sure that you have someone within the company in care of dealing with the candidates. A lot of companies might not be ready to take on the inflow of potential candidates, put them through the interview process, and get back to them quickly enough with feedback before they find another role at a different company. We’ve lost people because we weren’t fast enough to react to a good candidate.

Therefore, I think the biggest challenge is to make sure you’re ready to handle that. However, you also have to think of it just as if you’re hiring normal candidates, and you have to put them through the same type of process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a mail-order pharmacy that caters to large corporate clients such as insurance companies and health care systems. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillDom?

We needed a HIPAA-compliant website that can interact with our pharmacy and automation systems. We were looking for a provider to develop and implement the website for us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WillDom developed an entirely new website and interaction system from scratch. Our project began with WillDom assigning consultants to understand our needs. They went through our old website, evaluated its capabilities, and made a list of features that we will include on the new website. 

After that, they designed the site and wrote the technical specifications. We then entered contract negotiations where WillDom developed the scope of work and explained what we would get. 

Once we agreed on everything, they started assigning personnel to the project and proceeded with the development. The process took eight months. After the site has been built, we troubleshot and wrapped up small details. We used the platform for a month and then made final adjustments. Finally, we migrated all the data and launched the website. 

The website’s most important feature is the ability to collect and securely store HIPAA-compliant patient data, as well as credit card and payment information. The site can also collect order prescriptions, and it has an option for product delivery. Additionally, it can automate the sending of email and patient communications. The website is mobile-friendly, too. 

Currently, WillDom is providing maintenance services; if we find an issue on the site, WillDom implements corrections and enhancements. 

What is the team composition?

I have worked with two lead designers and 6–8 programmers. Stanley (Project Manager) and another teammate were my main points of contact. 

How did you come to work with WillDom?

A web development company recommended WillDom to us. We’ve gone through many providers who all turned us down and said they couldn’t do our project. We spent a year finding a developer. When we talked with WillDom, they said they could build our website, so we hired them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent around $170,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2020, and although the project is completed, WillDom is still providing maintenance services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our customer service representatives have found the new website much easier to use and get information out of. It has smoothed out our overall input of customer data. We can also now provide previously unavailable statistics and information to our customers. The site is constantly up and operating, unlike before when it was often down and inoperable. Overall, the site is much more dependable, very efficient, looks better, and has given us many new capabilities that we needed. 

How did WillDom perform from a project management standpoint?

They are great at project management; they keep us informed, and they listen to us very well. We typically communicate via video calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

WillDom’s communication is the highlight of their work. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. WillDom delivered the website they promised, and overall, I’ve been very pleased with their work. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tell them exactly what you want, even though you think it’s undoable. Allow them to run with it, and they’ll get it done for you. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of engineering at a SaaS company in Seattle.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillDom?

I hiredWillDom for their staff augmentation services. We were looking to add high-quality and low-cost developers into our team that worked near the American time zone.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We've done a couple of different projects with WillDom. For this project, we did a short-term contract with them last fall where we were looking specifically for a senior React developer. 

What is the team composition?

I have worked with Mauricio (Founder), 1–2 project managers, and a finance person. 

How did you come to work with WillDom?

I've known Mauricio for 10 years, and he's a good guy, but that by itself wouldn't get my business. However, WillDom was able to get good developers quickly and at a reasonable rate. Within a week, I had 3–4 resumes and interviews set up, and by the end, we had two people who were both very hirable for our required position — their immediate turnaround really made the difference.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $20,000–$25,000. We'd consistently gotten good developers at low prices. I reached out to a couple of other agencies and nobody could get a developer as quickly as WillDom. Some of them didn’t even have people with the right skill set, or it would take a month or two before we could start working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on the project from October – December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Whatever we're looking for, they can help us find it, and we've gotten consistently good developers through them. The skill level and speed at which they can get people have been impressive. My teams and my managers have been very happy with the way they contribute. Also, English is not a problem, so it's just been a seamless experience.

How did WillDom perform from a project management standpoint?

The developers we've had worked with us as part of staff augmentation. They're part of the team, so they're managed by a person who's in my organization full time. We haven't had any difficulty, and they communicate just as any other member of the team would. It's been a seamless collaboration. You can’t distinguish if they are one of our developers or one of WillDom’s. They have also been very responsive, and proactive about communicating and setting expectations — they just have been very good to work with.

We used different programs to communicate with them: Slack, Jira, and Google Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing has been the quality of the people we get through them. Not everybody has been excellent, but they've all been adequate or better, and then we've had a few that have been outstanding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. It's just been really good and they are my go-to when I need somebody that is suitable for a full-time remote or short-term contract — I go to them first and they always do it.

Any advice for potential customers?

Know what you want and communicate that clearly to them, and they'll help you get it. If you can clearly say what you're looking for, then they’ll do a really good job filling that need. If you don’t have a clear understanding of your needs, that's not going to be where WillDom is going to shine.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder and President of a newly established mobile outdoor fitness franchise business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To develop a proprietary technology app platform which seamlessly connects subscribers to the network of OutFit operators within their local communities. The objective was to combine real-time geolocation, online payments, scheduling, messaging, notification and social all on a single app platform. The goal...to provide an easy, seamless experience for a consumeOur r of our service to find, book and buy the product service they desired.

SOLUTION

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

Our CPO was recommended to the WillDom group and following the vetting process, we concluded they would be the right group to partner with. Deciding factors included development expertise, skills in the areas of need and project price.

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

Given we are still in process of the build, I cannot speak to the scope of work, but we have been working on 2-week sprints with multiple technology platforms including AWS, Segment and a host of others deemed best in class to the scope.

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

Primarily 2 people, that then established a team of developers of 8-12. They were both branch directors.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The MVP was delivered, but it is too early in the process to share measurable outcomes. We have been in a process of collaborative modifications, but the overall experience with the team and project so far has been positive.

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

Communication tools used have been Jira and Microsoft Teams.

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

We have had direct access to the development team throughout the process.

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

Reporting deliverables relative to the project progress during the 2-weeks sprints that are clear and concise to the business executive team is an area of improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of GenUI, a custom software product development studio headquartered in Seattle, Washington. We conceive, build, and deliver software products. Our company is about 12 years old, and we have around 40 employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillDom?

We’ve worked with WillDom for 10 years to augment our teams. When we’re building software products, we bring on 1–2 people from their team to help us with the development work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WillDom works as remote team members for our projects. Typically, we pair them with one of our Seattle-based senior engineers. Then, both teams get together on Zoom or Slack and work on the same code, which means that there’s lots of screen sharing and co-development work.

As far as the projects, we’ve worked on full stack web application development, like Node and Angular. We’ve also worked with cloud services such as AWS and Azure. Moreover, they’ve helped us with mobile application development for iOS and Android. Additionally, we’ve done AR and VR for facial computing.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a consistent group of about 12–15 people over the years. They’re usually developers, but I might occasionally work with project managers as well.

How did you come to work with WillDom?

Mauricio (Managing Director) did a business school program at the University of Washington. As part of this program, he had to intern at a startup company, and he spent part of it with us. That’s how we developed a relationship. Then, he went back to El Salvador and founded a company called Korinver.

WillDom purchased Mauricio’s company. We ended up working with them because Korinver was now a part of WillDom.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $2 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in September 2011, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

WillDom has constantly generated positive results and feedback. For instance, our director of engineering finds them to be hard-working and dedicated. In addition, we do performance reviews, and we’ve reviewed positively.

How did WillDom perform from a project management standpoint?

Mauricio and I mostly communicate through calls or WhatsApp. He’s also part of our Slack account. I can message him there, and he’d get back to me immediately.

As for managing our projects, we’re well-versed in agile tools. We use them according to the needs of the situation since different clients require different project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We get value for our money.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At the beginning of our engagement, I would have said that Korinver could have had more resources to provide. However, since they were bought by WillDom, they have WillDom’s entire development network available, so that’s been resolved.

Apart from that, I don’t have any complaints. WillDom provides a really valuable service, so I don’t have any ideas for improvement. They’ve taken our engagement seriously.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise future clients to keep growing. Also, get the pipeline of engineer students mentored and trained up to join the program. Tapping into that talent pipeline and keeping great people moving into your organization is the way to go.