Xessable

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of product development at Horeko. We provide an online software tool for kitchens and hospitality businesses, offering recipe costing, HACCP registration, workforce scheduling, and timekeeping to streamline operations and compliance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xessable?

We needed a long-term, stable development team that we could guide as our own.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Xessable has provided us with a full development team. They handle searching for candidates, initial selection, HR, salary processing, team building, and providing an office. Currently, they provide us with 10 developers, three testers, and one UX designer who work in four out of our five development teams. For three of the development teams, the team lead is from Xessable. The team is led by me.

Ideation and business decisions are handled in the Netherlands based on the market needs. Selected work items are detailed first functionally in text and then in visual design by the joint Netherlands and North Macedonia design team. When ready, they are handed to the appropriate development team. We use a Kanban-style software development cycle, including peer reviews, manual testing, and automated testing. Releasing is done every working day.

Over the years, the full team has delivered countless new features, solved bugs, and kept the solution up to date, including major technological updates.

What is the team composition?

We've had approximately 15 teammates from Xessable at the same time. Over the years, there have been more.

How did you come to work with Xessable?

Xessable was already a partner before I joined Horeko. We chose them because of their long and good history of working together.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2017, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Xessable's good reputation has attracted plenty of suitable candidates for their thorough and quality-focused selection process. This has allowed us to cherry-pick the best new hires. Furthermore, it was possible to get these above-average candidates at a price point significantly lower than in the Dutch market. This has allowed us to have a significantly larger team and more development power than if we had a team only in the Netherlands.

A special success has been those hired as juniors starting just after university. The North Macedonian software development education is a bit less rigorous and up to date than the Dutch one. However, it was possible to select the most intelligent and eager candidates and cultivate them with on-the-job teaching under the guidance of our more experienced colleagues. This has resulted in very qualitative, still eager, and loyal developers, in some cases also growing to team leads themselves and teaching others.

We've achieved our successes through the integrated approach with close collaboration between the Dutch and North Macedonian teams. This was enabled by working in the same timezone, intermittent in-person team-building activities, and by having only small culture differences.

Xessable has delivered the backbone of Horeko's product development team for over eight years now. This has enabled us to grow from a small company to being the major provider of kitchen management software in the Netherlands. The high quality, commitment, and cost-effectiveness of the North Macedonian team provided by Xessable have been a tremendous asset for our growth.

How did Xessable perform from a project management standpoint?

Xessable delivers on time and responds well to our needs. We communicate via Slack, video calls, emails, and in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Xessable provides quality and commitment of in-house development at nearshoring costs. Their good reputation has attracted plenty of suitable candidates for their thorough and quality-focused selection process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There's nothing I can come up with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your needs and expectations. Go for a long term commitment, interweaving your own team together with those provided by Xessable. Start with some seniors/mediors, and when you have those add juniors. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Business Unit of Kontron AIS GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company is a pioneering force in Embedded Computing Technology, delivering comprehensive IoT and Industry 4.0 solutions through a fusion of advanced hardware, software, and services, ensuring secure and connected applications across diverse industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Xessable to accomplish?
Rewrite our legacy software application for improved efficiency and integration capabilities, leveraging Xessable's expertise in newer .NET technologies.

SOLUTION

How did you find Xessable?

Referral

Why did you select Xessable over others?

• High ratings
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Xessable were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The main objective of this project is to create a modern, flexible, and reliable solution for hardware-based software. The key objectives that we managed to deliver are: 

• Creating a working project based on .Net 8, Blazor, Entity Framework, MS SQL database, and communication through gRPC. - Rewrite the logic based on the modern hardware manufacturer standards with recipes. 
• Create a flexible system to connect and communicate with different hardware types, and expand the previous limitations. 
• Create a modern UI with MudBlazor components.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project's primary outcome is a modernized software platform that supports diverse hardware integration, enabling improved operational flexibility and user interface responsiveness. Progress is marked by the successful redevelopment of system logic to align with current industry practices and expanding the system’s compatibility with different hardware.

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

Xessable has shown commendable project management throughout our collaboration. Their team, comprising senior engineers, integrated well with our in-house staff, displaying high levels of commitment and energy. 
The process for talent selection and onboarding was smooth, and we've been particularly impressed with the consistent support and care for the team post-onboarding. Deliverables have been timely, and Xessable's responsiveness to our evolving needs has contributed significantly to the progress of our initiatives.

What was your primary form of communication with Xessable?

Virtual Meeting

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

What really stood out to us about Xessable was the partnership. They're truly committed to offering the right solutions that make a real difference in our project.

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

Currently, we're quite satisfied with the collaboration and outcomes. Like with any dynamic project, there's always room for growth and improvement on both sides. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with Xessable to explore even more efficient ways to tackle future challenges together.