99x Americas (formerly Nextly)

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the development manager of Richards, LLC, a small software development firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nextly?

We were doing software development on a large project and needed additional assistance within our team to deliver features and fixes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve hired some people through Nextly; they’ve joined us as part of our team. We work on a healthcare portal to track COVID-19 testing and results. It has a side that allows managing protocols for organizations, including some large Fortune 100 companies. The app has extensive functionality and a heavy volume of transactions.

The resources help out on frontend and full stack development. It’s mainly a JavaScript site, so we’re using Vue.js on the frontend, Node.js on the backend, and several AWS services.

What is the team composition?

We have three resources working with us right now: two frontend developers and one full stack developer. He’s more advanced, so he’s in a lead role now.

How did you come to work with Nextly?

The consultant we were working with referred them. He had a connection with Nextly.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2022, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their people fit very well with our team. They initially did well in the onboarding process, and as they’ve integrated into the project, they’ve been seamless. In particular, the lead person has had an immediate impact in driving the direction of our work, asking great questions and just being an amazing team member.

How did Nextly perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a team of three project managers, and our developers generally connect with them if they need new work. However, the PMs often will keep tickets in front of them. It’s a pretty standard process, and we use a combined board in Jira to manage our work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve done an excellent job of discussing our needs and going to great lengths to ensure they’re meeting them with the people they send us. Unlike other agencies we’ve worked with, the ratio of people we’ve interviewed to those we’ve hired is very high. Their vetting process is really effective. They’ve become our go-to provider.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a consulting group. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nextly?

We worked with Nextly to build a B2B product. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Nextly helped us build visitor management software. Internally, we laid the groundwork for the concept, and they made it work by providing engineering and backend design services. They were responsible for database design and systems operation, and we used Laravel and Vue for this project. 

During the engagement, we had scalable staging and production environments for addressing the conflicts that came up as we implemented the features, and Nextly did some QA work for us. 

What is the team composition?

I interacted with a total of seven people, but my primary communications were with two people. One of them was the production manager and engineering lead, while the other was the head of system operations; they were the people I permanently dealt with. Then, we pulled in other engineering and design resources as needed. 

How did you come to work with Nextly?

Nextly was referred to me by someone who has a company that was further along in their engagement. I was impressed with their product, so I hired Nextly. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $20,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from January–March 2021. The project has been completed, and we’re now developing features on a much less substantial basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have an engineering background myself, so I conducted my own code reviews as a participant — Nextly produced a quality product. Their team was completely critical to the product’s launch, and it wouldn’t exist without them. I’d also highly recommend them to other businesses. 

How did Nextly perform from a project management standpoint?

I used ClickUp to manage the project on my side. We also used Slack and email to communicate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Nextly had a well-rounded team. Initially, I thought I’d need to bring in additional resources. However, we were actually able to do everything together. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. I was really happy with Nextly, and I wouldn’t discourage anyone from using them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Stay involved in the process because Nextly is a big team. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a software startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nextly?

We needed an engineer to help with software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They work on our e-commerce cross-posting application using Node.js. Users can easily cross-post their inventory onto multiple marketplaces.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one developer full-time for 6–7 months. Then, we had one part-time QA engineer for two months.

How did you come to work with Nextly?

We found them on Upwork. We also interviewed several other engineers during our search. When we interviewed the developer that they assigned us, he was very skilled and experienced. It was exactly what we were looking for.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2019, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They work very well with our team. We measure their success by how many story points the developer completes.

How did Nextly perform from a project management standpoint?

We treat them like another developer on our team. We use Slack and Google Meets to keep in touch. We also use Jira and Github for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a large array of good talent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re great. The team is very flexible.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you want good talent, Nextly has what you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CTO of an online school.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nextly?

We developed the backend for our new application and needed someone to create the frontend. We wanted to use JavaScript and React.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did mainly the frontend development of our mobile app. We had developed 80% of the backend in-house, and we developed our designs as well. They used HTML and CSS to implement the designs. Then we started working with React to create and implement our user interactions and API interactions for the frontend.

Our platform includes an e-commerce component where students can purchase courses and an e-learning component where students can complete the course. The courses are mostly video-based. We use Vimeo. Our application had to gather the course information, the chapters, all the materials and display them on a platform for the user.   

What is the team composition?

There was one designer, two frontend developers, and an account manager.

How did you come to work with Nextly?

I found them on Upwork. I was looking for frontend development companies from Latin America or the United States because of the time zone. Nextly had experience working on this kind of project. They did some tasks for me, and after evaluating the code quality and the communication, we decided to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2020, and the work is ongoing. The initial work took 2-3 months with the main features we needed. After we launched our new platform, the continued ongoing work developing new features and correcting bugs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve improved our conversion rates and the usability of our platform. The students’ completion rate is higher as well. We like the new platform.

How did Nextly perform from a project management standpoint?

We assign tasks on Jira, and we have weekly meetings with them to keep up with the work we need. We have a very transparent way to check billing and hours.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very focused on good practices. Communication is also excellent. We always know what point we are at on our tasks.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Communication is never perfect. It’s good, but we had a few misunderstandings. We’ve been trying to improve that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I refer them to friends or other co-founders that need technology partners. They’re not cheap, but the money you spend is worth it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a digital marketing agency in the insurance brokerage space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nextly?

We hired them for custom software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our product is essentially a two-sided marketplace where employers come onto our platform and look for a new insurance broker. Nextly revamped the existing product using PHP and Symfony. We provided some minor documentation before they launched into development, but their scope of work entailed bug fixes and UX/UI enhancements.

What is the team composition?

The team was comprised of five people. I worked with a team lead but also communicated directly with their developers.

How did you come to work with Nextly?

Our initial outsourcing partner had failed to deliver, so we posted for a job on a freelance site. Nextly reached out to us, and we had an interview over the phone. We were attracted to the fact that they’re in the same hemisphere as us, so there isn’t a significant time difference.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December of 2019 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve effectively tackled many of the project’s tasks. We use a ticketing system that involves cards to track open issues. They’ve been able to complete 20 cards, or tasks, so far.

How did Nextly perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a great job. They’re always very communicative, and whenever I ping them on Slack, they respond in under ten minutes. They’re always on time for our check-ins, along with being consistently present and professional. In addition to Slack, we use GitLab to track bugs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their professionalism and experience distinguish them from other contractors I’ve worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. They’ve done a great job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their team is professional and eager to work, which is awesome. Our weekly stand-ups and ongoing Slack communication have been effective.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Evolution Virtual. We create branding, marketing, visualization tools, and digital interactive solutions for the real estate development industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nextly?

We needed help building a few technically sophisticated products for developers to show off unbuilt homes to agents and buyers. Nextly is our development partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Nextly has built multiple visualization and 3D-interactive tools for us. They include a kitchen visualizer, a product configurator, and a WordPress website.

In each case, we provide wireframes and designs to their team. Nextly then builds the product’s frontend in React and the backend in Node.js. They use Redux and AWS as well for hosting, and they’ve also completed database work.

What is the team composition?

We work with three people: a lead person, a full-time developer, and a part-time developer. The team’s point of contact varies depending on the project, but we also have access to Eduardo (??, Nextly), our developer, whenever we want to communicate.

How did you come to work with Nextly?

We found Nextly through Upwork. We led a large, open search for individual developers and teams, and Nextly seemed incredibly qualified.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration started in July 2019 and is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Nextly has done a spectacular job on sophisticated projects so far. They’ve been a great partner, and we plan to expand their role going forward. 

How did Nextly perform from a project management standpoint?

Whenever we give Nextly something to finish on their own, they hit their deadlines and check over their work carefully. We always receive a working product on time. We communicate through Slack, Skype, phone, and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Nextly is incredibly responsive at all hours of the day—even when it’s outside working hours on their end. We’ve sent them messages late at night in their time zone, and they always answer us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. To be honest, my tech team works with Nextly directly, but I do not. But they’ve been a great partner to us, and we’re happy with their work.