Agriya

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of a startup that aims to provide a platform to help nonprofits raise money for projects with tangible deliverables.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Agriya?

Our platform had a robust frontend interface with a basic backend, which wasn’t capable of supporting our needs or those of our customers. We needed help with improving the system.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a solid and accessible modular system that could be used by a variety of individuals with different levels of IT ability. Furthermore, we needed to integrate several new processes into the solution.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our associate recommended Agriya based on their past experiences, competitive cost, and responsiveness.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Agriya refined the frontend of our platform and completely developed and configured the backend system. They posted their work on a subdomain, where we reviewed and tested its performance. Following each step, we’d provide feedback, and they’d incorporate it into the next iteration. Through this process, we made all of the necessary changes and eliminated all bugs.

What was the team composition?

Our primary point of contact was a customer service representative from Agriya, but we frequently interacted with three other members of their team. There may have been more, but I don’t have any specific numbers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s a bit too soon to analyze results, but we’re satisfied with Agriya’s work. We appreciate their level of skill and dedication to our project.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The customer service representative primarily managed the project, which initially resulted in longer turnaround times than we would’ve liked. With that said, it didn’t adversely impact the project as we moved further into the development process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were very committed to our project. When we were days away from launch, we ran into a few problems. Other companies would’ve taken their time in addressing the issues because it wouldn’t directly impact them, but Agriya immediately got to work and promptly resolved the problems. I didn’t know it was possible to work that quickly.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

They could’ve been more detailed in testing new functionalities. Occasionally, I found errors after they’d submitted the work. However, this is a minor complaint. If we had a problem, we’d speak with them, and they’d willingly make adjustments.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

I run a small startup focused on fashion retail through e-commerce. 

You're the founder?

Yes, I am. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges that you were attempting to address when you first approached Agriya?

I needed additional technical support to help me add custom features and clean up the code of an existing website. I didn't have the necessary skills or resources to handle the scope of work by myself. 

SOLUTION

How did you select Agriya as your partner?

I found them through online research. I contacted them and a few other companies with my project, and I felt confident after talking with them that they could handle this work. 

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail?

I handled all of the strategy and design work, and provided them with specifications. They dealt with all of the technical development. That included custom development using CSS, HTML, and JavaScript on the client side, and PHP, using Cake PHP, on the server side. They also did all of the unit and performance testing for me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

I've worked with a ton of development agencies, and Agriya, is certainly the best I've worked with when you consider cost vs. quality of service, and I will continue to work with them on other projects after doing a six-month contract with them. The code they write is very high quality, and I've rarely experienced issues with flawed code. I've been very impressed by that. 

When working with Agriya, is there anything you'd consider unique about their strategic approach or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

I really like that they help you think through the best way to achieve your goals, and give technical advice, rather than blindly coding whatever you ask for. They also have excellent communication around the progress of your project, and they're always available to discuss things in-depth with you. Finally, they always manage to delivering on time. I can't stress how important and rare it is to find that from a vendor, especially offshore providers. 

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider?

They have solid technical development skills, but if you're a designer yourself, you'll definitely want to provide them with designs collateral. Occasionally, designs do not come back exactly as specified, but they're happy to make fixes to these. Just like with any employee or agency, you'll want to review the work when finished.

BACKGROUND

We are a company in Iran that deals with online marketing and online advertising. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

We needed help from Agriya to put together a professional campaign that would give our clients the best chance to make money and capture quality leads.

SOLUTION

The development involved PHP, MySql, Js, HTML, CSS, and Ajax. They were primarily responsible for backend development and not design or other types of work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

If you discuss all of the details for a simple project, then Agriya can handle it easily. I suggest for complicated projects, to think through the details. It is better to plan everything first before diving in headfirst. Marketing initiatives and development projects take a ton of work and should be planned extensively before starting the work.

Agriya did a great job on the project. They have great client relationship managers and provide good service. If you prepare a proper scope of work and clearly articulate your requirements, Agriya will do a great job.

BACKGROUND

We are a startup side project that needed an out-of-the-box solution with some deep customizations. I am a part owner. The software that Agriya could provide us was well suited to our needs. We had a list of changes to ensure the software could be customized to suit the online wine industry. Agriya have performed a stellar job on getting our requirements completed. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

We have a great opportunity to take the marketplace software out to niche markets. The main challenge was to get the product right for our audience. The Buy/Sell software is not designed for multiple items in sets of six or 12, like cases of wine for example. Also, the shipping out of the box works well for a craft marketplace but did not suit our needs for mix and match.

We worked with Agriya extensively on developing a new shipping schedule for the software, one that is unique in market. The task was a challenge although I feel the team at Agriya worked quite diligently and had a very good understanding of what we were trying to achieve. 

SOLUTION

The team used their out of the box solution called Buy/Sell. We used the core functionality, and then turbo-charged it and customized it for our audience. Agriya managed 100 percent of the development and enhancements. There were two companies we compared when scoping this project. One is in Europe and another in India. Both promised a lot and had the same software. Agriya stood out because they had some live solutions in market. They also came across as honest and professional. The European company seemed very arrogant and the first few conversations were difficult and unprofessional. It was actually amazing how bad those conversations went.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

The software is good, particularly for the price. It has some minor bugs and is a little over complicated, although no showstoppers and suits us well in this stage of our infant startup life. Agriya are also very helpful when it comes to tickets and support. We have our own Web developer and this makes life a lot simpler. I'm not sure I would like to take on a project like ours without a dedicated web developer.

Agriya have been really supportive. Not once have they come back with anything less than a completely professional experience. They never held up the job asking for more money. It’s happened before with other freelancers. They completed the project, never giving up, even with multiple challenges and sometimes daunting tasks. Timelines did stretch a little although we knew we had a difficult project, we also contributed to some of the delays. Communication was always prompt and clear.

To be honest, when researching Agriya and coming across some of the negative feedback, I had my doubts. I did have a few sleepless nights wondering if I had chosen the right team. It’s always hard to choose an offshore developer, especially with a limited budget.

A few mistakes or a difficult team that ransom you for the work to be done can potentially sink a small business like ours. Circumstance really pushed us towards them as a group. They came across as very professional from the start, the software that was 80 percent close to what we wanted and the fact they came in on our budget all helped with our decision. Sometimes, you just have to take a chance.

Overall, I have to say they are one of the most professional offshore groups I have worked with. Rama is a very competent IT [information technology] project manager and a pleasure to work with. Agriya won’t be the pick for everyone. That’s granted. A lot will come down to your project, although they worked well for us. I would definitely recommend them and we will be channeling more development through them. I’m feeling confident we have an offshore development team that we can partner with for the future. I hope this review helps make decisions a little easier when looking at Agriya as a potential for your projects and I hope Agriya will keep up the good work and not make me regret this very long although glowing review. 

BACKGROUND

We are a crowdfunding-based website that allows an individual to raise money for funerals and funeral-related services. As CEO, I oversee all aspects of the company, day-to-day operations, growth, and customer needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Our first priority has always been the customer. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to collect donations during one of life's most difficult times.

Dealing with the death of a loved is never easy and having to ask for financial help can be even more difficult, so we want to make the process as simple and seamless as possible so anyone can give even if they are across the country or around the world. It's a community effort.

Our customers can range from individuals who need financial support to funeral homes, churches, nonprofits, or any community organization.

SOLUTION

We reached out to Agriya because we knew they were experts in the crowdfunding field, and they were able to build us a customized website that is user friendly on the front end and very intuitive on the backend for our administrators.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

The entire team at Agriya has been very helpful and willing to do whatever it takes to solve any problems that we come across. Our site has been live for a few months, and we've received a lot of positive feedback. Most recently, Agriya has developed a few more features that will be rolled out in Phase 2.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

I work for a startup based in Brazil. We’ve decided to create an online marketplace for freelancers similar to oDesk. We created a marketplace of professionals able to cover small business needs and the needs of various freelancers.

What is your position?

I’m the CEO of the company. I’m in charge of leading the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you began the relationship with Agriya?

The major challenge that we faced back in 2012 was to trying to find a technology partner because we’ve had to enter the marketplace with a very lean organizational structure. Our initial plan was to have a third-party function as our technology department. We just couldn’t afford to have our own developers in-house

SOLUTION

How did you select Agriya as your partner?

I was in the process of researching some key players and potential vendors when I came across Agriya through a media outlet. I reached out to them and sent our statement of work. They came back to us with a pretty compelling proposal. We decided to have them introduce themselves to us and demonstrate some of their relevant capabilities. I was impressed by what they had in mind, and it was made very clear to me that they had some great development talent on their team.

Could you describe the scope of the project? For instance, did it involve custom visual design, backend development, training, or support?

Their team was primarily responsible for custom development work, some basic visual design, and integrations and data migrations. The extent of their involvement really depended on the nature of the task at hand. They’ve helped us deploy our frontend interface and organize our information in an easy and intuitive manner. They’ve also dealt with a significant amount of data preparation and migration work with our backend systems.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this project in monetary terms?

I would say that we’ve spent between $20,000 and $25,000 on their services.

When was the most recent project completed?

We recently completed a project with them in March [of 2014].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they’ve delivered?

We started at the very beginning. Six months after launching our website, we reached almost 1,000 registered freelancers. Three months later, at nine months from launch, we reached around 2,000 freelancers. Once we released our new customization tools, we reached almost 4,000 freelancers. The majority of that growth is linked to the new designs we implemented, which made the software more clear and more user friendly to the users.

When working with Agriya, is there anything you’d consider special or unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguishes them from other vendors with which you’ve worked?

As an offshore vendor, I have to admit that their ability to understand our business requirements was definitely superior to many of their counterparts. I was impressed with their level of understanding and the fact that they were able to provide us with valuable insights. From time to time, we’d approach them with a task, and they would provide strategic recommendations on how to improve our process better or refine our project specifications. That isn’t something I was used to having with an offshore technology partner, especially from India.

BACKGROUND

I am a social entrepreneur out of the Boston area building a Tech Ed site with a limited budget and time.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

This is the second version of my site. We are currently working on the second prototype. I needed someone who was flexible to work on it and improve the performance.

SOLUTION

My business is shifting from one industry to another. I want to provide a website for users who want to gain knowledge about various educational topics. I work with Agriya on Web development for this site. I plan to work with them for at least the next year on this project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

I worked closely with Agriya during the last six months and am very impressed with their expertise and level of service. Through building my prototypes, they showed the ability to work with my business's unique requirements effectively and followed through with their commitments. My project is now moving from building prototypes to building the actual product. I am very much looking forward to working with Agriya on a long-term basis.

I have no complaints. I should have done more research before the project about Web design and development, but that is not Agriya's fault.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

We help residents offer excess space and property to travelers in search of cost-effective hotel alternatives.

What is your position?

I'm the founder and CEO. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you initiated the relationship with Agriya?

We're a small company with very limited resources. We don't have a dedicated team with the expertise we need to implement our ideas. As a result, we needed to find a way to outsource our technical development needs. We were basically in search of a technology partner to handle our custom development work. We needed someone capable of encoding our conceptual ideas. 

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of this project? For instance, did it involve custom visual design, backend development, training, and support?

They were involved with everything. They took our conceptual framework, all of our strategic goals and technical requirements and brought them to life. At first, they helped us scope out the deployment process, including the timeframes, cost, testing, and enhancements. After we cleared that, they handled all of our custom development. We would reconvene at least once a week and review their progress, and then strategize the next steps, whether that be modifying their scripts, or moving on to the next component. 

How did you select Agriya as your solution partner for this endeavor?

I was referred to them on a forum, and they were online. They did marketplace software, and we were building a marketplace environment for rental properties. They had the best rental property staff and script available to start customized development.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in monetary terms?

The entire project cost between $70,000 and $100,000. 

Was this project completed?

No, it’s never completed. It’s always going to require ongoing maintenance. I still do business with them. Right now, they’re in the process of developing a custom iPhone app. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or anecdotal feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

We just partnered with Red Bull, and we’ve got 64,000 travelers on the site and growing rapidly. We just launched our last beta version, which allows us to generate income where we were going to accept booking, start going through our site. We’ve definitely crossed the boundary of being a small business model to an extremely large business model.

They spend six to eight hours a day with me, seven days a week, sometimes on the holidays that they’re supposed to be off. But, they’ve worked with me consistently for four years. I don’t think I could have found anybody better to do this specific project with. Not at the cost, the time it’s taken to get things done, and the consistency of having so many developers at our reach to be able to utilize the software and be knowledgeable with it. 

In retrospect, are there areas you think they could improve upon, or are there things you’d do differently as the client before initiating a project with them?

Nothing that would be of concern for anybody looking to do business with them. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a start-up e-commerce company. We sell and buy advertisements.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I work as a developer in this company. I customize applications and do useful functions with it.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Agriya?

We were getting support for applications that were done by Agriya. They helped us make the changes and in debugging the applications, as well as testing and getting them to the right person. They improved the application and implemented functions that they had previously done. Customizing the apps was my job.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work?

The project involved an e-commerce application for buying and selling advertisements. For example, if I have some space and I would like to invite another person to advertise in that space, I can post it in the application. Users can do online payments and take that spot for a specific period of time. There are e-commerce applications for buying and selling advertisements.

The app is a Web application. It is for desktops, but not for tablets or mobile. It is compatible with mobiles devices and tablets, but it’s not a mobile application.

What was your process for selecting Agriya?

We selected them when they were giving us support. Although there was a time difference between our office and theirs, they were ready to start working with us at any time. If we had any issues with the application, they fixed them within the time period we required. They were fast in completing their work, and the work is very good quality. We found them through some friends who had some experience with Agriya.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The project was about $10,000.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

It was completed in November of 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

We just released it, and should have some results by the beginning of March of 2014.

How did they perform?

They performed very well. They were ready to talk with us at any time, without regard for the time difference. It was easy to talk to them. I am very satisfied with Agriya’s work.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

If we had any issues, they formed a team to solve that issue. They wouldn’t let it go, and just send it to one person. We didn’t have to wait several weeks for a solution.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

We are trying to improve our applications by adding more functionalities. We would like them to add more functionality to our applications. That is our idea for the business. The applications they gave to us were very good, but we’d like to implement more functions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your firm.

Login Voucher Marketing Service Pvt Ltd is a daily deal e-commerce company in India. 

What is your role and responsibilities?

I work as a project manager for the daily deal project. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for the work with Agriya?

We are launching a new daily deal business in India targeting young earning professionals. The challenge is introducing the new business model to both merchants and customers while making it unique from other daily deal sites. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of the project.

Even though the daily deal business model is much similar in other parts of the globe, it has it unique challenges in India. Customers in India use traditional purchasing methods and the voucher purchases method is new for new online users. The website was the major way of educating customers about the new business model.

Rather than starting the project from scratch, we decided to purchase a daily deal script, and wanted to modify it for our Indian market needs. We wanted a script that is user friendly, not only for technical people, but also for customers and merchants. 

What was your process for selecting Agriya?

We found a lot of daily deal scripts in the market that have too many features and are complicated. We found one of Agriya's products that was unique and user friendly, which had all the features that were essential. We completely understood that the script was just a basic tool, and we could make more changes that fit our business style for the target market. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Please assess Agriya's work.

Agriya's work was extremely good in terms of technology, and their support towards this project was very satisfactory. The ideas and innovative tools they offer were not initially part of our needs, but they offered to help us. They work as true partners. 

They have made all key points of their work very simple for any user to understand. Functionality of each new feature is designed in a way so it's self-explanatory. We are glad we found the right developers for our e-commerce site.