Atolye15

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m Can Öz, the owner of Can Publishing House and the General Manager of Socrates Magazine. Our publishing house is one of the most respected publishing houses in Turkey and the quintessential home of world literature in Turkey.

Socrates is our very first venture in publishing monthly magazines and has been a great success since its first launch back in 2015. It is a sports magazine that has a world of content that does not focus on a single sport but produces diverse, interdisciplinary content and prefers to elaborate on sports culture in depth

For what projects/services did your company hire Atolye15, and what were your goals?

We hired Atolye15 for frontend and backend development services for the full renewal of our content-heavy website.

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

Socrates is a content-heavy and design-oriented sports magazine with a strong editorial team and a young target audience. We wanted these aspects of our business to reflect in our web presence as well; so we needed frictionless and flawless content delivery on the web as well as a place to contain and serve all of our different content types such as podcasts, long and short-form videos, articles, etc with a great experience. So we hired the best software company we knew to make this a reality

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

As I mentioned before, we are obsessed with the design and experience we present to our readers. We are also one of the most frequent content creators of our country: Podcasts, YouTube videos, articles, a shop, media-specific content, etc... You name it, we have it. We had all of this valuable content scattered across the world wide web and we wanted to do something about it; that “something” is to bring all of the content in one place and to present it with a frictionless content experience as well as a CMS that can be easily used by our editorial team. The twist here is to also present this content in a personalized manner with a membership background. Atolye15 provided for these requests excellently.

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

The team composition changed throughout the project with the requirements of that specific sprint bu generally was something like this: a UI/UX designer, a project manager, 2 backend developers, 2 frontend developers, and a QA engineer

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

After more than a year of working with them, I can easily say that we are now lifelong partners with Atolye15. We were very happy with the services we are provided.

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

They made the way they work very clear from the day we met and it was just like they promised: We get to meet the team every other Friday to go over the last sprint and plan the next one. We also had grooming and prioritization sessions about the tasks, stories, and workforce they dedicate to us. Overall, this clear and precise project management style succeeded greatly in keeping us informed and in the loop.

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

They are confident problem solvers and self-reliant partners. We were very impressed with their proactive approach regarding the potential problems and the way they communicate solutions. The communication channels they provide and the responsiveness of the team are also above anything else we have ever seen in a solution partner.

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

If I must say one thing, we sometimes wished they had a branch or an office in İstanbul for purely social reasons.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder and CEO of Lidio, Emre Güzer. Lidio is the new brand of “Mobilexpress” known by a mass of customer base, and it is Turkey’s largest online payment platform; we are serving our customers the ease to not deal with any complex integrations or contracts thanks to our dozens of artificial intelligence-based solutions.

Lidio has been designed to act as a living organism to help customers make their lives easier and focus on their main jobs, rather than burdens.

For what projects/services did your company hire Atolye15, and what were your goals?

Atolye15 provided us with UI/UX design, frontend development services for Lidio website and payment systems. Our goal was to have a website that stands out by its ease and simplicity, at the same time, we needed to reflect the solid structure of online payment systems we have by presenting the end user with efficient UI/UX design.

How did you select Atolye15 and what were the deciding factors?

We have decided to work with them because of a client reference based on their previous work

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

Now the Lidio team works on the backend and not all of the pages are live yet.

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

Atölye15 team is on the sprint of design and frontend development for "Hosted Payment Page" and "Company Payment Portal". These projects enable companies to make online payments by the help of Lidio or the companies without their own platforms to run the online payment processes through Lidio.

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

The outcomes of the project can better be assessed once all the pages are live, yet we can say that the project sprints went smooth and so far, we are happy with what we have achieved already. We started a second phase of the project following the completion of the first phase successfully.

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

The project management was effective, and the project managers are working closely with us, always on the search for how we can make progress to obtain the best outcomes for Lidio. They use JIRA and PMs are hard working individuals we can always reach out whenever we need to.

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

They are good communicators, they work very much aligned within the team and with their clients. They have helped us a lot with their experience in UI, and they are a self-driven team looking for ways to clarify your project needs better with you.

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

From a general point of view, we were happy with the services we were provided by Atolye15. In terms of catching deadlines, improvements can be made; but it is very dependent on our feedback to the team and our additional requests.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are one of the strongest sales and distribution organisation in FMCG market in Turkey, mainly distributing one of the Turkish leading food brand. I'm the product and service development manager in foodservice channel.

For what projects/services did your company hire Atolye15?

We developed a web site and mobile application, which includes all of our receipe archive, culinary technique videos and a guide for customers to find chefs' choices about where to eat in all cities of Turkey.

What were your goals for this project?

The aim of the project is to create brand awareness of professional chefs and students who has attended a culinary arts programme and customers interested in gastronomy.

How did you select this vendor?

Actually we had started the project with a different company and had congested for further developments. They were recommended to us by one of our agency.

The project was a high priority for our company and we were in a very bad situation. Their result-driven approach and schedule for our situation were key to deciding to go with them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, developed and configured a new web site and mobile application. The project began with a discovery workshop and we defined and approved the workflows and deadlines.

After the approval the project began and ended in the period that we have agreed accoring to our deadlines. Developments and improvement are still going on as planned.

What was the team composition?

The project team had about 5 people, but certain individuals would come and go depended on the skills needed.

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

The new web site and mobile application were lauched on time. The web site and mobile application are working properly. Both professional chefs and consumers are happy and the number of accesses to our web site and application has been increasing. This also leads us to cmake new improvements with Atolye15.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was quite impressive especially compared to our previous experience. The team complied with deadlines and even after the launch they were ready to help us 7/24 in different occasions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team have become part of our company department as they were ready to help us 24/7 in different occasions.

For instance we attended a fair and lauched the new application there as well. However the display that we had there was not compatible with our mobile application.

They spent 2 hours after their work hours to help us to be ready for the fair without any problem. And they came up with a solution.

Are there any areas for improvement?

All they need is to maintain their current processes and team.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a product manager at Etventure, a digital consultancy headquartered in Berlin. I am guiding the development of the platform we're building with Atolye15.

What challenge were you trying to address with Atolye15?

I’ve been working with them on building up a new venture. We started from the main idea, building up to a separate company that was founded a month earlier.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Atolye15 provides development and QA services for a responsive web app. I handled the product work on my side, including developing the concepts, writing requirements, creating mockups, and designing the UI/UX. I was also responsible for approving Atolye15’s work.

For the platform, we use an Azure infrastructure, with a PostgreSQL database. The frontend is built with React, and the backend is based on Node.js.

What is the team composition?

I work with a technical lead and a QA manager at Atolye15. I only work directly with those two people, but there is also a frontend developer, backend developer, and a QA engineer assigned to the team.

How did you come to work with Atolye15?

My company had previous experience with Atolye15, and I’d also worked with them on other projects. I chose them based on my experience and their good reviews. Once we started this engagement, we invited them on as a technical partner.

How much have you invested with them?

This project has cost €50,000 (approximately $55,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

This main project with Atolye15 ran from February–May 2019. We’re planning the next iteration of the product in October, which will take a few months.

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

I’m really satisfied with the speed and quality of their work. We’ve reduced our operational load drastically by introducing the product built by Atolye15. It would previously take us a couple of hours to process one lead on our side. With the system they’ve developed, it now only takes us a few minutes. 

How did Atolye15 perform from a project management standpoint?

We work within an agile methodology, and they’re flexible when it comes to receiving feedback, making adjustments, and giving support. They usually take no longer than a couple of hours to provide technical estimates, and we’ve met all our deadlines with them.

 We work in two-week sprints, and what we plan in the beginning is actually delivered by the end, so there have been no issues. We use email and Slack for communication and Jira for tracking tasks and requirements. We also use tools for video calls and sharing screens, like Skype and Google Hangouts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm really satisfied with their teamwork and flexibility, as well as their fast reaction and technical support. I’m also happy with their delivery speed and quality. I haven’t found a lot of bugs in their work, and if I do, Atolye15 makes fixes very fast.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I just want them to continue with the same level of service. I’m really satisfied with their work, and I can’t think of anything that needs improvement.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of product at Sunshine Smiles. Our company consists of about 150 people and we sell aligners to straighten teeth.

What challenge were you trying to address with Atolye15?

We needed a lead generation landing page with a form to feed data into Zapier, as well as a careers page that is connected via an API to greenhouse.

What was the scope of their involvement?

To focus on one project, the first item they worked on for us was the backend development of our dental guide website. The page functions as a lead-generating landing page for which we provided user stories and designs.

It is optimized to be mobile responsive and directs to a 10-question form where the user can fill out their personal and location information. The website is written in React and also incorporates custom animations.

What is the team composition?

All of our communications were funneled through one project manager, but I believe there was another developer assigned to our project as well.

How did you come to work with Atolye15?

I had worked with them in a previous position and had a very good experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about €5,000 (approximately $5,600 USD) so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2019 and are still ongoing.

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

I don’t want to divulge any of the specifics, but they delivered very high-quality work for us, so we didn’t require a lot of back and forth. We are very pleased with the results so far.

How did Atolye15 perform from a project management standpoint?

They adhered to the project criteria very closely. Their team is extremely reliable and nice to work with, and the always gave us regular updates on their progress through Slack and Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very flexible and pragmatic, which made them very open to finding solutions for us in whatever ways they could.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I was very happy with the product.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a marketing lead in our organization, in charge of running campaigns. We’re a global meal kit delivery service. There are different recipes available, and users can subscribe to our service on our website to receive the kits on a daily basis. We operate in the US, Australia, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, and Belgium.

What challenge were you trying to address with Atolye15?

We wanted to create a blog page with our latest recipes and projects. This blog page would be on top of our current website and within the main, existing codebase. Our goal was to showcase our users’ stories in a better way and improve our organic ranking.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started the engagement by discussing the characteristics of our target audience to identify our ideal user persona. Then, Atolye15 developed a blog for our website. We also worked through another provider on this project, who was tasked with the backend development work. Atolye15 looked at the ways we needed the blog from a design perspective, and they wrote the code according to that. We also provided the wireframes for this project. 

They built it so our editors can use the system to enter content the way they want to create it. If we need technical support or to add new features to the system, Atolye15 will jump in to implement those. It’s more of a CMS that Atolye15 is providing to our editors, for them to post content in their respective domains.

They’ve used different technologies and languages, including PHP. They took the lead in determining which feature would best fit our needs and followed our style guidelines. 

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager on their side and also work with some of the developers and designers. 

How did you come to work with Atolye15?

We wanted to work with Atolye15 because of a good previous experience. We found them online and, based on their website, we could tell they were experienced in creating clean landing pages. They perfectly matched our needs. 

How much have you invested with them?

So far, the cost has been below $10,000, but it’s a very rough estimate as we like to work with them on a month-to-month basis. Since the project is constantly changing, we’re expecting new work from Atolye15 and a larger project cost.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our latest project with Atolye15 in June 2019, and it’s still ongoing. The overall project is expected to take more than a year.

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

We’re still in the beginning phases of the work, so I’m not able to share any statistics yet. Our big achievement will be getting the blog live with the new design this month.

Overall, we’ve been super happy with Atoyle15 in our previous projects and it’s why we’ve continued to work with them. They’ve shown us different perspectives that improve our work, and we’re delighted with their approach. 

How did Atolye15 perform from a project management standpoint?

We were using the scrum methodology in the past, but now we’ve given them their independence to take whichever approach they choose. We have weekly catch-up meetings but communicated over email, Jira, Slack, and Skype for daily needs for any urgent questions or concerns. Additionally, we share information through GitHub, which ensures a transparent collaboration.

We haven’t had any project management issues at all, so far. They do great planning sessions before the project starts and their team informs us of any external issues. There have only been two instances where we missed a deadline, but for good reasons. Our communication is great. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of work Atolye15 delivers delights us and we’re excited to keep getting their support. The team is comfortable explaining very complex development terminology. Aside from their expertise, we also appreciate their organized, detail-oriented, and goal-focused approach. They’re a business provider that has worked with clients from all over the world on similar projects. 

We also like that they push back on some ideas to make them better. It’s not easy for all agencies to suggest something different to a client, but we love to receive their feedback and insight. Sometimes, we’ll have a limited perspective and they’ll go out of their way to give us more ideas.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

They needed to redo their assessments in a couple of cases but we’ve spoken about this in the past. As long as the work is good quality and fits our expectations, we’re happy overall. The price has been a bit on the higher end, but it hasn't been a concern. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Tourope UK Ltd., an international tourism and education company in London. We organize cultural and historic tours across the UK.

What challenge were you trying to address with Atolye15?

We needed a partner to develop a customized CRM to manage our tour records and client requests.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Atolye15 is building a fully automated system that allows us to organize and quickly search all of our tours based on specific keywords. For example, I can enter the word “Tudor” and get a list of tours and events that are related to that theme. They’re building the CRM from scratch in .NET, following specific information and requirements I provided. We iterate back and forth on the product to improve its features. It’s an expandable module that allows for features to easily be added in the future.

What is the team composition?

They have a project manager and lots of team members behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Atolye15?

I met with a few companies but was impressed by Atolye15’s solution-based approach. They were easy to reach and eager to work on our project, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent under $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in January 2019, and the work is ongoing.

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

Before hiring them, we did about 35–40 tours in London. Now, we’ve reached 105 tours.

How did Atolye15 perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate every day, and they work hard to meet deadlines and provide high-quality service. We use Jira, Skype, and Slack to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They easily understood what I wanted to accomplish, and their team is incredibly talented. They’re trustworthy and complete tasks exactly how I ask without any delays. Beyond that, they also have excellent customer service.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Communicating in English can be a bit difficult, especially when we have to use technical terminology.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If you’re unsure about partnering with them, ask for references. You’ll be impressed by the positive things we have to say about them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of First Step Consulting, a nonprofit social enterprise. We recruit and train ambitious volunteers to work with us on challenging consultancy projects in exchange for career-enhancing experience and transferable skills.

What challenge were you trying to address with Atolye15?

We needed a website that would make a good first impression on potential clients and other stakeholders and effectively communicate what we do.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a custom-made website from scratch based on our website mockup. They also provided creative input and suggestions to improve the design. The entire web development process was handled by Atolye15 and their developers used PHP.

There are multiple application forms that they built from scratch and more than fifty pages on the website. That wasn’t in the original plan, but as we started the process, we realized that more pages needed to be added. The website is still growing. We continue to create content and change the design when we have the time and budget for it.

What is the team composition?

It was a team effort. We were in contact with two client relationship managers/project managers. There was 4–5 web developers. They provided us with 1–2 web designers as well, which wasn’t part of the original plan, but they had some free time and contributed to the process to make changes when necessary and to improve the UX and search navigation. Senior managers were also actively involved, and even their founder contributed to the project.

How did you come to work with Atolye15?

We spoke to more than 30 agencies. Atolye15 stood out to us because they were diligent from day one in establishing a strong rapport with us. They never came across as a pushy sales team. They wanted to find solutions and partner with us. They’re a team of incredibly experienced, reliable, conscientious professionals. They have an impeccable reputation in their home country. They also had high-quality design products that they developed for other clients. I have no regrets choosing them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June until September 2018, and we continue to give them follow-up projects to make changes.

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

We’ve seen significant improvements in all key performance metrics, such as the number of applications we receive from volunteers, website visitors, and potential clients. The new website is much more established and professional than our previous site. A large number of people reviewed the website, and the feedback has been highly encouraging so far. The website loads and responds quickly. The overall outcome met and exceeded our expectations in every sense.

How did Atolye15 perform from a project management standpoint?

They were understanding and flexible about the project evolving. Their team was great at solving problems and delivering on time. They didn’t compromise on quality at any point.

We used multiple tools to communicate, such as Skype, Jira, and email. Sketch App was also essential for the success of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They pushed their limits to get the job done. They’re an incredibly talented team of developers and designers. Their team offers world-class quality services at a reasonable price. We received quotes from more than twenty companies, and their price level is one of their strengths.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t easily spot any agencies dramatically better than them. They have the skills, and this agency is ready to go global. They just need opportunities to establish themselves as a global player.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your homework before starting the project. Don’t rush things. Create your content and make sure everything is in place, and then start the process. Being organized in advance will allow them to do their job most efficiently.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a junior category manager at Microsoft Turkey for the Xbox brand.

For what projects/services did your company hire Atolye15?

I needed to build a custom mini-website.

What were your goals for this project?

Although we have an official localized Xbox website, we didn’t have full control of its content. Therefore, we decided to redesign an Xbox dedicated website so we could manage its content and direct customers to online retail stores.

How did you select this vendor?

I worked with two different web development firms for a few projects, but my team and I decided to move on because of their high quotes and lack of quality. I found Atolye15 online.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We provided them with a brief about the project and informed them about all of our consoles, accessories, and services in detail. Also, I introduced Atolye15 to our distribution team and retailers so they’d be up to date regarding our price discounts and campaigns. This was crucial as the point of the website was to keep pace with the fast-moving retail industry. Atolye15 provided a campaign-focused website with all the necessary optimizations to enable us to overcome any possible problems.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a developer, a designer, and two project managers. We were always in touch with the project manager.

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

Most of the site’s metrics ranked above industry standards. Our retailers’ online sales have increased over 150% YoY.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was very effective thanks to good communication skills and quick responses from the project manager. Despite facing strict deadlines (Black Friday campaign week), Atolye15 completed their tasks on time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their project managers were intensely hands-on and handled every change that arose. They fully met our expectations.

Are there any areas for improvement?

While they use Jira for project management, I’d prefer to use BaseCamp. Overall, however, the project was successful. They provided high quality in a short period.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the product owner of an online networking platform that specializes in compilating mailing and contact lists.

What challenge were you trying to address with Atolye15?

We didn’t have enough resources to develop our website in-house, so we needed to find a development agency that could build our platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?   

Atolye15 was required to build a site with responsive web pages. We also needed the platform to support and analyze extensive user information, so they developed a web tool that accurately converts data into mailing lists.

What is the team composition?

They assembled a team of project managers, designers, and developers to help us with the project.

How did you come to work with Atolye15?

We conducted extensive research on potential partners before making our hiring decision. Atolye15 had the most impressive portfolio, and their team was genuinely excited about our project.

How much have you invested with them?

The project is valued at $299,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They have been working with us since April 2015.

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

While it’s too early to measure the financial impact that their work has had on their business, we can testify that they brought amazing energy to our team. We have also noticed that more leads are reaching out to us now that we have a sophisticated website.

How did Atolye15 perform from a project management standpoint?

Their affinity for cutting-edge tools like Jira, GitHub, and Asana helped our teams stay in sync at every stage of the project. We also used Slack and Skype to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was both comforting and refreshing to work with a partner who shared our determination for success. Their commitment to our project was unwavering.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their preference for high-quality deliverables occasionally caused delays.