BelVG

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the IT & Development Manager of Herndon & Merry, Inc. (D.B.A. IronRods.com )

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a custom metal fabrication company who has been in business since 1959.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire BelVG to accomplish?

• Fix existing problems with a Magento website which was being developed
• Complete the work that was left unfinished by a previous developer
• Add new options and features to our Magento website
• Guide us through the launch of our new website & help address any issues that arose

SOLUTION

How did you find BelVG?

Online Search

Why did you select BelVG over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Other

What was the size of BelVG’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

• Repaired hundreds of errors created by previous developers 
• Developed many custom features for Magento 2 
• Installed and configured several Magento 2 Extensions 
• Installed and configured custom hybrid shipping tables for UPS shipping 
• Setup Authorize.net payment system 
• Optimized website performance 
• Developed very elaborate PHP code to price highly customizable products 
• Developed ability to service both retail and wholesale customers through a single interface 
• Customized Magento 2 backed to meet our specific needs 
• Corrected HTML & CSS issues for both desktop and mobile 
• Fixed JavaScript issues and developed custom scripts to serve our needs 
• Created elaborate server side and client-side input validation 
• created custom printable and downloadable invoices, job tickets and other documents

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Website errors were resolved 
• Required features were added 
• Website performances much improved 
• Customer experience on the website is exceptional 
• Developers were extremely knowledgeable and responsive to our needs 
• Support from BelVG management was also exceptional

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

The project management was very organized and transparent. They always kept us updated as to the status of the project and any issues they encountered. They responded positively to every need and request. They always strived to deliver milestones on schedule.

What was your primary form of communication with BelVG?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Honestly... Everything! I have been involved in web design and development for nearly 25 years. BelVG is exceptional in every way, this is not something that I say lightly. They were looking out for us at every stage of this project, and did every they could to ensure our success. 

Their team is extremely knowledgeable and accommodating. They acted as a partner in the development process and genially cared about the outcome. I would not feel comfortable saying this about companies, but I will always be grateful to the team at BelVG and would proudly recommend and commend them.

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

No, not really. I am 100% satisfied with their performance and the resulting website.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an IT project- and operation manager at Vinduesgrossisten.dk

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed a competent team to handle our operations and development. Both for day-to-day maintenance of our system, but also to help develop new ideas for future expansion of our company.

SOLUTION

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

We looked for companies with experience in Magento development and chose BelVG.

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

They have developed our Magento e-commerce webshop for both Denmark, Norway, Germany, and Iceland. – With several more development projects in pipeline for the future.

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

We currently have 5 backend developers, 1 frontend developer and a project manager working with us

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have launch several webshop over the last couple of years, with the help of BelVG and we strongly recommend their work.

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

We communicate with the team via Slack and Skype and have weekly teams call to make sure everyone is one track. For project management tools we use Asana.

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

Their work ethic. They are always dedicated, putting in a lot of hours to keep up with their appointments and deadlines.

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

There sometimes is a language barrier, but we fixed this with regular teams call, update on work and development. And in case of any misunderstanding, we can catch it before we get too far in development

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a website manager at The Savile Row Company, an online retailer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BelVG?

We needed someone to develop our e-commerce site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our website using Magento 2. We had two designers in-house that created the templates and mockups. It was a big project with lots of third party extensions and data integration. They continue to provide updates and bug fixes now that the site has launched. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, a backend developer, and a couple of frontend developers. 

How did you come to work with BelVG?

We compiled a shortlist of companies and ended up choosing BelVG.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $90,000-$110,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2019, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched the website in February 2020. Their work is exceptional compared to the previous agency we worked with. They fixed things right away and followed our brief fully. The quality of their work is high.

How did BelVG perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was broken down into small tasks. We communicated with them daily via email, Slack, and Trello. They stuck to the original price even though they dedicated more hours to working on the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their response time to any issues or errors was very fast. They don’t typically work weekends, but when we had issues with the website on the weekend or in the evening, they were able to help. We just texted them via WhatsApp or Skype and there was always somebody to help. They also have good knowledge of Magento 1 and Magento 2.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They didn’t fully understand the scope of the project when they decided to take it on. Going forward, maybe they could be more thorough to make the work estimates more accurate for their developers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to ask questions before they start working on the estimates. Be as open as you can. Give them as many details as you can including any problems you might’ve run into with a previous agency. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My name is Ronny martick and I am the founder and managing director of LAUFTRAINING.com. We offer our customers personal planned training and training support. Customers range from beginners to professionals (German marathon champions).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BelVG?

For the whole project.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a solution for how we can provide our customers a training platform that reflects our training concept and ideas. W also needed an area for the coaches so that they can create plans for the customers and stay in contact with them. The system should be prepared so that it can continue to grow. We are planning an app and a nutritional plan.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

BELVG was recommended to us and after the first conversations we decided to start our project with BELVG.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We created a layout with our designer. This was developed by BELVG. BELVG had to create a basic concept and implement it in a meaningful and future-proof way.

What was the team composition?

Our contact person was Valerie over the entire time. She has deep knowledge of the project and is a reliable contact. There were times, when several developers were integrated into the project. Currently there is one developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since BELVG implemented the entire project, the influence was of course very big. The newly developed system was less prone to errors, offered a lot more features and enabled us coaches to work quickly and reliably.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Our project manager Valerie was always our contact person.She has acquired in-depth knowledge and was a very important contact for our development. We look forward to continuing to work with her.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The work is reliable and professional. We always have a reliable contact and feel very well cared for

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, everything is/was fine

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The company sells Silent Disco equipment internationally for a wide range of uses, conferences, sports and fitness, walking tours, education, festivals, home use, care homes and of course, silent discos. My position is as a consultant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BelVG?

The company had an existing Magneto 1 store but wanted to make a wide range of improvements to the site rather than simply migrate to Magento 2. The project was a full redevelopment on the Magento 2 platform.

What were your goals for this project?

The focus was on improving the user experience and trying to sell a complicated range of products in the most user friendly way. We were also focusing on integrating with internal and external systems to automate as much of the business process as possible.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I put an initial RFP out to three offshore companies and BelVG gave us the best balance of quality and price. They also provided the most comprehensive response which was reassuring.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project was developed with an Agile methodology and BelVG were working with our designer in order to implement the designs.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of a Project Manager, Lead Developer, Front End Developer and typically two further Developers although this was scaled up and down accordingly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's early days as we have only just gone live.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was managed well, communication was good and there was a high degree of visibility over the time spent.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They got things right the first time around, which is rare. At least in my experience of outsourcing.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing springs to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of an infant products company. We design and produce baby carriers, baby wraps, and baby slings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BelVG?

We hired BelVG for web-based development. The vendor rates in Amsterdam were pretty high, and the quality wasn’t always at a high level. We tried three companies (even in the Netherlands for some years). At some point, we had a challenge we were facing in the PrestaShop platform we were using, and they couldn’t solve it for weeks. So, we looked for another vendor.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They are helping us develop our web shop on an ongoing basis. There’s always optimizations and improvements that we foresee and changes that we want to make.

For a year, they worked on a full-time basis with one developer and a project manager. At some point, we had some struggles and stopped the relationship. After a while, I opened the relationship again. 

Starting in June 2018, they redeveloped our current web shop within the newer version of PrestaShop that has all the different code components. It took 3-4 months to get it done. 

Since then, we’ve had ongoing improvements and developments. For example, today we were discussing some finalizations of some tasks. We were adding Canadian dollars to our shop. They will deploy the feature to our live environment, and I will monitor it closely.

What is the team composition?

There’s a full-time developer and a project manager. There’s some interaction with a supervisor when things are a bit complex from a code perspective. 

There is also a more senior person who’s not a developer on a full-time basis, but he supervises some projects, assists, and gives advice. Sometimes the developer has discussions with the senior person to see how we can best implement tasks.

How did you come to work with BelVG?

They had an online blog post on a topic that had to do with PrestaShop, and I picked them from there. I was able to write a question to them on their website, and they were very open to it. 

Two hours later, they told us what the problem was and how they’d fix it — that amazed me. We quickly decided to migrate from the relationship with the Amsterdam company to BelVG

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2015, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, it’s working fine, and the costs are quite manageable. It’s one-fifth of what we paid in Amsterdam. The quality of their in-house developers is equal to or better than those in Amsterdam. 

So, we’ve had 5,000 more hours to get things done with people that are as good or even better. The partnership has had quite an impact.

BelVG is a PrestaShop partner. We work with PrestaShop which isn’t a super well-known platform as opposed to platforms like Magento. When we discussed rebuilding the web shop, I wasn’t sure whether to use PrestaShop again or Magento since BelVG is also a Magento partner. 

However, they told me it didn’t make sense to use Magento and that PrestaShop is easier and cheaper. So, it’d take fewer development hours to get things done. We only have 50 SKUs and the PrestaShop format is good for that. 

How did BelVG perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is good. We have weekly or biweekly meetings depending on the tasks they’re working on. I write to BelVG about the outcomes of what we do internally.

For project management systems, we’ve worked with Redmine and Jira. Now, they have another system, YouTrack, that they implemented last week. It’s an online system where all their tasks are visible, and I can comment on these tasks. 

There’s a customer support supervisor that I chat with on a daily basis via Skype to ask them questions or send in comments. That works smoothly and efficiently.  Also, they’re responsive. If I say that something is urgent, they’ll be available at night and on the weekend. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver good quality work, and their PrestaShop expertise is impressive. I don’t think it’d be easy to find a PrestaShop development partner that knows it better than they do. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m Dutch, so trying to make myself clear in English isn’t always the easiest thing when it comes to details. (They try to understand what I’m saying and get back to me in English).

Sometimes it takes some extra time and communication to get things exactly clear. I don’t think they like to ask questions. But, it’d be helpful if they could ensure that they understand me fully. 

I speak with them via email or Skype. I used to ask if we could have a call, and they always refused because they don’t like talking over the phone.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to absolutely make sure that they have a correct understanding of your needs before they start on your work. I’d try to always check on that. You should have them explain what they think you want so you can make sure they absolutely understand. 

Also, send a lot of screenshots to avoid any doubts. You can display the changes you’re envisioning in a visual way without doing an entire Photoshop exercise.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of an e-commerce agency that helps clients build advanced online stores.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BelVG?

We hired BelVG for both large and small projects, as well as sporadic maintenance. They have always delivered.

What were your goals for this project?

Our most complex project was the development and maintenance of payment gateways used by hundreds of merchants. We needed to remain adaptive and persistent in maintaining the solutions and ensuring their compatibility. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I sent sample tasks to 30 agencies but stuck with BelVG because of the quality of their code, communication, and customer care.

Describe the project in detail.

We have developed six major e-commerce projects together, all fairly complicated. As far as we know, this project was the most complicated one BelVG has ever had.

What was the team composition?

BelVG provides direct access to developers and assistance from project managers. We currently work with their frontend, backend, and project management teams.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The payment service provider they built has reduced the number of downtime incidents. It has also significantly increased the amount of customers onboarded.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We use our project management tools, such as Jira, for issue management. They work just like our in-house developers. We have a short meeting each week to discuss obstacles and priorities. BelVG is always responsive if we need to change direction suddenly to meet new demands.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I'm impressed by the amount of knowledge their developers have. They are all willing to share their knowledge and help the project go as smoothly as possible.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It would truly blow me away if each developer had a high level of English fluency. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of technology at MuscleFood. We sell health food online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BelVG?

We engaged BelVG to build new features for our Magento 1.9 platform.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to introduce a variety of new functionalities to our online storefront.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After considering many firms, we chose BelVG because they came highly recommended and with a stellar reputation in the Magento community.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

BelVG built several new features for our e-commerce platform. They customized our checkout page and process, added new functionalities to our product pages, and enhanced several UX flows.

What was the team composition?

We worked with two dedicated developers and a few project managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The cart and checkout page customization have increased our conversion rate considerably.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project managers worked directly with us to ensure the project’s success. We scheduled daily calls and communicated with the team over Slack.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The BelVG team performed difficult work with enthusiasm and a positive attitude from start to finish.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an e-commerce company that specializes in hunting, sporting, and shooting accessories along with some firearms. We sell retail and wholesale mainly in France, as well as other countries in Europe. We were established in 1992 and launched our first website in 1997, so we've been in business for quite some time.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BelVG?

We had an existing basic HTML website that hadn’t been updated in quite a long time. As we became aware of newly available technology, we narrowed our choice down to Magento. We needed to work with a team who could develop websites on that platform. After contacting several companies in April 2010, we found BelVG. In 2015, we assessed other sites including ones outside our market sector and realized we needed a modernized redesign.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave BelVG a briefing of our specifications and a rough outline of the design. Having been in the e-commerce business for over ten years, we had a precise vision for our desired look and feel. We communicated back and forth as they developed test websites. Together, we fine-tuned it to produce exactly what we wanted.

BelVG completed the entire site build from that point on. They worked seamlessly with our in-house I.T. department, who provided the product lists and other necessary details. We initially just requested the basic setup for a Magento e-commerce platform. A few specific requirements hadn’t been on our original website. BelVG added a dealer locator to our dedicated wholesale site, which had been impossible to include before. They significantly improved the integration with our mailing list.

We upgraded to the new version of Magento about four years ago and took the opportunity to redevelop and modernize the entire frontend UI. We needed a different look and feel than the original HTML site so our customers wouldn’t be confused. Since then, they've added several new features and completed all our requested changes.

What is the team composition? 

We only have one point of contact, which I think is an excellent idea. Our project manager takes care of everything. She relays the essential details of our requests to the actual designers and developers. We never have to go back and forth between different people, which works very well. 

How did you come to work with BelVG?

I searched for a vendor on Guru.com, a website for outsourcing. We're based in France but didn't want to use a French company because they're too expensive. I've worked internationally and set up similar outsourcing projects in the past, so I wasn't worried about using an offshore team. There are perfectly reliable vendors available. After posting our project to that site, BelVG was the second or third team to respond. Price was one of the main deciding factors, but they also seemed positive and enthusiastic about working together. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $30,000 at this point. The initial website setup cost $8,000, and the redesign was about the same amount. Our monthly fee is between $200-$300. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our site took about six months to complete. We started in June 2010 and finished just before Christmas in that December. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have the best website in France in our market sector. The final version of the design is perfect. Since launching the new platform, our site visits have noticeably increased, and we've seen steady growth for our business. The site scales up as our company expands and has enabled us to extend our product range. We started with about 5,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs). Now, we have about 16,000 purchasable items available in our e-commerce store. 

While we’re still a small company, we've doubled in size. We employed eight people back in 2010 and currently have a staff of 15. We've doubled our annual turnover over that period, as well. Our website is our primary source of exposure for selling products. I'm pleased about the results we've seen. Over time, we've developed a very close working relationship with BelVG. More than eight years is quite a long time to work with an outsourcing company, but they're essentially part of our team at this point.

How did BelVG perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a great job. Our main point of contact offers excellent response times, and we use e-mail to communicate exclusively. They also have a collaboration tool that shows the state of a project or specific task. I've looked at it briefly but never feel the need to check it. I trust that BelVG will get the project done. 

We've had difficulties like any other e-commerce company, but they quickly fix anything that goes wrong. They even provide support on nights and weekends, which is reassuring since problems usually occur at the most inconvenient times. I never have to worry about downtime, which is the worst possible problem for an e-commerce website. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everything is essentially perfect. The communication is excellent. They not only respond promptly but also make sure they’re giving me the correct answer. That's one of the most important considerations for me. As someone who works in wholesaling and retail sales, I know how important it is to offer accurate and efficient customer support. BelVG follows through on their promises. If a delay occurs, they give a specific timeframe for when it will be done and respect that deadline. That's the most important thing for me. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

When we first started working together, there were a few oversights, but I’ve seen a marked improvement since then. I can't think of any areas that need work right now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Apart from choosing them to work with, not at all. BelVG is very good at what they do. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m one of the Managing Directors of Deine Tuer, a door and flooring company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BelVG?

We needed help with backend development, as well as bug-fixes on our Magento site.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to deal with our complex product options and work on client feature requests.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended to us.

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

BelVG developed some of our core features and worked on our most time-consuming debugging.

What was the team composition?

We’ve worked with four different developers so far, all with their own specialties.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They worked with incredible speed and provided outstanding quality.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project manager was always available and communication was very honest and transparent.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We’ve worked with six different agencies so far and BelVG is one of two that’s been able to understand our complex setup and requests. We’ve never seen anyone understand our requests with such minimal communication – not even with developers that are right around the corner from us.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

They were almost perfect.