Brainence

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the COO of Replyco LTD. Our platform enables multi-channel eCommerce pros to organize, automate and communicate within minutes – all using one single tool while giving access to unlimited users for accurate performance reporting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Well, we had an idea and we wanted to create a messaging platform, so we decided to work with professionals in custom development and Brainence was our choice.

Our main goal was to create a platform that will be faster, better, customer friendlier than any product in our field.

SOLUTION

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

I had personal contact with Brainence's CEO Andrew so we had a long conversation about the project. The deciding factor was a perfect balance between quality, speed, and cost.

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

Brainence designed and developed our software from scratch using the most progressive technologies such as .Net, React. All features, DB connection, and design were made by Brainence.

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

There were 5 people in a core team. Team lead, PM/QA and 3 senior developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to run our project on time, it was very important for us as we prepared all marketing plans for that launch. The team worked perfectly, they advised us on different parts of our platform including features, DB optimization etc.

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

We communicated via Slack, Skype and Telegram. Brainence always met all deadlines and always was open to communication throughout the whole project.

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

The most impressive for me was the ability of the team to provide first-class development and meet all the deadlines combining with their communication skills.

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

Well, I'd say there's nothing to add. Andrew and Ivan have a great team to perform the most interesting projects and become a market leader in the world of development services.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of one of the largest independant pharmacies in the UK. We sell a wide variety of goods including Vitamins, Skincare and Fragrance online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were recommended Brainence to provide us some custom development work on our order management system.

We wanted the system to automatically generate a customs declaration for orders going outside of the EU (pre-brexit).

Andrew and his team delivered a solution which far exceeded our expectations and has always been on hand to help since. Post Brexit he has done a bit of extra work for us which was really helpful and valued.

SOLUTION

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

We were recommended to work with them by our Order Management System provider (Linnworks).

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

They built us an add on app which made the customs declarations automatically pop up for any orders going outside of the EU.

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

Andrew was our sole point of contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The solution they delivered works perefectly and was outstanding. It far exceeded our expectations and we have not had a single issue with it technologically for nearly 2 years.

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

Communication was done over Skype/Video Call. It was always super responsive.

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

They are passionate and focussed on delivering outcomes which exceed customer expectations.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former development lead of Utopix.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brainence?

We were developing a platform for photographers to find work and match with clients. Our team brought on Brainence for frontend development efforts. The goal was the make the platform functional and beautiful.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We ran into a big problem with a choice we made early on in the development process. The platform was coded in Gatsby, a JavaScript frontend framework. The developer who helped our team make the decision to go with Gatsby ended up leaving the company. We found ourselves in a situation where we couldn’t continue building the frontend because we didn’t have any developers who could.

Before we brought on Brainence for help, the first question we asked was if they knew Gatsby well. It’s a younger framework, so it wouldn’t be unusual if they didn’t. They were very honest and told us they didn’t know it very well, but they’d learn. And that was the truth, the handled and finished all the platform’s frontend development.

What is the team composition?

I worked with two people over the course of the project. We had one developer for about 3–4 weeks. However, we asked to change him because he wasn’t meeting our expectations. Brainence acted quickly and was receptive to our request. Our developer changed to Daria (Frontend Web Developer), and we worked with her until the end. I also had occasional contact with Artem (Head of Digital Transformation).

How did you come to work with Brainence?

I did a Google search and created a shortlist of 10–12 companies I then contacted. We knew it’d be difficult to find a company who knew Gatsby very well. Brainence was the only company that was honest. They said they didn’t know it very well, but that they’d learn. We appreciated the honesty, so we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $3,000 a month for six months.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from December 2019–June 2020. I’ve since left the company so I don’t know if there’s a new engagement or ongoing work with Brainence.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Brainence allowed us to focus on the assistance force. We left the website work to their team and that helped us out a lot. It allowed our in-house developers to focus on other efforts.

How did Brainence perform from a project management standpoint?

They did very well with project management. We had a meeting every week with Daria where I’d give her a task for the upcoming week. Artem would contact us regularly to see if everything was going well or if we needed anything. I was very happy with their communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility and expertise were definitely the most impressive. Brainence can handle many technologies and frameworks. And if that’s not the case, they’ll learn it. I was very happy and appreciated this about them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d recommend calling and telling them what technologies you use right now and what you want to use in the future. Be honest about your actual stack and in asking if they can handle it, and you’ll get an honest answer.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of a small software development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brainence?

We needed to develop an extension of our software platform for a new product line and were not able to do that with our current developers because they were working on a parallel project. The difficulty was in being able to scale up significantly within a very short time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The application handles data collection, and we wanted to have a desktop application to complement it. We started from scratch with them in order to avoid overburdening our current developers who were already working on the web platform. From the beginning, we knew that we wanted to transition from .net to .core and make use of AWS and various other implementation options.

Basically, what they did is write the specifications together with us and then translate that into the technical backend solution. We also worked closely together on the frontend solution UI, and we cooperated significantly around how to best integrate those.

Their work allowed us to provide different representations of the data in a variety of graphic visuals like stack bars, slide bars, and gauges. All of that had to be organization-specific because we serve a lot of different organizations with different authorization levels, and it also needed to fit into our existing data collection structure, which they were able to develop for us.

What is the team composition?

We started with one member of their team but have since increased that to two and are talking about potentially going to three in total.

How did you come to work with Brainence?

We found them online through a software development outsourcing platform, and then we were able to narrow it down to a specific location because I really enjoy the city of Lviv.

They were the first team on the list for the programming languages that we needed, and they were very trustworthy in all of our initial interactions, so we decided to stick with them.

How much have you invested with them?

Our current spend per month is about €3,000, and we’ve spent a little under $50,000 so far in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in October 2018 and we are continuing to develop further versions of the application.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Essentially, they have allowed us to achieve the vision that we were going for as a company, and business-wise, they have enabled nearly 100% growth each year. The application they developed has been a game-changer for us because it makes exponential growth in terms of customers much easier to achieve. Without them, we would not be the company we are today.

How did Brainence perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management has exceeded all of our expectations. It is very easy to work with them and they are always highly responsive over Slack, even on weekends. We never impose anything on them, so our decisions are always a conversation involving both parties, which helps to build a sense of mutual respect and collaboration.

We also meet up in person at least twice a year to really help us align all of our plans and expectations. We discuss all of the current and upcoming features, and then we do some fun stuff together too. The relationship is really fantastic.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In terms of what they really excel in, I think their biggest strength is proactiveness. They always think ahead, and they provide very useful constructive criticism for our solutions. However, they are also very open to receiving feedback, which helps to foster a very open and mature working relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, I don’t even have one point on which I think they need to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It certainly helps to have a background in software development, so if it’s possible to bring someone into the conversation from your side who knows the technical details, that is going to help support the back and forth with them significantly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Online retail on 10,000+ skus using Linnworks. Part of my role as business development manager has been to manage the change to Linnworks.net from the Desktop application

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brainence?

We needed to develop our previously existing custom scripts into apps to ensure a smooth transition to the cloud-based service

What were your goals for this project?

A smooth and pain-free transition to Linnworks.net

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were referred to them by Linnworks support

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Reviewing existing scripts and macros, supporting me in understanding them and what they do, troubleshooting any flaws and suggesting improvements, building the apps and supporting me with the installation and set up

What was the team composition?

We had one dedicated person throughout the process

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team of 17 have smoothly transferred to the .net application and we are working more effectively across two warehouse sites

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Via email, very effective

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Easy to work with and even supported over the weekends

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Remedy Fulfilment UK LTD, Operations & IT Director. We ship artist and various entertainment ecommerce merchandise and music worldwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brainence?

Numerous custom macros to enhance our linnworks functionality including, migrating automated stock reports to our clients from desktop linnworks to .net, creating custom reports giving desired information to our clients on .net, support for our desktop macros, consultancy.

What were your goals for this project?

Make Linnworks more automated for us.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Suggested by Linnworks scripting team when they were very busy.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Initial requirements and solutions communicated. Once, we agreed on a solution and cost, Andrew developed the macros over 1-2 weeks, much quicker than Linnworks support. Once installed, Andrew and I tested the reports/scripts until we were happy they were working. Andrew also provided ongoing support for his macros.

What was the team composition?

Just Andrew I believe.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1-2 hours less manual work a day.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Communication was excellent, very easy to get hold of via email or whatsapp, a nice touch that's extremely helpful and personal. Andrew was extremely proactive on replying and giving helpful advice/solutions. We also had a phone call during the brainstorming phase too. I didn't feel there was a language barrier and his timezone is almost the same as GMT.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The speed, communication, and cost in comparison to Linnworks support were great.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not much, possibly documenting the goals of development and cost for agreement by both parties before starting. However, I wouldn't want this to slow down getting something developed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for an e-commerce company and I lead the team of developers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brainence?

We hired them to develop applications and perform custom development for a few of our customers.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to provide a high level of service to our clients. We also wanted our customers and internal stakeholders to have a good experience using the software developed.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended by one of their customers.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They created a web-based application for data visualization as well as complex macros on data analysis and future data predictions. They also did dozens of bespoke SQL queries.

What was the team composition?

I dealt with only one project manager from their side, and I know that our work was distributed within the Brainence team. However, I am not sure how many team members were involved in total.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All delivered projects have aligned with our highest standards. They've made all our customers happy with the quality and timeliness of the services provided.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It is arranged according to our needs. They complete the projects on time and with the expected results.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to think outside the box is impressive. Their website and quite a few of their solutions were genius in my humble opinion.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are none that I'm aware of at this point.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of a web-based directory for housing in Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brainence?

We’ve been working on launching our product for about three years. Up until now, we struggled to find a team that could understand our vision and deliver within a reasonable timeline and budget. We’d already created some basic wireframes and were looking for a firm that could build out an MVP to pilot with a small group of users.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had conducted some initial UX research and built very simple wireframes. Their team completely redesigned what we had created, establishing a robust UX/UI for the site. They developed the front- and backend using the .NET framework, AngulurJS and React.

What is the team composition?

They assigned a team of six to our project.

How did you come to work with Brainence?

We did most of our research on Clutch, and, after looking through reviews and price data, we reached out to five or six different companies. From the first phone call, Brainence seemed to be a perfect fit. Their patience and flexibility set them apart from the other potential vendors.

Each firm that we considered put forth an example codebase, and we hired an external consultant to evaluate them. Our consultant informed us that Brainence offered the highest quality code, and would most likely give us the best value. After hearing this and seeing some of their work samples, we felt confident in partnering with them. We were also pleased with their pricing and their willingness to have an ongoing post-launch relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested approximately $12,000 in their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in November 2018 and was completed in March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received a final product that is much more sophisticated than what we initially expected. We’re very satisfied with our platform and look forward to launching it.

How did Brainence perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. At the beginning of the project, they gave us a detailed monthly breakdown that outlined different milestones for development. Their team delivered everything on time and kept us updated regarding the features they were building. They released each new component on a demo server, and made sure to implement all of our comments and feedback. In terms of communication, we messaged them frequently on Slack, and used Skype occasionally for phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Every time one of their developers or designers had a concern, they reached out, which often led to a fruitful, honest discussion. They were also accommodating and responsive to our needs, even researching different technologies on our behalf. They acted as an extension of our team, which made for a fantastic partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. I’m so delighted with where we are as a result of their work. I couldn’t dream of a better situation.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their recommendations. They are experts in the development space, and will help you maximize value wherever they can.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m an executive for a software and consulting services provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brainence?

We engaged Brainence to develop multiple web applications with complex logic based in AWS.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a surge in our development capacity to built additional applications on top of existing ones. We wanted agile developers who can code cleanly in Angular, C#, ASP.NET Core, and Lambda functions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Brainence’s website and onboarding session made it clear that they are professional developers who can deliver on time and within our budget.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We provided specifications in advance and established the division of roles and tasks between our developers and Brainence. Brainence then developed functionalities for our web applications. They offered suggestions that improved the end results.

What was the team composition?

We coordinate with a dedicated developer who works alongside our development team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have seen a positive ROI. Brainence allows us to bring software solutions to the market faster, which in turn attracts a larger userbase. We now have new prospects, new markets, and more business opportunities

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The collaboration has been a smooth process overall. Professional, reliable, and dedicated, Brainence delivers work on time and manages expectations well. The developers communicate fluently in English. We use Skype calls, Jira, and AWS CodeCommit to manage the workflow.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team proactively comes up with solutions and is eager to deliver high-quality development support. We can develop software much faster than we ever expected. We love working with Brainence.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide service software in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. I'm the CTO and I handle most of the product and strategy in the development of the project and QA processes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brainence?

They provide programming services for desktop and for mobile applications. They also provide QA services for what they developed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a desktop application with a web API and Cordova-based location in addition to field services. They provided some features with the architecture and development of the software. Brainence performed a series of different development services for us.

What is the team composition?

I work with Andre and speak to him every day. I spoke to other developers on occasion.

How did you come to work with Brainence?

I worked with a few of their developers when they were with an alternate firm. I’m not sure how the company initially found them.

How much have you invested with them?

My company invested $160,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together for the past two years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we started our business was small, now our software is much more professional and there is a significant improvement in our internal processes. The product and quality assurance are of the highest quality.

How did Brainence perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was well-managed. We worked well together to create a refined product. We generally communicated through phone, email, and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their development services is outstanding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can always improve in various aspects of communication, but there is nothing specific I can comment on.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Make sure there are good documentation and time management in place to assure a smooth process.