Brainence

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.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of Davis Software, a digital transformation agency. We offer consultancy services and outsource execution of our strategies to offshore teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brainence?

My client who wanted to build a disruptive, innovative app for the legal space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I worked with the client to develop the product specifications. After taking the specifications to Brainence, they worked through them and consulted with me about some of the technical aspects of the scope.

They ultimately provided an estimate and I negotiated with the client to build the product. The design was done in-house with some contributions from Brainence. Over the course of six months, they worked to deliver on that scope.

We agreed on a hybrid JavaScript PhoneGap Cordova framework that was built for Android and iOS. They also integrated it with a WordPress website. It leveraged a Torque framework at the time, but since has migrated onto a KiWi backend. Our team collaborated with the client for testing.

What is the team composition?

We had two developers from their team working at peak efficiency.

How did you come to work with Brainence?

I found them on Upwork. I was considering several other firms at the time. I did a trial phase for one or two days, and decided based on the results whether I wanted to proceed. Brainence was excellent.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent around $40,000 AUD ($30,942 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feedback has been very positive, and the client has enjoyed the technical details that went into the app. They’ve been impressed by Brainence’s ability to tap into so many mobile features.

How did Brainence perform from a project management standpoint?

We do all the project management in-house, so I haven’t relied on them too much for that. Since we assign them detail-specific tasks, we don’t require a project manager. They only provide technical expertise.

We use Skype to communicate. The time zone has been a challenge, since they work during our nighttime. Other than that it has been fine. They’ve been good communicators.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They very clearly explain what they can and cannot do. We are never unsure if they’ve understood the requirements.

They’ve gone above and beyond to meet our goals. That is one of the reasons why we've been so keen to stick with them and make the relationship work both ways.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Initially, we had to do a lot of work on their estimates. They used to give us very broad estimates for even the smallest tasks, but you need to keep your estimates as clear and sharp as possible when you’re dealing with large projects and specific budgets. We have worked with them quite a bit to improve that, and it has gotten a lot better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would use them earlier in the process as a technical consultant.