Bytes Technolab

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

There’s no doubt they’re very good on the technical side. If I tell them what to do, they’ll deliver.

However, they have a tendency to interpret our vision literally. They are very good at taking requirements literally and implementing them, but they don’t have an advisory role. 

Since they’ve been in the industry longer, I would’ve expected Bytes Technolab to come forth and tell us when something’s not a good option. 

Maybe it’s not their place to advise us, but we’ve had to make slight changes to our architecture decisions along the way. 

How did Bytes Technolab perform from a project management standpoint?

I was considering pulling the project 3–6 months after starting because there was a communication gap and things weren’t moving as quickly as I expected.

But, they’ve picked it up along the way. I realized it was a matter of understanding our business. (they had some issues understanding how our business functions in Australia). This was a completely new industry for them.

There were a few challenges early on, but we developed an understanding of each other’s personalities, and we’re on the same tempo now. 

Mitul understands what I’m looking for, my business challenges, and my vision. We’re on the same page, and I haven’t had many challenges working with him recently. He also brought in a new project manager who is very good.

We use Jira extensively for all of the work and communication.  Our testers log all defects and comments into Jira, so it’s the sole task tracking tool for us. We have a scrum meeting every night on our time and every morning on theirs.

We’re working from the US and Australia, so there seems to be a bit of a cultural gap regarding different terminologies. But, I have no big challenges with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with lots of Indian companies and some Kenyan ones. What distinguishes Bytes Technolab is that, when they say it’s possible and that they’ll deliver, they will. 

We presented them with an initial document, they estimated the requirements, and their understanding of those requirements was right on. There were some ups and downs in the first six months, but not any technical issues.

They know what they’re doing, and they will tell us exactly what’s possible and what isn’t. I haven’t gotten the same kind of confirmation or clarity from other technology service providers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could think more from the client’s point of view instead of just thinking of what we’re asking them to do. 

I always tell them “Understand where the questions and requirements are coming from. You can have your say about things you don’t necessarily agree with.” It’s okay to say that an idea or technology is wrong and suggest another way of doing it.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should have no doubts about trusting Bytes Technolab or the quality of work that they’ll deliver. But, clients have to know what they’re doing before they give the work to them. 

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

Our business is driven by our website and they’ve played a key role in our success. Before, when we had to rely on the development team to make every change, it would take a long time. A customer could change their shipping address before the shoes were shipped but, by the time the change was made, the shoes would be shipped and the shipping charges incurred. The delays cost us customers. Now I have flexibility and control over all of these things on our end. Additionally, we’re now able to work with many more third-party resellers. Before the process was cumbersome and painful. Now it’s seamless, which has allowed us to scale that part of our business. Overall, from an order management perspective, it’s been easier for us as well as for other vendors to manage things that were previously all manual. Our business efficiency has significantly improved since working with Bytes Technolab.

How did Bytes Technolab perform from a project management standpoint?

We usually communicate on a daily basis. Depending on what project we’re working on and what’s on the roadmap, it may be every two or three days instead. I speak to the business analyst or the project manager, who provide me with updates. If they have any concerns or questions, they raise them with me. When I’ve had to call then on a weekend, they’ve been responsive. They’ve managed to pull a team together to help me out. I’ve been happy with what they’ve done for me and continue to work with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would say their work ethic. That's by far the most important skill that they have. They've been partners. They have the technical expertise—so they provide great suggestions and value—but they’re also able to work on challenging timelines. Sometimes I need them to move at a really fast pace and they're able to cope with that. For example, we had a collaboration with a TV show and I needed something done very quickly. They worked over the weekend and met the deadlines. The best thing about them is their ability to work with the timelines that I have and support us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. Whenever I find something that I think they could do a better job on, I suggest it to them. They're open to feedback and make changes relatively quickly. As of right now, I can’t think of anything that I would want them to change.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think having a structure and process in place early on at the start of the project really helps. That's something we did when we started working together and it laid the foundation.