Calibre Consulting

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and president of an online grocery delivery company. We’re currently set up to operate in Calgary, Alberta, but we’ll possibly expand down the road.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Calibre Consulting?

We were choosing local firms to build us a website and a platform so our customers can order.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Calibre Consulting has built the storefront of our website and its backend to help set up the delivery windows and expectations. They’ve used AP Commerce as the storefront and Microsoft Azure. They also do their own coding.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked directly with two people – one is a developer, and the other is a project manager with a background in development. I’m sure they have more people working indirectly, but they’re the ones in the meetings.

How did you come to work with Calibre Consulting?

We found them by searching for top firms for website development in Calgary. They came up, and they had few reviews on Clutch, which definitely helped us out.

They offered a competitive price, which was in our range to start. We had a pleasant conversation with the owner, and she understood our vision from the beginning.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s between $5,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our engagement in June 2021, and we’re currently in the final stages of development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve done a great job. I’ve shown the site to many people in my inner circle, as well as the co-owner and a couple of onboarding team members.

In the end, it’s exactly what we envisioned. It has a good layout, and it’s user-friendly on the frontend. Also, it’s pretty simple to use for someone without a developer background like me. I can make changes and adjustments if it’s needed.

How did Calibre Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly meetings over Zoom to go over updates and what they need from us. They share the screen and are very open about where they’re at. We’ve worked with people who don’t always provide all the information and just tell us what we want to hear. However, Calibre Consulting doesn’t hide anything; they’re very forward.

On top of everything, they’re available any time we call them. They always pick up and return our phone call within the next hour or so. In the beginning, we also texted back and forth, which showed us they cared for the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The biggest thing for us is that we’re on the same page. Our visions align, and they understand what we want. It sounds simple, but sometimes it isn’t as simple as that.

Moreover, they give us ideas, which is beneficial. They’re also receptive to challenges and changes. In the middle of the project, we were going to use another platform called StoreHippo, but it didn’t work out. It would’ve been more difficult for both parties, but they took that challenge and pivoted it onto a new platform without skipping a beat.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The timeframe could’ve been a little bit better. It was anticipated to be done by the end of August, but we weren’t on a tight deadline. Sometimes delays happen, and the vision might take longer to conclude, but their timelines could be more open.

Other than that, everything has been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open and willing to take feedback and pivot your ideas. Calibre Consulting’s team shows passion for the project, so you don’t feel on your own. If they have ideas for you, you should definitely consider them even if they’re not their specific field of expertise.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president of the company headquartered in Calgary, AB.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to develop a mobile app and website for our users to access our services. The objective of the mobile app was to provide online access to their transactions with us and the website was created to draw more traffic to our business.

SOLUTION

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

We selected the vendor based on their in depth understanding of our business needs and it reflected in their proposal.

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

The mobile app was developed for android and iOS. The key deliverables were to manage customer transactions with multiple business locations on one platform. We met weekly to provide clarity of project scope and to minimize rework. Features included push notifications, email notifications, and automated banking transactions.

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

We worked with a project manager and two developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Work is still in progress however we anticipate completion within the next two weeks.

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

The project completion was hampered due to staff turnover so this delayed our project by approximately three months. We had weekly project meeetings to identify weekly goals to get the project back on track. We communicated mainly through in person meetings and email.

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

We found that they are ethical and care about the quality of their work. They are willing to look for solutions to achieve our changing goals as we gained more clarity on our deliverables.

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

Being a smaller company, human resources can at times be stressed to meet deadlines.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Simple Success Fitness, an online fitness coaching company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Calibre Consulting?

The workout creation was simple enough, but delivering it to our customers wasn’t very user-friendly and took a long time. Despite it being a headache on our part, it was becoming a headache for our clients, too. We hired Calibre Consulting to create software to expedite our work and make it more user-friendly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a web app with this software to simplify the processes internally and for our clients. I storyboarded the idea and their designer tweaked it to streamline the look of it. They added functionalities based on some of my directions, but they took it into their hands to make it more viable. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve had two points of contact on their team. 

How did you come to work with Calibre Consulting?

I met the owner of the company through a networking event. I was searching for a software solution and they were a potential option. They consulted with us and opened my eyes to some other possibilities I hadn’t considered. They also showed ways to make it a lot more affordable. They heard my needs and offered solutions I felt confident in.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent in the range of $5,000–$10,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since April 2020. We’re in the process of wrapping up, but we still have one more bug to work on. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The entire process of building and sharing our workouts has been streamlined because of their support. They’ve enabled our business to optimize our offerings. 

How did Calibre Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done really well. They are quick and timely. All of their promises have been followed-up on. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their work surpassed my expectations; the software looks great and runs well. They went above my vision and the quality passed the economic cost. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, I’m quite pleased. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a local painting company in Calgary, AB. At this time, I am working on the tools, but I am also the only project estimator and sales person.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Calibre Consulting?

I hired calibre to design a program that makes proposal writing faster and more professional. It will also serve as a customer management tool.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to be able to generate a painting proposal from a laptop or mobile device in less time than it previously took me using Word.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I met the owner of the company through a networking group. I felt that she knew what she was doing and would ensure my satisfaction with the program. The need arose in my busiest months and I wanted to see what she could do.

Describe the project in detail.

The owner and I met a couple times to discuss the project and what it needed to look like. They created a program and presented it to me, including some additional ideas that really add to the professionalism of the end result. There were some concerns and they made adjustments. The project has gone live and they quickly respond to any concern that I may discover.

What was the team composition?

There was a team of 3 working on the project. I primarily communicated with the owner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My proposals get completed much quicker with the new program. They don't look much different than my old way, but the clients are able to sign and approve the job in a way I hadn't considered. Much easier and more professional.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have been able to work together quickly on any concern or idea that either of us have had.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

My biggest mistake was not hiring this company before my busy season. While they have had quick response times and their knowledge and experience has been evident, my response time and flexibility has not been. They have shown much patience and creativity in keeping the project moving. They have also ensured the the project has kept on budget.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I really enjoyed working with them and don't feel they could have done better in any areas.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide safety programs (documentation, training and consultation) for small businesses that do not require large, intensive systems. I am the President.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Calibre Consulting?

We hired Calibre to help us create a custom web application that would support our service and allow us to scale more efficiently.

What were your goals for this project?

To create a software program that was simple and user-friendly. There would be multiple user access levels. The application would be a browser access software that would be responsive to several different device types.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found Calibre through their website. We had met with a few other developers; but Calibre was the most professional and really met our needs for this project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We provided a wireframe prototype and then worked collaboratively to create the program from scratch. I have been a power user of safety programs for years, but this was a much leaner and intuitive program designed to support our offerings.

What was the team composition?

The team at Calibre consisted of the project manager and 2 programmers. While one programmer was on holidays for part of the project, we never had any issues staying on schedule and things progressed fine.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are just in the process of rolling the product out to clients, so do not have data on impact yet.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Kuljeet provided direct project management and worked closely with me. I also was able to work directly with the programmers on features which worked really well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We found that Calibre was a great match as they are very similar to us: a lean, efficient small business that is looking to benefit from good management and effective use of technical resources. We were on the same page from day one—and it showed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not really, we are very happy with our experience up to this point!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My current work that involves Calibre Consulting is for an oil services company in Calgary. I'm deeply involved with as an independent consultant. I'm coordinating their business processes from accounting at the high level down into the technology the company uses for daily operations behind the scenes activities. As an outside consultant, I act similarly to a general manager regarding the decisions I either make or influence. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Calibre Consulting?

Millennium Energy Services hired me to audit their systems. From there, I arranged to work with Calibre Consulting and I brought them on to support the company. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the beginning, our needs were very basic. We hired Calibre Consulting to set the company up with Office 365 and SharePoint. The organization wasn't excessively large, but we needed a team with enough background to establish the relatively straightforward process of transferring and exchanging email systems. The partnership grew as I discovered we needed to access a database program for one of their main field test data recording systems. 

I don't have a background with that type of work, but the owner of Calibre Consulting had done so quite often in the past. She took on the task of trying to discover what other people had coded for the company over the past 8–10 years because that team was unreachable. From there, the team went on to start adjusting and adapting the program to better fit our current day-to-day operations with the intent of rolling it over into a different SQL database in the future. 

The database work entailed a lot of VB8/A coding that's a bit beyond my skill level to explain. The owner deciphered most of what the past tech team had done and make the necessary adaptions. They also worked on coding other apps. The Team set up SharePoint sites and Exchange e-mail specifically into the Access database program. 

What is the team composition? 

I worked directly with the owner of Calibre Consulting.

How did you come to work with Calibre Consulting?

We work in the same executive office center, which tends to house 1–4 companies in a shared office space. I've worked here since 2011 and have come in contact with the same accounting and IT firms over that time. Calibre Consulting is the most recent team I met. Based on our conversations, they were a good fit for this engagement. 

Being located in the same office space was an important factor since it's easy to have discussions with someone right nearby. We built a level of mutual trust and have found an effective way to work well together. I only contacted other companies that specialize in SharePoint sites to assess the available options and price points for various scopes. Even without 20 years of SharePoint experience under their belt, they've accomplished everything I've needed so far. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent somewhere between $5,000–$10,000 CAD (Approximately $3,800–$7,500 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the first step of this project in mid-June of 2018. Some of the work is still ongoing. We're in a bit of a maintenance pattern right now and haven't considered developing anything new, but we have current work underway that will continue at a moderate pace for at least the next three months before we move into the next phase. 

At this time, Calibre Consulting has completed the bulk of their work for this piece of the project. They're resolving small items that come up through testing to improve usability in the field. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I appreciated Calibre Consulting's communication style. As the point of contact in the field, they mostly speak with me. My role as a liaison has saved a considerable dollar amount and maintained the speed of contact between the team and those who work in the field. Working together made it much less of a struggle to accomplish what we have within the set timeframes. 

How did Calibre Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

I found their general processes from a project standpoint to be quite good. They seem to have a background in this specific nature of work. The team uses a very structured, project-oriented approach. We mesh quite well in that regard. From that standpoint, they did an excellent job overall. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Being able to speak directly with the business owner is very helpful. She's always part of the conversation, so very little gets lost in translation from other employees misinterpreting the terms. This has been an important value for us because we're not running a thousand people. Having a close type of relationship is important for us. I prefer having direct contact with the senior staff members or owners of any midsize IT firm. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't believe there's anything negative they impacted. Delays always came from our end. Any ways to make the process better lay squarely in our hands, not theirs. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a digital officer of Brige. We’re a digital checkbook online app that allows users to write and send checks from a virtual checkbook.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Calibre Consulting?

We needed an external partner to develop the whole system. We had a business strategy and digital strategy, as well as an outline of how we wanted to accomplish it. We needed someone to execute that plan.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Calibre Consulting developed everything from the .NET environment app to the Microsoft SQL and the full integration. It was all fully custom, nothing off the shelf. They developed the security from our standards and then executed all of it.

Currently we don’t have an iOS app but all devices are supported from the web browser. We held off because Apple wouldn’t accept our existing solution since it wasn’t built for iOS. Apple users still have the ability to access our app from their mobile devices.

How did you come to work with Calibre Consulting?

My business partner found them through SabreTEC, a Business Trade Exchange. We looked at another company that was based in the U.S. but it didn't fit with us. One of the biggest factors in choosing Calibre Consulting is we wanted a local company that we could actually go and meet around the corner as needed.

What is the status of this engagement?

The bulk of the project took place from September 2017–October 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're still in the initial marketing phase. The project went over on time because we had to change a couple major points in the development. The app is live and being utilized, but we found some glitches that they have to accommodate. They're still making fixes right now. There’s also some additional things that we would like to put in. We've done a lot of user testing to find bugs since the main development was completed in October. It's pretty stable at the moment. I haven't contacted them for any bug fixes in the last six weeks.

How did Calibre Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is quite good. They've been professional. Everything that we've asked for has been has provided and accomplished.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There’s an ease of communication with them. They're also equitable. I've dealt with other companies where they nickel and dime clients, charging for every single tiny thing. Calibre Consulting is fair on their pricing and billing procedures. We're actually meeting with them tomorrow to be a referral for a potential new client that they're trying to land.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. There are many things I could have done differently in order to assist them. At the start, we weren’t thinking far enough down the road and that path lead us into a problematic area for security. Once they began production, we had to make changes. That's more on me than on them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the operations manager of Daystar Mechanical, an HVAC company. In my role, I use many systems to coordinate, dispatch, and process orders and to manage invoicing. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Calibre Consulting?

Many of the jobs we’re tasked with involve heating, cooling, and refrigeration for restaurants and franchises with big walk-in coolers. We contacted Calibre Consulting to build a customized system to manage our work orders. Our requirements included several specific components to help us keep track of all our daily processes and services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Calibre Consulting built our system and website from scratch. Along with software development, they solved problems with our emails and network connections. The site is mobile responsive so that we can access it from a phone or iPad, but we didn’t develop a dedicated mobile app. 

The system is designed for internal use. It includes a security unit and dedicated modules for aspects of our business, like HR, work orders, cost lists, and rates per hour. Technologies the team used to create our products included ASPX and .NET. They provided some web design services for the database, but mostly focused on programming. 

Previously, we’d had to input numbers manually. The new automated system we built pulls in data depending on the location of a specific job. After the system was complete, I requested more changes and enhancements. Specifically, they recently added invoicing to the work orders functionality.

How did you come to work with Calibre Consulting?

Since I joined the company two years ago after we had hired Calibre Consulting, I'm not entirely sure how we found them. I believe the owners of our company brought the team on. 

How much have you invested with them?

The enhancements I requested from Calibre Consulting cost around $7,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The recent updates took around 2–3 months, but I'm not aware of how long it took to complete the entire system. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Calibre Consulting accomplished our objectives for the set of upgrades on our checklist. To assess their work, I took notes on whether or not each aspect of the project was fully complete. Based on testing from both our sides, everything is working correctly. They made sure nothing went wrong. 

During my tenure, Calibre Consulting notably decreased the cycle time from work order placement to invoice submission. This process used to take two weeks, but the new system they delivered shortened its duration to just two days. Fully automated, it doesn't require us to intervene at all. 

Having the invoices automated is much faster than waiting for an accountant to copy notes from the technicians and paste them manually into QuickBooks. 

How did Calibre Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management went well. Calibre Consulting followed defined methodologies. They gathered the requirements during our meetings or by email and then gave us estimates on when they'd finish the task. Based on the estimate, we usually held a follow-up call or meeting to make sure that the system was working correctly. I believe they used a staging mode to work on changes first. They usually sent me links to the testing environment to review. Once everything was approved, they moved into production. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Calibre Consulting is very open to customers’ requirements, which is important to me. They work fast using established programming methodologies and don’t waste time. The team is honest about their capabilities. They're very transparent if they ever realize they can't accomplish a task or that it will take more time and cost more money.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Aside from a couple of miscommunications, which is only human, everything was fine.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of BizStartup, Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

I help entrepreneurs start their own businesses

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Calibre Consulting to accomplish?

Website

SOLUTION

How did you find Calibre Consulting?

Referral

Why did you select Calibre Consulting over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Calibre Consulting were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Assistance with website development

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My website is fantastic!

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

Kuljeet was available any time I needed her help or advice!

What was your primary form of communication with Calibre Consulting?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their knowledge and responsiveness were impressive.

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

None!