Capital Numbers

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder head of Strategy for Brand Grenade an advertising agency. I am also a founding partner of the BIMM Group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We used Capital Numbers to scope, develop and build our SaaS platform. The predominate goal of the build is to create a unique workflow and workspace that allows many different people with a brand variety of skills from all over the world to collaborate and contribute on marketing projects.

SOLUTION

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

I found them through both referral and online. Initially cost was the appealing factor, however the ability, skill and professionalism of the Capital Numbers team was the ultimate deciding factor in choosing them.

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

To describe the scope of work in detail here would not be enough space. We had a thoroughly thought out idea and a very comprehensively designed project. What we needed were the digital skills of a very talented team who could understand the complexity of what we were trying to achieve and could deliver it seamlessly. The project went from scope, to build to design and test. Every stage of production was mapped out in a timeline and every deadline was met. I am not a technology person, but whatever we needed the team had the knowledge skills the project required.

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

There were 6 core people in the Capital Numbers team. There was initial business contact who organised the quote and response to our brief and then once awarded the project went on to build the team. This team included a producer or production lead who managed the entire build as well as a number of designers and developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's a touch too early to talk about results, however what i will say is that the team have over delivered on every occasions. Every deadline has been meet and, more importantly, every potential problem has been quickly solved.

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

Capital numbers used teamwork for us all to work through which was handy. I would add we have hardly had to use it as the entire process has run so smoothly. The team and in particular the project leader Tulika has been excellent to work with.

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

Total professionalism in everything they have done for us. Whether it be the timelines of response to the way they've tackled problems.

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

To be honest this, because of the Capital Numbers teams professionalism has been the most hands off project of this scale Ive been involved with. Nothing negative to say at all.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company does Digital Marketing and I am the VP of Operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired CapitalNumbers for website development for multiple websites now. Our goal was to create modern, optimized, and functional websites for our clients.

SOLUTION

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

We have worked with CapitalNumbers for many months now and decided to keep them as our main website provider due to their effectiveness.

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

We always meet to discuss the project, receive a quote from CapitalNumbers, then they begin development once we provide the necessary access and assets. They then develop our sites using WordPress, usually in Divi theme.

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

Two

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All sites made by CapitalNumbers have been great and have helped our clients gain more leads

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

We were updated via email with any progress, which was sufficient for our needs

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

I always find so impressive how responsive they are to changes that are needed and always do them quickly.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner and creator of a social networking community geared towards combat sports enthusiasts. I am the president, lead UX/UI, and visual designer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I hired Capital Numbers (CN) to support me with matters pertaining to customization of a WordPress child theme and plugin customization to offer unique features planned for this community.

SOLUTION

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

The criteria upon which I chose CN were expertise, experience, multi-tiered development solutions, and cost-efficiency. I found Capital Numbers to be competitive and very competent after speaking with them and reviewing some of their projects online.

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

The scope of work involves theme customization, and specifically fixing issues that were hindering the project from moving forward. The site was transferred to a new hosting provider and subsequently lost some key functionality in the process.

CN was able to investigate the issue(s), accurately diagnose, and fix the problem(s) in a short time. This gave me an extreme sense of confidence in their capabilities. I also required custom UI implementation on the WordPress platform, which seemed a breeze for the senior developer assigned to my account. I am impressed with their responsiveness and ability to work quickly.

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

I believe I have worked with two to three of their associates thus far, and they did a great job of scoping the assignment and providing a developer with a high level of experience to get the job done without much headache or over-explaining.

They got it right the first time around, which is a huge saving as other companies can often go back and forth many times to get the job done right. I believe the developer assigned to my project is an sr. level WordPress developer with over four years of experience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Measurable outcomes include the result of getting problems resolved with a one-week time frame and knocking out tasks as they were assigned, day-to-day. This project was spiraling downward due to key features not working. CN was not only able to get features they've never worked with on track quickly, but went above and beyond in enhancing the site with new capabilities.

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

Initial contact was with a sales representative who accurately developed a scope of my project and the issues I was experiencing, then they zeroed in on making sure I had the right level of experience in the development team to get the job done without headaches.

The level of communication is great. We are able to communicate fluidly and have stand-up meetings per my schedule. They are responsive and transparent. They hold their team accountable and I feel like I am working with a company I can put my trust in, a true business partner who cares about the success of my company.

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

They are hard-working, transparent, and very capable. They care about the quality of their work and don't haggle with you. They listen and respondand don't make any excuses for a job not well done.

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

Geographic logistics were the only challenge to this project. We are operating remotely and from different time zones, which is difficult to control with any vendor. CN is very accomodating in making sure we have good communications and they can meet my schedulign needs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm part owner and CTO of Twofold Media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had an increasing demand for custom web development solutions among many of our clients - this included custom Wordpress theme/plugin development to solve business issues.

SOLUTION

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

We searched many different providers before going with Capital Numbers - their impressive portfolio and friendly staff is what led us to deciding them over others.

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

We began by outlining and wireframing web applications and their logic. After, we plan out any necessary APIs that will be needed for the project. From there, we collaborate and communicated with them as features were built out and tested. Key technologies are Wordpress Theme & Plugin dev, so PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, Javascript.

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

We work with an account manager and a developer directly, communication is always very consistent.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

By creating new plugins and themes, we are able to facilitate clients with very particular development needs - our clients are extremely happy with the results of these plugins!

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

We use Slack daily to review progress, and we use Adobe Xd to deliver wireframe and application designs.

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

What I find most impressive is their timeliness and attention to detail. They know exactly what we ask for, even when our explanations could be sub-par or if designs aren't ready for them. 

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

So far, we really have no critiques.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of app development for a safety and security company. We dispatch life safety services. Many of our apps involve integrating various systems to offer new services around life, safety, and security. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Capital Numbers?

We hired Capital Numbers to increase our team’s resources. We had a full internal development team that was taxed with a big backlog. As a result, we wanted to ease up on frontend work and push it out to external resources. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Capital Numbers’ main job was for a frontend customer form app. It was a simple web form used by our end customers who either needed support services or pre-sales support. Their entry would then hit our API, which would reroute the entry within our system to the correct departments. 

What is the team composition?

In total, we worked with 5–6 people. 

How did you come to work with Capital Numbers?

We found them through Clutch. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $2,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership lasted from June–September 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

The engagement was unsuccessful. We initially had a project manager and an account manager, and they assigned a developer to us. However, they needed to change the developer, and when they did, they also changed the account manager. This caused a lot of confusion in the project, and we had to cancel the engagement at that point. They took responsibility for the confusion, and we appreciated that. However, it wasn’t worth it anymore for us to move forward.

To be fair, Capital Numbers did well up until the confusion points. We felt that they had an internal issue to deal with, and they took responsibility when they came out of it. Given that, I wouldn’t take all credits away from them — they made an effort and did the right thing. If I had the chance to use them again, I probably would; I’d give them another chance. However, given the cost and scope of the project, it was better for our business to cut them loose. 

How was project management handled?

Capital Numbers had good project management, but they were inflexible when issues arose with their resources. 

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

I liked that they had a portal for our communications. I didn’t have to worry about where we stood because all the ticket histories were all in one spot. I’d dealt with a few external teams before, and it was sometimes difficult to monitor where they were. By contrast, the fact that Capital Numbers had a portal that they kept up to date was impressive. 

In what specific areas can they improve?

I was straightforward and upfront with Capital Numbers when I told them we had technical challenges for which they needed to prepare. The first team they assigned was ready, but the second team wasn’t. In other words, they should’ve had a better process for changing teams. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that the security of the engagement is understood. Draw a line on what they have access to and what they can’t access in terms of security permissions. Moreover, make sure that the team Capital Numbers assign will stay on board. If that team changes, there should be a proper handoff. 

For context, security permissions also became a confusion point in our engagement, but we weren’t sure what exactly happened. In any case, we were forward with them, and their first team understood it. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a job listings platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Capital Numbers?

We needed help in web development. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Capital Numbers is developing some tools in our website, and they are also improving its design. They took over from another vendor who started the development; they received the site half-baked. They are working on the site using Laravel to finish its development.

Initially, we provided our ideas for the site through Microsoft PowerPoint. They analyzed our ideas, and they scheduled a meeting to discuss our goals and requirements in detail. Once we agreed, they prepared a quote in 1–2 days. After I confirmed, they proceeded with the development.

What is the team composition?

I work with a team leader and 1–2 analysts. 

How did you come to work with Capital Numbers?

I found them online and read their reviews. During our initial conversation, I felt they knew what they were talking about. They convinced me that they could provide high-quality work, so I hired them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2020, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Capital Numbers is good at communication; we’ve never experienced any difficulties. They always respond within 24 hours, and they go directly to the point. They have been very professional throughout the process. 

Sometimes, I have ideas that aren’t necessarily good, and they come up with better suggestions.

How did Capital Numbers perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve delivered on time and within budget. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with Capital Numbers’ communication skills. We’re working on different timezones, but we can communicate seamlessly. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Draft your ideas in Microsoft PowerPoint so it’ll be easier for them to understand what you’re thinking about. If you just expressed your ideas verbally, they might misunderstand. It’s better if you explain it visually so it’ll be clear. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

FiveEightTen is a nonprofit organization that provides a benchmarking platform for tracking diversity and inclusion in the travel and tourism sector. I’m the head of Americas at FiveEightTen.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed a website that was well-designed, functional and out of the original development platform Wix so that the website can connect to an open-source dashboard where people can find data on D&I.

SOLUTION

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

We found this vendor online and they had an attractive and efficient solution to our problem.

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

The scope of work including webpage design with a few iterations, web development and connecting to our own server, and launching the website. The website was built on html and then Wordpress.

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

There are at least 5-6 team members working on the project and I have interacted mainly with the project manager, the developers and designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We really like the design of the website, it looks very sleek and professional.

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

We used Teamwork to communicate, which took us a while to figure out. However, the team was very helpful and responsive in every step of the project. They were also able to cope with our time zone differences and helping us solving issues that we weren’t sure of.

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

We were very impressed with the efficiency and competency level of Capital Numbers. The project manager was really good with communicating and conveying what they needed from us. Every request or requirement we had, the team was able to deliver or figure out an alternative that we agreed upon.

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

There were some minor mistakes during the development but the team fixed it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO and processsing manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired CN for multiple reason , their ability to perform desired work , and lead time committed

SOLUTION

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

Deciding factors was the number of companies they have work with and their ability to give options and solutions

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

Rebuild a web site on a secure way with out loosing the ability to look good and have back end informations to send to customers

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

2 Sasanka and Amit

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything was great. We just wished can be more documented to go back and look for instructions on how to change a new thing on our web.

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

The timeline was effective but there were a few delays due to late replies from our end. Overall, we had a great experience working with them. 

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

Willing to learn about making things work and the commitment of understanding people from different cultures.

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

Well since , CN is growing I believe they should be pushed to their teams to get more fluent terms and ability to communicate since that is something we experienced being from outside of USA and has helped us tremendously to communicate directly with clients , possibly having people from here work there or vice versa , I know is not time

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of Fossil Graphics, a digital creative agency specializing in e-commerce clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our client required a user friendly, merchant centered order screen interface. The default WooCommerce interface for managing orders fell far short of this. We needed to develop a user interface that simplified the process of creating invoices and sending them to clients for payment online. They also needed an integrated manual method for taking credit card payments over the phone.

SOLUTION

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

I collected competitive bids from 4 different vendors for a very specific set of development parameters. The Capital Numbers team not only came back with a fair price, they showed a clear understanding of our needs, beyond that of any other development provider.

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

The project intent was to extend the WooCommerce e-commerce platform for Wordpress with a custom plugin.This required several technologies including PHP, MySQL, Javascript (JQuery), HTML and CSS. The project, in a nutshell, was to create an order screen interface similar to the one used in the Shopify platform. The purpose was to convert the default WooCommerce interface into a simplified, intuitive management center for both online orders and manually created orders (orders created by Admin in the backend). The new interface relied heavily on Ajax resources to process various functions, as well as solid user interface design concepts.

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

Two people worked with me directly on the plugin development. Tulika Sikdar was the project manager and Mriganka Jana was the lead developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is nearly complete as of this review. I am waiting for final fixes to implement the plugin in a live environment. The goal is for greatly improved efficiency in the retail sales work flow for the end client.

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

Tulika was a pleasure to work with. She is very articulate and capable of synthesizing information, both to me and to Mriganka. This said, communications were difficult at times. The team uses Google Meets as a platform for discussions. There was a terrible echo on each of my calls with the team that muddled understanding on both sides. In my opinion, the firm would be better served by a third party meeting software that has better control over technical parameters. These meeting inefficiencies did add time to the overall project, not due to the team but to the meeting platform in use.

As for timelines, there were several delays due to family situations among the team and natural weather phenomenon in their location. These are understandable delays that couldn't be helped. However, ultimately the project was well overdue. The original estimate included a timeline of 4-5 weeks and the project is just wrapping up after about 4 months. Again some of the time loss was unavoidable but I'm not sure those issues were fully responsible for the extended development time. I reviewed and responded to project updates within 24 hours of receiving them so I don't have an explanation as to why development took so much longer than projected.

As a final word about this, the timeline extensions were largely overlooked by the end client in favor of the quality of the end product. Ultimately, the code is very high quality and the final work product functions exactly how the client wanted.

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

The dedication of the small team outshined everything else! Tulika and Mriganka worked very diligently to answer all of our needs and give is a great end product.

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

As mentioned, the communication platform could be improved. There are other minor details that could be a source of complaint but overall, these did not affect the project outcomes one way or another.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a digital agency focused on web / app development and DM services

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We required a skilled front end developer to help us action an accessibility audit of a client website,

SOLUTION

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

Online searches and recommendations.

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

Following selection a kick off meeting was arranged where we outlined the project goals. Basically reducing the errors and violations of WCAG 2.1 standards on the build of 3 complimentary web sites.

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

We worked with a skilled front end developer and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We managed to reduce the number of defects by over 50%.

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

The developer had daily scrums with our lead developer to scope the work required. We had a weekly all team meeting to review progress and plan the next steps. We generally used slack and Google sheets to manage the project.

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

They have provided a good quality developer who performs well. They have been courteous and good to work with.

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

When we first started the developer chosen was at a lower level of expertise (in our opinion) than billed but he was replaced with a more senior developer who was fine.