CISIN

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and project manager for Brighton Bandstand which is a website that helps showcase bands and musicians as well as music and video entertainment. Our platform is like a library of past, current, and future music and performances in the Brighton area in the UK.

What challenge were you trying to address with CISIN?

I needed help with website development. I had the first version of my site built back in 2012 or 2013, but I ran out of money. I went back to it later, but it was already outdated. As a result, I engaged with CISIN to build a bespoke website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started off using a different framework because PHP was recommended to me, but we should’ve used Laravel to start with. Later on, CISIN shifted to using Laravel to develop the website. My website is still in progress, and our users will be able to sign up and put in their own details once it’s launched — it’s a bit similar to LinkedIn, but it’s a platform for musicians and performers. There’s no massive technology or AI integrated on the platform.

I’m in charge of designing the site, and I tell CISIN what I want to be done on the development side although I’m not really good at explaining what I have in mind in technical terms. As a result,  I just explain to them in plain English what I want — someone who knows technical terms might be able to convey my requirements a little bit better than me.

Additionally, the team is using CSS and Bootstrap for the frontend, and they’re working on our backend data, too. I might use them for SEO sometime in the future, but right now I’m just making sure the system actually works before I take it to market.

What is the team composition?

There are 2–3 people working on our project.

How did you come to work with CISIN?

A friend introduced me to them many years after I was let down by someone. My friend told me that CISIN was more reliable and they could offer me cost-effective services.

How much have you invested in them?

I'll probably spend £3,000 (approximately $4,000 USD) for the whole project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2021, and we have an ongoing collaboration.

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

CISIN is reliable, and they do what I tell them to do. Additionally, our website seems to be working fine, but I need to go through all the testing first to ensure that. I still have a few more things to incorporate on the platform and there are probably another 2–3 months before I take it to market and get customer feedback.

How did CISIN perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a good project management process. When they are working on the project, they’re in contact with me every day — they reach out if they have questions. On top of that, they have an excellent work ethic; when they take on tasks, they ensure that they accomplish them.

We use email, Slack, and Trello to communicate and keep track of tasks, and we use Skype for calls. We’ve also used other tools in our engagement. Overall, they’re pretty resourceful and can use anything.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They offer good value for our money. In particular, the person working on the backend is really helpful and dependable. Overall, I’m quite satisfied with the work they’re doing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I hire them 25 hours a month on an ongoing basis and it works well for the project I'm involved with. We have an ideal partnership, and I don’t have any reason to look elsewhere.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I can’t think of any advice apart from just paying them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder of Watch CSA. We are a SaaS company providing authentication tools for watch buyers looking to reduce their exposure to counterfeit timepieces.

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

Our original website was developed in an old php platform in 2008. We had several years of mass coding to produce use rations in our offerings that lead to complex issues when our coding format. Functionality and the user experience began to suffer. We realized we needed to modernize our platform and introduce new processes to improve the effectiveness of our service. Our old service provider could not manage this undertaking and that’s when we discovered CIS.

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

We found CIS through Internet searches and reached out to a professional law firm that had used CIS to launch. They were kind enough to tell us all about their positive experience using CIS and we were so confident with the feedback, that we got started with our project the following week.

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

We started with a discussion of our needs, basically what we wanted our new website to look, how we wanted the engagement to flow, and the new improvements we were after. In this modernization, we wanted to integrate AI and a complex set of API’s to work a massive bank of data, and distribute this data through a progressive web app, as well as a newly launched website.

The site was built on a php platform and integrated with mobile and PWA functionality. Integrated with AI. We accomplished the goals of the project with wire frames and ongoing communications through Trello.

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

I managed the project along with one of our contracted programmers that had been with us prior to CIS. CIS had approx. 4 people working with us to transition the old platform over and integrate with our new development goals. This team consisted of two programmers working on PHP programming, one programming the PWA, and a designer.

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

After launch, we received a 100% positive review from our existing SaaS members on the improvements and new additions. We saw a 30% increase in new business and there was a significant increase in new opportunities coming through from companies aligned in our market with services that supported our goals. CISIN has given us the confidence and the expertise to develop our vision.

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

We used standard wire frames developed in PowerPoint or Canva to display goals in interface and user engagement. Communications flowed through Trello, live chat and email. We communicated twice daily on the process, usually late in the evening and then once again in the morning, due to the time difference. This allowed for a meeting at the start of the day and a conclusion at the end of the day to resolve any standing issues.

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

Our team at CIS has become an extension of our company. They can take a summary of goals on a project and run with it as if they were part of the company. They give you a feeling of having a vested interest in your success.

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

We have had issues that needed fixing and they are fast to respond. On occasion, these issues have taken longer than expected but that was normally an issue of our old programming becoming an problem and not how they were going about fixing the code. In the end, they have not done anything negative in my experience.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for an organization that builds brand new homes.

What challenge were you trying to address with CISIN?

A previous company did not finish the app that we had asked them to develop. They even charged us triple the initial amount just to finalize the development. We needed another agency that could go in and fix the app with the right pricing, so we hired CISIN.

What was the scope of their involvement?

CISIN is developing a cloud-based app for our in-house desktops. They’re using Microsoft Azure and are helping us with some key functionalities to enable us to log into the app and choose between different users. The team is also incorporating Google Sheets and making the app usable on iOS and Android phones.

What is the team composition?

We work with around 3–4 people. We have two account managers, one of whom is Violet (Business Development Executive), and a programmer.

How did you come to work with CISIN?

I found them through a Google search, but the first time I got in contact with them, I had already agreed to work with the other company. As soon as this need to fix the app arose, I remembered them and looked them up again. I should’ve gone with them in the first place.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested close to $2,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged them in June 2021, and we’re still working with them. We’re looking to use them for future projects.

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

CISIN has great customer service. We used to feel like other companies were trying to scam us online, but they’ve helped us rebuild our trust when it comes to having our app built by an external agency. 

The team makes sure to have everything detailed and to fix any aspect of the app that isn’t working. The account managers, the coders, and the whole organization are phenomenal. I really enjoy working with them. Everyone who uses the app in our office talks about how well it works.

How did CISIN perform from a project management standpoint?

There is clear communication between us, and we mostly use email and Zoom. CISIN is able to speed up the process and make development go more smoothly. They’re also able to help me out anytime I need it and answer my questions no matter how early or late it is in the day. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

CISIN’s customer service distinguishes them from other providers. Their communication is very effective and there are no language barriers keeping me from fully expressing what I need to be done and how I need it to be done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would tell them to get out there. More people need to know about CISIN.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront with everybody. The clearer you communicate, the better CISIN can deliver what you need.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of a discount shipping firm website. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Cyber Infrastructure Inc.?

I contracted Cyber Infrastructure Inc. to build our website. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our website lets users enter the dimensions and weight of a package with the zip code of where they're routing it, then generates a quote based on my actual account with a percentage of upcharge. Usually, it's about 10 percent. 

From a functional perspective, the website works properly. A security issue on the site required a secure sockets layer (SSL). I don't have much of a tech background, so I looked up this solution and asked Cyber Infrastructure Inc. to fix it. but they didn't get back to me. I ended up resolving the problem myself by consulting a different company. 

There are a few lingering issues with the site that need to be changed, but I don't plan to contact Cyber Infrastructure Inc. anymore. The interface is a bit off, and I'll need to work on one more implementation later down the line. We were supposed to implement integrations for FedEx, UPS, and USPS. Right before we went live, USPS changed their API, so we had to take them off the site. Once I find a workaround, I will remake that integration. 

What is the team composition? 

My communication issues occurred with a sales rep.  The lead developer, Prachi, was very on top of our correspondence. Of the 5–6 people copied on the emails, she was usually the one who responded. 

How did you come to work with Cyber Infrastructure Inc.?

I found them on Google. 

How much have you invested with them?

We paid $6,000 in three installments of about $1,900 each. I made a change request that cost an extra $300, so it was about $6,300 total. 

Part of the contract stated they would provide ongoing support after the site's completion for three months, but they didn't fulfill that promise. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2018, and our website went live in January 2019. The project started going downhill within the past 2–3 weeks, in February 2019. 

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

I didn't have any issues with the actual process, but I was told I would receive three months of post-website development assistance. After about a month, I already feel like I'm being ignored about the issues with my website. Everything was fine throughout the development, but problems started after I completed the payments. 

I tried to reach out to them for a week. They told me they couldn't receive my emails, so we had been communicating via Skype. My biggest complaint is that they immediately started calling and emailing me after I posted a review on a different site. 

The sales rep emailed me after initially saying he couldn’t, then claimed he had never ignored me. The message I sent him on Skype had a read receipt with his name on it, so he’d clearly seen my emails and ignored them.

Their lack of response hasn't had any impact on our business because I interfaced with someone else who helped me resolve the problem. 

How did Cyber Infrastructure Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

During the actual development, the lead developer was really on top of the project when she was allowed to respond. We used Skype, text, voice calls, and email to communicate. We only called them on the phone when Skype was down. 

I received optimal service until I made the last payment. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I actually really like the website. It has very strong bones. In fact, it only needs a few minor cosmetic changes that aren't noticeable until you're maneuvering through the site. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Communication is their biggest area for improvement. In terms of behaviors, I think their dishonesty undermined the project's success the most. Aside from ignoring my e-mails, he responded via email after he told me they couldn't receive them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Future clients should be fully aware of the contract stipulations. Make sure you're receiving what they say they will deliver. My main reason for consulting a different company was for the three months of support post-launch. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a small social impact employment agency in the UK that supports people with dyslexia, dyspraxia, and autism.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cyber Infrastructure?

We wanted to take some of our offline services online in order to reach a broader audience. There’s high demand for our services and we knew that we could support more people if our tools were online.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cyber Infrastructure developed custom software for us on multiple parallel projects. One project built an assessment and reporting tool from scratch using PHP. The user takes the online assessment and receives a report outlining recommendations of the services they need to support them with their disability. They also updated the backend of our existing WordPress jobs board so that employer-posted jobs would automatically be visible on the site.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is our account manager. We’ve had an average of three developers working on each project.

How did you come to work with Cyber Infrastructure?

I found them via Google. We had requested quotes from vendors near our office but they weren’t what we were looking for. When I found Cyber Infrastucture, I explained the projects and they understood straightaway. That was quite impressive.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about 4,000£ (approximately $5,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2018 and it’s ongoing.

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

It used to take us a full day to produce the reports that the software can now produce in an hour. It's pretty amazing. We've gone from supporting three people a month to about 12 people a month using that tool. It's made things so much faster which creates more business and more social impact.

How did Cyber Infrastructure perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via Skype and email. I’ve met them in-person, including their director, and worked from their office for a few days as well. They were very welcoming and handled everything well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very time conscious. They always deliver things on time and to a very high standard of quality. They haven't said no to any of our requests. They've always been open to finding us a developer that could do what we needed. They're committed: they've worked on weekends for us. It’s been a fantastic experience. They’re the best developers we've worked with over the past five years.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They’ve been fantastic and it's been a really good experience for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be really clear on your specifications. If you don't agree with the quote or proposals they’ve sent, go back to them. I have challenged them on things and found that they're very open to hearing our ideas. They don't believe that they have all the answers. Consider them as part of your team and that they’re working with you, not just for you. That’s how we’ve gotten the best out of them.

I would also say visit them if you get the opportunity. That's made a massive difference for us.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of an IT company that provides services such as e-shop development, stock management, marketing automation, and more.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cyber Infrastructure Inc.?

I needed special features developed for my solution.

How did you select this vendor?

I found them through their forum.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They developed specific features for me using PHP. 

What was the team composition?

They only assigned one person to my project.

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

I definitely know that I can outsource development work to this company.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They were very effective in this regard, providing a fast delivery.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Cyber Infrastructure has many development skills and is also quick to answer and deliver.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Not to my knowledge.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Owl Tutoring. We provide educational video tutorials and private tutoring for students at Florida Atlantic University.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cyber Infrastructure Inc.?

We needed to build a website that reflected our brand and supported our services.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a strong and scalable video platform for our users.

How did you select this vendor?

I interviewed representatives from numerous digital agencies and browsed their work portfolios. Cyber Infrastructure Inc. offered the most comprehensive team, which gave me confidence in their ability to get the job done.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Their team was responsible for the full design and development of our platform, including both the front- and backend systems. They prioritized easy maintenance so that I can update and edit the pricing and content variables on my own, but they still provide support.

The web platform is the linchpin of our services. Users can purchase and stream our tutoring videos or schedule an in-person session. Cyber Infrastructure Inc. implemented a seamless scheduling system to manage all of our students’ appointments. The site also showcases several testimonials and promotes our ancillary services like resume writing workshops.

What was the team composition?

I have a direct point of contact, but a combination of designers, developers, QA specialists, and managers have also worked on the project.

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

We sold $90,000 worth of videos through the platform last year. I hadn’t offered this service in the past, so these results were highly rewarding.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They used a software to track the project and provided me with daily updates. If I needed more information, I was free to reach out directly to the specialists. The team shared all of their design mockups and test results, and they also allowed me to test the site’s functionality before its launch. It was a very effective collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I really appreciate the depth of their staff. There was always a qualified resource assigned to each task, no matter the code language or complexity. They never told me that they couldn’t do something, they’d simply find a way to do it. If a certain task was going to take longer than expected, they didn’t charge any additional fees. Overall, they were very respectful and extremely responsive.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

No, they’re awesome.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We help new and budding music artists and labels find their footing in a competitive industry by offering a web platform where they can promote and sell music, event tickets, and products. Artists and labels use this platform to build their brand and reputation. I'm the director of the company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cyber Infrastructure Inc.?

Our website had only basic functionalities and needed major work. We realized that our existing website couldn't accommodate our rapid growth.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to offer more services and features to our users. We decided to include some new features and enhancements to make it more robust.

How did you select this vendor?

I learned about Cyber Infrastructure Inc. from associates.

Describe the project in detail.

During initial discussions with Cyber Infrastructure Inc., I got positive vibes from the team. We laid out the new features that we wanted to integrate, and the developers kindly acknowledged all our requirements.

After thorough deliberation, they started development. In a short time, Cyber Infrastructure Inc. successfully developed artist and label, music, news, brand, event, product, and video management features. They also built a commission system, promotional and advertising system, messaging system, and invoice system. They used a custom PHP framework, MySQL, Smarty Template Engine, and Node.js.

The most remarkable feature that Cyber Infrastructure Inc. built was the virtual payment system. This system runs on virtual currency, allowing affiliate users to manage money and track their investments online. This currency can purchase albums, songs, and even tickets.

What was the team composition?

A team of six people closely worked on our project. It included a team lead, three senior developers, and two junior developers.

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

The updated website gained a lot of traction with our target audience. After we revised the web application and added features, we saw a massive surge in the number of users. We eventually reached thousands across the world.

Our users, mostly young artists and label owners trying to make their mark in the music industry, received the website well. It now serves as an all-in-one advertising and sales solution, which was our aim. We're glad that Cyber Infrastructure Inc. shaped the website.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Even though this was the first time we had worked with Cyber Infrastructure Inc., they quickly established a comfortable working environment and made us feel like we had been together for a long time. Our work cultures are similar, so it didn’t take long for us to build a cooperative, productive relationship.

Cyber Infrastructure Inc. acted as a solid rock that we could blindly depend on. There were few times when we needed work done urgently, so their developers stayed late in the office. We appreciated that they went the extra mile when the need arose.

From the quality of work and reports, it was evident that they took our project seriously. Working with Cyber Infrastructure Inc. was hassle-free and convenient.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It’s hard to pick just one thing since we observed so many impressive qualities. The team’s enthusiasm for the project never diminished, and they always made useful recommendations from their technical expertise. When the workload increased, they increased their own efforts and attended to the extra work. Cyber Infrastructure Inc. didn't make any unrealistic promises. They had an honest, transparent approach.

Are there any areas for improvement?

As long as a business is clear about what it wants, it should have no problem working with Cyber Infrastructure Inc.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the chief operations manager at ICS Cleaning. We offer housekeeping services.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cyber Infrastructure Inc.?

We were struggling to handle sales, recruitment, and customer service needs on our own, so we decided to try to minimize our operating costs and free up some of our office space by outsourcing the work.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a dedicated and cost-effective partner that we could trust to hire credible cleaners for our company, interact with our prospective clients, secure cleaning contracts, and ensure a high quality of service for our current clients.

How did you select this vendor?

We discovered their profile online.

Describe the project in detail.

CIS Infrastructure Inc. provides virtual assistants that handle the various aspects of our recruitment, sales, and customer services processes. They search out available job vacancies and run hiring campaigns to fill them. They post ads on social media channels and other online platforms to encourage interested cleaners to join our company. They create and maintain database records that detail new, prospective, current, past, and backup cleaners, coordinating all of their verification processes, background checks, and schedules. In terms of customer service, they address incoming client calls and share feedback with our cleaners, supervisors, and customers about the quality of the service rendered. They also make sure our staff is equipped with all of the tools necessary to clean thoroughly and efficiently.

Additionally, they support us in finding new clients, communicating with interested prospects via live chats. They keep detailed records of these efforts and they follow-up with any leads that seem promising. Lastly, they listen to our customer’s needs and provide quotes and contracts accordingly.

What was the team composition?

We hired three virtual assistants from Cyber Infrastructure Inc., but if they are ever unavailable, they provide backup team members.

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

They’ve been very helpful additions to our business resources. Thanks to their excellent communication skills and follow-up processes, we’ve been winning more cleaning contracts. They recruited a multitude of talented cleaners, and they manage them very efficiently. Relationships between our staff and our customers are generally free of any tension.

All parties are happy with their smooth and proficient approach to administration. They’ve also saved us a significant amount of both time and money. Partnering with Cyber Infrastructure Inc. has proved to be a rewarding strategic decision. Overall, we’re boosting incoming revenue, but at the same time reducing our business costs.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We were surprised by how promptly they adjusted to our specific operation style. We had a few introductory sessions, explaining how our business worked and the various tasks we wanted them to do. Their team quickly grasped the information and continue to carry out the work according to our exact instructions. They’re wonderful, consistently updating us on their progress so we can maintain control over the business.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Despite it not being their first language, they have a good command of the language in terms of both writing and speaking. The team puts in extra effort to ensure we meet our goals. They conduct themselves professionally, showing a high level of patience and understanding in their work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

So far, we have no complaints, which is why we continue to work with them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a managing partner for a mobile platform dedicated to improving food experiences through searches of local restaurants, cafés, and cuisines. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Cyber Infrastructure Inc.?

We hired Cyber Infrastructure to create a mobile app that combined a variety of food related services and would help users discover the best local eateries for dining, take out, or home delivery. 

What were your goals for this project?

A mobile app best fit our goal of reaching the most number of people. We wanted the app to serve users in multiple ways, not only as the perfect guide for finding eating establishments in various cities, but for everything from making reservations, ordering food online, and finding directions to the restaurant to reading reviews and feedback or posting their own. 

How did you select this vendor?

After conducting in-depth, extensive research for an experienced IT company, I decided to outsource our project to CIS.  

Describe the project in detail.

The app is equipped with several interesting features that anyone passionate about eating good food can appreciate. Users can search eateries by cuisine type, then view any photos, reviews, menus, or contact information for a particular restaurant. They can either order food for home delivery or reserve a table at the desired establishment, then post their own reviews or upload photos detailing their experience. The app also offers attractive promotional offers and discounts as well as directions and maps to the restaurants. 

What was the team composition?

Our assigned team consisted of three mobile development experts. 

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

Developing a unique mobile app that performs above average in its niche is difficult, but CIS did it for us! Our target consumer market readily accepted the app, quickly resulting in a broad loyal user base that continues to grow with regularity. To meet the high expectations and demands of this increasing audience, we are proactive in performing upgrades; to date, we have released more than 50 versions of the app on the Google Play Store and iTunes, all with help from CIS. We are confident that our efforts will produce exponential results in user growth.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The developers took the time to understand our explanation of the app’s complex technical and business requirements. They quickly sketched out a project roadmap that would facilitate on-time completion and followed it perfectly. To maintain an organized approach to the vast scope of the app, the team divided the entire workflow into separate modules that they then completed in succession. The extensive animation requirements were a little more time-consuming than other tasks, but eventually, all of the elements came together nicely and the first version was ready for launch ahead of schedule. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

CIS is a one-of-a-kind company with the ideal combination of quality customer service, experienced-based knowledge, and a sincere interest in their clients’ projects. We were really happy with the way CIS handled our app; they truly made us feel valued.  As we continue to bring post-launch development and enhancement work to them, we are always greeted with the same kindness and enthusiasm.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.