Classic Informatics

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Director of an online tech business. We are a tailored marketplace for ex-consultants to find jobs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Classic Informatics has been with us from the start. They built our first MVP site and then have been redeveloping our current site (adding new functionality; improving UX, etc.). They've offered an end-to-end suite of services.

SOLUTION

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

They were hired through recommendations, price, and quality of their proposal.

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

They were tasked with building a site from scratch in Zend PHP. They supported us in design, front-end and back-end development, and also on maintenance, ongoing build, and server support.

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

3 - tech lead and two developers with ad-hoc support from others (e.g., designers and server support).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've helped build our business from scratch to over 40k active users. They've helped improve conversion as we've grown, and been a support throughout.

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

We managed the project in-house.

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

I think the quality for the price they offer impressed us the most.

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

As with any tech development, the more they pushed back and made things simpler the better. A couple of times they developed what we asked for which was maybe a bit too complicated.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Bloonaway, an e-commerce company. We sell balloons and partyware online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Classic Informatics?

We were a startup so the first thing we had to do was build a platform. It had to be a highly-customized platform, and we had to make sure that we would be able to work well in both the front- and backend.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before we started coding, I spent at least six weeks with them daily discussing the requirements. They designed some aspects of it, but we gave them a lot of information and wireframes. Classic Informatics then planned the project and developed a Magento platform. 

What is the team composition?

In the beginning, I was in contact with three teammates: one who wrote the requirements, one who did the coding, and then a project manager. Once we had all of the requirements done, we only worked with a developer and an account manager. 

How did you come to work with Classic Informatics?

I did a lot of research on Upwork, and after I posted the job, I received a lot of applications. I looked at a lot of UK companies, but their prices were 3–4 times higher than those in India. Classic Informatics wasn’t the cheapest, but they inspired a lot more confidence than other companies. 

I also decided to go with them because they were professional, their English was impeccable, and they did other highly-customized work for their clients. I was also looking for a bigger team so that if something were to go wrong, there would be someone to step in, and they had that. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about £50,000 (approximately $64,9500 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in about November 2014. Although that project was completed in about a year, we work with them whenever we need an upgrade.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I wanted something, and they got it done. I never heard them say that something was impossible. The product works smoothly, and they’re coding was amazing. Their work cost less than what other companies would’ve charged.

How did Classic Informatics perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was incredible. It was a well-organized endeavor. I had their WhatsApp number, and they were always available even in UK time. We used Basecamp for project management, and we also used Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Classic Informatics’ organizational skills and approachability were impressive. In addition, they gave us a much cheaper quote for the first phase than other companies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there were no areas of improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Plan everything in advance, and don’t start coding before you finish planning. The more you plan, the less it will cost you. The less it costs you, the quicker it will go.