Codica

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of product management for New Wave Development. We’re a small development agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the VP of investments for Veev, a real estate investment platform.

SOLUTION

What challenge were you trying to address with Codica?

Codica was hired for a custom software development project. They developed and then have maintained and expanded this portal ever since. They also worked on the design of the portal.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What was the scope of their involvement?

The portal functions as a window to track all past and existing investments and loans ever invested into the company. This is hundreds of millions of dollars worth of investments. Investors can log on and receive all of this information.

We were not involved in the development at all. Codica was our one-stop-shop on making, maintaining, and expanding this portal.

What is the team composition?

We work with 3–4 people.

How did you come to work with Codica?

Our sister company has had prior positive experiences with Codica and introduced us to them.

How much have you invested with them?

It was less than $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in January 2016 and is ongoing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a financial services company that offers supply chain financing to B2B customers. We offer 90-day windows to help them manage any funding gaps they have when buying products from their vendors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codica?

We needed to quickly create an MVP that would also be production-ready on a short timeline. We also wanted to ensure that our product met compliance standards for companies of all sizes and that the product was secure.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I created a mock-up myself and then approached Codica to get help finalizing the UI design and to handle the front- and backend app development. They used Ruby on Rails for the back and React for the front. For the design, we used a collaborative tool called Figma. The hosting is handled through AWS. They also built out a database for us.

In terms of features, the most critical thing was importing invoices, which they accomplished using API for ERP. There’s also an ability to review and approve newly-uploaded invoices, and vendors can also view invoices, calculate fees, create a deal, and finalize the funding from within the app. Related to this, the app manages vendor profiles and monitors financial processes. There’s also backend help to manage vendor invites for people hoping to use the platform.

What is the team composition? 

We had a project manager, a backend developer, two frontend developers, a UI/UX designer, and a QA person.

How did you come to work with Codica?

I received a reference from a friend and decided to contact them. After having a conversation with their founder, I decided to start working with them. They had solid experience and seemed like they did their due diligence on the issues I needed.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $50,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

MVP construction lasted from February–April 2019. We’re currently on pause, but they’ll make some adjustments for us after we finish collecting feedback.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been on time throughout the development process. The team’s extremely dedicated and they put in extra hours to ensure that our important demos were ready when we needed them. It’s something I’d expect from my in-house employees but not an outsource team, so we really appreciate it.

With regard to the app itself, we’ve gotten good user feedback so far. They like the speed of the app and the modern design, which many B2B users aren’t accustomed to from competitor applications.

How did Codica perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication was above average compared to other companies I’ve worked with in the past. We had daily scrum meetings and the project manager helped coordinate the rest of their team or allocated resources when we needed them. I was also highly involved, so the project manager often ended up assisting me. I handled a lot of the code review myself in order to verify the quality. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with a number of other companies, and what sets Codica apart is their ability to bring an MVP to production level. They act like a part of our growth team and care about our success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We require a lot of domain-specific knowledge, so I’d expect QA to concentrate on the most important parts for the user and help us make those improvements. It takes time to gain knowledge and I assume people don’t have it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Codica’s a great company and their team’s very motivated to help startups on their journey. I highly recommend working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and founder of a marketing agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codica?

We had a request from one of our clients to develop a multi-vendor marketplace. We needed an engineering team to code it, build the architecture, and develop the backend.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the platform up from scratch and helped with everything from development concepts to solution implementation. They designed the UI/UX and developed the project architecture; then, they transferred all the data from an outdated platform. Mobile performance and engagement were particularly important to the project, and they delivered a single-page mobile application that was both fast and smooth. They developed complex React.js content of the web application, which features a responsive design to adjust for differences in scope. The project uses other languages, but React is the only one I'm certain of.

What is the team composition?

I regularly interact with a project manager and a technical lead. Other team members do appear in our Slack channel and provide daily updates. The team also included a UI/UX designer, team lead, backend developer, content developer, and a QA specialist.

How did you come to work with Codica?

We did some research, found Codica, and felt they had the appropriate experience for this project. We either found them on Clutch or via a Google search.

How much have you invested with them?

To date, we've spent about $85,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2018, and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven't launched the new marketplace yet, but our internal tests show significant increases in site speeds. Pages load in less than one second, which is much better than our previous load times, particularly on mobile devices. We track a range of metrics related to conversion and engagement rates, all of which are very positive. In the near future, we will finish integrations with some third-party services, upgrade a few UI/UX solutions, and optimize the site more for mobile.

How did Codica perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. We had weekly meetings, and they always followed up. Everything came back to us on time, and they were very easy to reach on Slack, chat, or other communication channels.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Codica is a top-notch agency that provides a great service experience. They accomplish complicated tasks, provide technical guidelines, and deliver code without any issues.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They are responsive, and they quickly fix any issues that arise. Honestly, we couldn't ask for more.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communication is integral to a successful relationship. Be sure to communicate your expectations, goals, and practical needs like your timelines and budget.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Analist. We run an investment platform that provides information for small investors and the private market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codica?

My collaborations with previous IT providers fell apart, so I engaged Codica as a development partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Codica designed and built my platform from scratch using Ruby on Rails. At first, it was desktop only, but they later updated it to make it responsive to mobile browsers. We have 8–9 domain names, and we’re looking to add Chinese and Russian versions once we secure translations. 

The team created a paid section for the site in response to users who browse with ad blockers. The area offers more in-depth insights into the financial market to users who sign up. They also found the best hosting provider for our platform. They are optimizing in related areas, cutting unnecessary processes that increase server usage and thus our expenses. Codica is currently building a payment section and making minor edits on advertising banners.
 
What is the team composition?

We work with a team of developers, designers, and two project managers. The size of the team scales depending on our demand. We’ve worked with the same designer who first mapped the platform.
 
How did you come to work with Codica?

I posted a listing on Elance (now known as Upwork) looking for developers to build a cost-effective multilingual site with video, articles, and dynamic data such as stock prices. 

After receiving multiple requests, I reached out to several companies based in India and Ukraine. I clicked with Codica during our initial conversations; after visiting their office, I chose them for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2015, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

What used to be a bottleneck is now an advantage over competitor platforms. Thanks to Codica’s ongoing work, we now have a dynamic and flexible infrastructure. I’m thrilled with the quality of their coding.

How did Codica perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through Trello and Slack. Trello allows us to see the progress on any task and to send feedback. I also visit their offices a few times a year to talk directly with the developers about separate projects.

Codica meet most of my deadlines; however, delays come from both sides—I sometimes add more tasks as a project progresses, which tacks on more time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Codica completes high-quality products at cost-effective prices.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.
 
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Learn about current IT trends and understand what’s possible in development. Compare prices between vendors, but I’ve found Codica to have lower rates than similar firms in Holland.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of iExpedition

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

iExpedition is an aggregation platform for adventure cruises to the worlds most remote regions.

I am the company director and look after platform development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Codica to accomplish?

• The challenge was to aggregate products in a fragmented market place, making it easy for global travellers to search, compare and book high-end travel products.

SOLUTION

How did you find Codica?

Referral

Why did you select Codica over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Codica were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The Codica team has been responsible for making significant upgrades to our platform over the course of the year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What's the status of this engagement?

We are still engaged with Codica and have used their services for the past 8 years.

How did your relationship with your partner evolve?

The company that originally built, utilised Codica to build the platform.

Once the MVP was built, that company then introduced us to Codica and we have been working directly with them for the past 6-7 yrs.
What was your primary form of communication with Codica?

Virtual Meeting

In what ways can they improve?

Codica has a great team that is highly responsive and extremely capable.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

Codica have been critical to our product development.

I would highly recommend Codica.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on March 19, 2019.

Ben Alexander
Director, iExpeditionHospitality & leisure

Australia

1-10 Employees

Sep 2016 - Ongoing

$10,000 to $49,999

Project summary
After fleshing out the design concept with wireframes and planning the UX/UI, Codica developed a platform from the ground up. The mobile responsive site is built on Ruby on Rails and includes booking features.

Feedback summary
Codica delivered a website that catalyzed a substantial new revenue stream online. Within the first year alone, the platform brought in almost $2 million in sales. The optimized site attracts organic traffic from across the world. The entire process was flawless, and the team is highly skilled.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of iExpedition. We specialize in expedition cruising, small ships that travel to the world’s most remote destinations.
 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codica?

When we started working together, we didn’t have a website or even a business. We’d tried working with another Australian web developer for a while, but they couldn’t get the project off the ground.  We needed to find a new company to help us. 

Our challenge was building a platform to represent expedition cruises in the market that made it easy for cruise travelers to navigate products and find the perfect one to make inquiries and bookings online.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Codica helped us from the very beginning before we’d finalized the concept. They designed the UI/UX and all the wireframes. The primary platform is built on Ruby on Rails. Codica was instrumental in getting our site online and delivering a great product to the market.

They built the website for desktop, but it’s also mobile responsive on tablets and smartphones. Our target market focused on people over the age of 50. Most of our clients use desktops more than mobile devices for the fine-tuned aspects of research. Since our offerings are mainly high-value, users tend to make final purchases on a computer, as well.

What is the team composition? 

Our primary points of contact were Dmitry (CEO, Codica) and a project manager.  A team worked behind the two.

How did you come to work with Codica?

My friend in Australia recommended Codica. They had built a product together, and that project had gone very well. 

They had the right expertise, provided great recommendations, and were helpful since early on. IT development work is expensive in Australia, and they offer a competitive price relative to the market.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent AU$50,000 (approximately $36,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Codica around September 2016 and launched the MVP website in July 2017. We tested and refined the site for the next three months using focus groups and started marketing it around October 2017. 

We’re continuing to work together monthly to refine the website and make improvements. Having built it from the ground up, Codica’s solid understanding of our website makes them a pivotal part of our business.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Codica helped us design and create an amazing platform, which has had very great early success. Once the site went live, we tracked metrics around business success. It has proven to work well in the market. We drove almost $2 million worth of sales in the first 12 months. 

The website attracts a substantial amount of international inquiries, which make up 20% of our business even though we don’t market internationally. The way it is structured ranks well in Google worldwide and increased our organic traffic worldwide. We’ve been blown away by the website’s sales performance within the first 17 months.

How did Codica perform from a project management standpoint?

Codica’s performance was unbelievable from a project management perspective. We couldn’t have asked for a better team across every element of the web development process. We only had an expected 1–2–month delay in the initial development that’s standard for this sort of work. 

Our project manager was proficient, talented, and had great language skills. Working with two contacts made the process seamless for the entire duration. I don’t recall even one hiccup. Having a single point of contact liaise with the team is better than getting too many people involved.

Codica’s team is in Ukraine, and we’re in Australia. They come online at the end of my day and finish their work overnight. We communicate well via Slack and use a Trello board.
What did you find most impressive about them?

Our previous partner was a much more basic company that had tried building the platform on WordPress. Most of Codica’s developers use Ruby on Rails, which is very flexible in scope for future progress compared to other platforms. They have a vast in-house pool of experts for frontend, backend, UI/UX, and marketing.
Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that comes to mind. No aspect of our professional relationship has proven inefficient.
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients shouldn’t hesitate to work with Codica. My business wouldn’t exist without them. They’re an amazing, professional team that provided better services than we expected. 

Anyone looking to build a platform should consider which programming language to use. Ruby on Rails is perfect for multiple websites.
Star Ratings
Overall rating: 5

Quality: 5

Cost: 5

Schedule: 5

Willing to refer: 5

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of a real estate company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We make homeownership possible again for the new generation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Codica to accomplish?

• Accelerate product development

SOLUTION

How did you find Codica?

Former project

Why did you select Codica over others?

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

How many teammates from Codica were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Creation of a listing platform for real estate assets.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Delivery of MVP.

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

Yes, and they are always flexible in terms of allocating new resources to resolve velocity issues that may arise.

What was your primary form of communication with Codica?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their engineers are very skilled.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of RefDental

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

I am a co-founder and CTO of a dental imaging center located in Israel. It works with dental clinics that send their patients to the center for dental imaging and CT/Panoramic/Periapical.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Codica to accomplish?

• Earlier, the staff was scheduling patients’ appointments in an old-fashioned way by phone and entering their data in local software installed at the center. In addition, the dental imaging management system was not digitized but paper-based.
• So I started looking for ways to improve their working protocols. The decision was made to create a dental website to help the dental imaging center move to digital referrals management.
• The Codica team has developed the RefDental project from scratch. Codica helped us with Product discovery, Prototyping, UX/UI design, Front-end and Back-end development, MVP development services, and PWA development services.

SOLUTION

How did you find Codica?

• Online Search
• Other

Why did you select Codica over others?

Company values aligned

How many teammates from Codica were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Our collaboration with Codica started with MVP development. After launching the minimum viable product and getting initial feedback from early users, we decided to improve the dental imaging management system by adding new functionality.

The Codica team provides an extensive array of services, including prototyping, UX/UI redesign, full stack development, DevOps for setting up and monitoring essential environments, as well as technical support. The product developed by Codica is now used heavily on a daily basis - it saves us time and money by moving away from hard copy referrals, less printing, and spending more time on serving our patients and clinics.

Together we are working on improving the Ref Dental platform to make it helpful for our dental imaging center, clinics, and patients

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was consistently kept up to date through email and video calls regarding the progress of the work. All of my requests were promptly addressed and implemented within the agreed-upon timelines. The communication process at Codica left me completely satisfied.

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

I was consistently kept up to date through email and video calls regarding the progress of the work. All of my requests were promptly addressed and implemented within the agreed-upon timelines. The communication process at Codica left me completely satisfied.

What was your primary form of communication with Codica?

Virtual Meeting

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

What we liked most about Codica team is their deep understanding of our pain points and requirements. They quickly grasped our business idea and helped us define the basic features for the Ref Dental project. As a result, we could build the referral management software pretty fast and present it to real users. Later, when we got feedback from early users, Codica team helped us with adapting the dental portal to satisfy the users’ primary needs.

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

Overall we are very happy and satisfied with the work done by Codica