Cool Digital Solutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of Kumbhaka, where we produce healthy fermented drinks like kombucha and water kefir.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cool Digital Solutions?

I had found a new start-up which produces and sells kombucha in Izmir, Turkey. Founding the firm was the easiest part, I had nothing besides that and I needed a firm that could help me with the brand creation, identity creation and digital transformation.

What were your goals for this project?

To be a high-quality niche player in the market, my brand should have had an impressive identity that distinguishes it from the competitors. In addition to that, the brand should have been able to reflect its core characteristics on its website. These not-easy-to-achieve goals were my focuses and thankfully Cool Digital Solutions delivered precisely what I asked for.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

As I mentioned such a need to my close friends, one of them recommended to me Cool Digital Solutions. So, we could say referrals.

Describe the project in detail.

Creation of brand identity including logo, product design labels, business cards and design features. And also, the development of brand website with easy-to-use but elegance looking interface, an online order system and a smooth check-out process. All of these works done by them.

What was the team composition?

I met with whole team, they were creative and energetic. But we mostly work with Mr.Uslu and his team throughout the whole project. The team was compact but highly-efficient.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Well, if it weren’t them, probably my brand would not exist the way it exists right now. We are delivering the real value to our customers via our website and our customers love it. Our sales soared and we are going faster than we had forecasted.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Mr.Uslu was became my direct contact, and we were in touch all the time. He diligently answered my questions and patiently listened to my requirements. He managed his team pretty well and I experienced no problem.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They handled the project well and approached it as if it was their own product. When I realized that I had nothing to worry about.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are always some points to improve. For example, the location of their office was not that easy to find. More central location can help them and their prospective customers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a photo-sharing platform, which allows users to broadcast a picture or short video with text. It’s similar to public journalism, but more broad. I developed the company from the idea stage all the way to developing the prototype.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cool Digital Solutions?

I needed a partner who could help me actually build out the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cool Digital Solutions helped me take the platform from an idea to a prototype. After our initial discussions, they immediately put together a small team, who presented me with a couple of design mockups for the frontend. Once I selected one, they got to work on building out the backend.

The team developed all the features, including mapping arrangements and other functionalities I required. The platform is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows, and Cool Digital Solutions also built out a website for my product.

Additionally, the team found and helped me prepare for a summit with only a few companies from Turkey participating. I was able to present my application at the summit, which helped me open up a global channel for my business. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with five people in total. We had one person in charge of the frontend design, as well as two others involved with backend development. I also had someone to assist me with the presentation, and the owner of the company who ran lead on the whole project.

How did you come to work with Cool Digital Solutions?

One of the founding partners of Cool Digital Solutions was a student of mine at university. I knew how he worked and that he was an entrepreneur, so I approached him to see if his company could help me with my project.

How much have you invested in them?

I spent around $200,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our initial discussions began in 2015. The actual work started in 2016, and I paused the idea in March 2019 because I decided to devote my investment with my other firm, so the project is on hold for now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the important things for me was that they delivered what I was looking for. We had some KPIs in terms of quarterly targets, and we achieved those targets on time and without issues. I was quite happy as their customer.

The platform is still there and when I am ready to invest again, we will recharge things. If I am going to do that, it will be with Cool Digital Solutions.

How did Cool Digital Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We were in touch every day for 10 or 15 minutes and they caught me up on what had been accomplished. They kept me in the loop constantly. It was done in a very agile way. I gave them a vision of what I wanted, and they were able to develop the whole thing from the concept. 

To keep in touch and track the project, we used WhatsApp and Trello. After a certain point, we decided phone calls were sufficient since we worked in the same location, so we didn’t feel a need for project management tools. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very effective in terms of communication and keeping me abreast of what was happening. I think that was the most important aspect of our engagement. They managed the project exceptionally, which made me very happy. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We could’ve done some things in a more structured format, but I know, especially in terms of a startup, the most important thing is to bring results rather than build a bureaucracy. Also, they could benefit from expanding more globally.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Describe what you want and involve Cool Digital Solutions as early as possible. They have their own ideas and they develop a lot of creativity internally. They provided me with ideas which have changed the concept of my product. They were able to expand on my original vision and broaden my product’s capabilities.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am working in Üsküdar University as Software and Planning Unit Manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cool Digital Solutions?

We worked with Cool Digital Solutions on our university mobile application project. We wanted to develop an application which allows our academic personnel and our students to reach everything that they might need whenever they want.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to transfer all student information system into a mobile application. It was a challenging task for every unit that worked on this Project but at the end the results were really satisfying.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched for a high-end software development company and reached Cool Digital Solutions via their website.

Describe the project in detail.

For our university they developed native iOS and Android applications. We are still working with them and get regular maintenance service for the applications.

What was the team composition?

We were contacted with a full stack developer who leaded a team consist of native iOS and Android developers. Mr. Gümüş also gave us recommendations about the aspects we should focus on in the application.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Almost all of our student information system transferred to mobile. It saved our firm a great amount of resource and energy.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was really effective. We had lots of concerns but they fulfilled all of our requirements.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The response time was really short. This is vitally important when you have a system that serves thousands of people.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing at all. I thank them for their efforts and commitments.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Leadtime is a media based startup that creates social media projects mostly. I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cool Digital Solutions?

I asked for their help to develop Android application for my start up idea.

What were your goals for this project?

People would have been able to send video to the future. It was basically like a digital time capsule.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had visited their website and then read their success stories. They were pretty impressive and contacted with them. Then it led to another success story.

Describe the project in detail.

My Android application developed entirely by Cool Digital Solutions. Aftermath, we have benefitted from their maintenance service.

What was the team composition?

At first glance I tough the team might be unexperienced and sort of childish. But they had proven me to be wrong. Brilliant, fresh minds with talent.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Being our first application, this version was the one that introduced us to the world. This was why we wanted to assure everything was ready on time. It was actually ready before the release date which gave us more time to test and it worth a lot.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We moved side-by-side. They were really transparent throughout the process and we were are of each platform they used for different purposes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They're a quality-focused small-sized company… You have to give it to them for that, it was pretty unexpected for a small company in Izmir.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Maybe increase their man power? Not necessary though, but it would be nice to know there are more people just in case.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of Sterco Agri Products. I am experienced in B2B sales/marketing/CRM, deal making, international commodity trading, procurement & supply chain management from fields to plants with direct P&L responsibility.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cool Digital Solutions?

I had contacted with Cool Digital Solutions for the development of Sürüm mobile applications. I benefitted from their design, development and consulting services

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to give an opportunity to small and medium-sized farmers as well as big ones a tool to manage their flocks with ease. Following important dates for their living stocks and, when necessary, communicating with a veterinarian is a crucially important necessities for these people. Our goal was to give this opportunity to those who need such a service.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

First of all, they prepared the basic necessities such as application scenarios and data structure. They designed the interfaces of my application in the following process and started to code it.

Describe the project in detail.

Basically, Sürüm is an application which makes stockbreeding much easier and technological. It allows firms or individuals to calculate their animals’ food cycles, birth cycles and vaccine cycles. They can enter each data from the types of animals to their ages which makes the calculation more precise. It also has an veterinarian panel integrated so that people who need such service reach to the service faster.

What was the team composition?

As far as remember there were 3 people who were working on my project. A full stack developer, a designer and a tester. All of them were competent and talented.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was successfully completed and published as planned. We received many positive feedbacks and have new ideas to expand the services we provide.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was well arranged and on time. I had experienced no problem

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team did not look at the project just as a development project but they gave satisfactory feedback and recommendations about marketing and promoting as well.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None. Thank you.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the head of education programme in World Wildlife Fund Turkey, the biggest nature conservation foundation of the world. I had worked for numerous big-sized companies in several managerial positions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cool Digital Solutions?

Cool Digital designed and developed a system that will collect volunteer data and demonstrate it in the leanest way possible. It was a bit complicated to develop but they did it with ease.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to collect data of our volunteers to be able to make use of them in necessary projects. We also wanted to segment them into pre-decided groups to see in which catagories they can help to us.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They worked also in my prior project and created a website, which was the social resposibility project of Doğuş Holding.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They analyzed existing system and created a new system in harmony with the other ones to collect data from them.

What was the team composition?

They were all clever and dedicated engineers. Mr.Gümüş created an amazing team for our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We found some of our volunteers to work on boat or for our communication campaigns via this database.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

There was no system or projects for volunteer selection before the data software. But the team lead me through and the process became visible to everyone.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team focused on different parts of the project but they had almost no problem. The harmony between the team was amazing.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Just keep your core team as they are now.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am one of the co-founders and the CEO of Smart Capital. It is a Robo-advisor for portfolio optimization and automatization based on our better-performing artificial intelligence algorithm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cool Digital Solutions?

As we got our algorithm done, it was time to develop our mobile application for the usage of our prospective customers and website for anyone who is interested in making an investment without paying too much of commissions and requiring a minimum amount of initial investment. Two native mobile applications for iOS and Android alongside our website were the projects that we needed Cool Digital Solutions’ expertise.

What were your goals for this project?

As a company that operates in fin-tech, our customers had to be welcomed with trustworthy interface design and convenient experience throughout the entire application. Same concerns applied to the website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Ercan Gümüş and I had met during an event in İzmir. When we, Smart Capital, needed a firm which is capable of developing both of our mobile applications and website due to the privacy concern, his firm came to our mind and we contacted with him and agreed on working together.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Every asset used in our mobile applications and website was designed by Cool Digital Solutions. This part accounted for the first phase of our agreement, the second phase was the development of our applications and website. They handled the process very adeptly and handed out what we needed.

What was the team composition?

If I were to describe the team at Cool Digital Solutions, I would use the word enthusiastic. Every member of their team, from developers to designers, was very eager to learn more and create quality work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With the applications developed and website working properly, we applied and awarded several national and international bodies and accepted into their incubation programs as their solution partner.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Even though he travels a lot in a regular week, Mr.Gümüş never kept us craving for information and informed us about every single action his team has taken.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The mindset of people work for Cool Digital Solutions was quality-oriented perfectionists which made our work easier.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The satisfaction level of our team was at the very most. I see no area for urgent improvement but in the long run, I believe they should follow an expansionist approach. The world needs more of this kind of adequate firm.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a business developer and investment consultant. I worked for different companies throughout my career and now I am an entrepreneur.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cool Digital Solutions?

I have just founded a start-up and we needed a company to realize our dreams.

What were your goals for this project?

We are promoting the word of mouth through our platform and give people the best advice when they need

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Some of my friends work in the IT sector and they recommended Cool Digital Solutions to me

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Web design and web development for my start-up idea.

What was the team composition?

4 different people as developers, designer, and project manager for my project

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was the foundation of our system therefore it was really important to have a high-quality job with all of its implementations and documentations. They were professionals to do everything according to the plan

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Weekly reports and constant communication. Everything happened in front of my eyes and I am so satisfied with the process

What did you find most impressive about this company?

There was nothing that I know and they did not. I learned much from them and look forward to working with them again in the future.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Thank you very much