What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They’ve been pretty good at meeting my needs. The qualitative responses from some of our users have been great. They like the look and feel and how it operates. In terms of getting actual customer sign ups and traffic, that’s more of a marketing issue that I have that’s not related to their work. That’s been a bit of a challenge as expected. We’re in a very crowded area and we’re competing with the Yelp's and Google's and all the travel sites of the world. It’s not an easy market to crack.
How did Daffodil Software perform from a project management standpoint?
They assigned a project manager and she’s been great in communicating with me, understanding my needs, and getting her team to implement the things that I discussed with her. She’s been my main contact, but there are a few other people that come in every once in a while depending on what we’re trying to do. That’s been working very well.
We use email as well as Skype conferences. Once the site was launched, they introduced a bug tracking platform, Redmine, where I can report any bugs that I find or any changes that I want to make. We use that as a communication tool, too.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I really like the project manager that I’ve been working with. She’s been very responsive and supportive. She’s available to talk to you over Skype. We’re basically on the other side of the world, 12 ½ hours apart. That has been a challenge. We usually communicate around 9:00 or 10:00 in either our morning or our nights, which is their night or their morning, respectively. Even late at night their time, she makes herself available. That’s been really helpful.
Are there any areas they could improve?
As a web developer, they’ve been doing great. More of the difficulty has been on my side because I don’t have a real team to speak of. I’m doing everything myself. In that sense, they’ve been really supportive even though it’s just me, without the engineering background, trying to build this website with all these technicalities. They’ve taught me and guided me all along the way. That’s been really nice.
Do you have any advice or recommendations for someone who is considering hiring Daffodil?
I would have no hesitation in recommending them to others. They’ve been great. Their rates, for me at least, are very attractive compared to working with similar companies, especially compared to Silicon Valley where I am. It’s very expensive. For the amount of money I’ve spent, I’ve been able to accomplish quite a lot. That’s been great.
The software improved internal work efforts and management of client orders. They understood initial requirements and skillfully executed the desired result. Daffodil’s customer service and scheduling abilities lead to a lasting partnership.