Devato

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager for a staffing company based in Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Devato?

I hired Devato to redo our website and to build a database for our pay stubs. We had another developer create our website in 2010, but we weren’t happy with their work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Devato rebuilt our WordPress website using HTML5 and PHP. They changed our website’s host to Amazon S3, created an import-export feature using SharePoint, and designed our email system. The site is now mobile-friendly and cloud-based.

Their team also digitized our pay stub process. We previously sent out 2,000–3,000 pay stubs over email every week to over 10,000 managed employees. Devato created an ingenious method using Rackspace and Postmark. It captured each pay stub PDF file and extracted information such as the pay period, name, and account number. This data—along with T4 documents and employment records—is now stored in an internal database that employees can access at any time. Devato created the database using Heroku and Ruby on Rails. 

What is the team composition?

I only work with the main person, Troy (CEO, Devato).

How did you come to work with Devato?

I found Devato through a website and noticed they were located close to where I work. I reached out for more information, and it’s easy to drive to their office whenever I need more clarification.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $100,000–$120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2013, and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything about the website and database works. Our previous website crashed regularly; that hasn’t happened at all with what Devato built. They changed our hosting, domain naming system, and web framework, and it all functions as expected. Devato now manages our site and hosting, and they make changes as we need them.

How did Devato perform from a project management standpoint?

Troy is excellent at project management. Only once has he missed a deadline by about a week, and that was because we asked for a few changes after the fact. I’m thrilled with his work. We use a SaaS tool provided by Devato to manage our payments and invoices.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Devato increased our website’s stability while saving us hundreds of dollars on web hosting. We previously were paying $250 a week to host our website, and now with Heroku, we only pay $50 a month. The difference is huge, and we’re really happy about it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. Next year, we’re starting a new project with Devato to revamp the main database, which will involve reshuffling the whole website.

Any advice for potential customers?

Explain exactly what you envision as the end product from the beginning. Don’t change your requirements from week to week. Devato needs reliable information from the get-go to deliver what you want.