Donatix

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an online financial platform for groups payments. The company was established 2018 in Bulgaria. I am co-founder and CEO.

For what projects/services did your company hire Donatix?

We hired Donatix to develop the whole platform from end-to-end and integrate it with core system of our partner.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals of the project are disign, development of custom financial platform.

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for a company that has experience and knowledge in financial sector. We hired them because they had successfully delivered other projects for integration with the core system of the payment service provider that we are partnering with.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Based on our initial functional specifications and mock ups they made the design of the platform and the website of our company. They always explain how things work and give advices for better solutions. They pationtly listen our requerements and execute them promptly. The backend of the platform is very complex as many variables have to be taken into consideration. Integration with the PSP core system is through API specialy configured for our project. Donatix took active role in this configuration.

What was the team composition?

There are four people on Donatix side working on our project. The whole project team is very supportive. They alocate needed time for workshops and discussions regarding the project with us and/or with our partners.

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

The integration with the PSP core system is onging and the project is not finished yet. However, we are sure that the platform will work as it supose to.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The communication with the project team is open and productive. The project manager and other members are very supportive. In case of doubts they give us proposals and working solutions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Supportive, flexable and patient team who is ready to help start ups like us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

To onboard more people in order to avoid overload.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of Trendsta, a start-up company that’s developing and marketing the La Koketa app.

For what projects/services did your company hire Donatix?

For the last five years, our app has suffered from a steady decrease in impressions and downloads because of an obsolete code base and outdated functionalities that impaired UX. After reviewing market dynamics, we decided to pivot the product to target fashion and the way women build outfits and buy clothes. Since we don’t possess an in-house development team, we outsourced the backend and mobile development.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to reposition our app as a unique solution that digitized users’ wardrobes and advised them on what to wear. This required redeveloping old functionalities and introducing new features and third-party services. Specifically, we hoped to see improved download volume, conversions, user engagement and retention, and key market penetration.

How did you select this vendor?

After our first vendor couldn’t deliver, the founder of another startup referred us to Donatix. We signed on to have them develop our backend system, covering user management, third-party service integration, and development of the algorithm that creates outfits for users. Later, we assigned them the mobile app development to better facilitate communication and improve process efficiency.  

Describe the project in detail.

Initially, we had several meetings to discuss requirements, the prototype, user stories, and deliverables. We also organized a meeting with our former vendor so Donatix could better assess the existing code base and plan their process. The planning phase was very thorough, covering all potential pitfalls and scheduling functionality deliverables.

During the development phase, we had regular meetings and calls to discuss algorithm implementation, test new features, report bugs, and come together on some of the essential specifications. Their team tried to stick to the projected timeline, but changes in product requirements and team composition led to delays in the first iteration’s release.

What was the team composition?

We were first assigned an iOS developer and a backend developer, who also served as a project manager. The iOS resource took over the development of both platforms when the backend developer left the company.

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

Donatix delivered an app that fulfilled our requirements and launched successfully. Unfortunately, UI changes, third-party selection considerations, and resource turnover led to delays in the development process and a doubling of our timeline. Final success will only be determined after proper marketing investment since ours is a consumer-driven product.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their team was extremely responsive, communicative, and quick with updates. If something needed our attention, they brought it to us right away. We used their planning and feature tracking system and communicated regularly via email, text, and video meetings.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were greatly impressed by their proactivity. They were quick to propose actionable solutions to user flow problems, feature improvements, and backend tweaks.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Though the planning process was thorough, development took longer than expected and product delivery was delayed. Both sides shared responsibility, however.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of a tech travel startup that allows people to book hotels and activities through a chat feature.

For what projects/services did your company hire Donatix?

We needed a vendor to take over our codebase, do some debugging and refactoring, and be our main development partner for adding features and maintaining the website.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a stable website that would allow us to add features quickly and effectively. Our previous vendor had built the code with minimal testing, rendering it unstable. We also wanted to follow an agile and test-driven development process.

How did you select this vendor?

We reviewed multiple vendors, analyzing their skills, team, and cost, and selected Donatix primarily for their team’s skills and excitement to take on the project. We gave them a small task to start with to see what our working relationship would be like, and carried on with them after that.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They fixed the codebase, liaised with our designer and infrastructure teams, and developed multiple new features for our website. This included Node.js, Amazon Web Services, and MongoDB. They handled end-to-end development, including weekly releases.

What was the team composition?

There was a CTO-type lead developer that pulled on additional resources as needed.

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

Since hiring Donatix, all bugs were fixed efficiently, and we’ve had a steady and reliable feature release schedule. This has helped us tremendously in planning the next phases of the business.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was great. We had weekly sprint planning calls and shared progress on our scheduling app. Issues were quickly addressed, and new ideas were suggested to better meet our requirements.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I found Donatix to be a very reliable and dedicated company that genuinely cares about their clients and do their best to meet or exceed expectations. It was very easy to communicate with them, and they have top-notch developers.

I was also impressed by their professionalism and how errors were quickly addressed with a root cause analysis that went above and beyond their immediate development tasks. They gave me the confidence that any new challenge will be reliably tackled and solved. They’ve done everything with a smile and genuine care. They’re definitely my go-to development house for the foreseeable future.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Honestly, I can hardly find an area for improvement. Perhaps they could add a better way of tracking and documenting issues. That said, I felt that I always knew the status of our work, and if I needed anything, they were easily accessible.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of customer development of a global IT solutions firm. We’re an end-to-end solutions provider for utility companies. We take care of billing, CRM software, portals, and bespoke development for our customers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Donatix?

We needed the skill set to develop a web platform for our firm because we didn’t have the in-house resources.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They integrated our customer’s portal with an external system which dealt with technician booking for visits to users’ homes.

There was an internal news platform and gallery that showcased events and pictures. It was integrated with the internal authentication, authorization systems, and identity management.

They also developed an internal Internet portal where our customer could communicate with their employees. They helped with the design and custom development of the portal. They used PHP and Javascript for the frontend.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people from their team. We worked directly with the designers and developers, but the project management stayed with us.

How did you come to work with Donatix?

We were looking for resources and got in touch with Donatix’s management after some colleagues recommended them.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around €50,000 ($62,335 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2017 and the relationship is ongoing as we work on other projects.

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

The feedback has been positive. There hasn’t been any significant negative feedback either. We had one bug fix, but it wasn’t anything critical or disturbing.

How did Donatix perform from a project management standpoint?

They are excellent. They give us daily updates on the work they’ve completed the day prior as well as work they’re planning to do. They report on time and let us know if there are any obstacles.

We have occasional in-person meetings but mostly communicate via phone, email, and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are able to respond quickly and professionally to our team’s demands. They meet all of the tight specifications and customer requirements. They’re a reliable partner who is professional in what they do. We’ve never missed any deadlines or commitments to our customer and their quality of work is very good.

They are very flexible and we’ve managed to establish a good rapport with them. Our relationship is smooth and straightforward.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Cocoa Invest, a European fintech company that provides online investment services.

What challenge were you trying to address with Donatix?

We had developed our product’s backend and web version, but the bank we were negotiating with at that time really wanted us to go live with a mobile version. We decided to reach out to a third party.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The initial involvement was to develop native iOS and Android applications. Since we’d already developed the web version, we had an exact vision of what we wanted to do and how we wanted it done. The spec was firm and detailed in every aspect. Donatix started development right away, and although this was the sole basis of our relationship originally, it evolved into something more over time.

They also got involved with our business, and have a great understanding of our business domain in general. We sometimes went through with their ideas when they challenged us, but other times, we told them how things needed to be.

Initially, we were only working on development for the two mobile platforms. Now, they’re doing the mobile products’ design for the next version. Afterwards, we’re also going to release those ideas to our web version of the product.

What is the team composition?

We work with five people, including a product manager, two developers, a tester, and a person who handles documentation.

How did you come to work with Donatix?

We searched online and found Donatix, 2–3 companies in India, and one from Slovakia. We told each company about the idea and had them all sign NDAs before proceeding with anything.

Donatix stood out as a good team, and they were strong in communication as well as realistic about their own skill set. Many organizations we’ve spoken to claim to be able to do everything, but that’s impossible. Donatix’s cost-effectiveness was also a deciding factor.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around €10,000 ($11,964 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

They’ve delivered the first release despite us being a bit late providing information to them, which proves their performance abilities. We haven’t launched the product yet. We ran user acceptance testing on it, and everything is functioning properly. That’s as far as we can get with this release.

Donatix has performed with accuracy, and their final delivery definitely met expectations.

How did Donatix perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great. They have a very good project manager who is strong in communication and language skills, as well as with conveying decisions to his teams. If we talk in the morning, the developers know what’s going on by mid-day. This can be a challenge if far away from one another, but their project manager passes information on with precision and detail. We use Skype, and it’s efficient for presentations.

They challenged us if we really wanted to do something for the user experience. We have a very constructive collaboration with them. We’re very open to hearing their ideas when they present them, which are usually good. We’re also aware that core features and functionality must remain here in Copenhagen due to us being a highly regulated business.

We’ve done continuous delivery throughout the process. We knew where they are with the product, and they delivered a mobile version weekly that we could check out on both devices. We knew all along that we were making good progress and that they were on schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They greatly respect their clients and relationships with them. They came back to my colleague and asked him if it was okay if they engaged with a similar company. We told them it wouldn’t be okay because it’s too close to what we’re doing. They weren’t obliged to ask us because there’s no NDA or clause that tells them they can’t develop in this area, but they asked us out of respect. When we told them no, they were fine with that decision. This shows that they really respect their clients and look towards building long-term relationships.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open about what is wanted, but also be specific. Specificity is important when engaging with third parties. It’s also important to be receptive to new ideas with Donatix, because it might help the relationship develop into something more.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the three co-founders that established ActivityChoices.com, which is a startup. It’s a web platform that provides passes for customers to go to sports facilities or take classes in different sports, such as swimming, karate, yoga, pilates, or dancing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Donatix?

We were looking for a full-stack developer to help us build a website, a mobile application, a database, and a fully-functional backend with transactional capabilities. We wanted comprehensive technical assistance in getting our startup off the ground.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted the platform to allow us to offer to customers in Bulgaria the ability to purchase their digital passes. They also helped us with UX [user experience] and UI [user interface] design. They didn't use WordPress or any other template; they coded our website from scratch.

We did the design for the frontend together. Along with their in-house designer, we came up with initial ideas for the screens and the look and feel of the web platform. They're going to build the app for both Android and iOS. Currently, we’re still working on the web platform functionality and will then develop the mobile application.

What is the team dynamic?

We frequently interact with 4 members of their team, but we understand that additional people are working on our assignment as well. There was a project manager, a designer, and a frontend and backend specialist.

How did you come to work with Donatix?

We put out an advertisement in JobTiger and they contacted us. There was a high degree of understanding from the very first discussions about what we wanted to produce, as well as some initial preliminary ideas. This indicated that we could benefit from their experience in building other applications and websites so that we don't have to come up with everything from scratch.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent $10,000–$50,000 with them. Their rates are around $25–$45 an hour. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since July 2017.

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

Donatix were capable of delivering on all fronts of creating the web platform functionalities, as well as the mobile app. They’re collaborative and creative. It's been a pleasure to work with them so far.

We invited 30 beta testers to purchase sports passes and give us reviews. The testing is going very smoothly and we already have some ideas based on customer feedback as to how we can add on and introduce additional features. Overwhelmingly, the testers like the platform and its functionalities. Some of their comments were cosmetic or had to do with how the platform asks for too much personal information, which aren't faults or shortcomings of the software development. Those are details that we can easily fix.

How did Donatix perform from a project management standpoint?

Our engagement is structured in phases and we really value breaking up the deliverables in this way. We had phase one, which is a beta testing phase, and then release one, which works on additional functionalities and improvements on the beta release.

We are using the Agile software development approach, which has been working very well. They come up with screens and deliverables every other week that we can review and comment on. They can fix as we go along so that we don't lose time of having to go back too many steps. From a project management point of view, this Agile methodology of work has been working great for us.

Regarding fixing issues or coming up with additional features, we've been using a shared Google spreadsheet on which they indicate the requests that they've received, are in progress and completed. Once they are completed, we go out and we say whether we have tested and accepted the deliverables. This has also been working very well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I've always looked for people who are proactive, who come up with ideas of how things can be done better. We've seen that with Donatix. We've come up with detailed specifications of how we see things, and they come back with their ideas. On several occasions, we embraced their ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

On timing, they could have delivered some things a bit faster but there's always a trade-off whether you want things fast or you want things done well. They lean more towards delivering a better product rather than delivering overnight and delivering a sloppy job. We're very happy with their delivery overall.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the digital marketing and CRM specialist for a pharmaceutical company. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Donatix?

Before contacting Donatix, the promotional order process used to be handled only by email, and it was a nightmare to track from an analytics perspective — to know exactly what was ordered from whom and so on. We wanted to make it a simple process for our sales force so they wouldn’t have to waste a lot of time sending emails back and forth and figuring out what was happening. Our logistics department also spent a lot of time trying to collect the data in a more analytical way (Excel spreadsheets and so on), which took a lot of time. The new application needed to be internal to our staff.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We came to Donatix with a concept and they helped us draft the functionalities we wanted to automate. They didn’t know much about our business but managed to understand the process quickly. They also participated in numerous meetings with our distributors and salespeople during the testing phase.

We’re careful when it comes to integrations like this one because they change the process for our sales team, so we need to ensure there is a smooth transition. A lot of valuable feedback was shared with Donatix even before creating the wireframes.  Salesforce would be the key users in the end, so their ability to use the app was the most important thing.

When working with vendors, we provide our own rules and regulations around colors and other design elements, but Donatix built everything from scratch. We felt that we could trust them when it came to creativity because they seemed to understand what we wanted and knew what they were doing. There was very little communication when it came to design.

The idea was to make the system as simple as possible so that only a few clicks could be made and everything is handled quickly.

We have started using Donatix for other services including website localization, small developments for the Bulgarian product pages, and so on. They made content updates and small developments.

What is the team dynamic?

There were three people we actively met and communicated with for this specific project: a graphic designer, a project manager, and a technical contact who managed database connections and other similar things. We also worked with a developer and the legal representative. We had face-to-face meetings and also communicated via email.

How did you come to work with Donatix?

We have a procurement department, which filters the vendors we work with. There is a fixed process in place when it comes to new vendors — they have to go through validation and other needed steps.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Donatix in February 2016.

They continue to support the app, making updates and addressing issues. Donatix has become a reliable partner in the last year and a half of working with them.

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

We’re happy with the usage of the application and have collected feedback from our sales force, who said that the app is saving them time. We have no negative feedback at all.

How did Donatix perform from a project management standpoint?

They met all the deadlines they set, and there were no delays whatsoever. We didn’t have misunderstandings when it came to certifications and other items we discussed during meetings. Donatix did exceptionally well for a development company.

We had a project management system in place for the app, which worked well. So far, there haven’t been any cases of them not being able to deliver a request. We have on-time feedback around how long something will take, and how complicated it will be.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I liked how they handled the bug fixes we had in the testing phase. Donatix provided us with access to a system which allowed tracking everything and which was updated regularly with what they were doing on their end, what was being prioritized and so on. We had a clear understanding of where we stood, how far we were in terms of development, and what we were expecting to be changed.

I have worked with other companies, and it was more difficult to track those things by only relying on email or spreadsheets. In large part, Donatix’s approach was why we managed to finish the project on time and have a successful launch.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the chief of expansion for Help Credit, a loans company operating since 2011. I deal with new products and markets; anything related to the company’s growth.

What challenge were you trying to address with Donatix?

They’ve worked on a couple of projects for us in the last three years; they do various things to help us expand as a business. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

One project they worked on was expanding our company’s credit card offerings to include Mastercard.  Donatix integrated the Help Credit website with the Mastercard producer.

Additionally, they worked on our website, as well as a project for our company using server technology. They have also designed small posters and other marketing material for our products.

What is the team dynamic? 

Most communication is via email and the rest through messenger. We have face-to-face meetings at the beginning of a project, after which the collaboration will be exclusively online. After I receive prototypes of the work they’ve done, my team evaluates it and makes notes for them. Then they work on it and send us results. We worked with five people from their team during the last project.

How did you come to work with Donatix?

We started with a small project with one of Donatix’ employees, before they’d created their company. As soon as the company was established, we started working together. Since then, I’ve found other developers, but Donatix’s price has always been the best.

How much have you invested with them?

To date, we’ve spent around $20,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Donatix in 2016; we have an ongoing relationship.

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

We’ve continued working with them because they’re fast and offer reasonable prices for their services.

How did Donatix perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a good connection with them and they have a good team. If someone is not immediately available, another member will finish the job that day. In that sense, they communicate well and are often available outside of standard working hours, including weekends. We receive monthly reviews that tell us what work has been done and what still needs to be completed, but they’ve always delivered on time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are a serious company and do their job well. I haven’t had to look for anyone else.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have had an overflow of projects and orders from the market, so they’re busy all the time. They should bring more people in.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am manager of PHP web department at Vola Software Ltd.

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

We are working on an online platfrom for registration and management of Covid-19 tests for Germany. The project grew quite fast from business perspective: there are lots of new test types, locations, franchises. And we needed help with development and project management.

How did you select Donatix and what were the deciding factors?

Donatix are company with excellent reputation and we have done some projects in the past with them. They had the experts we need for the projects available.

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

We started this project in November 2020 and realeased initial version the next month. As the project grew we had to add lots of new funcitonalities. The team grew from just 2 developers to 6 people. And Donatix joined to help with 1 project manager and a WordPress developer.

The project manager is helping to put everything in order, to have some process, better communication with end client and better planning. The WordPress developer was responsible to build a structure that allows creating subsites for franchises, added lots of customizatoins on the WordPress Theme and also made it scallable, because we started to have over 20 000 unique visitors per day.

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

A Project manager and a WordPress developer.

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

Currently we have much better process and organization of the work and planning of the project. The WordPress site is now stable, scallable and have lots of customizations that attrackts more customers and has improved user experience. The customers raised with over 100% to over 4000 customers per day.

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

The project manager introduced weekly meeting with the end client, also we have daily meetings with the tech team. Tasks are well described and tracked in Trello and we have constant communication on Slack.

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

The whole organization and project management are very well done: the tech team know exactly what to do and what priorities are set. And the end client knows what and when to expect. Donatix team has a lot of experience in technical projects and shows high professionalism in their work.

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

I don't have something in mind.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Brand Manager of the Consumer Healthcare division of Sanofi Bulgaria pharmaceutical company. We promote to consumers and medical specialists medicinal products, food supplements and medical devices.

For what projects/services did your company hire Donatix?

We realized the need to become more digital in our daily operations and especially in the activities with medical specialists. therefore, we engaged Donatix to develop a series of product html apps used for digital product promotion to our customers medical professionals.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to introduce a different channel for engagement and communication with the healthcare professionals. The interactive detailing apps, called e-detailers, are being used during each face to face visit to doctors and pharmacists and serve to transmit in eye-catchy and engaging the scientific communication.

How did you select this vendor?

I have had previous experience with Donatix for websites development. The vendor was selected based on their reasonable costing and the excellent service and skills they have demonstrated.

Describe the project in detail.

We managed to complete the project without delays and interruptions despite the COVID lockdown. the communication between my team and Donatix designer and developer has always run smoothly and we were in constant contact to discuss, implement revisions and improvements.

After the completed design, the app testing phase followed. All needed revisions were implemented timely and with professionalism respecting the time of my sales team who are the actual end users of the app.

What was the team composition?

1 designer and 1 developer, who were both my contact points for their respective areas of expertise.

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

The apps are being put in use for 2 months now used for product benefits detailing to medical professionals. A second wave of apps development is being assigned to Donatix.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I had absolutely no complaints with regard to the workflow effectiveness. Donatix team is easily approachable, responsive and proactive in the communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The attitude "we can do it" and flawless realization of the projects in practice is Donatix most valuable characteristic.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would recommend Donatix to each company or individual seeking digital expertise.