E2developers

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the founder of an online marketplace. Users could list services like pet care, babysitting, or tutoring and hire other users to complete those tasks. I took the website down in 2017 because the business wasn’t viable.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with E2developers?

I needed website design and development for my startup.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

E2 took the mockups I had and custom-built every part of the website. They integrated search functionality and complex payment and dispute processes to protect users. Basically, we’d hold payment from users until the job they accepted was marked complete. The dispute process allowed us to resolve job issues and ensure appropriately allocated funds.

What is the team composition?

Their project manager was our point of contact. They had a team of developers, but we never interacted.

How did you come to work with E2developers?

I found them on Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

We probably spent $15,000–$20,000

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement took place November 2014–November 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were able to take my idea and turn it into reality by building a legitimate website from scratch. I’d recommend them to anyone.

How did E2developers perform from a project management standpoint?

Despite being overseas, communication with them was done effectively. Email was the only form of correspondence necessary.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had the ability to do anything I asked of them. I’d often change my mind about something or go a different direction and they’d always accommodate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could keep pricing more consistent through different stages of development. Although some of that confusion may be due to the language barrier or not being a developer myself.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the web content manager for a car-leasing brokerage company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with E2developers?

We hired them to redesign our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first part of the project involved creating the design for our site and was carried out in two phases. They submitted the initial design work via the 99designs platform and then moved on to direct one-to-one work with us.

The second part, which was the frontend coding, was also carried out in two phases. They initially coded all the new pages their team designed for us, and later they worked on about 10 of our existing pages using HTML and CSS.

What is the team composition?

I mainly dealt with their project manager, and I'd occasionally speak directly with one of the designers and one of the developers.

How did you come to work with E2developers?

We created a design contest on 99designs, and E2 participated. We selected them as the winner and decided to extend our partnership on this project because they also had skills in frontend coding.

How much have you invested with them?

$6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project began in September and we just wrapped up this month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're still integrating the new static pages E2 made for us, so the site isn't live yet. We're expecting it to launch next month. That said, we've been impressed with their design skills. The new aesthetic is very much in keeping with our current one but gives it a more modern look.

How did E2developers perform from a project management standpoint?

During the design phase, we used the 99designs platform to manage everything, and it was very convenient. Once we moved on to the coding, we used a shared spreadsheet where I made notes about anything that needed improvement so they could double-check it. Google has chat features built into its shared documents, so it was easy to touch base whenever their team had a quick question.

That said, we had a few communication problems with the project manager that resulted in delays throughout the project. It was sometimes more efficient to communicate directly with the developers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really committed to satisfying us in all aspects of the project. They've been accommodating of the time difference and willing to work at hours that suit our needs. It was a lot of afternoon and evening hours for them, as well as occasional work on the weekends. Even though we had some delays, they still gave us the results we expected, and everyone's been great to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As I mentioned, they could improve their communication. In one case, they were unavailable due to a local holiday festival and didn't make us aware until the night before, so we lost about three days. We could have worked around it if they'd told us in advance. So, I'd like to see them handle predictable schedule challenges more effectively.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of yoostars AG, and we have a travel platform called cookyourtrips.com that offers specialized, individual trips to different destinations. We’re bringing users together with 3 specialists who are responsible for planning and giving free offers, which customers are then able to choose from.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with E2?

We have a local team that does our design work. We have a programmer for our WordPress website, but we needed E2 to handle the coding. The website is much more complicated than simply picking a WordPress template.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked on a project basis, which started with foundation work, and then we brought the site to the next level. We created the WordPress website with SEO in mind, and we’re able to able to receive automatic notification emails through it. We also built an accessible backend so our team can easily maintain the website and content. Most of the technology they used is WordPress, PHP, and JavaScript.

Afterwards, we created more content and subpages for the site, and also integrated some forms and pictures so the customer could directly access a travel form from any page. We needed popups, buttons, and widgets for platform accommodations as well.

At present, we are on the third stage, which focuses on mobile optimization.

What is the team dynamic?

We have a business developer who works with the developers and team in the background.

How did you come to work with E2?

One of our partners who had recently worked with E2 highly recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had some problems with the notification emails. Anytime a customer fills out a travel form or gets a request for travel, we are supposed to receive a notification. We implemented a tracking tool on the website so that we’re able to use Google Analytics and AdWords to monitor everything. Sometimes Google Analytics would state that we had a conversion, but we weren’t receiving a notification. We worked on this issue with E2, and they presented some good solutions.

Now, we have a database where all the information gets stored and is easily accessible via the backend. If AdWords has tracked it, we’re able to look at it on our own database, and everything is filled out. The performance is fully mapped out in our database, the notification emails work, and we haven’t experienced any server issues. This has helped us greatly because we don’t have to go to E2 every time we have an issue. They’ll recommunicate it, and then we’re able to manage the problem ourselves.

How did E2 perform from a project management standpoint?

We had some timeline issues within the first 3 weeks, but we talked with them about it, and we’re happy with the improvement. They give us updates either daily or weekly, and they meet every deadline. They also communicate well.

We use Excel for project management, which is great for exchanging feedback and making comments. We would take screenshots from the website and save it as a PDF, make comments on it, and then E2 would work through the issue and relay whether or not they had solved it. This allows us to work on the real issue immediately.

We also have a single point of contact, which makes the entire communication process much more efficient.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I found the second milestone very impressive. We wanted to add integrated forms, accomodation pages, and highlight pages, and they were able to give us a timeline within 2 days. On the second day of that timeline, they sent what they had done so far, and we hadn’t even finished all the stuff we were talking about. We were really impressed with how quickly they met milestones.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Finding out the level of communication a customer wants (e.g. daily or weekly communication) would be beneficial for both parties. Confusion can be eliminated if this is clarified at the beginning.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Next Best Practices, which provides marketing consultation for certain kinds of businesses. I have around six collaborators whom I use for their special knowledge when appropriate—an informal network of associates that I’ve met over the years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with E2developers?

I needed help with the design and execution of a WordPress website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

E2developers helped me with a couple of sites. These websites were not complicated since the most sophisticated components were collecting email addresses. We don’t have e-commerce features or anything like that. Our most recent site was NextBestPractices.com, but the GreenerDailyLife.com involved more work since they implemented some interesting elements. For example, they helped me create a directory of around 100 sustainable business websites. We also created a variety of special pages for specific events or purposes. The site went through several rounds of revisions as we changed its look.

What is the team dynamic?

I always dealt with Jiten Paliwal, their project manager. I know that there were a variety of people working on my projects, but he was my main contact.

How did you come to work with E2developers?

I found them through a bidding process on Elance. E2developers came across as professional and offered all the skills I needed.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of development for the two websites was around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on the project in July 2015, and it was completed in December.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m not tech-savvy enough to evaluate the quality of execution, but most of it has been straightforward WordPress work. Other than return visits and email signups, I don’t have metrics on the sites. Fortunately, the GreenerDailyLife.com website was well-received by the companies listed on it. I was not paid for the service; it was more of a passion project. However, it has been an effective way for me to build relationships with those companies.

How did E2developers perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a project management system in place where we tracked various aspects of the work, but most of the communication was over email. We narrowed down the design through an iterative process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I found E2developers to be good in terms of design—they understood what I was talking about. They packed a lot of information into a design that’s intuitive and easy to navigate. They were willing to make as many iterations as I wanted in order to get to my goal. They were patient and wanted me to be happy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a few times when the time difference between New Jersey and India was an issue, specifically when I needed something turned around quickly. However, I think that their team consciously tried to work during U.S. business hours. Otherwise, I have no complaints and think they did a good job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and creator of Gilligan Design Group, which was started in 2014. I am a fourth-generation homebuilder, and one of my duties of running the company was creating brands, logos, and related materials for individual community developments. We specialize in service industries, including food, insurance, law, homebuilding, and development. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with E2developers?

We target companies whose brands have lost their luster, and one of the things we offer is website development. I am not educated in this field; I know how sites should look and interact and how to promote brands, but I’m not familiar with actually building the sites. E2developers came onboard to meet this need. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I’ve worked on six WordPress websites with E2developers since 2015. The requirements depend on the client. When dealing with an insurance or food-service company, for example, social media integration is essential. Facebook is ideal for insurance, and Instagram is best for food companies, but law firms don’t want any of that. Law firm websites are strictly informational, with the goal of getting clients to call.

On the flipside, the website of a food company has an enormous menu and needs to be bifurcated from the get-go for social versus corporate catering. I hadn’t seen this unique feature done before, where the first thing the user comes across is the choice between social or corporate catering. The look of the site will change based on the user’s selection, essentially making involving two distinct websites behind one URL.

We chose this platform because I know how to manage the backend of WordPress quite well. When clients request content changes, instead of contacting E2developers across the globe, I can handle the work myself.

What is the team dynamic?

I am interacting exclusively with my equivalent, Jiten [Project Manager, E2developers]. Email is by far the most common collaboration tool. Jiten is literally on the opposite side of the globe, so when he is packing up to go home, I am waking up. He doesn’t normally leave until seven o’clock, so I have a narrow window where we’re working at the same time. I take more time in crafting emails to him because he can’t easily ask for clarification. I write as clearly and distinctly as possible so that when I wake up in the morning, my questions have been answered.

How did you come to work with E2developers?

I first came across the company on Elance (now Upwork). They were not the cheapest option, but they had a lot of favorable reviews. I made a skeleton of the site I wanted, and E2developers didn’t have any questions, whereas other companies at higher and lower price points had a million questions. Having an eight-page questionnaire approach is fine for the first job, but I’m over it by job 10. I can have a conversation with E2developers, and they know what I want the site to look like. They understand what I want for my clients and can do the work.

How much have you invested with them?

Our most expensive and complex project, which was for Biddle Street Catering & Events, cost $10,000. The total cost of their work has been around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

I started working with E2developers in the first quarter of 2015, and our collaboration is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A conglomerate bought Biddle Street Catering & Events. They wanted to increase their price-per-person, especially on the social catering side—weddings, bar mitzvahs, and so on. The client went from a pre-website cost of $34 per person to $54 per person; the result was staggering. How much of their success was website-driven vs. total brand renovation, I couldn’t say, but I do know that a higher-caliber customer is now staying on their site longer and spending more money. This means that the company can make the same amount of money with fewer events. Their business is up by about 45%.

Granted, when I started working with that client, the previous owner had run the company into the ground, and the new owners originally bought the business because they had a gigantic kitchen in downtown Baltimore. We revived the brand and turned it into something that people are seeking.

How did E2developers perform from a project management standpoint?

I don’t want to talk to junior personnel because things can turn into a telephone game, and the results start to differ from what I asked. This is something they have been able to accommodate. Prior to working with E2developers, I was constantly pigeonholed with specific questions going to specific people. The whole was not being addressed, just the sum, which did not equal all the parts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They can read my mind. We have learned from previous mistakes and missteps. Project one probably consumed 20 hours of my time, while project seven only took two hours. This has nothing to do with the complexity of the site and everything to do with E2developers already knowing what I’m going to request.

My time is the most valuable thing of all. Initially, I was putting in a lot of my own money and still putting in a lot of my time, while trying to manage everything else for a client. Now, I can give E2developers a project skeleton and the bullet points of what it needs to contain, have one or two rounds of edits, and take the site live.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My only issues are geography-driven. If I was in California or London, we would have a completely different dynamic, but being on the East Coast dealing with Mumbai involves hassles that need to be overcome. At times, I needed a site built in 10 days and did not go to E2developers. I will choose someone from the Mid-Atlantic for those cases, but they will be smaller websites with fewer technicalities behind them.

I’ve also had to take care of spelling and grammar checks. There is a language barrier, but sometimes there is also a visible piece of code fragmentation left in the user piece.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of a construction company. We primarily build residential houses and I also do a little bit of development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with E2 Developers?

I wanted a website for my company. If somebody is looking for a home builder I wanted them to be able to go to my website and look at the type of homes we’ve built in the past.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed my entire website on Wordpress. Now that it is finished, If I need to update my website or post a new picture, I email Jiten [Project Manager, E2Developers]. Recently they’ve also done a little bit of search engine optimization without even charging me for it.

What is the team dynamic?

I always email Jiten, but sometimes if he was on vacation somebody else would reply. I have never spoken to them over the phone.

How did you come to work with E2 Developers?

I've used a website called elance.com to originally contract them. I choose E2 because they had good reviews. When Elance was purchased by another website, which I didn't like as much, Jiten told me we could keep working together directly.

How much have you invested with them?

The site cost around $5000 but about twice a pay to have it updated.

What is the status of this engagement?

They developed the site from November 2014 to March 2015 and now do ongoing maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's hard for me to say how much impact the website had has on business because I live in a small town. However, I'm building five houses right now and all of those customers have seen my website and sometimes if I ask them what they are looking for they will show me a picture from my website. But it's hard for me to say if I originally got those customers because of the website. I do show up on Google now, after their SEO work.

How did E2 Developers perform from a project management standpoint?

Jiten has always had a better understanding of what I wanted when I wrote to him. I've noticed that when other people would reply if he was out of town I didn't have the same experience. If I'm displeased Jiten is very solution oriented about trying to solve the problem. He has been very helpful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

E2 Developers cost about third of the price of local developers I had originally contacted. They have provided good service and I've never had them respond that they were unable to complete a task that I requested. They are competent technicians.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m Co-CEO of WADE Journal. We are an online global publishing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire E2developers, and what were your goals?

To develop a new website for our global online company. The website had to be very intuitive and creative. A very challenging task, but they managed to satisfy our needs and project brief.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

They were shortlisted from a pool of web developers via Google search. Their costing and historical project samples won us over.

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

We had an initial kick off meeting to identify the project milestones and our vision. This was then followed by mock examples being sent through for comments and review.

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

We had a dedicated project manager who we liaised with regularly, and his dedicated team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, the website has received great reviews and feedback from our internal team. We are yet to launch it so hoping for an increased in traffic.

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

They are hands-on and really easy to communicate with to resolve any issues and project tensions.

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

They were very responsive and professional. I enjoyed working with their project manager, who dedicated a lot of time to our project.

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

A few glitches with the motion graphics but they were resolved swiftly when we identified it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a founder of a custom Software Development house.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire E2developers, and what were your goals?

Our website was quite dated and was not structured correctly. We wanted a modern design experience and ease of navigation. We also had issues with BOTS leaving leads on our site so we had to secure it.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

E2 demonstrated a deep knowledge of handling similar requests. Plus we were really impressed with their design capabilities.

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

Complete Bespoke Design, New Structure, Consultation on content, and Keywords Delivered within the budget and on time

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

We had the full team of E2 under our disposal and we were quite impressed with them. I personally interacted with 3 of their team members

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launch we had a 200% increase in traffic and almost 0 leads left by BOTS so that was a huge improvement for us

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

Agile Project Management and quick turnaround on all issues and concerns

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

We were impressed with the guidance they provided throughout.

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

They delivered to perfection.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a DJ company based in Baltimore, Maryland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire E2developers?

We hired E2devolopers to design and code a Wordpress website that informs and attracts customers.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to inform customers of our various services with a website that is easy to navigate and ultimately have them contact us for a meeting.

SOLUTION

How did you select E2developers?

We decided on their services after they presented a website design that we absolutely had to have!

Describe the project in detail.

After we confirmed that we want to proceed with they design. We hired them to code the site. A very quick turnaround. Even months later, when something needed to be updated, they were quick to respond.

What was the team composition?

I worked very closely with Jiten.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our customers compliment our website often. They tell us that they appreciate how easy it is to find the information they are looking for.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

E2developers were very easy to contact and quick to respond.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I am very happy with their design and coding skills and their excellent customer service.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I highly recommend E2developers for their design, coding and service.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of a digital marketing agency

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire E2developers, and what were your goals?

We hired E2 to build a bespoke WordPress website for a smaller client of ours. The goal of the website was to increase registration of American Football payers in and around the outskirts of London.

SOLUTION

How did you select E2developers and what were the deciding factors?

We shortlisted E2 after a list of approx 10 outsourcing agencies. The decision was made on positive communications from the initial kick-off meeting.

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

UI files were already supplied, so the SoW was purely Development across WordPress. The project was broken down into Phase 1 delivery of the website, one round of feedback and amends, and delivery of website files.

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

Three was fine for this size of project. Account lead, Project Manager and Senior Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Positive feedback from client, with minimal amends to the website. The development followed the designs well.

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

Continual comms across the project lifecycles, across email, WhatsApp and Slack (preferred channel). Very pro-active

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

They had good comms from the start, pro-active and responsive.

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

n/a