Elite Crew

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm Senior Product Manager, Growth & Innovation for a financial services company in the strategy department, responsible for designing MVPs & testing concepts for new high impact initiatives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to test a new reactivation method of current customers through a mailing campaign and landing pages specially designed for customer needs.

SOLUTION

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

I had worked with EliteCrew during one of my former jobs and had already experienced the agency performance and communication. It was important for us to choose an agency team who has lean processes, is fast and reliable and also eager to experiment.

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

We send a briefing on the scope of the project and the deliverables we need. Marek made a concept on how the deliverables can be implemented. A high focus was placed on the data security topic, as this was key for us. After the kick-off the deliverables were designed and developed shortly in close alignment with our internal feedback.

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

Marek, EliteCrew's founder, was our main person of contact through the entire project. We also got to know the developer team and communicated with them directly on tech-related details.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The landing page performance was great, we reached over 20% Conversion Rate. We also got very positive qualitative feedback during usability tests with real customers.

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

We had weekly meetings as well as on demand syncs, depending on the working phase. We used Slack and JIRA as main tools to communicate and document the conrete requirments.

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

I must say it has been the most pleasant and successful agency collaboration I have experienced so far. Marek‘s entrepreneurial and creative thinking has been an inspiration. I have always been impressed by the open, easy communication as well as the customer-focused, fast and smart way of working, making products real and easy to use for our customers. During the time we’ve worked together, it always felt as if Elite Crew was a part of our team.

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

We had minor bugs ocasionally. The team was nevertheless very dedicated in fixing them asap.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Managing Director of Talk to Loop, a Dutch registered global charity working in humanitarian and development fields.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed a global platform to be built from scratch to scale globally in multiple languages across a wide variety of technologies.

SOLUTION

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

Elite Crew came highly recommended. We used them on the MVP and planned to scale elsewhere but after that short partnership the working relationship and committment to the objective was so high it was better business to stay with them long term.

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

Development of WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS, Voice, Facebook Messenger and web interfaces. development of the statistics page and analysis Development of the management of highly sensitive reporting of very vulnerable populations in contexts where they may not be safe.

This included deep involvement in data protection and safety and security measures and is an ongoing parameter of all new features and ongoing improvements Ongoing maintenance of the platform and improvements.

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

Over 15 people at one stage. They brought in different specialists depending on the project. This worked out well for us as it meant we had specialists of a wide variety of areas without having to pay for them all long term.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

www.talktoloop.org Visit the platform and stories from around the world. analyse the statistics pages etc. In summary we have received over 3000 stories, across 6 countries and in 15 languages. We close the feedback Loop directly across input channels and languages. We have managed over 100 sensitive reports and made referrals for assistance and accountability as a result.

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

we use slack, miro, notion, whatsapp etc. They are very flexible and use what works for us. We have less literate, more remote team members and the best thing about Elite Crew is their understanding and adaptability to these crucial focal points.

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

How they care about the product and the impact. How they want to have good productive relationships with our partners from all around the world. The flexibility to change priorities and deliver on critical needs when needed.

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

Not really. I think it is more me learning as a non tech person how to prioritise and plan as the project scales and grows.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Sonder Design is a collective committed to using design to foster meaningful change. Together, we’re working towards a more equitable future.

We work in union with NGOs, local health practitioners, IT systems engineers, and humanitarian organisations, combining the best of our expertise to design and implement the most relevant solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Having spent a full year researching and prototyping a concept for a ratings platform the Humanitarian sector, we came to Elite Crew with a proposal to build out an MVP of the platform we had been designing and testing.

SOLUTION

How did you select Elite Crew and what were the deciding factors?

Marek and his team at Elite Crew were involved in scoping the project from the beginning. They played a key role demonstrating to the project donor the data protection protocols we would be incorporating into building the platform, and how potentially sensitive information would be handled.

I have seen the quality of work Elite Crew have produced in the past. This combined with their flexibility, attention to design detail, and competitive rates, meant that they were immediately chosen as the preferred partner for this project.

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

The project last approximately 12 weeks in total. Elite Crew worked in parallel with the Sonder Design team. Once the wireframes were produced, Elite Crew began working in week-long sprints to get much of the backend functionality in place, while the design team tested the designs, and created more hi-fidelity mock-ups.

With the designs tested and iterated, Elite Crew spent the remaining time on the project building out thee flows necessary for the MVP. A particular requirement for this project was that the website should load quickly for users with internet connectivity of 2G or less in Zambia and The Philippines.

Elite Crew were extremely diligent in ensuring this was delivered upon.

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

Over the course of the project we worked with a project manager, 2 full-stack developers, a DevOps Engineer and a QA Engineer. In each case, I found the team to be friendly, professional and diligent.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In just 12 weeks we built a fully functional and scalable MVP of the platform. It is currently being piloted in The Philippines and Zambia where users with very limited access to data can access the website and leave a review outlining their experience with humanitarian organisations in their area.

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

For this project, we had a Slack channel allowing the Design and Development team to communicate asynchronously. We also had a weekly check-in call to discuss any blockers and update on progress.

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

The quality of the work Elite Crew produce is unrivalled. They are extremely flexible and dependable. They're also very friendly, and pleasant to work with.

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

No, I am already looking forward to working together with Elite Crew again.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Im the co-funder of a design collective working in social impact projects. I am leading a big data and research project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed to make qualitative and quantitative data in global health available to a global audience and looked for a development partner to help us conceptualize the system architecture and develop the site.

SOLUTION

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

On of our collective members had worked with them before and recommended to work with them.

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

Scoping Iterative Development

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

Marek as the project lead and his team

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is live.

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

They're friendly, open, iterative, flexible, and adaptive.

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

Their positive and excited approach and their determination for good quality.

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

not at the moment