Esketchers

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and chief product officer at a company that provides services to convenience stores. We help them onboard their inventory and deliver it through third-party platforms. Our firm operates in about 30 states and around 200 stores. We work with both enterprise convenience stores and one-off mom-and-pop stores. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Esketchers?

As a tech company, we needed a vendor to help us build our MVP. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we started working with Esketchers, we laid out milestones that were based on the features that we wanted our MVP to have. We jumpstarted the project with documentation, though we had no existing code in place. Our team provided them with a roadmap, product requirements, and billing information. We also gave them access to the platforms we were using, such as Jira and AWS. Then, they started the development. 

At present, we’ve transitioned to a monthly work setup, where they serve as our full-time outsourced developers. Our teams continue to work on the product. In terms of tech stacks, we’re using the Ionic framework with React on the frontend and AWS on the backend. We’re also using OneSignal for notifications and Google Cloud Platform for location-based services. 

For features and functionality, the app has an authentication function when it comes to signing up and onboarding a new store. It also manages incoming orders from third-party delivery platforms like Grubhub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash. The app also has an inventory management function; it onboards the inventory information onto the platform and links it with delivery platforms. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with one frontend developer and two backend developers. Our main point of contact is Faizan (Co-Founder). 

How did you come to work with Esketchers?

We worked with Esketchers in our past venture. They reached out to us via LinkedIn while we were working on another app. My co-founder and I loved working with them because they had a great culture and produced great work. 

When we had our new venture and needed to build our product, we reached out to them and asked whether or not they were still available to help us. That was when we started working on this project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on this project in February 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. We first engaged them in another project in the fall of 2019, where they worked with us through March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team loves the work that Esketchers produce. Their outputs are always up to the quality standard we provide; what they produce meets our expectations in terms of both code and UI/UX design. As a result, everyone is impressed by their work.

In terms of quantitative metrics, the MVP has saved us over $3,000 per month after launch. We no longer have to rely on third-party platforms, and that’s been a big help. The app also reduces our store onboarding time by over 50% — this is a significant achievement for us. 

How did Esketchers perform from a project management standpoint?

Esketchers has an in-house product manager, and we collaborate with them through Jira. We meet with them three days a week, and we do our planning calls on Mondays. Then, their team internally manages our development sprint. To communicate, we mainly use Slack and emails. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re highly responsive. Their resources respond to our requests and resolve issues quickly. On top of that, they know what they’re doing and have a great company culture. Every time we get on a call with them, they’re friendly and work well with us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

When working with US clients, they should make sure there isn’t a lot of communication barriers. To be fair, they’ve been getting in-house training to help them with that. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that your product roadmap is clear and concise. As long as you clearly lay out your expectations, Esketchers will deliver. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of a software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Esketchers?

We needed help with website development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Esketchers is doing all of the backend development of our platform using Python. Their team also handles the API connections with other services, such as Twilio and Stripe. Additionally, their efforts include the maintenance of the platform they’re building.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with four members of their team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $45,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Esketchers’ team is building the product according to the specs we asked for, and they’re also quick in making adjustments whenever we need course corrections. Overall, I’d say that I’m 100% satisfied with their work; they’ve exceeded our expectations, and I don’t think that anyone can beat the value they provide.

How did Esketchers perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a responsive and communicative group. They’ve also been flexible with us in adjusting to meet our needs. Regarding communication, we use Slack and have weekly phone calls with the project management team and their developers to go through the pipeline and the demo product.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Their development team and communication stand out the most about their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s not a big deal, but sometimes the more minor nuances of the British system versus the American system can get tricky. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Have an organized and detailed roadmap; that’ll eliminate a lot of headaches on your end because it helps you keep a tight sprint cycle.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a software house based in Paris. We develop custom solutions for clients, in Python, Java, PHP, and other languages. We also do graphic design and 3D animations, and we provide big data solutions. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Esketchers?

We mainly develop our products in-house, however, the workload got too high and we were looking to outsource some development work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked on multiple websites with Esketchers, including sites for an online travel agency, a French Islamic bank, and a lawyer marketplace.

Most of our work together was based on Python, with the exception of the travel website, which was done in PHP. The site also had an API integration with Amadeus, for real-time flight data.

The banking site was all done in Python. It used a Zoho CRM and had some API integrations.

What is the team composition?

Muneeb (Co-Founder) was my main contact. I also worked with Faizan (Co-Founder), and I was in contact with their developers.

Overall, I worked with 7–8 people from Esketchers during the three-year collaboration. Each project had different developers, depending on the skills required.

How did you come to work with Esketchers?

I got in contact with Faizan on Upwork, who introduced me to his partner, Muneeb. We had a call, and I was reassured about their IT knowledge. I gave them a small project, they delivered, and I began giving them bigger and bigger projects.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $150,000 or more.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between March 2015–April 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their high-quality results made this long-term partnership possible. The travel website was quite a long project, but we delivered it and the client was satisfied.

The quality was great across the board but it obviously depended on the resource profiles. I had some very good profiles for our projects, and Muneeb switched one of the developers when I mentioned that I wasn’t happy with his performance. 

Anytime I talked to them about a problem, they tried to find a solution for me. Once, I went to a client’s product launch event. We were acting as that company’s IT department. There was a little issue, so I contacted Esketchers, and they resolved it. It was 11 or 12 o’clock at night over there, but they were very reactive.

How did Esketchers perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a young team, so they can work at any time. I’ll definitely work with Esketchers again if the situation arises. Their service is very good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their reactivity was impressive. I could call on them at any time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think that they were getting too busy at the start of 2019, and there was some mismanagement. I felt that Muneeb wasn’t as reactive as before. The overall results were still there, but they could’ve managed things better, especially since we were an older client. I wasn’t feeling that important as a client. It was a slight negative issue, but the experience was good overall.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should ensure that there’s good project management in place. Esketchers is reactive, and they have good performance, but the client needs to be in charge of project management, and not let them do everything themselves. It’s important to focus on each profile, in terms of who’s doing what and put in place a debriefing system at the end of the day.

When I was working with them, I was expecting that Muneeb would do the project management, but it wasn’t satisfactory at times. I felt that results were better when I handled project management myself.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of product of Digital Adventures LLC. We’re an affiliate marketing company operating in the iGaming niche.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Esketchers?

We used them as a full-stack development house.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For one of our projects, they developed a site that’s a platform for online bingo providers. Our in-house design team provided the wireframes and assets, and Esketchers built the CMS for us and coding the designs into responsive website designs.

They managed the migration from a previous site and worked with various teams to provide content. In addition to producing the project, they also consulted on the approach to capturing data for the advertising metrics, design, and development.

What is the team composition?

Currently, we have a team of three developers, one senior developer manages the other two.

How did you come to work with Esketchers?

They had an understanding of the correct process. We had worked with other developers before and they weren’t very professional in regard to project management. Esketchers had the professionality that we sought after.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $25,000 on this specific project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing overall engagement started in January 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re really dedicated to the development. We looked at metrics around page speed and web core vitals, which Esketchers has been in-depth with. That’s been a benefit to our SEO rankings because of their efforts. Their consultative approach has put various stakeholders at ease. Additionally, their ability to communicate with us as a service provider is excellent.

How did Esketchers perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is reasonably good. It’s not outstanding but it’s positive. We work in two-week sprints, and they’re great at hitting those. They have valid reasons when they don’t reach a sprint deadline. Those reasons are usually to do with challenges within our business trying to get access to data or QA processing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Esketchers’ overall knowledge of different technology is great. Their expertise allows us to have discussions around what’s possible to deliver. Additionally, we really appreciate their consultative approach on how long things will take and whether it’s realistic to go ahead with something.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’d benefit them to improve the documentation they supply. There’s a little bit of back and forth to get them to deliver the standard we need.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Think through your project’s various stages. When you have a decent idea in the briefs, discuss it with Esketchers for feedback. They’ll help broaden your thinking; we found that quite helpful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

AUAV is a drone services company based in Australia. I am one of the directors, and CTO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had prototyped a first version of our online 3D drone data platform, and were looking for a good development partner to help us accelerate its development and bring more experience to it. We wanted to refactor the project from prototype into an ongoing platform, and split it into client + server modules to support online collaboration.

SOLUTION

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

Placed a project description on Upwork, then came up with a shortlist of respondents, after an interview with the top 3 or 4 it was clear that Esketchers was the way to go.

The deciding factors were previous experience in similar work, good english communication, and least of all but still important was cost, as we are a small company and this is still an exploration project for us so difficult to fund internally.

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

The first stages were familiarisation with the existing codebase and consideration for refactoring. We established some small initial tasks as well as embarking on the refactoring efforts.

The code was initially mostly vanilla Javascript + jQuery, but it was clear that a more structured framework was needed, so we began to move to React, and to restructure the code from prototype to ongoing development.

Next a dedicated server module was started, and quickly took shape with the base functionality of user management, authentication, project administration, etc. which was also written in React, with a MongoDB database.

In June 2020 we launched a beta version of the new code, and now have dozens of our clients using and relying on it to view and collaborate on our 3D drone data.

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

My primary interface has been with Faizan Ali as the Project Manager, and as we moved through different phases of development, another 3 staff have been involved to suit their specialities of backend vs frontend and other considerations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The first phase of refactoring the existing prototype went well, with the team quickly getting up to speed with a messy and complex existing codebase to make real improvements within the first months.

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

Most communication was via Slack, which worked well with the offset timezone and multiple developers involved. We have also had a few video calls to discuss larger challenges. Tasks and priorities were managed mostly via Trello and google sheets.

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

They have great communication, English skills, and knowledge across a wide range of modern web development topics. Our project encompasses a lot of different technologies and so it is great that they have a team who bring various skills to the table and so we can get their combined experience and benefit rather than just a single developer.

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

There is always room for improvement but nothing specific I can say, very happy with the relationship and their work so far.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a music-tech startup that is improving the way we discover and share music with friends.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Esketchers initially in April 2019 to supplement our development team by building our new website and adding features to our mobile apps. The primary goal was to enable a faster pace of development with the additional resources.

Due to the excellent communication, great code quality and technical aptitude of the leadership team, we decided to bring Esketchers on board as a full-time extension of our development team.

SOLUTION

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

We initially hired Esketchers for some trial tasks (website and mobile app updates). I have hired many freelancers and was immediately impressed by the communication, quality of code, and timeliness of deliverables. Faizan (one of the primary business partners) demonstrated exceptional technical aptitude and I often turned to him for technical recommendations.

Most freelancers try to take the path that is easiest or within their technical means, but Faizan and the Esketchers team took ownership of the tasks and attempted to carve out the technically correct path (often explaining the pros and cons of various approaches). Based on the initial interactions, we quickly decided to scale up on their support.

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

Esketchers' support spans almost all of our technical product suite (website in Angular, hybrid mobile apps in Ionic, PHP backend, and cloud infrastructure). They are part of our normal development cycle and we utilize tools like Slack for communication and Asana for project management.

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

We have worked with Faizan and Muneeb (the business partners and technical architects) as well as multiple developers across products.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Esketchers team helped get our mobile apps to market, and are in our second major release version with some impressive usage metrics and virtually 0 crashes. Folks are getting hyped about the future of social music that we are carving out. We have run web campaigns with artist management teams that have also created some impressions across the industry and we have Esketchers to thank for their support along the way.

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

We define sprint tasks in Asana at the start of a two-week sprint. We then discuss the tasks via Slack as needed and keep track of progress via daily tagups and updates to the Asana tasks.

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

The most impressive aspects that are remarkable are:

• technical aptitude of the leadership team and developers
• quality of code
• communication
• dedication to deadlines and willingness to go beyond and do what is needed to deliver in time

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

Nothing noteworthy. After almost 2 years we are still really impressed and happy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an entrepreneur. Currently, I’m the founder and CEO of a company developing an office assistant. It’s similar to a botnet aimed at simplifying the operations of a company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Esketchers?

I’ve worked with Esketchers for three different companies over the years.  When I first worked with them, I’d just started a startup and was looking for a long-term partner to develop a hybrid mobile app for customer experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Esketchers developed a hybrid iOS and Android customer experience app and a real estate app for me. They were also part of some web projects, building landing pages, and so on.

The hybrid iOS and Android app provides location-based interaction between consumers and cashiers. When someone enters a barbershop, restaurant, or somewhere similar, rather than using a plastic card or cash for payment, they can use the app to connect to the cashier side, based on their location. The idea was to simplify interactions between local businesses and consumers entering their stores.

The product included features like localization and a comparison algorithm. If there were multiple businesses using the platform in an area, the algorithm would determine which one to connect to. There were three interfaces: the consumer side, the cashier side, and an admin portal.

Working with Esketchers, we went with a hybrid application, with one code base for Android and iOS, in order to be as flexible as possible.

For the real estate app, it featured national bank authentication for Sweden. We have something called “bank ID” here, which is a nation-wide authentication product for legal transactions. The app was used to manage the people renting from a company. It had integrations with Asana and other SaaS applications, to simplify real estate operations.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Faizan (Co-Founder).

How did you come to work with Esketchers?

I’d worked with remote Ukrainian teams before, and I learned that it’s all about the relationship, no matter if I’m working remote or on-site. I made a request on Upwork and received replies from around 50 companies. I felt that Esketchers was a good match for the technology and that we could grow together, which is what has happened over the years. 

How much have you invested with them?

Development for the cashier app cost around $50,000 over the years. The real estate app was around $30,000. I’ve also run between 4–5 other projects with Esketchers, with the cost being in the realm of $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Esketchers around October 2013. Our most recent project ended around July 2019, so I don’t have ongoing projects with them right now. I’ll reach out to them as soon as I have the budget to continue development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Success consisted of meeting the specifications of the projects, which they did. Even if we went over the timeframes, the collaborations with Esketchers were still valuable. 

How did Esketchers perform from a project management standpoint?

They were flexible in changing how they operated. We work with Asana and GitHub for project management. We’re also in contact over Slack. Working with teams on the other side of the planet requires that we have precise requirements and a QA process.

Over the years, I felt that Esketchers developed a more Scandinavian style of operating. I know that I could work with them from all over the world and still get high-quality results.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One important part, which I feel highlights their team, is that they had a wide understanding of modern technologies, and they could question database structures and provide better alternatives. They were always objective and precise in their collaborations, in that sense.

They worked in collaboration with me and my team as if they were part of our internal company. For me, that was really valuable to have in a long-term partner. That aspect served as the foundation for our many projects, and it was part of the requirements I wrote on Elance.

I’ve worked with probably 20 development teams over the past 20 years, and I’ll definitely continue working with Esketchers in the future. They showed respect for the client’s needs, and they did quality work — that’s what made them stand out from the crowd. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It could be valuable for them and their other clients to gain expertise closer to no-code development, with Webflow and products similar to that. They were more technical rather than design-oriented, and they could benefit from expanding their team.

They did deliver excellent frontends, but it’s hardcore code, and there are really effective tools available these days, which could increase development speed.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Esketchers was very good at filtering projects and promoting the technologies they’re comfortable working with, so there’s no specific advice I could give to someone. They would be quite able to provide that information themselves.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Im the CEO of Solvpath. Solvpath is an AI driven, self-serve customer support technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Senior level- Full stack developers. To help execute python and Angular development.

SOLUTION

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

Upwork. The owner Muneeb. Extremely thorough and hard working. He had the experience and drive.

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

Our software is comprehensive and robust. The eSketchers team has been helping with many projects along the way

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

Three

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Very organized, great communication.

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

We use Asana to manage projects and have our weekly calls. They work well with our CTO

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

Their communication skills and the quality of code they provide are impressive.

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

Cant think of anything. Satisfied

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own a CPA management software company called My CPA Dashboard.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Esketchers?

We hired Esketchers for software and application development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Esketchers’ team focuses on developing and designing our custom software. They mainly use Python as their programming language. 

What is the team composition?

We work with 4–5 of their team members, mostly software developers.

How did you come to work with Esketchers?

I found Esketchers on Upwork and thought their team was great at their job.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the engagement in June 2018, and we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Esketchers meets our expectations — they deliver whatever we ask for.

How did Esketchers perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is keen on meeting deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everything is excellent. We are especially impressed with their attention to detail and punctuality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there are areas that need improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They are an excellent team with no negative sides. I highly recommend them.