Espresso Moon

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an oil and gas distribution company that provides pipes, valves, and fittings (PVF), as well as maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) equipment, material, and supplies, to the oil and gas industry.

I’m the director of innovative solutions on our digital team. We’re looking at robotic process automation, big data, and application development.

What challenge were you trying to address with Espresso Moon?

I worked with them to develop a mobile and web application that will allow our customers to configure the specifications, features, and sizes of the equipment that they want. The app will provide budgetary estimates and rendered equipment models.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Espresso Moon developed the app for the web, as well as iOS and Android. We have about a dozen products (like saltwater disposal units and gas meters) available for customers to view and configure. These specifications include pump sizes for a water disposal unit, inlets and outlets, and pressure ratings. The app provides them with cost estimates, from which they can proceed to firm and final quotes. Afterward, users receive piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&ID) that we produce, which are 3D or AR models of their equipment. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with around five people from Espresso Moon, including a non-technical project manager, a lead engineer, a designer, and two technical resources that actually built and debugged the applications. The designer handled the architecture and the visual aspect of both the web portal and the mobile app.

How did you come to work with Espresso Moon?

I came onto this project after it started, and the person who chose them is no longer with my company. I believe they had previous experience with Espresso Moon, however, and recommended their capabilities.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost so far is around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working on the project with Espresso Moon in October 2020, when it was already in motion. We have ongoing enhancements, modifications, and maintenance planned, but the main project is complete.

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

We set up delivery milestones for certain functionalities, but our main measure of success is customer or user adoption. We went live just a few months ago in the middle of COVID and our industry budget cycles so usage has been a bit low, but that’s expected. The overall user feedback is that it’s a game-changing, exciting, and highly valuable app. It reduces time on both internal quoting and returning quotes to customers. Some of the feedback has required us to go back and modify and enhance a few features, but the feedback has been very positive for the most part.

How did Espresso Moon perform from a project management standpoint?

They always kept us up to speed. There was a bit of a rough start, but I can’t speak to that too much because I wasn’t involved in the project at the time. The work began to move once I started having regular meetings and opening up communication. I’m not sure what the cause was; it could’ve been on our side, but, once things got going, we were really happy with their ability to project manage and deliver.

We had a spreadsheet with the actions and expected timeframes and assigned team members to each action. The project wasn’t complex enough to require management software: straightforward requirements and a not-too-long duration.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility stands out. We got a lot of feedback along the way and our ideas of what we wanted changed. There were only four people involved in the beginning, but things got a little more complex than what either of us thought it was going to be so Espresso Moon brought in a fifth resource. This person allowed the project to finish on time and budget. This type of staffing adaptability without requiring another session at the negotiating table was critical. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Espresso Moon ultimately realized that they were over budget, and we started having to write up additional agreements for upgrades and different features, but I don’t know if that was necessarily their fault. The project simply crept, and they did their best to keep us happy and manage it, but at some point, their budgets weren’t working out. We had to set up additional agreements, which we weren’t expecting.

What all of that comes down to is being a bit more transparent with their budgets and financial expectations. There still will be holes, and we’re not looking to price-gauge or hold anyone back. We’re interested in our partners being successful when it means that we’re successful as well. Espresso Moon being more open about their budgets not adding up correctly would’ve made things easier, rather than trying to make it work on an ad-hoc basis. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should look farther into the future regarding what they expect the apps to be. We got burned a bit because we had a narrow focus on what we wanted, and we designed, set requirements, and built to that. We ended up building ourselves into a corner. As time went on, we saw a bit farther into the future and wanted a few extra features, and it was difficult to go back and make those changes.

Therefore, I recommend starting with the big picture of what the project should be and what it could grow into in the long term to avoid ending up in an inescapable corner. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Large Animal Consulting & Education, an online provider of continuing education for large animal veterinarians. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Espresso Moon?

I needed their team to develop my website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We kicked off our partnership through a brainstorming session wherein Espresso Moon researched websites that featured the same services and functionalities as the platform I envisioned. 

My website is complicated in that there must be an e-commerce feature to allow potential students to avail of my classes, a video panel that permits them to watch class materials as a requirement for accreditation, and another feature that issues them a certificate for their class completion. I asked Espresso Moon to condense all these functionalities into the platform.

Espresso Moon utilized WordPress to generate my website, coupled with LearnDash to manage the delivery and learning systems. The e-commerce component of my website was then made possible through a PayPal checkout, which they implemented.

Their team continues to support me with their site management services to date, ensuring that my platform is up and running and no bugs hinder its performance.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with three different resources from Espresso Moon’s team over the course of our engagement. The design team is comprised of Tim (Head of Marketing & Creative Direction), Scott (VP), and Doug (President). My main point of contact is Andrea (Lead Web Developer), who implements all necessary web solutions and adjustments.

How did you come to work with Espresso Moon?

I put up a hiring ad online to state my need for a development agency to help me with my needs. Scott (VP) then reached out to me, and his crew set up a personal meeting with me. I was impressed with their capacity to understand the complications of my project, and I saw their willingness to help fulfill my needs despite the former matter, so I decided to onboard their team.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent about $20,000–$25,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership commenced in September 2017, and it’s ongoing.

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

One of the main success metrics that I highly consider is that I haven’t received any complaints or constructive feedback from users regarding the site's performance. Instead, they always share positive feedback about the website’s usability and seamless features. The upgrades implemented by Espresso Moon are also approved by our users, as the site is now more interactive than ever.

The biggest compliment I’ve received so far would have to be my fellow veterinarian’s earned inclination in creating a similar platform upon seeing my website — that same colleague even contacted Espresso Moon and expressed her interest in becoming one of their clients. It's further proof that the quality of their services is well-received by others.

How did Espresso Moon perform from a project management standpoint?

Espresso Machine has their own ticketing system, which I’ve bookmarked to stay in contact with their team. I also email some learning materials to their team if the file size is too big to be processed by their ticketing system.

I think our partnership has been going smoothly because of this system that’s been helping me expedite my needs and queries to Espresso Moon’s team. Additionally, it’s also very easy to use, and it automatically notifies me with ticket updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Espresso Moon’s genuineness definitely stands out — their services have a personal touch to them that truly reflects their team’s willingness to help my company grow. I get what I pay for with their work, so I don’t intend to work with any other company apart from theirs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything off the top of my head. There was never an instance wherein I was disappointed with their work or I felt that my needs and ideas were neglected. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come prepared with reasonable and specific ideas that highlight your goals and projected deliverables. Espresso Moon is a very responsive and adaptable team that can make great things happen for your business, so all you need is a clear vision of what you want out of the engagement.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Senior VP of Operations for a company that deals directly with life insurance agents and their clients. Our services are packaged with a select group of life insurance policies, helping the carriers differentiate their products in the insurance marketplace.

What challenge were you trying to address with Espresso Moon?

We initially hired Espresso Moon to build an application for us. Now, we have them on a retainer contract, and they manage our web presence. Periodically, we have them develop other apps from scratch as well.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Espresso Moon is responsible for developing custom applications and redesigning our websites. Additionally, they've worked with us to formalize information management and security standards for our company.  Anytime we need to leverage technology to meet a business objective, we will engage them. For example, we had them do video work for virtual events last year when our training directors, scattered across America, had to move to the internet to conduct training.

An example of an application is the knowledge base they created for our 24/7 call center team. We tasked them with creating a knowledge base that would be owned by our company, replacing one that was controlled and managed by our call center provider.

What is the team composition?

Typically, we work directly with Doug (President) and several principles and specialists, as well as with the development team that works under their direction.

How did you come to work with Espresso Moon?

Someone I had worked with in the past knew that I was dissatisfied with the application development provided by our current, multinational IT firm. He suggested I consider a smaller company based in Houston, where our corporate office is located. This person had worked with some of the principals at Espresso Moon and made the introductions.

Espresso Moon asked good questions and provided thoughtful and knowledgeable answers. We found the principles to be very grounded and straightforward, and we quickly recognized that Espresso Moon was a company of authentically knowledgeable people.

I've been around technology long enough to spot when someone is quoting “project speak” and using buzz words. That was not the case with Espresso Moon. Very quickly, we felt we could trust them with our next application development project. We gave them a couple of little projects and liked their work.

Our CEO has very high expectations and doesn’t immediately accept someone’s credentials. The fact that it didn’t take long for him to recognize that Espresso Moon was talented and authentic said a lot.  After the first few projects, Espresso Moon became our go-to IT and application development provider, and they have been under retainer with us for the past couple of years.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent six figures in 2020.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first started working with Espresso Moon in May 2016, and after several smaller projects, we placed them on retainer a few years ago. Today, they are managing three major projects for us.

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

Espresso Moon has helped us expand our reputation as being an innovator using technology to help our clients. They have never brought a project to completion that everyone wasn’t satisfied with. Working with Espresso Moon, we've never had a project fail.

Both our company and Espresso Moon are good at defining scope. If there’s scope creep, we will recognize it for what it is and, if appropriate, we will sign an additional work order. We know what we want and don’t want, we know how to ask for it and document it, and we’re very collaborative.

Espresso Moon has a lot of capabilities, and they will tell us if we are asking for something they don’t excel in. What they have in abundance is being direct and candid, and we value those traits.

How did Espresso Moon perform from a project management standpoint?

Espresso Moon is detailed and performs with high levels of accountability. We have regular status calls to review tasks and progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Espresso Moon has some really smart people working for them, and we have found them to be direct and straightforward about what they’re capable of doing or not doing. They're candid and tell us the truth when we discuss a project with them. Refreshingly, they're also not burdened by the layers of bureaucracy you see in bigger companies.

We’re very grateful that we met them five years ago. Today, they know our business well enough that they will point out things to us — opportunities and risks. For example, they didn’t just create a knowledge base application but eliminated a business risk.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We don’t have any complaints because we communicate with them in a proactive manner, and together we work on alternatives.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If you want Espresso Moon to crank out projects and exceed your expectations, you need to be engaged and responsive. Our relationship with Espresso Moon works so well because we're a knowledgeable client, and both companies are very collaborative.

Clients who may not be as knowledgeable about what they want and need can count on Espresso Moon to ask the right questions and define all the details needed to put a successful project plan in place. Despite all their talents, if they were working with an unengaged client that is stuck in its own bureaucracy, they may not get the results that we get.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of InstaMeri.

What challenge were you trying to address with Espresso Moon?

We built a coffee-sharing app with Espresso Moon.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have an app on Apple Store and Google Play Store. With COVID-19, we’re really excited to kick it off, so we’ve been beta testing it and so on.

We went to Espresso Moon to present an MVP. Three years later, we’ve obviously gone beyond that. At first, we just wanted to get some kind of viable product, but we decided to roll out with it along the way.

Right now, they host the website. We basically have them as contractors, so they continue to do updates on the server and site.

What is the team composition?

I typically work with 3–4 people: Doug (President & Founder), Tim (Director of Marketing), Scott (VP), and Riad (Software Engineer). Occasionally, I also talk with 1–2 other people.

How did you come to work with Espresso Moon?

When we came up with the idea to do this, we were looking at putting some kind of MVP together. My husband talked with someone in New York, and when he came back, we discussed and felt the other company was a good fit for us. However, he shopped a bit and found Espresso Moon through Google, so he met with them here in Houston and decided that was the way we should go.

Ultimately, we decided on them because they were down to earth and understood the concept. They were more reasonable, and we felt we could get what we wanted from a technical standpoint.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2018. We have a contract with them, so the relationship is ongoing.

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

We’re not pushing it. Right now, we’re just kind of beta testing with friends, colleagues, and a few small companies. The feedback has been extremely positive on the UX. We’re just working on one small thing right now, so we’re pushing for that update. We’re basically changing the regular SMS text into MMS. The only negative feedback from our beta testers has been that piece of it, and we knew about it going in.

How did Espresso Moon perform from a project management standpoint?

Before COVID-19, we were still trying to figure out what we wanted. We met with them face to face quite a few times and communicated a lot through email.

They use a certain tool, and whenever something’s not working as it should or we have feedback, we can log in or enter directly to the site to submit a ticket. It’s pretty nice because we can do a quick screenshot, upload it, and it takes a minute to send something over. The coolest thing is that the ticket gets sent over to everyone at Espresso Moon, so it doesn’t hold up the process or gets bottlenecked with one person.

For project management, there have been times where I’ve been very adamant about following a certain direction, and there have been times where I ask them to lead. Then, they make suggestions from a technological standpoint or design perspective. In general, they raise their hands whenever there’s a potential issue.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would say it’s their availability and responsiveness. I’ve worked in corporate America, and sometimes it may take days or weeks before you get a response back. I don’t operate really well with that. With Espresso Moon, I know I can pick up the phone and call if there’s something that I’m panicking about.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be nice to have a report, dashboard, or visual representation to track where we are in the project. We went back several times because we wanted something and then decided we didn’t, or didn’t want something and then changed our minds. Espresso Moon rolled with the punches, but there were a couple of times that I floundered on some things.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Espresso Moon does really well if you come with a solid direction. They question, push back, and help along the way, but if I were to do an app again, I would go through some of the iterations with myself before taking something to them. It was the first time we did an app, but it would’ve taken a lot less time if we knew what we wanted upfront.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and Managing Director of the Lavister Group

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

We hired Espresso Moon to do our initial branding strategy and logo design

How did you select this vendor?

We have worked with Espresso Moon over the years on a number of projects. They always deliver great work at a great price and are our go to firm when it comes to custom software development, branding, marketing and website design

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

On this project they designed our logo and put together a marketing and branding strategy. On previous projects they have done custom software and app development

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

We have worked directly with the entire senior leadership team

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

Branding and marketing strategy that led to the development of a multi million dollar consulting firm. Custom software development that has delivered 10x value.

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

Everything is delivered on time with constant communication 7 days a week

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

They are a hidden gem when it comes to custom software development, marketing, branding and website work. The quality of their work and collaboration is unmatched.

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

We look forward to working with Espresso Moon on additional projects in the future.