Evergreen

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the owner of pulti.ua. We’re a wholesale retailer of remote controls for home appliances.

For what projects/services did your company hire Evergreen?

We needed to develop an online shop on OcStore and integrate it with our existing systems.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to migrate our products, clients, and their orders from the old site, develop a new website on the open source CMS, OpenCart, develop a dealer's admin where they purchase products wholesale and re-integrate the new shop into Microsoft Navision and our retail CRM.

How did you select this vendor?

We met with several candidates in-person.

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

They provided services including UX/UI prototyping, web design, frontend development, and online shop development. They also integrated our existing systems: a Microsoft Dynamics ERP, called Navision, and our Retail CRM. They also migrated data from the old shop to a new server and database, which saved our photos, product descriptions, attributes, and models.

What was the team composition?

We had a project manager, as well as a web designer, two developers, a QA tester, and an account manager.

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

The system integrations have decreased the manual work of copying and pasting data from different systems. Our number of online orders has quadrupled as well.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They organized the project in a such a way that every part was independent, and could be complete separately from every other part. It helped to estimate the results of each stage and then decide what should be done next, rather than following the original roadmap without any revision.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They drilled down into my business processes and tried to understand how the entire system worked.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Their length of delivery could be shorter, but that wasn’t a big deal in this case.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a co-owner of LuxCarte, a restaurant management company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Evergreen?

We have hired Evergreen to provide custom development for a restaurant resource and operations management system, including chat-bot, alert, and payment capabilities.

What were your goals for this project?

We want to simplify and integrate all of the operating activities of our restaurants into a single management system in order to avoid manually monitoring routine tasks. After first testing the system in our Argentina Grill restaurant, and then scaling the system to our other establishments, we want to create a ready-made SaaS subscription product for other restaurant businesses.

How did you select this vendor?

We held several personal meetings with a few development companies; of them, Evergreen impressed us the most with their professional approach.

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

Evergreen’s development has included: cloud-based software that reaches mobile and web-based clients; notification and staff group messaging functionality; descriptions for business processes and employee positions; staff scheduling and modifications; employee attendance capabilities; automated reports concerning enterprise performance; customization for each particular restaurant.

What was the team composition?

The project team includes one technical lead, one account manager, one UX designer, two senior backend developers, one QA engineer and one project manager.

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

This project is—within itself—a startup. In order to test the application, we release individual portions of functionality to small focus groups of real, daily restaurant guests. Recently, we launched a chat-bot that allows customers to use their Viber messenger to call their waiter, who would receive a wristwatch notification. Recent tests have shown that this feature is unpopular with guests; therefore, we are now working on adding a streamlined, online cheque payment system.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We are developing the project on a monthly scrum basis. For 3-6 month strategic planning, we use a Trello board, where we input all of our global modules. For 2 month tactical planning, we use a simple Google Spreadsheet roadmap. Each sprint is followed by hands-on application testing with customers, employees and administrators. This approach has cut excessive spending on unnecessary features. All communication is conducted via Slack and personal team meetings.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I have been satisfied with their partnership-like approach to development.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I would suggest more flexible pricing.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the product manager of DreamHomeCreation, a firm that provides home-building and design services for designers and architects at every project stage.

For what projects/services did your company hire Evergreen?

We hired Evergreen to develop our web portal at dhc.global.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted our platform to serve many purposes: provide a communications hub for designers and their clients; offer a designer’s catalogue; create a personal portfolio space for architects and designers; create an online store for interior design products.

How did you select this vendor?

We selected Evergreen based upon the quality of their past projects.

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

The company wrote SRS and drew prototype graphics before going through and drawing out a 140 page layout that covered important elements within the web interface. Evergreen developed project, article and specialists catalogs, specialist profiles, an online store, product inquiry forms and online payment mechanisms. They also developed the API for integrating the external databases of products, categories, attributes, orders and clients.

What was the team composition?

We worked with one technical lead, two senior back-end developers, one front-end developer, two QA engineers, one project manager, one account manager, one UX designer and one UI designer.

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

The business is an early stage startup that just launched its web-platform one month ago; therefore, there is little to no measurable impact.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was executed in three stages. First, we speculated on ideas and formulated projections; second, we focused on web design; third, they conducted web-development sprints that lasted 2-3 months each. This approach kept the project in-budget while still succeeding on our goals. We communicated via Skype, Redmine and personal team meetings.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I found the company’s strict adherence to deadlines—and their incredible competence executing the technical tasks of this project—impressive.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

There’s really nothing to improve on, we are happy with the work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the sales director of UniSender, a SaaS [software-as-a-service] platform for email and SMS marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Evergreen?

We needed help integrating our CRM [customer relationship management] system with the admin panel. 

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Evergreen has developed our website from scratch, from functionalities to design. It has been working well, and they continue to support it and develop a website for a different part of our business, which has been sold as a separate company. Evergreen installed the MODX CMS [content management system] on the backend.

We can receive payments from clients through the admin panel and register them on the site. Evergreen integrated the Terrasoft CRM and handled the business processes for this.

They researched our business sector and clients in order to come up with a design for the site. The platform consists of around 10 pages, including the homepage, the pricing page, a support page with helpful information, and a guide.

We are working with 7 people from Evergreen’s team, including 2 developers, a QA resource, a project manager, and a financial manager.

How did you come to work with Evergreen?

Our director knows their principal. Evergreen showed us their work, and we chose them based on that. We have only worked with Evergreen since then because they are the best in our segment.

How much have you invested with Evergreen?

I don’t have access to financial reports, but I estimate that the cost has been between $20,000 and $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Evergreen in 2012. The partnership is ongoing on an indefinite basis. We have a number of active projects. Evergreen continues to work on our site and CRM, and we plan to assign them another site in the future.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

Our site is the face of the company, and we now have one of the largest, most complex, and best-organized platforms online. Customers report that our site is highly effective in the field.

How did Evergreen perform from a project management standpoint?

We have worked with 2 different project managers from Evergreen’s side. They have been very helpful and provided consultation on our site and CRM. We use Redmine for connecting to the team, which gives us access to timelines on that dashboard. It’s very easy to communicate with Evergreen.

What did you find most impressive about Evergreen?

After working with other companies, I can say that Evergreen has high-level skills and organization abilities by comparison.

Are there any areas Evergreen could improve?

Their development speed could be faster.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We sell medical health products to retail and wholesale customers. I’m the marketing specialist.

What challenge were you trying to address with Evergreen?

The main task was to create a profitable online store. The competition in the niche was too high, so there was a need to create a simple, attractive, convenient, and fast website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evergreen proposed several prototype variants. We chose a prototype, and they offered design options. After selecting the design, they began to develop the sites. We have been working together for almost 3 years adding new solutions to improve business processes. We have 3 websites now, and 2 of them were built by Evergreen. They helped us improve the third website. All websites have an attractive design, high processing speeds, and are convenient for customers to use.

I work mainly with our project manager, but I also communicate with the designer, front-end developer, quality assurance specialist, and system administrator, if necessary.

How did you come to work with Evergreen?

We asked several companies to give us an offer for the development of the site. Evergreen 's proposal seemed the most attractive to us. They showed their professionalism right from the start.

How much have you invested with Evergreen?

The total cost of all projects was more than $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our cooperation in 2014.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

At the end of the first year, after the launch of the site and cooperation with Evergreen, we exceeded the sales plan by 30%. We regularly receive positive feedback from our customers. Also, our competitors often copy the most successful improvements. If competitors follow us, that means that we have the leadership.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

Evergreen has been a reliable and responsible partner for many years. It is very important that they have a great desire to work and they know how to do it best. They always react to my requests as quickly as possible and always ask clarifying questions to get the job done thoroughly. We know beforehand that the results will satisfy us.

What did you find most impressive about Evergreen?

What stood out the most was their great teamwork, efficiency, productivity, and friendliness.

Are there any areas Evergreen could improve?

Each company has areas for improvement. Without it, there is no progress. The most important thing is that they work hard for their growth. They know what they need to improve, and they do it. During the years of cooperation, we saw how Evergreen became a strong and competitive player.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the chief executive officer of Technolex Translation Studio. It is a translation services provider working mainly as a subcontractor for other agencies from the US, Europe, and Asia. Over the course of our work, we have developed 2 internal industry-specific software products. At one point, we decided to form another company dealing with our software.

What challenge were you trying to address with Evergreen?

We were using a basic site which had been built when our company was founded, almost 10 years earlier. We didn't have the budget for a professional site at the time. As we grew, we decided that there was a need for a more attractive page, one which would reflect our professional agency image to potential customers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evergreen developed the website for our translation agency. Since we mainly work as a subcontractor for other agencies, we needed content that would attract those particular customers. I designed the site's flow but Evergreen helped categorize it and improve navigation.

The prototype built by Evergreen showed how the content could be arranged. Then, we discussed changes and started the design work. Evergreen provided 3 to 4 versions of the design, out of which we selected 1. After the site was released, Evergreen maintained support for the additional features which needed to be included, like a customer application form or holiday animations. Evergreen takes care of any modifications we ask for.

For our translation engine website, the process was similar. I had the idea for it, on the basis of which Evergreen led me through all the steps. They also maintained contact with the programmers who made our software since there is a level of integration between it and the website. Evergreen made some adjustments after contacting the programmers. They maintained support for the site, making adjustments based on our requests. The site is using the MODX CMS. Evergreen has also designed printed materials for conferences, including posters and leaflets.

How did you come to work with Evergreen?

We contacted several companies found through Google searches and recommendations. The programmer we employed for creating our software tools was brought in to provide an opinion for each potential provider. Some options were more expensive than others, depending on the level of personalization offered. We had a look at Evergreen's portfolio and saw that their designs were above the competition. First impressions were important to us, so we considered Evergreen's cost to be a marketing expense.

How much have you invested with Evergreen?

The cost of Evergreen's services, including development and support, has been between $25,000 and $30,000 per site.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Evergreen in the spring of 2014. The first website was released that same year. Evergreen continues to handle the maintenance and updating of our site. We are considering having a rebrand, for which we'll use Evergreen again.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We track analytics, but I cannot make a comparison with our previous site. The translation agency website is definitely generating more leads than before. The software site has given visitors a good first impression, although I can't compare its performance to other pages. We have a 50% conversion rate for the software site.

How did Evergreen perform from a project management standpoint?

Evergreen keeps daily records of our activity. Our discussions and requests are properly documented, with every task having an assigned person and deadline within our time-tracking tools. The communication always went smoothly. Evergreen always lets me know if a resource became unavailable and a deadline needed to be extended.

What did you find most impressive about Evergreen?

I find that Evergreen is able to develop catchy designs, suggesting visual solutions for attracting customers. The pages designed by Evergreen always make visitors click the button we want them to click.

Are there any areas Evergreen could improve?

There is always room for improvement for any company. There were some communication issues in the beginning, leading to unexpected costs, but they were solved. At the end of the day, I was satisfied with Evergreen's performance.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

MindCruncher provides business consulting, helping companies manage their everyday affairs. I am the chief executive officer of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Evergreen?

I needed to obtain web representation. I used a word-of-mouth business model, so I never had a marketing website previously. The previous page was only meant for client accounts. I had experience with other web developers, but I wasn't very satisfied. I was looking to have a long-term collaboration with a developer who could maintain and update the website. I also needed for the developer to be the driving force. I have a lot on my plate, so the website was not one of my first priorities.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evergreen developed my website using custom coding. Instead of being dragged into the details, I could tell Evergreen what I wanted to see, how I wanted the site to work, and have them build it. 

The overall design needed to be simple and easily updatable. Evergreen made an initial analysis based on my competition and gave me a few options. I chose one which I liked, and it was implemented. Evergreen only gave me the essential details, without taking up too much of my time.

How did you come to work with Evergreen?

Evergreen was recommended by some friends who had had experience with the company. I talked to a few other studios, but none of them could offer the same level of maintenance and support. Regarding earning money, this is less appealing for most developers. Evergreen offered whatever I asked for in terms of additional work.

How much have you invested with Evergreen?

The cost of my website was below $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2015. I have a maintenance agreement with Evergreen.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The people who have seen my website have complimented it for its ease of use and readability. Users have also contacted me through the form on the site, which I found surprising. I have recommended Evergreen to a few friends, who have also been satisfied with the results.

How did Evergreen perform from a project management standpoint?

I was able to tell Evergreen what I wanted and have them bring the results directly. After a few minor changes, the work was complete. Evergreen is a reliable and self-sufficient team. I was kept up-to-date, and the site was delivered within the deadline. Evergreen was persistent in getting the required information from me, which I also appreciated; not all developers have this approach.

What did you find most impressive about Evergreen?

I liked Evergreen's approach. They cared enough to research my niche, looking at my competitors. I haven't seen this with any other agency. Since I am not alone in my field, it's important to become a part of the environment.

Are there any areas Evergreen could improve?

I didn't find anything. I am satisfied with Evergreen, and I plan to have a long-term relationship with them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a Software Development Manager in Yara Bulgaria, part of Yara International - an international agricultural company specializing in agricultural products and environmental protection agents.

For what projects/services did your company hire Evergreen?

We needed to do UI/UX redesign of our existing Farm Management System and do it more user-friendly and convenient for desktop users.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed UI/UX improvements to the existing systems, that our in-house team was unable to do in a tight schedule

How did you select this vendor?

Reference

Describe the project in detail.

1. They started with an on-site meeting (they traveled to our office) and deep interview with our team 2. Then they've done audit the UX and presented us several design hypothesis 3. After that, they did design concept and whole product design 4. Prepare all design assets in developer-friendly way

What was the team composition?

PM and UX designers

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

We had a tight timeline to prepare UX assets for the implementation. They fit it and provide us all assets in time.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We worked on fixed price per fixed stage basis with them. It was good and effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed by their ability to analyze and how they quickly sorted out the details of our product and understood the main problems that we are facing. And they were able to offer us a simple and effective solution

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything was fine.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm Head Of Digital Marketing in Premier Hotels and Resorts, that is the #1 hotel chain in Ukraine, a collection of hotels graded from 5 to 3 star, different in their own way but equally welcoming and cosy. All hotels share a common distinctive feature - professional and high quality service.

For what projects/services did your company hire Evergreen?

Virtual assistance chatbot for instant messangers (Facebook Messenger, Viber, Telegram) and our website.

What were your goals for this project?

New channel of communication with guests.

How did you select this vendor?

We have very positive discussion and I realise that these guys can do nice solution for us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They started with scenario creation and then have done the development. Chatbot or “virtual concierge” created by the Evergreen team based on Corezoid and Sender, they also provided Kwizbot - their own chatbot orchestration and management service that allows creating chatbot interfaces in a convenient visual editor.

What was the team composition?

Project Manager Back-end developer QA engineer

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

Thanks to the chatbot, you can find out the availability of rooms for the required dates, book a room with certain requirements - the number of rooms, beds, where the windows open - and immediately receive confirmation.

With the help of a chatbot, guests get instant access to many hotel services and can in a few clicks: - order food in the room - call the maid - ask for towels- laundry services, etc. All of these services can now be ordered online. The chatbot system has 540 answers for various cases.

You can reach the chatbot on the Premier Hotels and Resorts website and in the Facebook Messenger, Viber and Telegram instant messengers.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We do it with fixed price. Everything on the project went fine.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Flexibility and partnership approach.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything was fine. Maybe a little bit more communication to understand all technical details.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of the Ukrainian Philanthropic Marketplace (UPM). UPM is Ukraine’s first independent nationwide social online philanthropy infrastructure. We provide a unique service for Philanthropists and for those who need help.

The ubb.org.ua platform is the largest fundraising platform in Ukraine. We work with big TV networks, so the peak traffic can reach up to 7 thousand simultaneous website visitors.

For what projects/services did your company hire Evergreen?

Online marketplace development, where any company or organization can find and donate to a charity project

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a prompt and high-quality platform design for creating an effective and user-friendly donation platform to support social and charity projects. Also, it was crucial to increase platform stability in handling heavy traffic.

How did you select this vendor?

Evergreen was recommended to us. We chose the company, based on the price-quality ratio and their experience in high-load solutions and working with complex projects.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Solution consulting, Architecture development, UX design, and then software development.

What was the team composition?

Team includes:

• Technical lead
• Account Manager
• UX designers
• 2 senior back-end developers
• 2 front-end engineers
• QA engineer
• Project Manager

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

Increased platform stability allowed to extend user time on site and increase the donation page conversion rate because of reducing unsuccessful donor sessions. Also, new functionality allows s to grow and automate routine tasks.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project was cut in several stages, each of them was completed according to fixed price to fixed scope logic. This approach helped fit into the project budget and achieve our goals successfully. We have a lot of personal meetings and discussions, that allow us to select better solutions and make the right decisions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team was involved in the project, and we liked their willingness to proceed with the most complex tasks. Quick response, high-quality troubleshooting.

Are there any areas for improvement?

To be honest I want more documentation and better testing of complex cases