Evince Development

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder of Innosake, which is a data analysis consulting company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evince Development?

We needed help with the development of a Magento store for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did a complete facelift and developed some functionalities for our Magento store. We created a mobile app and a custom analytics platform, which is quite innovative. In addition to that, we also did an additional 2 projects for Shopify e-commerce stores.

We worked with PHP, .NET core Microsoft, Bootstrap, JavaScript, and HTML.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked with Maulik [Founder and CEO, Evince Development], who was the first project manager to communicate with us. We also were in contact with Sanjay Rajpara [VP of Engineering, Evince Development] and two others who took care of the analytics.

How did you come to work with Evince Development?

5–6 years ago, there weren’t a lot of Magento companies in Greece. Instead, we searched for international companies that could do this development and custom features. We had several companies to choose from that offered competitive prices. We set a small task for 2 or 3 potential collaborators and Evince did a good job — someone from our technical department evaluated their work before we hired them. They offered the work at a good price and then did a good job for us overall.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent around $15,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in June 2012, and this particular project was completed at the end of 2012. We continue to have an ongoing relationship with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site they created 5 years ago is now by a factor of 10, with an increase in revenue of $100,000 yearly, and currently reaching $1,500,000 per year. We still use most of the features that they developed.

How did Evince Development perform from a project management standpoint?

They are really strong in this area and did a good job. They were very responsive, always replied within 2 hours, which is incredible. With developers, it can be a problem as you don’t know what they are working on or the status of the task; however, with them, it is different. At the end of every day, we receive an update on what happened during the day, what was developed and when it will be deployed. When they give a date, they deliver on it.

When you ask Maulik if he can do something, he does the job, sticks to the schedule, and delivers. This is really good when you have a tight deadline and a fast and decent solution, and in general, I haven’t had any problems with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are always supportive. Anytime I need something in terms of development, or if a friend or colleague needs development work, I send them their way. I think they are able to do anything. They develop on different platforms, they are really good, and are competitive in price. Overall, they are a really good solution for everything.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven’t found anything I am not happy with concerning the development. Generally, I haven’t had any problems with them. They have given us good support because we also offer B2B consulting services and need to learn from good practices, which they provide.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO at a global brand marketing and business consultancy company called Impact Republic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evince?

We work with a broad variety of clients, and they often require assistance with site redesigns, app development, and other tech services necessary for successful marketing. We needed a company to work with us on planning, developing, and implementing these services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the start of the engagement, we discussed what we were trying to accomplish with our clients. While the scope varied from project to project, they managed the development of multiple sites and one iOS application for different clients of ours. We have a creative team that worked with Evince to find an appropriate design and determine the user flow, and they followed through with the actual development. They used Objective-C for the iOS application, a lot of C# within the .NET framework, as well as PHP for certain sites. HTML and Javascript were also commonly used.

What is the team dynamic?

I interacted primarily with Maulik Pandya [Founder & CEO, Evince Development]. I had several managers on our side that worked closely with their project managers as well.

How did you come to work with Evince?

I was referred by a colleague at a previous job. After developing a rapport with Maulik through a few smaller projects, we decided to go with Evince.

How much have you invested with them?

Upwards of $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2014, and our engagement lasted through 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Throughout the course of our engagement, we’ve launched a variety of sites and applications that have gotten very positive user feedback. Our clients were reliably satisfied with the products that Evince delivered.

How did Evince perform from a project management standpoint?

We used JIRA for task assignment and tracking progress, and Microsoft Project for laying out the project timeline. Working around the gap in time zones was difficult at times. Our product manager had to be available at off-hours, but once we got the project fully scoped out, they handled it to the end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have a great relationship with them, and they were very accommodating throughout the engagement. Our projects required many different types of coding and they always had the skill sets, which meant we didn't have to split our budget between multiple companies. Also, if they found any shortcomings during the development process, they reliably accommodated for them with no trouble.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We would have benefited from a portion of their staff working on US hours to reduce management costs.

Any advice for potential customers?

If you’re going to work with Evince, you’ll need to have some infrastructure on your side to work around the time difference.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is one of the world's leading providers of Computer Security Training and tools to pass computer security certification tests. We have helped more than 150,000 students in reaching their education and certification goals.

I am the owner, founder, and president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evince Development?

Our company was making use of an outdated quiz engine to deliver online preparation and mock tests to its customer. We needed to have a new engine that is responsive, that supports mobile platforms, and that can scale to thousands of users at a time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evince has provided consultation services during our requirement definition. They have proposed using different models, technology, and concepts for the look and feel of the software. They built the new quiz engine from A to Z.

I had one project manager and four full time developers assigned to this project.

How did you come to work with Evince Development?

My selection process was based on a few criteria: Expertise in the areas of mobile platform and responsive design, portfolio of past projects, their expertise with developing applications related to online learning, mastery of the English language, ability to communicate, ability to analyze the problem and then propose solutions, price/quality value proposition, and flexibility in dealing with different time zones.

How much have you invested with Evince Development?

The project overall was more than $40,000 with four dedicated programmers.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in December 2016 and the final phase was completed in June 2017. I was so happy with the results that I have asked them to provide support for my customers and ongoing development support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have received numerous messages from my customers praising the friendliness of the new quiz interface and its responsiveness. Only after a few months of being open to the public, we have more than 1,000 users who have registered on the new site with new ones being added daily.

Our best marketing is word of mouth. People love the quiz and they then tell their friends. It makes our marketing effort so much easier.

How did Evince Development perform from a project management standpoint?

We had scheduled meetings weekly. We also conducted meetings on the fly when necessary. ZOHO was used as a tool to track task progress and all communications between parties. Everything was on schedule which really amazed me.

What did you find most impressive about Evince Development?

They are a large group of developers all working together. They have a commensurate amount of expertise in multiple domains. They are not a one-man gang like many other companies out there.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Sportensil is an Australian company that has designed and built a range of high-quality, custom BBQ tools and coasters that make the perfect gift for your family member or friend, or as a functional, quality product that can be used to promote your brand. Our products are made using high-grade stainless steel so that they won't corrode easily against the salt-rich sea air, with beautiful hard maple wood on the handles and a convenient bottle opener. All our designs are laser cut to precision.

I am the co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evince Development?

We needed an online presence to see our products and to showcase our company to win new custom business. As the business was initially starting with only a few products, we needed a CMS in order to quickly add new products as they became available.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted a smart looking, easy to use e-commerce website that had a highly customizable backend and CMS. I dealt with three people at Evince.

How did you come to work with Evince Development?

This is the second time that I have used Evince, as I previously used them for another company that I own and we partnered with Evince to build our website and our app. My background is in software so I am well connected in the community and Evince was a recommendation by a former colleague.

How much have you invested with Evince Development?

The project was between $3,000-$5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted three months. We began working at the end of October 2016 and finished in early January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are very happy with the look and UX of the website.

How did Evince perform from a project management standpoint?

Very good - I had daily contact with the project manager there and usually we would converse over Skype.

What did you find most impressive about Evince Development?

Their customer service and speed of delivery were very good.

Are there any areas Evince Development could improve?

We had some challenges getting our payment gateway up and running initially. We left this as the last thing to deliver as we didn't need it before to go live. I would say there are lessons to be learnt. First, don't leave the payment gateway integration until late in the project. Second, I think that they have now gained a better understanding of how the payment gateway needs to be set up here in Australia, as it differs from the US.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

ReVamp Electronics LLC is a cell phone service and supply company which provides wholesale electronics parts for smartphones, tablets, and mobile device sharing. I am the CVO [chief visionary officer].

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evince Development?

We were looking for a web development service provider so we could have dedicated resources.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have a complex flagship website with a lot of additions and manipulations that we made to the Magento core. Evince Development has helped develop, expand, update and maintain revampwholesale.com, which is the B2B e-commerce site where we distribute all of our parts from. The website was developed in Magento. They do offer design services, but we do most of the design on our side while they do most of the coding and implementation of everything.

How did you come to work with Evince Development?

We had a previous developer who initially built the website, but they were unable to continue. We were searching for different freelancers on Elance until we came across Evince, which was an agency instead of a single freelancer. We started working with them and ended up sticking with them after trying them out for a couple of months because they understood our website and provided good service to us.

We’ve had the same developer from Evince for almost two years who is specifically assigned to our website. It almost feels like they’re part of our company because they’re working with us 40-plus hours per week.

How much have you invested with Evince Development?

So far, it’s been $60,000. The cost has been very reasonable for the level of service they give.

What is the status of this engagement?

We still work with them because we have a good relationship and rapport with them. We put up deliverables and they achieve them in a timely fashion or in a timeframe we believe is efficient for what we need to get done.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I feel that it’s been a collaboration between my business partner, developer, and I in a lot of the stuff we’ve done on the website. We were considered by our industry as one of the top three websites to use in our niche market of the wholesale of electronic parts. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from people liking the layout and ease of use of the website. The only complaint we’ve gotten for the website is the speed of it, but never about the functionality of it. We’ve done many iterations and have added different extensions to cater to our returning B2B customers. Evince helps us to be innovative. We’ve gotten a lot of good feedback and praise in the sense that a lot of our competitors have copied the functions that we offer. Typically, we’ll roll something out, and then a few months later, a competitor will do the same.

How did Evince Development perform from a project management standpoint?

They do really well with project management. They always work by starting with the scope of the project and break it up into deliverables and timelines. That’s where we’ve always felt comfortable. They’ve also been good when they need to allocate more resources and pull more people from their team. It’s been fluid and easy working with them.

What did you find most impressive about Evince Development?

They’re consistent. We’ve had the same account manager and coder since the beginning. They are professionals but are also very personable and easy to work with. I’ve worked with close to 100 freelance web developers, and Evince has stood out in terms of their desire to really earn your business. When an issue arises on the site, our coder will go back to the office and stay as late as needed to complete the task. They definitely go above and beyond for us. Other people have given them reviews otherwise, but they really do well in providing good quality service for us. If anything gets messed up on their end, they keep working until they fix it.

Are there any areas Evince Development could improve?

The only headache that we’ve had is the time zone issue. They only work in Indian Standard Time, which is nighttime for us. In some ways, it’s a benefit that we’ve enjoyed because that’s the downtime for our website. Any major implementations or changes that we want to do usually has to happen at night anyway. That was a reason to start with them. Looking forward, my biggest area of improvement for them is having staff available 24 hours a day. That’s my feedback for them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the owners of our company. Our company actually is an umbrella of many different companies—we have 7 different business units of all types. While our specialty is barcoding and identification, we also have a publishing and communication business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evince Development?

Over the past 18 or 19 years, I had people working in-house to migrate everything we have done to a web platform to many different formats. We had some old active server page (ASP) websites that my company manages for major retailers. Some of the businesses are newer than others. Because it was a specialized area and the sites were old, I didn’t have enough businesses for the ASP work, so I needed a group that could handle that for ongoing maintenance and improvements. Not a huge amount of work at any one time, but we needed people that would be responsive when improvements or problems came up. We also needed a provider who could service all the different technologies that we use.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I have an internal software architect. If there’s usually something I need on a high level, he will spec it out. Evince helped us with tasks like adding the ability to add a new function, attaching photos, or adding a hook to MailChimp. Hooks into the older technology is a very common request that I have for them. In addition, anytime there are system upgrades for some of the older components, particularly with the ASP, it’s a nightmare. A lot of those sites are held together by band-aids, so they are basically triaging some of those old wounds. That was the original engagement.

We have a lot of different technologies, with 5 different projects currently on plate with them right now. I have 10 to 15 different WordPress websites that they are responsible for maintaining and updating. We still have some ASP work and we’re doing a brand-new project right now on Magento. I started a new business for tracking devices and they created a mobile app for me. I have pushed them harder—the work that I’m giving them right now is about 6 times what it was the first year we did business with them. Coincidentally, I happened to be traveling in the Middle East last year and so was Maulik, so I was able to meet him and have some face time together.

How did you come to work with Evince Development?

I got them from Elance. Using a marketplace like that, I was able to look at reviews and their work. I had a phone interview with them and we gave them a dev site to look at. I had my software architect question them to make sure they have the understanding, and they got it.

How much have you invested with Evince Development?

Over the past year, we’ve spent between $20,000 and $30,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them about 3 to 4 years ago. Work with them has been increasing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The result is that I keep on hiring them. Either they perform, or I find somebody else. I’m a small company and I have marquee clients that I can’t take a risk on. For me to trust a company that has an 11 ½ hours difference in timeframe is a pretty good testimonial for me. They keep people awake to service our accounts. They are ridiculously dependable.

How did Evince Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Early on in our relationship, we would Skype on a weekly basis. They do use different technologies to manage projects, but I tend to never follow them because I am not as savvy using them. I have different contacts within each of the different technology specialists, whether it’s ASP, WordPress, or the mobile app. In terms of project management, I have pretty open access and that has been very helpful. The hardest problem is that I don’t go into a lot of those tools that other programmers use to manage processes, like Basecamp, because I’m horrible at it. It’s more me than them.

What did you most impressive about Evince Development?

They do what they say. I’ve worked with a ton of other providers and I don’t think Evince ever overpromised anything, which I appreciate. They are dependable for me right now because they are in charge of ongoing maintenance for a lot of the projects, in addition to my new project.

Are there any areas Evince Development could improve?

I tend not to use them for anything creative. Once I give them their direction and exactly what I want, they do a great job. Anytime I give them a little creative freedom, I have to rein them in.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My business provides software and web development for the health industry. Our platform allows health professionals and researchers to gather information that will help them improve outcomes for the patients that they care for. I’m the founder and director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evince Development?

They focused on two spaces for us. One has been the development of websites. On this, they’ve been our development partner to translate client and user requirements into online solutions. The other area, which they are currently working on with us, is in transferring data from a local client to a national database.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We work in WordPress for the websites, building components for custom templates. They handled everything, from the design to production, and integrated all that into a custom template that we’ve been using. On the software side of our business, they’re working with us to develop a module for transferring using web services using SQL backend and ASP.NET. In this project, Evince has created a webpage that integrates with our app. Users can click a button to fire off the web services that then submit data to the national database. The process also handles error messages sent back.

How did you come to work with Evince Development?

I met Maulik when I advertised a project online several years ago. I was encouraged by the wide range of capabilities in Maulik's team but I was really impressed by his outlook on life and his approach to the conversation. It gave a real sense of trustworthiness and I’ve seen that all the way through. We've kept in contact for the last 3 or 4 years but it’s only been in the last 12 months that we had an opportunity to connect more and start to do some work together.

What is the status of this engagement?

We had some early work towards the second quarter of 2016. We then picked up on 2 or 3 live projects in the second half of 2016. Those projects were the website and web services that integrate into our broader platform. The work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We certainly have had positive feedback on the website. I’ve been really happy with the work they’ve done. The fact that I am continuing to work with them is an indication of that.

How did Evince Development perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform really well. Most of my dealings have been directly through Maulik, who then coordinates or allocates with the appropriate skill set in his team. They are very prompt in handling communications, getting back to you with any questions, and following up with our team. I have the confidence that if I send something, I know that is going to be acted upon. If there’s any ambiguity that needs clarification, they come back quickly to keep things moving along. Often they’re waiting on me to follow up with the client rather than the other way around.

What did you find most impressive about Evince Development?

I was impressed with their trustworthiness and skill set. There are a lot of developers out there who have good skills, but it’s important to me to have that sense of a relationship. In a healthcare space, you want to know you are dealing with people that will really represent the work that you’re doing. In comparison to some of the other providers that are out there, they offer excellent quality at a cost effective rate. The combination of all these has made this a really valuable partnership for me.

Are there any areas Evince Development could improve?

There have not been any issues that have come up where I wish we had done something differently. It’s been a really positive experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Mavi SIS is an IT company that began about 3 years ago. In the past 2 years, we have concentrated on software development. We are part of a small group of 3 companies and our organization serves as the IT department of the other 2. They provide the transportation for the form launch enterprises here in Norway. They transport refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, and so on. I am the head of business and development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evince Development?

We were looking for a company that would be able to develop a software solution that would take care of the entire cycle of the transport business. There are other transportation solutions that exist but none were filling all of our needs, so we decided to develop one on our own.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I defined the project requirements in a very close dialog with the other 2 companies in our group and delivered them to Evince Development. They came to Norway and we discussed our requirements. Together, we drew the architecture of the database model. I could very quickly see that this was a very professional and highly skilled company. Evince Development consists of about 50 IT developers. They are certified in different areas such as dot.net, PHP, web design, Magento, Java, and several other platforms they have developed for software and commercial solutions. Evince Development made the specifications and defined the entire process in 7 or 8 specs.

How did you come to work with Evince Development?

At the time when the project was supposed to start, I had a few software factory candidates. Some were from Spain, some from Russia, some from eastern countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic, and so on. I had heard that Evince Development was professional and trustworthy, so I contacted them. I first explained to them our project requirements by mail, and then came into direct contact with the CEO and founder. I asked them for their proposal on what kind of processes they would implement for our project. I was impressed by the document I got back. It was very professional with a good interpretation of the requirements and good questions that dug deep into the features. We then met in Oslo and very shortly after, we signed the contract.

How much have you invested with Evince Development?

The project cost was around $60,000. I really appreciated the proposal they came up with to divide the payment into 4 phases, with reviews along the way. We would pay the invoices only when we were satisfied with the functionality of the software.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in early fall of 2015. It was originally scoped as a 6 to 7-month-long project. Along the way, the management of the 2 other companies had additional requests and changes. These were on top of the functions that were already embedded in the original scope. The system is actually up and running now. It's already been sold to another company who is also running it.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The system that Evince Development implemented is now operating for the 2 companies in our group and 1 external company. This system has really helped in automating transportation routines. It’s helped the entire cycle, including monitoring the transports and deliveries done by 60 vehicles in our company as well as some more in the external company. The 2 companies in our group have actually reduced their transportation time by 40-45%. The external company has also replied with extremely positive comments on the quality and smoothness of the system.

What did you find most impressive about Evince Development?

I think that the guys at Evince Development are very skilled. They are very open-minded. At the same time, they do a good job of counseling and advising. When you come up with an idea, they take it, reason on it and then come back with questions that really show they know what they are talking about. Another high quality of Evince Development is their commitment to agreements.

The cooperation with these guys worked so well that Mavi SIS has actually signed an exclusivity agreement with Evince Development for Italy and for all of Scandinavia. This agreement implies that when Mavi SIS encounters the need for an IT development project, we are bound to use Evince Development in their areas of competence. Of course, the agreement also works the other way around. If Evince Development gets leads from Italy or Scandinavia, then they will refer them to us as their partners in Europe. This shows the trust we have in these guys.

Are there any areas Evince Development could improve?

Actually, it's a positive thing. They tend to be very, very kind and very "on your side," so to speak. When defining this project, they always tried to offer the best solution for us at the best price. Even though some features demanded more time than was originally estimated, they never charged us. They made it their own business, so to speak. If they could do something differently, I would suggest that they have a security margin. From my point of view, the increase in hours that the job cost them only turned out to be better for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an IT company in Nigeria. We’re involved in software development and project management. The majority of our projects involve the government and providing whatever solutions they need.

I am the Chief Executive Officer and I have experience in hardware and software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evince Development?

I wanted to find a software development firm that could provide world class solutions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It’s always difficult to find quality software development providers. You may find one or two, but getting them together to think outside the box and craft a solution is my biggest challenge.

We are a Microsoft shop. Most of the development we do is on ASP.net. I feel it’s more secure, but we haven’t really been able to get our application to work. We use Evince Development for technology support.

How did you come to work with Evince Development?

While researching offshore providers in software development, I picked six and read up on them. I called each one of the companies to find out what they do, how much it would cost to initiate a project, and how long it would take. I came to the conclusion to work with Evince Development because they were in my cost range and I liked their support. It was a no-brainer for me.

How much have you invested with Evince Development?

The cost of working with Evince Development is $40,000 and above. It’s worth it.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have developed a personal relationship with them. I haven’t been to India but I’m going to go visit them next month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What did you find most impressive about Evince Development?

Evince Development excels at time management. If you are the one causing the delay, they will let you know. They will also inform you of the consequences of delays in terms of project escalation. If you agree on a timeframe, they ensure that you stick to it. If you’re going to be late, they want to know so they can assign their people to another project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of a marketing and delivery company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A marketing and delivery company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Evince Development to accomplish?

• App development

SOLUTION

How did you find Evince Development?

Online Search

Why did you select Evince Development over others?

Good value for cost

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

1. customer app for food ordering 
2. driver app to manage delivery
3. store and restaurant app to manage orders 
4. dashboard / admin panel to manage the 3 apps and control the process

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• 3 apps and 1 website was launched on time
• basic features for apps were provided 
• new features where developed as requested 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

It could have been faster especially with the second phase which included APIs. 

What was your primary form of communication with Evince Development?

Virtual Meeting

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

Henit was quickly responsive, and using a pre-developed code helped us launch our project in 1 month only, which was very good for us.

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

Some other features are on the current app could be added to make it more professional and user friendly