EXIS

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at Prime Collateralised Securities (PCS)

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

To strengthen and support the European securitisation market

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire EXIS to accomplish?

• Automation and digitalisation of the most operational process including invoicing, CRM, documentation, straight throu processing, etc

SOLUTION

How did you find EXIS?

Online Search

Why did you select EXIS over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from EXIS were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The initial project scope was to develop an invoicing automation tool, to assist us in our invoicing process and to minimize error by means of a 4-eye principal (always have a reviewer other than the issuer). The project was extended and a second implementation phase was added, to incorporate operations related to business development & sales, handling customer communication, performing business operations of head analyst and analyst, as well as monitoring financial crucial KPIs and graphs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We minimized the administration effort required to perform our daily operations (business development, customer communication, issuing invoices, managing payments, handling clients’ orders) We obtained a reporting tool where we are able to view dashboards and statistics related to our business effectiveness and financial figures We minimized the risk of operational and financial errors.

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

Items were delivered most of the times on time, sometimes with a small delay. We have weekly calls and ad-hoc calls in necessary. Their responded to our needs by prioritising when necessary tasks or improvements or bugs that needed immediate attention

What was your primary form of communication with EXIS?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They are approachable and professional.

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

Given that the project started as an invoicing app and morphed into a full scale operation and business management tool , it is difficult to say

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

PAPASTRATOS S.A. is an affiliate of Philip Morris international My role is Director IT for the EU SE cluster (GR, RO, BG, HR & SI)

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

EXIS was hired for 2 major projects:

1. Custom Development for BI We needed a senior DWH Engineer to support the ongoing development of our local Enterprise Data warehouse is order to meet evolving Business needs

2. IT consulting services for technology infrastructure and selection of software tools EXIS provided consulting services in how our technology portfolio should evolve in order to meet new business model and what software tools we should implement

SOLUTION

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

As per standard process, we run an RFP with various vendors. We selected EXIS based on the below factors: 

• Experience in similar projects
• Speed and agility
• Quality of deliverables
• Financial proposal

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

For the Custom BI development, the scope was to get an in-house developer for the period of the project to develop our local Enterprise DWH. EXIS performed an interview to understand in detail the business needs and the required developer profile. EXIS provided a full profiles various senior DWH engineers that could address the project needs.

For the IT consulting services: We held a half day workshop to map the current system infrastructure challenges and limitation and describe the business model evolution EXIS designed a roadmap of the available infrastructure options addressing the challenges of the current software topology an the new business model.

They provided different options supported with benchmarking capabilities based on criteria we had provided The deliverables were: Software Benchmarking tool based on specific criteria EXIS proposal Relevant supportive presentation

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

For the Custom BI development, we have 1 senior DWH engineer full time dedicated to the project for a minimum period of 12 months. Ad-hoc BI engineers are also involved depending on the evolution of the project

For the IT consulting services we worked with 1 senior consultant from EXIS team

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

EXIS has been very responsive and agile on all our requests. On the Custom BI development the resource was available and onsite in less than a month giving us the possibility to start working in the project earlier than the initial plan.

On the IT consulting services, we had used EXIS in some small developments initially, and after the speed of delivery and quality we decided to extend the cooperation to more projects. The benchmarking exercise of CTI and video call tools was completed in less that 4 days, which allowed us to take decisions very fast and achieve the business model changes in time.

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

Project management is excellent. Due to the requirements we communicated mostly via email and phone (no change requests were needed in order to put a ticketing tool in place). Timelines were always met from the vendor side.

What I also found very professional, was the follow up actions. EXIS was always coming back after the delivery of requested services or deliverables to check on the quality or get feedback from our side.

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

Agility and speed were impressive, as well as the scope of services and work they can cover. I also found very professional the feedback request after each deliverable.

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

To the level of cooperation we have had till now, i do not see any major improvement areas needed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Marketing & Sales Support Manager of AVON Greece.We were seeking for a partner for our web projects, that would be able to guide and advise us on the most appropriate solutions to support our digital initiatives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EXIS?

We were seeking for a partner for our web projects, that would be able to guide and advise us on the most appropriate solutions to support our digital initiatives.

What were your goals for this project?

A new Lead Generation Platform to really help us significantly improve our lead generation KPIs.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Through a referral.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

EXIS worked closely with our design and marketing team to transform both the aesthetic approach and the functionality of www.youravon.gr, which is the main Lead Generation Platform of AVON Greece.

They then developed our new Lead Generation Platform, that included a new reporting feature which increased our control over the generated leads, enabling us to provide better customer support. Each new lead is transferred in real-time to our CRM, helping us speed up our workflows and reduce our response time.

What was the team composition?

Over the past two years we have worked with various people from EXIS, although we mostly collaborate Dennis Miliopoulos, who is handling our account and is always willing to go the extra mile for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Not much more than goal and purpose achieved to the maximum.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Our collaboration on all projects was very smooth considering our accelerated timeframe.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their accessibility and willingness to respond at any given point in time stood out to us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing I can think of for the time being.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of the risk and treasury department at A.M. Nomikos Transworld Maritime Agencies. We’re a shipping group that manages ships — both our own and third-party vessels. Our group offers both commercial and technical management of the vessels. We commercially operate the vessels, and at the same time, offer all the maintenance work required for the vessels to operate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EXIS?

We went to EXIS to further develop an internal risk assessment tool that could provide a full picture of our exposure, combining physical exposure — the chartering of the vessels — with derivative exposure.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We presented EXIS with ideas on what to develop and worked closely with them. Together, we’re using various methods and formulas to make calculations on what our exposure is and how much money we should commit. We also developed risk tools for things like cargo valuation, running different models. One of the most important features is exporting data from another commercial package and importing it to our risk management tool.

What is the team composition?

There are 2–3 people on their team.

How did you come to work with EXIS?

We were trying to reproduce our Excel-based software into a more sophisticated form and researched some companies that could do it. We chose EXIS because they were a friendly and small-sized company. We thought we could have a positive collaboration. They understood our needs from the beginning and were willing to develop this tool as well as help us commercially introduce it to the market at the later stages.

How much have you invested with them?

We have an annual fee of around €20,000 (approximately $22,000 USD). The initial project cost beween €75,000–€100,000 (approximately $81,000–$108,000 USD). The total cost so far is above €200,000 (approximately $216,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with EXIS in September 2013, and the collaboration is ongoing. Currently, we’re getting ready to move into phase three of the project. In this phase, we will make the risk management tool the only capturing system for our fleet as well as use it to invoice our customers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This was EXIS’ first project for the shipping industry. We searched the market and identified a lack of such risk management tools, especially for the freight derivatives industry, and this was one of the reasons we chose to develop the project internally. It’s been an ongoing educational experience for both EXIS and us.

How did EXIS perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good with project management. Some deadlines were extended but that was due to issues on our side as well. This is an ongoing project so there are no similar tools on the market right now. We’ve had to change some of our requirements as we’ve moved forward and that created some delays in the deliveries.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re continuing to work with EXIS because they have very good client services. Initially, we faced a lot of problems during development, given that we were importing pricing and other data from various sources. We’d have no connectivity at times or there’d be something wrong with the inputs, but EXIS always solved all issues quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need to put more pressure on deadlines. Now that they have more experience with our project and needs, they should be focused on guiding us and finding solutions in an easier and faster way.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I recommend working with EXIS. The individuals in their company are friendly and try to understand the client’s issues. Their team strives to provide the best solutions in an economical manner. They try hard to understand what the client wants and don’t charge a lot for the service they provide.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager for 3M Hellas, a trading firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EXIS?

We had some old technology and applications that we wanted to migrate into Windows environment. The IT dept structure at that time was too small to handle such a task. So we decided to outsource it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They migrated many custom-made applications to a Windows environment as needed. 

What is the team composition?

Throughout the 16 years, I’ve interfaced with 10–12 people. I’m sure there are people behind the scenes doing more work.

How did you come to work with EXIS?

We met with one of the partners at the same wedding party.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $200,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2004, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was very challenging work because our applications were quite complex. We were very lucky that we found EXIS because they have a well-educated, professional, and responsible staff with an excellent service record. We were able to produce projects that solved problems in an economical but very effective way. We’re happy with the service we’ve received all these years. Going with EXIS is one of the best choices that we could have made.

How did EXIS perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re able to adapt to our schedules. I don’t believe they’ve ever missed a service-level agreement. There’s always a backup that can provide us the support we need. From beginning to end, they approach everything in a very professional way.

We manage the project from our side: we make sure we give them what they’re supposed to do, and then they deliver.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a small company that’s very flexible, economical, and knowledgeable in new technologies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing EXIS could do better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

There’s no advice I can think of. They’re quite easy to work with. EXIS will help out in any way that they can.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Assistant Professor of Hematology of AUTH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Public university hospital 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire EXIS to accomplish?

Web-based national registry

SOLUTION

How did you find EXIS?

Referral

Why did you select EXIS over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from EXIS were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Our work was to develop and support a web-based national registry 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Delivered on time with all requirements

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

Everything was on time with meaningful responses

What was your primary form of communication with EXIS?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their teamwork was impressive.

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

Everything was great 👍 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Technical Manager of Argiro.gr

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company support a famous Greek Chef and we own a cooking website

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire EXIS to accomplish?

• Design & development of Argiro.gr

SOLUTION

How did you find EXIS?

Online Search

Why did you select EXIS over others?

Great culture fit, Company values aligned

What was the size of EXIS’s team?

6-10 Employees

What was your primary form of communication with EXIS?

Virtual Meeting

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

Redesign of Argiro.gr Web development of the new website

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Delivery time
• Cost
• How fast it is
• How easy to use it

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

Exis delivered on time, after investigating our needs, providing fast and correct solutions.

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

EXIS understood our needs quickly and provided the relevant solutions for design and development.

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

Not at the moment