FlexMade

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of GleeFit, a digital platform for live, online, small group exercise classes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

FlexMade created our MVP, based on a previously created UX/UI-design, and after we had two false starts with other programming agencies.

SOLUTION

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

FlexMade came recommended to me from a friend and entrepreneur in Seattle who had worked with the company previously. When we initially reviewed the (at that time unsatisfactory) status of the development work with FlexMade, we quickly gained confidence that they were the right company to turn the situation around and develop a marketable product.

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

Before we started working with FlexMade, we had a clear UX/UI design and some initial development work. FlexMade then created first a beta version of our product and then, after extensive testing, a fully live version. The product is a mobile enabled web site, with registered users, with a customised front end and a WordPress back end. It is integrated into a white label video solution (Samba). It is also integrated into Stripe and Paypal for payments.

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

We had one project manager as a main point of contact throughout the process, who was very responsive and always on top of matters. We also interacting closely with the team member who did the programming. In total FlexMade had a team of about 6 individuals on the project, including front and back end and project management.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Both the beta version and the launch version of the product were absolutely up to specification. We did have a number of pieces of feedback, which were reliably taken up and implemented quickly. The project manager has been very transparent about where things stand, and has communicated predicted timing and cost for all elements of the project. As a result, there were never any negative surprises around timing or cost.

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

We have weekly calls with the project manager, sometimes also involving the back end programmer. In addition, the team at FlexMade has always been readily available on short notice when needed. We manage the entire project through GitLab, which has been extremely useful and provided full transparency on open, in progress, and completed items.

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

Great value for money; the work was delivered consistently in high quality and at a very competitive cost. The other point is the responsiveness and the flexibility of FlexMade - from responding quickly to issues or urgent requests to immediately standing people down when they were not required, this really has been distinctive.

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

There really were hardly any issues. Even the number of problems we ran into was very much at the low end of what one would expect from development in my experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We create applications and systems that help people make better, actionable decisions with data. I am the co-founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire FlexMade?

Take a spreadsheet based Health Risk Assessment system and create a multi-user, web-based, secure application.

What were your goals for this project?

Create an easy-to-use and understand system for healthcare providers and their patients to help them understand their health risks and give them guidance to better health.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our client has worked with FlexMade and recommended them. FlexMade has the technical and project management expertise necessary to make the project successful.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Based on a design sprint and an existing spreadsheet-based prototype, FlexMade created a Python and Postgres based system complete with multiple levels of security. The web system is responsive for mobile and desktop. The system is hosted on AWS and local servers. FlexMade created interfaces with building access devices and payment processing systems.

What was the team composition?

The project team was fewer than 10 people including DBA, security specialists, Python developers and project managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The system is being rolled out to multiple clinics and is becoming the basis for improving patient's health.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management is very effective and through. We used Trello to manage tasks and communications are clear and concise.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

FlexMade is flexible, responsive and creative. They have many excellent recommendations and impressive expertise.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a business that provides research and analysis services to investors in the US loan market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FlexMade?

I commissioned Flexmade to develop my website, where registered users can access the research files that they have permissions for.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Flexmade developed the web-based platform in accordance with the design I provided. They consulted me on my web hosting options and programmed all of the necessary pages and links.

The primary page is a user portal; their team constructed a user interface where users can log in and get notifications for new file uploads. They’ve also delivered an admin page where I can upload files, manage clients, and oversee user activity.

I trusted their technology recommendations, so I’m not certain which ones were used. Their recommendations were largely helpful because I’m not coming from a technical background. They’ve ensured that I can manage user access. Each user only has access to the files of certain companies, so they created a robust permissions system that secures these limitations.

What is the team composition?

It was a team of 4–5 including a project manager. He was my primary point of contact, but there were several programmers involved. The team also consisted of a QA manager and a designer.

How did you come to work with FlexMade?

I found them through Clutch, where I’d made a job request. FlexMade was among the companies that responded, and their previous projects showcased their capabilities. They were also relatively cost-effective; many of the quotes I got weren’t feasible for an early-stage startup.

They had strong reviews on the site, and I was impressed that they came to me with a list of thoughtful, specific questions. I got the impression that they put care and diligence in understanding the exact requirements, so I decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project officially commenced in August 2019. The bulk of the project is wrapped up, but we’re in a user-testing and debugging phase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

FlexMade exceeded my expectations. They turned my vision into a reality by creating a quality product that I’m proud to present to my clients. Given their very reasonable cost, I was surprised at the high quality of their work. I didn’t have to micromanage them at all; they exercised great autonomy in building my site and in making the necessary changes and updates.

While it’s too early for me to have any solid metrics, I’ve received great user feedback about the site’s design, layout, and functionalities.

How did FlexMade perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed well. Their project manager responded in a timely manner and excelled at identifying flaws in our plan. He had great foresight in optimizing our strategy and in making recommendations. He was also communicative and speedy in resolving issues. We had standup calls on a weekly basis.

What did you find most impressive about them?

FlexMade went above and beyond to ensure the functionality of the site and took their own initiative to make improvements. They really took ownership of the project and guaranteed that it was flawless.

Other outsourced groups that I’ve worked with over-promised and under-delivered. They had their own interests in mind and didn’t really care about the quality of the product as long as it was delivered on time. In comparison, FlexMade demonstrated great professionalism.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While it was never a major problem, communication sometimes posed a challenge. Every so often, my comment would go over their heads, and there was more back and forth that I would’ve wanted. It was a minor issue where I’d have to take extra time to explain things to them over the phone.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should have a good sense of their design and UX requirements. This will eliminate open-ended questions and streamline FlexMade’s process. I also recommend that you’re open to FlexMade’s original ideas. They offered a lot of good advice, and they proved that they knew what they were doing and could get this done.

In terms of project management, I’d recommend for you to be prepared to have ongoing calls with them. My weekly calls with them were helpful in steering things in the right direction. Keep a record of issues and the necessary changes to your project, and be cognizant of their workflow as well.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the finance and administration director for Pasado’s Safe Haven. We’re a small nonprofit organization dedicated to ending animal cruelty.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire FlexMade?

Our web system was created a few years ago and hasn’t received an update since, resulting in slow performance and several annoying bugs. Since we lacked an IT department and access to the original developers, we reached to FlexMade to find ways to improve it.

What were your goals for this project?

To maximize cost efficiency, we wanted to update the existing system rather than create an entirely new one. We also wanted a partner for support and maintenance after the project ended.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online for local software developers with excellent client reviews, and we found FlexMade. In a conversation with their leadership, FlexMade demonstrated both a high level of competence in software development and respect for intellectual property. These factors were important to us, so we chose them to complete this project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Given the lack of technical documentation, FlexMade reverse-engineered the system to understand its implications, limitations, and entangled database relations. We provided them a list of known issues and desired change requests. They then implemented fixes to streamline the system and added new features.

FlexMade ensured that there was no noticeable downtime during system upgrades so we could continue our work without interruption. Their most time-consuming and resource-intensive operations happened at night to have minimal impact on our day-to-day activities.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager who served as our primary point of contact throughout the project. They led a 3–4-person team that consisted of developers and a QA engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The system is now more user-friendly with more functionality and improved performance. Our employees heavily rely on the system, so we appreciate FlexMade’s work.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project manager made communication easy and transparent, managing our expectations well. We received real-time updates on FlexMade’s progress through email. Their team demoed new features using Google Meet screen sharing. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Our collaboration with FlexMade has surpassed our past experiences with software development vendors. They took the time to understand our needs, delivered high-quality results on time, and maintained a positive attitude from start to finish. We definitely will engage their team for future development projects.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we were thrilled with FlexMade’s work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CTO of a company that sells art and furniture from our online stores.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire FlexMade?

We needed help with Shopware e-commerce development and general web development that involved Yii2 (a PHP framework), PHP7, MySQL, Smarty (PHP template engine), jQuery, Ext.js, JavaScript, and CSS.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to extend our development team with expert developers at an affordable price. The developers had to integrate with us completely but remotely using Scrum, Jira, and Google Meet.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

FlexMade was recommended to us by a local company who’d worked with them for several years. We met with and considered several competitors, both domestic and out-sourced firms with large and small teams. FlexMade’s price to performance ratio, professionalism, and pleasant attitude made it an easy decision for us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

FlexMade is actively developing new features, plugins, and themes for our Shopware shops. Also, they’re adding new functionality to our custom-made internal web tools and legacy websites. Some of their projects have involved integrating marketplaces in the backend and designing and implementing UIs. They’ve also been responsible for adding new views and business logic to our Yii2 custom tools.

Their developers are fully integrated into our development team. They write Jira tickets for their feature requests and issues and participate in weekly sprints and daily scrum video meetings. FlexMade also provided us with a software tester, which has led to a great improvement in processes and quality.

What was the team composition?

Their team consists of one senior developer and two junior developers, in addition to a QA resource. They communicate with our product owners regularly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

FlexMade provided us with 150% expanded software development capacity when it was becoming increasingly difficult to employ local developers. Instead of focusing solely on bug fixing and maintenance, they’ve allowed us to deliver new features and explore additional business opportunities. Removing part of the workload from our local development team has empowered them to work on more interesting tasks. Their industry experience has been critical as well.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They communicate clearly and work with us in Google Meet, Jira, and GitHub. Beyond utilizing these tools and processes, they’ve used their experience to provide suggestions to help us optimize them.  

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Our cooperation has been seamless and friction-less since the beginning. I’ve had time-consuming and awkward experiences with smaller companies and freelancers before, but FlexMade quickly became part of our team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There have been no big issues so far, and minor issues are solved quickly. In general, we’ve profited greatly from their suggestions, especially regarding scrum processes.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We offer booking and management for activities such as city tours, cooking classes, and outdoor adventures.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire FlexMade?

We needed frontend PHP development for a PaaS system based on an Azure cloud platform. We needed modules for our payment system along with Google Maps and Analytics.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve our e-commerce marketplace for different customers and provide the best frontend booking and checkout process.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose them based on a recommendation.

Describe the project in detail.

They improved the UI/UX of our booking process and did optimization of the mobile app, and they’ve helped with internal frontend functionalities and APIs. Other services included separate client projects, creating a booking experience finder with connections to merchants, a calendar surface for a supplier’s website, and changes to our WordPress site.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a frontend developer, two backend developers, and two managers who did QA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This engagement resulted in the substantial growth of the software itself. Their development of a mobile-responsive website increased our overall client bookings. The new payment modules increased the use of our booking feature.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We were very pleased with their management. Even with a difference in time zone, we never experienced any communication issues, and they always accommodated our changes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They always provided assistance, even in cases of a system crash. Their work was detailed and thorough.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re completely satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of MotiZap.com. Our mobile app gives users a zap of motivation to make behavioral changes for a better lifestyle. It sends essential knowledge on a schedule. Workout and diet tips assist with health and weight loss. Content for children is aimed to promote better grades and life habits.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire FlexMade?

FlexMade supported our project from start to release. We needed web design and development and ongoing support. 

What were your goals for this project?

By releasing our new app, we hoped to benefit children everywhere, including my own. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found FlexMade through a web search and read recommendations.

Describe the project in detail.

FlexMade designed our website and app from the ground up. During the development stage, we saw its potential for use across multiple areas of life; the app offers value for families, businesses, and other organizations. The team made the Android app scalable to accommodate our shifting goals.

Currently, they're working on the iOS version and provide ongoing maintenance, implementing changes according to the market. They provide consultation and help us complete projects on time and within our budget.

What was the team composition?

I had continual support from the CEO, a project manager, and a development manager. The team composition and support I received were perfect and prompt.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

FlexMade listened to my ideas and turned my vision into reality. They successfully released the Android version of the app. The market test revealed a few necessary adjustments we needed to make in the next phase. We are implementing these changes for the iOS version.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

My team was lagging behind with a few things, so FlexMade made useful adjustments to optimize our project workflow. They’ve been keeping us on track with updates and reminders.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I most admired the team’s quality of work, support, and advice. FlexMade created a top-notch architectural design, flow, functionality, and usability for our app and website.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wish I could have them as a part of my company.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the VP of Marketing & Alliances of FADEL, a software provider. We provide software dedicated to automating and streamlining the process of rights and royalty management. I manage the relationships between all our various technology and systems integrator vendors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FlexMade?

We needed help with integrating Adobe technology, specifically Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), with our solution, Rights Cloud which has a Web services API. We wanted a working integration in time for Adobe Summit and an important presentation. We didn’t have the Adobe experience in-house and wanted an expert on the technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

FlexMade developed four different integrations of various AEM versions to our solution, Rights Cloud. They updated the integrations with older versions of Adobe and cleaned up the UI. Their team created two new connectors, one with the latest Adobe technologies. They also provided expert recommendations throughout the engagement to optimize the integrations’ functionality.

We are currently still working with them on various projects.

What is the team composition?

Our primary contact was the CEO, and the development team worked behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with FlexMade?

We looked for a new partner because our old AEM partner was acquired by another company and could no longer do the work. The Adobe product management team recommended various mid-market sized vendors who could deliver fast but high-quality results—one of them being FlexMade.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $5,000 to $5,500 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We leveraged their integration into our marketing demo and provided it to the Adobe product management team—who presented at a speaking spot at the Adobe Summit. Many customers followed up at our booth afterward and we are now starting to follow up on those potential leads.

How did FlexMade perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate with us daily through email. Their team responds to any changes or issues within a days’ time and meet all deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They impress us with their responsiveness, depth of knowledge, and thoroughness. Their team provides deeply researched recommendations on how to make the integration optimal and autonomously develops solutions to issues extremely quickly.

They provide a full-fledged partnership and it doesn't feel like just another vendor-client relationship. We can completely express what our goals are, what our challenges are, and count on them to guide us along the way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there was nothing that disappointed me so far. As they grow, they will have to be sure to scale their processes.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to create a partnership with FlexMade as they will make sure that both parties are successful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner for a software company that executes internal and external software development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FlexMade?

We needed to develop and package a web system, and resell it as a joint venture.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a web system for one of our customers, which we wanted to package and resell. They used Docker and its containers to build a logistics and transportation system. The system had to be capable of making calculations and to be used like UPS and FedEx systems. We wanted it to assist with package drop off from one point to another, and allow for drop-offs or stops along the way.

They created an overview for all of the company’s 25 drivers, who have about 200 transportation assignments daily. The overview lets system users see the drivers’ location, trip number, trip price, and it incorporates an invoice process once the driver completes a trip. The company’s dispatch sends this invoice to the end user or customer. Although the system is mobile friendly, it is predominantly a web-based platform, and we don’t have a mobile app version; this will be the next step in development.

What is the team composition?

During our peak development phase, we had about 4-5 different people working on the project.

How did you come to work with FlexMade?

I’ve worked on projects with other companies from Ukraine and Pakistan. One of my developers knew someone who used FlexMade, so through his recommendation found them. We had actually tried working with two different companies to develop this system, but FlexMade ended up developing it for us because the two other teams couldn't fulfill their assignment.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $40,000-$45,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We starting working with them in May 2017, and although the first version of the project is finished, they’re developing two systems for us now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The system we developed was for another company, so we were just the middlemen. However, I know our client was previously using an outdated system made in 2003. FlexMade helped offer their input and fresh perspective to persuade the client to use the newer system. They have also helped keep the technology up to date and offered various alternative methods for executing the same system.

Our client’s daily use of this system should benefit them, considering it will shift them away from a costly, manual invoice process. It’ll also update their calculations and maps to positively impact how much they can earn per trip and how many trips their drivers receive.

How did FlexMade perform from a project management standpoint?

They were extremely responsive. I could write to them at any hour, and someone from their team would get back to me between 15-30 minutes. Whenever we had an issue, we would report it on Slack, and they would resolve the issue within an hour or two. We talked to their team members daily to answer their questions and receive their input as they completed frontend and backend work. Once we completed sprints, we had follow-up meetings to test their work and offer feedback.

Our team managed the project, which was difficult when their development team worked ahead and added extra functions that we didn’t request. Yet, most of these developments were beneficial to the system and we resolved any resulting project management complications. We mainly used Slack and Github for communication and to manage work, but we also used Skype to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I've tried working with the three other companies from Ukraine and from Pakistan. FlexMade stands out because they can complete projects in a wide array of software languages using their in-house resources and personal. Additionally, it’s not hard for their developers to communicate with their CTO, CFO, or other C-Suite staff. I could receive feedback from their CEO directly. This aspect of their company stands out from other Ukrainian companies I’ve worked with that needed to use middlemen to communicate project changes or developments. Their accessible line of communication allowed us to stop work at any time to perform project overviews.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They would do additional work on the system that we didn’t expect or ask for. This benefited the final product, but they used their time to work on project components that we didn’t find necessary to complete at certain phases. Before working ahead, they should have discussed their plans with us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Focus on project management when working with them by conducting regular meetings and requesting progress updates. We gave them a lot of free time, and we didn’t always follow up to see what they were doing. For future projects, we plan to be more diligent with this.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Call Control, a software and cloud services company. Our technology stops unwanted, "nuisance" calls for cell phones and landlines all over the world. My background is in engineering, but I've also started managing segments of different companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FlexMade?

Working with a startup requires variable resources to mitigate cost and staffing problems. Hiring a large team to work on a launch means consistently paying fulltime employees, even when less work is needed. Significant development periods, like a launch on Android or iOS, might require 15 staff. Working with FlexMade enables me to cut down to five employees during slower maintenance periods.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Along with front-end website development, FlexMae provides support with opening our mobile apps into a cloud service. The core technology behind it is crowdsourced, reputation scoring of originating calling. Each month, people from all over the world send us reports about the calls they receive. We operate on a huge scale and typically run 1,200,000 - 1,400,000 monthly reports. We run that information through our secret algorithms, which scrub, categorize and filter results. After we identify spam callers, our service can allow or block specific numbers. We're consistently working on the math behind the algorithm that produces our scoring.

As a 24/7 service, it’s critical that our call center stays online. It would be inconvenient if our website went down for 10 minutes. If our service crashed for that long, though, users would receive the spam calls they’ve paid to block. It would be like one’s phone not working or the power going out; our consumers would not be happy. This consistent maintenance requires a different skill set than mobile app development.

What is the team composition?

Maksym Kryvoshlyk is the technical lead. His role, and that of the country manager, are critical. Our interactions require basic trust, communication, planning, and programming.

How did you come to work with FlexMade?

We found FlexMade via referral. I was looking for a distributed team with a good track record for similar work, and who understood the problems I’d identified. I have experience working with firms from Ukraine, where the development team is primarily located. My conversations with Maksym made it clear we value the same things: communications, planning, and having an open-minded culture that facilitates problem-solving, not blame assignment.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started contract work in April of 2016, and our full-time project began November 1st of 2016. Our work is absolutely ongoing, especially as we launch. Since our cloud service involves a 24/7 demand for services, we have a regular call every week, even during the holidays.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Qualitatively, I’m happy with the work that they've done, and it satisfies my company's expectations. On the business side, it's really my responsibility to sell and market our products. We consistently monitor quality metrics, as well as customer support calls and e-mails. Our system flags and escalates anything that hasn’t been answered in 48 hours, to make sure all queries are addressed. My attention was caught early on by the FlexMade team's passion for being responsive to subscribers.

How did FlexMade perform from a project management standpoint?

I hold a weekly Skype call with our technical lead, and we exchange e-mails on almost a daily basis. Their team is very transparent. Early on, they gave me login credentials for all the key toolsets, which ranged in function: tracking internal development through the agile systems, customer support, monitoring calls and complaints live, and sprint planning.

I have clear visibility of the technical team’s work, down to individual engineers. FlexMade instates accountability by providing the names of their staff. I let Max manage his team, but I can contact developers directly if needed. Virtual teams who work on a contractual basis often have a firewall, in this sense.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I work with companies of all sizes. For a small company, they have an extremely mature process and communications set. They understand how to use sophisticated tools, and when they need to be applied. Rather than the onus of requests being on me, they enforce discipline for bug fixes. Immature companies will spend half the time talking about the process, as opposed to the actual work and problems. Their transparency lets me rest assured that I’m being billed appropriately. I feel uncomfortable sending a check to a company where I only know of one or two staff.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I'd like to get more services from them. Our 24/7 call center is currently outsourced to a different vendor and partially managed internally. Like all development projects, we eventually missed a date. We always discuss the reason, however, and the new deadline. I'm comfortable with this dynamic, but that could always be better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Documentation has made our working relationship more effective and meaningful. Any conversation held as a team should be written up afterward, especially when developers are geographically disparate, or working in different time zones.