Galaxy Weblinks

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of an ecommerce company selling an exclusive line of products to corporate trainers and educators.

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

We needed to create a subscription-based online "conversation starter" program.

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

We selected Galaxy for their affordability, professionalism during our vetting process, capabilities/scope, and past references.

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

We had a launch meeting, refined the scope and expectations. We decided on a Wordpress site and determined all the features we would need on the front end and back end. We already had a wireframe, but reviewed the graphical appearance before programming started.

Throughout the process, we worked well, checking in weekly to answer questions, refine functionality, identify and fix bugs.

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

I had one main contact but several people were working on the project.

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

We haven't built up our user base, but have built the site to be expandable. As we've continued to add data, Galaxy has helped with additional questions and troubleshooting.

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

The team listened well, recorded zoom conversations and was very responsive, especially through the online project management tool. The project management tool made it very easy to share ideas, graphics, files, feedback, etc. And, the team was responsive in replying to questions.

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

They were very responsive and easy to work with. We will continue to work with them for ongoing support and are happy to recommend them.

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

We lost a little time here and there due to sickness and family matters (project was during COVID), but it was understandable and well-communicated.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an education startup. Our organization is working on a product that helps students across all walks of life capture feedback on their work product. Right now, the work product is captured in video.

What challenge were you trying to address with Galaxy Weblinks?

I needed a good team to help build a prototype initially and then to test out some ideas around video-on-video feedback. Then ultimately, I wanted them to build out a working prototype I could test with users.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I did most of the UX design. Galaxy Weblinks provided frontend services, backend development, and AWS support. They also handled mobile app development.

What is the team composition?

I initially corresponded with Varun (Partner) and then I had three main points of contact.

How did you come to work with Galaxy Weblinks?

I knew I wanted someone with WebRTC experience. I narrowed down on teams with that core capability. Additionally, I wanted a team that worked with a number of different development types, processes, and applications. I felt that Galaxy Weblinks was a team I could grow with long-term. Also, they were cost-friendly.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested within the neighborhood of $35,000–$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in April 2020. We’re going to start on phase two.

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

My tech adviser monitors the code quality. So far, he’s been giving it a thumbs up. He ensures the code is transferable, legible, stable, and scalable. Galaxy Weblinks has been very dutiful in helping resolve issues and bugs. The development process is going smoothly. They’ve adapted a lot of strategies that I’ve used to work with overseas developers. These strategies were new to them, and it’s working out for both of us.

User testing feedback has been relatively positive. I haven’t had a ton of users on it, but I have enough information to identify product features I think would make it even more useful. We’ll move forward depending on the assessments and estimates infrastructure. After that, I hope to get solid test users using the product.

How did Galaxy Weblinks perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet once a week. The team gets in front of the work and on top of things. I don’t tend to push document and project management processes. They’re great about moving the bugs along. At some points, they remind me to go in and provide QA on a timelier basis so they can get the team moving.

I didn’t have a hard deadline. Their team added suggestions and features that weren’t part of the initial scope. I was very happy and flexible. At the end of the day, we’ve got a solid product near the end of the finish line.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Compared to other development teams I’ve experienced, Galaxy Weblinks has been very easy to work with. It’s been a pleasure to work with them. They ask good questions, and I’ve made some changes based on their critique and feedback.

Their team has provided good ideas and product strategies. They’ve helped conceptualize the overarching work for us. I’ve been able to be pretty hands-off. It’s great to have a multifaceted development team that works well together.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. I’ve been very happy with the experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

One of the things that worked well for us was utilizing Loom. It allowed us to record ourselves and what we were showing on our screen. This helps alleviate some of the language barriers between our teams. I also use a bug tracker that Galaxy Weblinks incorporated directly onto the website. Anytime I found a bug, I’d record myself with Loom and they could see what my experience was. Then, I’d copy and paste that link into the bug tracker.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the COO of NSTXL, a provider of acquisition services to the U.S. government. We are a membership organization with roughly 600 corporate, academic, and institutional members, who provide education services to those members to further our mission.

For what projects/services did your company hire Galaxy Weblinks?

We hired Galaxy Weblinks (GWL) to re-build and expand the functionality of our website. We had cobbled together 2 websites that were very unstable and insecure (our sites are under constant attack). We asked GWL to stabilize the sights, provide additional functionality (including a paid members-only section), optimize it for SEO, and then to conduct a complete redesign. To conduct this, GWL had to re-code several Wordpress plug-ins to create unique functionality.

What were your goals for this project?

Stabilize and professionalize the site, add significant new site features, optimize the back-end analysis, secure the site, help improve our SEO.

How did you select this vendor?

We found GWL through a WeWork reference. We interviewed them and some of their previous clients before selecting them.

Describe the project in detail.

We hired Galaxy Weblinks (GWL) to re-build and expand the functionality of our website. We had cobbled together 2 websites that were very unstable and insecure (our sites are under constant attack). We asked GWL to stabilize the sights, provide additional functionality (including a paid members-only section), optimize it for SEO, and then to conduct a complete redesign. To conduct this, GWL had to re-code several Wordpress plug-ins to create unique functionality.

What was the team composition?

Vivek Jha was the lead with a team of 3-4 augmented by various experts from GWL during different parts of the project.

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

After the security upgrades, our site suffered no successful attacks. Additionally, an independent security review found that we had zero plug-in security vulnerabilities. We launched two new websites for our clients within 30 days (beating our client's deadlines). We launched a membership-only site, which received accolades from our members and clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was effective. They used an internal project management tool to update us on the timing and progress of specific tasks.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

GWL was good at listening and executing. A lot of our needs required custom solutions and coding. They were very good at asking the right questions to identify our needs and then propose cost effective solutions. Importantly, GWL met every deadline that we proposed (including some that were very tight).

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nope.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Conceptual Research & Design for Inteleos, an internationally recognized non-profit global medical certification organization.

For what projects/services did your company hire Galaxy Weblinks?

We wanted to create a native app that would provide sonography quizzes with explanations or rationale to enhance sonographer skills and knowledge in a convenient and intuitive manner.

What were your goals for this project?

This was a pilot project to assess stakeholder interest and perceptions of utility. To be considered a success, 75% of people who took at least one quiz and completed a User Experience Survey would respond that they Completely Agree or Somewhat Agree that the ARDMS Skills App reinforces sonographer skills and knowledge. This would be supported through survey and qualitative data collected through user interviews.

How did you select this vendor?

Our COO first met Galaxy at the ATD conference, and I met with them again at the LiveWorx conference. We received RFPs from multiple vendors, and investigated the possibility of using ready-made tools to develop our V1 POC/MVP in house. Ultimately, we decided that Galaxy was the best way to go due to the expertise and value they offered to provide.

Describe the project in detail.

We built an app offering quizzes for sonographers. V1 was intended for an invited cohort of 100 Vascular Technologists and included three 10-question quizlets. Users could see their quiz history and were provided with explanations for each response.

V2 was expanded to include four content areas (VT, Echocardiography, Abdominal and Ergonomic Awareness) offering three quizzes each (Ergonomic Awareness only has one quiz) to 1,500 certified sonographers. A new tutorial was added and the visuals were redesigned.

What was the team composition?

I was the Lead for Inteleos, supported by others across our organization - both staff and volunteers. The Galaxy Team was supported by multiple people, but most of my direct interactions were with Rani Sharda (our Project Coordinator - a big help with the Admin Dashboard and data!), Animesh Jain (our Project Lead), Chetan Deshmukh (our Developer), and Varun Bihani (Partner).

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

94% of people who took at least one quiz and completed a User Experience Survey responded that the ARDMS Skills App reinforces sonographer skills and knowledge, significantly exceeding the threshold metric of 75% for the hypothesis.

Thus, this pilot provided evidence for the hypothesis that the ARDMS SKILLS App is effective in reinforcing sonographer skills and knowledge. We will likely be expanding this project, and are already working with Galaxy on a new initiative.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Good. We use email and an Admin site with Discussion Boards and File Sharing. We also use a prototyping site for sharing design iterations and collecting input. At time, we also do video meetings (mostly on Zoom.)

Occasionally, there were language issues where we were not understanding the same terms in the same way, but we always figured it out. The time differences between our teams were not an issue, as I almost always had responses or input from Galaxy waiting when I arrive at work.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Galaxy has been very flexible, adapting to mid-stream changes and even the occasional ask outside of our scope.

Are there any areas for improvement?

So far, we have been very happy. I asked them to play a bigger part of the "Team" with the V2 pilot, instead of just executing my directives - I wanted their guidance and input more regularly. They have done a good job with this and I feel like they are now more invested and engaged with helping us meet our goals instead of just delivering a product.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Moby Capital provides business funding to entities of all sizes and in all industries. As the Marketing & Operations Manger, I oversee all digital marketing efforts and internal business processes.

For what projects/services did your company hire Galaxy Weblinks?

As a brand new company in a competitive industry, we needed an eye-catching, memorable website that would allow us to express all the ways we can help business owners attain the resources they need to continue growth.

What were your goals for this project?

To create a beautiful, functional, user-friendly website that would attract clients and set us apart from competitors.

How did you select this vendor?

We had heard good things about Galaxy Web Links and were impressed by some examples of their work.

Describe the project in detail.

Building a brand new website from scratch that included all the relevant information we wanted potential clients to know about our company, while also offering features that integrate with our other marketing and data solutions.

What was the team composition?

We worked closely with Nidhi, our point of contact, who passed our directions along to Vivek and the rest of the team. We also touched base with a couple of other team members throughout the process.

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

We are extremely pleased with the final result: a beautiful website that is memorable, functional, and built to grow as our company evolves.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The GWL team is extremely skilled at putting feedback into action and keeping open lines of communication. Even though we were in different time zones, we used their excellent project management system to pass information back and forth, and found it very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Every time we requested a feature or needed something changed, they took care of it quickly and displayed immense skill in doing so.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that we can speak to.

Please describe your company and your position there.

WeCongo is a prototype conference management and contact management system. Currently the company is bootstrapping to a prototype that will show the analytics it can capture, to enable faster funding and platform development.

For what projects/services did your company hire Galaxy Weblinks?

Cross platform prototype app development.

What were your goals for this project?

Launch a basic prototype app in both app stores that enable user testing and continued agile development based on user feedback.

How did you select this vendor?

Recommendation from a colleague that attends similar conferences.

Describe the project in detail.

The team at Galaxy has been working to help develop a working prototype of a consumer facing app for user testing. A previous developer had convinced me he could do it for a seemingly discounted price, and after failing to deliver for 1.5 years I finally fired him.

Galaxy was willing to come in and fix what he had already put together, as well as correct the bugs causing crashes, but do it all at an affordable price. We are now adding features in a flexible way that is a good combination of keeping within budget, and predictable time line.

What was the team composition?

PM, Developers, and input from designers.

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

Project is still on going, however, a working prototype should be available in the next few weeks.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very good. The team understood given instructions, and posted questions when they had them on their own project management software that I could then quickly answer their questions on.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to work on a flexible schedule set them apart.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

Please describe your company and your position there.

Fast & Light LLC is a digital agency focused on e-commerce. We guide clients toward measurable success and focus on achieving their objectives. I'm a founder and partner. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Galaxy Weblinks?

We hired them for web development and e-commerce consultation. 

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to build a great website. 

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed multiple vendors. Galaxy Weblinks demonstrated competence and integrity at a competitive price.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Galaxy Weblinks scoped and built a sizable e-commerce site that utilized the Shopify design specs we provided. 

What was the team composition?

They had a large team, but we only worked with our account representative and project manager.

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

Working with such a skilled team allowed us to search for more business and spend time with existing clients.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their project management was responsive and detailed. They made every requested change quickly and efficiently. Working with them was a pleasure.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Galaxy Weblinks had a "can-do" attitude, which was great.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would have organized our side better, and will do so in the future.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Rock My World Media. We create health & fitness apps.

For what projects/services did your company hire Galaxy Weblinks?

We hired Galaxy Weblinks to augment our development team. We needed help accelerating the development of our health and fitness chatbot.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to deliver key features more quickly and effectively.

How did you select this vendor?

I selected them from a LinkedIn contractor search.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Galaxy Weblinks provided PHP and Angular JS software development support. They also supported our QA efforts for the completed chatbot.

What was the team composition?

The team varied between 3-4 people. They supplied a project manager, a QA teammate, and 1-2 developers.

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

With the support of Galaxy Weblinks, we accomplished all of our milestones much quicker than if we only had our in-house resources. Our speed and efficiency increased because of their development assistance.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We used Slack & Jira to manage the project. The way they handled the work was effective—all progress was tracked, and they ensured we continually moved forward.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to take our instructions and understand our requirements was impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There were a few instances where the code needed to be refactored and Github was sometimes difficult to use.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a corporate health firm. We're a corporate wellness provider, so we run preventative wellness programs with employers, brokers, and insurance companies.

What challenge were you trying to address with Galaxy Weblinks?

We were looking for a company to help us develop a web platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I gave them all the information they needed to create a storyboard. Then, they built an online application that walks people step-by-step through the process of setting a wellness strategy. Users log in and set their goals, after which the app maps out an interactive strategy for them. It was a collaborative process and Galaxy helped me develop my ideas based on the budget I had.

What is the team composition?

I had one main point of contact.

How did you come to work with them?

I licensed the platform that Galaxy had built for another company and I liked it. I got bids from 4–5 companies, but Galaxy seemed to understand my vision best of all. Their storyboard reflected exactly what I was looking to do and their prices were competitive, so I chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with them between November 2017 and April 2018.

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

I’ve been able to use the product to help my business grow. The manual process took us about 48 hours and the application reduced that time down to one hour. Those clients who have used the application are very happy with it.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They're great communicators and always got back to me immediately. They use a project management portal, so we could log in and communicate about the project. We were working on a tight deadline, but they met it and delivered the product within eight weeks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They finished the project exactly when they had promised, even though the job ended up being a bit bigger than they had expected. They're in India, but we never had any issues with the time zone and they would get on the phone anytime I was available. Also, their English was perfect.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear idea of what you're trying to build. They're very honest about what they can or can't do and they found the way I didn't know about to handle things.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company works with law firms and legal departments to foster diversity through a number of initiatives. We have a sponsorship program, that helps law firms solve inherent diversity issues in the industry. Less than 30% of partners in law firms are women and even fewer are persons of color or LGBTQ+.

What challenge were you trying to address with Galaxy Weblinks?

We wanted to create a website or platform for our sponsorship program and needed help developing the technological piece. We had zero experience creating web apps. After considering freelance coders, we decided the project was too big for an individual and needed a full team.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The program links protegés to support teams. They have specific goals and the platform allows participants to track their results. Galaxy Weblinks was involved in design and development. They built the whole web app from scratch, including a frontend, user interface, and administrative backend. We can make some changes, but it’s not like other standard portals that already exist like Drupal or WordPress. It seems to be something they created themselves.

What is the team composition?

We had an initial contact who is stateside and a project manager in India. Both of them are amazing and they oversee the rest of the team in India. I believe there are around five coders who work on our project.

How did you come to work with Galaxy Weblinks?

They were recommended to us by a colleague. We looked at several companies, but most were out of our price range. Galaxy Weblinks fit our budget and grasped the concepts we were hoping to implement.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $30,000–$35,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in early summer 2017. We launched the pilot program in March 2018 and hope to launch the second version in 2019.

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

Users are currently in the system helping us test it. We record the number of protegés through Google Analytics and they chart their own goals and points within the system. We’ve turned it into a kind of game.

We chart who is using the resource section, which has articles and webinars and other options to earn points. We’ve set up a feedback survey, but haven’t seen many results from that yet. We do know our users are active and clicking on our content.

How did Galaxy Weblinks perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is great. They use a project management tool that I wasn’t familiar with before we started working together. We send them our wish list and they delegate tasks to their team. They reach out proactively to see if we’re ready to move on to the next stage of development and check in to make sure everything is running properly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really understood our ideas and concepts and were excited about implementing functionality like goal tracking. They are committed to diversity, understand our mission, and are really attuned to our team. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly they were on board with some of our concepts or wants. That made everything easy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a few little design issues that needed tweaking. They don’t necessarily specialize in user interface design, and we didn’t really set any of the budget aside to do that. We may eventually hire an additional designer, but that’s not a real criticism of them. They’re great with the inner workings of the system.

We never had issues with them grasping the concepts or our needs, but there was a tiny language barrier that mostly manifested in occasional spelling errors. Those were easily fixed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Sometimes arranging phone calls is difficult. Though communication through email and the project management system is great, sometimes getting that human voice on the phone is the best way to understand each other. I would recommend more focus on communication throughout the duration of a project.