Giraffe Software

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a director of LOOXIS GmbH, a customized gift producer. We sell our products online, as well as through resellers. Additionally, we provide digital services to clients through our wecreateyour.com web platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Giraffe Software?

We brought Giraffe Software on to develop a product configuration tool to let our customers customize their products online.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a custom product configurator, as solutions already on the market couldn’t integrate with our internal production process. They wouldn’t export the data in our necessary format. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We’d worked with companies and freelancers from around the world, but we were looking for someone closer to us who shared our culture and mindset. Giraffe Software provided a flexible offer.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Initially, their team worked independently from our internal developers. They're building a centralized, PHP backend with a JavaScript frontend that can be installed in various locations. Their design is such that it works internally, as we use it now, but we can also build a SaaS product around it later. They researched and recommended the specific technologies we should use.

We liked their work so much we’ve brought them onboard other software development projects, working closely with our in-house staff.

What was the team composition?

We started with a frontend developer and then expanded to include a PHP developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have similar approaches to work, seeing as we’re based in the same region. Their communication and proactivity allow us to be highly efficient. It also produces a qualitatively better result than our cooperations with past vendors did.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We communicate directly with their two assigned resources. They did offer us a manager, but we prefer direct contact with the developers. Everyone at their company is responsive, and it was easy to overcome the initial hiccups present in all software development projects. They are definitely the right partner for us.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re flexible and dedicated to helping their clients. Their location in a smaller metropolitan area gives them a cost advantage compared to other suppliers.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Our current projects are progressing nicely, but if we started a larger project, I would certainly look for more thorough reporting of work hours. I don’t have any suggestions for improvement now, however.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO and owner of Cryptonomic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Giraffe Software?

We wanted to develop auto-trading software for cryptocurrencies.

What were your goals for this project?

Our business needed a fully functional web platform where users could create and configure auto-trading bots.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

During our search, they were among the teams we highlighted Giraffe Software’s good ratings, positive feedback, and affordable rates grabbed my attention. I grew to trust them via further communication with a business analyst.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Overall, Giraffe Software made our experience more engaging for users by implementing new trading logic in exchange APIs. Users can both trade manually and configure bots to trade crypto coins from specific exchanges using predefined trading algorithms. They can also set buy and sell limits and view their transaction history.​

​​​​​​What was the team composition?

We worked with a business analyst, a project manager, a frontend developer, a backend developer, and a QA specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to our proven algorithms, which Giraffe Software helped us develop, users without a trading background can now profit in the cryptocurrency market

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was very effective. We quickly came to agreements that satisfied all our preferences.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Giraffe Software’s quality of code, sense of responsibility, and great communication stood out to us. They were always available for short calls and would get directly to the point. I’ve never regretted hiring them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not in my estimation.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Evosolve is a global consulting firm specializing in turnkey business solutions for companies of all shapes and sizes. I am the president and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Giraffe Software?

We hired them to build a web platform for us from scratch. They created new features and added functionalities that allowed us to expand our business into international markets.

What were your goals for this project?

The end goal was an attractive, fully functioning web app that met our business needs.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Their initial message included specific, detailed information about their offer to work with us. After a discussion with their business analyst, I felt confident they could deliver the application we wanted.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

I provided my own design preferences and clear thoughts about what I needed for the website. They built upon that and created a site with interesting design features and sleek UI. The original concept was fairly simple, we hoped to produce a straightforward applicaiton that allowed business owners to select from our list of services. Giraffe Software met all my expectations.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a business analyst initially. After that, the team included a frontend developer, backend developer, QA specialist, and a project manager who oversaw requirements and communication with the rest of the team. They took control of the project resources and risks. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project has positively impacted my business, and the platform serves as the source for all our business propositions and offers. We have a lot of good feedback on the site, and we feel it has boosted our presence significantly.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their project manager was highly effective. They kept me informed at all stages of development about the issues that arose. I knew that a knowledgeable team controlled the whole process, and I was never worried about the project's results.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Usually, a team of this caliber costs much more. Their communication, rates, and the quality of their code were all excellent.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They should expand their team to include an additional developer. That would reduce the possiblity of any delays in the process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the service delivery manager at Novalins, a medical translation service provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Giraffe Software?

We needed to redesign our web app, as well as create new features and add payment integration. We also required new functionalities for expanding the business to international markets.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

First, I shortlisted several candidates and chose Giraffe Software based on their communication, feedback, and the way they held negotiations and cleared the requirements for the project.

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

In the past, our platform had limited functionality for expanding internationally, so our first goal was to redesign the website to make it more appealing to users as well as more convenient and user-friendly. Only one frontend developer was needed for the task. After that developer’s exceptional performance, I decided to engage a backend developer to fix the existing bugs and add new functionality.

Their team has developed a system of emails and notifications for the platform. They also implemented an invoice generation functionality, which is important for any business. Our company’s profile was also improved.

What was the team composition?

We dealt with a business analyst, to begin with. Later, we worked with a frontend developer, a backend developer, and a QA specialist. We also had a project manager for clarifying the requirements, communication, and managing tasks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before we had this tool, we only dealt with our clients through email. This web app has enabled us to centralize all clients and requests on a very powerful platform, as well as get bigger clients.

Furthermore, our profits increased when the new functionalities were implemented, boosting our business’s international expansion. We’ve been able to engage a lot of translators from all over the world to connect them with different companies. Overall, working with Giraffe Software has been a tremendous step forward from a business perspective.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was done in a timely and friendly manner. We discussed all requirements at the beginning.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their communication, rates, and code quality are remarkable.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

They should expand their team so that additional developers can be added right away to a project without a one or two-week delay.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a partner in a Danish software company with a focus on analyzing shop visitors and providing analytics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Giraffe Software?

It’s hard to find good developers in our city, given that most of them live in larger cities like Copenhagen, which is too far away for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The main task was converting our existing framework to Laravel PHP. We also wanted to incorporate automated testing for the software. Dmitriy, their CEO, specializes in these areas. He created the testing platform from scratch and also started helping us convert the page to Laravel. With this came everything from plain JavaScript to the jQuery framework, standard HTML5, and CSS3, Codeception for testing, MySQL as a database language, Linux for hosting and NGINX as a web server.

What is the team dynamic?

We used a single resource who handled testing for the first three months. When we started to convert the framework, we had up to two full-time members.

How did you come to work with Giraffe Software?

One of the older developers in our company had a contact from Giraffe Software. We got in touch and evaluated them to see if they could help us out, and took things from there.

How much have you invested with them?

The project size has been around $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Giraffe Software in May 2016. The conversion took one year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Outsourcing was one of the last things we wanted to do, but Giraffe Software’s mindset was very similar to ours here in Scandinavia regarding the workflow and quality. We had high expectations and everything has been on par with what we expected. So, quality wise, we are satisfied.

How did Giraffe Software perform from a project management standpoint?

The language barrier hasn’t been a problem; they understand and speak English at a good level. The team also visited us in person.

They tried to find the meaning of our requests, instead of just doing them. The team asked questions and mentioned any obstacles before it was too late, and they would have to redo the whole task. This has been important because it means that Giraffe Software cared about the work, and didn’t just do it because we said so. We’re not always right.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to detail is impressive. I have been working with companies in India, but this was our first collaboration with a Ukrainian one. Their performance was on par with my expectations. When I gave Giraffe Software something, they cared enough to provide suggestions and make it even better.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. The only negative part about being cautious is that it will take more time. I would rather have something take more time and be done thoroughly and correct, rather than quick and wrong.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Great Agent, Inc. We automate sales and marketing efforts for real estate teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Giraffe Software?

We needed a vendor to provide high-quality and reusable code.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted good code for a specific project.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed over 10 vendors, and Giraffe Software’s technical abilities seemed the most promising.

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

Working with our senior backend developer, the Giraffe Software team provided weekly code reviews and coaching services.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a senior developer to our account.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With their help, we’ve been able to scale the platform across the country.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They were incredibly professional, time-oriented, and cost-effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I most appreciated their flexibility, loyalty, and technical capabilities.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

No, there aren’t. I wish more companies were as good as Giraffe Software.