Glorywebs

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company develops a web application for goalkeeper coaches, where they can organize training and develop goalkeepers' skills. I’m the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Glorywebs?

I’m working with Glorywebs as a technical partner in creating software for my website and web application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They first set up the website in WordPress and then the admin part of the web app. They worked on the web app and separated it into four parts. They’re developing the entire software set: the admin panels, and the frontend of the web app. The web app is based on PHP.

How did you come to work with Glorywebs?

A former colleague recommended Glorywebs to me. He hadn’t done a project with them, but he somehow knew of them and planned to eventually work with them. As I was evaluating some partners, I contacted Glorywebs because of my former coworker’s recommendation. We had some calls, and I sent rough specifications of the business idea. We discussed my specifications, and they contributed ideas to us. Duration was very important to me, and they offered a very quick project. I also looked at their portfolio and references. It was really good, which left me feeling confident about them. That’s what made me choose them in the end.

How much have you invested with Glorywebs?

I have spent $3,700 in total, including the website.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2016. We are finalizing the project now, but we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m in contact with a few beta users who are happy with the software and the content. However, it’s difficult to say how they handled the functionalities because I was sitting with them, presenting the solution while we worked through it together.

How did Glorywebs perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicated very well in general, but we had some delays. They could have increased the communication in a certain phase. It was the lowest communication period, so we did not have a lot of interaction at that time. That was not very convenient for me. Otherwise, the communication was very good. They reported well what they were doing when picking up and working on tasks. They were really interested in understanding the project and had suggestions. They were also eager to hear suggestions from my side on how to handle some things. I’m not a technical person, but I still had some input. They looked at it and worked on it. It was really proactive.

Our communication was through Skype. The project management tool, Trello, was provided from my end. At first, it didn’t really work out well because it was new for them and it wasn’t clear where to find and put information. We did double work sometimes where we talked about the requirements on Skype and then again on Trello.

What did you most impressive about Glorywebs?

Their interest and proactivity were very good. There is stuff I haven’t seen as to how it will be executed, but at least I know how it has been handled in the frontend and web application and it seems good.

Are there any areas Glorywebs could improve?

Communication could be better in cases where they have a delay or problems. It would have been good to address that directly when it first appeared. I would like to have had more interaction with the project management tool.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a company that does basically everything involving a web presence, including web design, content marketing, social media, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Glorywebs?

I contacted Glorywebs to customize a glorified CRM [customer relationship management] system for one of my clients. The system is going to include product information and will provide me with email databases and email marketing information.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our first step was to build a database that includes my imported contacts and CSV files. Then, with the software we’re using we can get bios, social profiles, addresses, interests, behavior, etc., of potential customers. So, when we begin our email marketing campaign, we have a more targeted list, which was our original goal. Glorywebs is using an off-the-shelf template, but then they’re custom building everything else about the system, including the API.

How did you come to work with Glorywebs?

I think I found Glorywebs via LinkedIn. I was looking for people who could do PHP and API development, and I just happened to come across one of the guys who worked at Glorywebs. They sounded like they could get the job done, whereas a lot of other people didn't understand what I was trying to build.

How much have you invested with Glorywebs?

We’ve invested $700 to $800 so far, and we’ll invest roughly $2,400 by the end of the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around October 2016, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re happy with the progress so far. Two weeks ago we set off our first marketing campaign, and we sent emails only to specific individuals instead of the 10,000 people on our marketing list.

How did Glorywebs perform from a project management standpoint?

Let me put it this way: when Glorywebs first gave me the details of their scope of the work, there was no information about what they were going to do or build for me. They also said the whole project was going to take about six weeks. I knew they were going to be behind shortly after they started in October because the project was bigger than they thought it would be. I understand what they’re trying to do, though. They’re trying to build the core first, and then once they’ve got the core processes working, then they’ll do the styling.

Personally, I’d rather they work on completing one project, so we don't have to go back and style those pages later on. But generally, I’ve enjoyed working with them. The guy I'm in contact with is quite a cool guy, and he gets things done. They’ve promised me that the whole project will be done by the end of this month because I did kind of put my foot down, but I doubt they’ll finish it by then because they still have a whole other module to do. I know that by the time they are finished building it, it will be what I want, and I'm not paying any extra. The budget hasn't changed, thankfully.

What did you find most impressive about Glorywebs?

Glorywebs is completing all of the project’s sections to my standards, and I’m really happy with that, even if it takes two or three changes to get it right. I can’t complain about that at all because while I can build a website in HTML, I have no clue about creating API's or coding in PHP, JavaScript, etc.

Their communication is good. If I call them, they take my call right away, and then they implement my requests within a day or two.

Are there any areas Glorywebs could improve?

They could have a faster turnaround. I don't know how many developers they’ve had, maybe they’ve only had one, but they seem to have them spread across multiple tasks instead of having them focused on completing one at a time. I know they’ve probably undercapitalized on this project because it has taken them much longer than they expected.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Glorywebs?

I would recommend that companies enter into their projects with a detailed scope of work, so that they can say to Glorywebs, “This is what we’re looking for.” Otherwise, there’s going to be too much back and forth in the beginning.