GoodRequest

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Head of online at Forbes Slovakia. Forbes is a global media company. In Slovakia, we are focusing on covering topics like business, investing, real estate, entrepreneurship, leadership, mental health, and lifestyle.

For what projects/services did your company hire GoodRequest?

Our website was kindly old and incompatible with current needs. We needed to raise the user experience on the website. Our goal was to increase the number of page views per visitor and change the layout of advertising.

Since the redesign of the website was done in three countries at once (Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic), we needed to work with a quality team that is able to communicate in English.

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

We had several interviews with 3 companies before the final decision. Before the first meetings, we checked selected companies on the Internet, also through other people. Then we compared their offer and we looked at the companies which they had worked with.

We chose GoodRequest because of its clear and professional communication. The company can understand your needs and show you the right way to improve your products.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

After a series of discovery meetings to discuss our possibilities and goals, we received a plan on how to go through the whole process of redesign. Subsequently, we started working on the design modification, which we took over from the already redesigned website of the Czech Forbes. We continued to design the various pages and sections of our website.

In addition, we received tips from GoodRequest on how to make the most of the potential we have.

How many resources from the GoodRequest team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with them in several groups. The first meetings we got over with the head of design and the main designer. Subsequently, we started working with our project manager, several designers and UX researcher.

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

We haven't seen any yet, as the site is currently being developed.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We mostly used Slack for communication. When necessary, we scheduled a video call to discuss the current issues and the next steps. Sometimes we had to ask what stage the project was at. We had few problems with deadlines (but there was a problem on our part as well).

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

I must point out that experienced people worked with us on the project. Their knowledge helped us a lot to steer the project in the right direction. The team is patient and willing in the workflow.

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

I think they need to improve some communication issues with the customer and themselves. Then things could move up faster and better.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am product manager for company providing products and solutions for the more efficient management of municipal waste.

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

The company was operating a system for our partners enabling household level waste tracking.

However we quickly realized that the existing vendor does not have the resources to provide a solution up to our requirements and we needed a reliable long term technical partner for software development.

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

We he contacted approx. 20 potential vendors based on internet research and recommendations within the frame of a formal tender, defining clear evaluation criteria.

The main deciding factors where:

• existing references
• proposed system architecture with regards to future expandability and flexibility
• willingness to provide complete control over the final product and ensuring full owbership of source codes
• pricing

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

The task was to prepare an information system from scratch for household level waste tracking, including frontend design, API endpoints, database structure, integrated to 3rd party devices via REST API. Part of the work was the design of a mobile application for special data collection handheld terminals.

The project started with an initial analysis phase during which an UX prototype was prepared and approved, incl. a detailed price calculations. After its approval the project was implemented during the course of approx. 3 months.

The cooperation still continues and the software remains to be developed my GoodRequest.

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

The initial team included a project manager, solution architect, UX designer, backend developer, frontend developer and android developer.

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

In general the developed solution was met with great success among its users, gathering market recognition and becoming the first choice of customers for a fair waste collection and billing system.

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

GoodRequest's specialists integrated with our company almost seamlessly. We had direct communication and minimal formalities. We have communicated with team members directly who actively challanged our ideas and improved upon them.

Timings where kept, except a few exceptional cases where we have mutually agreed on a more throughout approach.

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

Compared to previous vendors the possibility to discuss the details of the chosen technical solution, used frameworks etc. was a great advantage for us and made it possible to create a product we could really call our own.

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

Although direct communication with GoodReqest's people improved the project efficiency greatly, sometimes it occured that our requirements where not properly understood by people involved in the project only partially. However we have quickly overcome this via involving their more senior staff.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Západoslovenská energetika is the largest energy player in the Slovak Republic. The company operates a grid network, provides electricity, and does business in startup areas like e-mobility. I'm a product manager for e-mobility.

What challenge were you trying to address with GoodRequest?

They’re our partner in the e-mobility business, particularly in creating a tailored customer interface.

What was the scope of their involvement?

GoodRequest is providing frontend and backend development for a customer-facing mobile app and web portal. They have an extensive backend with integrations with many of our systems and are working based on our requirements and change requests. They also handle the operation of the platform.

What is the team composition?

We’re in contact with 3–4 developers from GoodRequest in our daily operations, along with their CEO and a project manager.

How did you come to work with GoodRequest?

I wasn’t part of the company at the time. We’ve increased the collaboration with GoodRequest since I came onboard. They’re our official supplier for development activities.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with GoodRequest in January 2017, and it’s ongoing.

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

We held a tender for other development services in late-2020, and GoodRequest won it again. We’re really happy with their agile setup. They’re really flexible in terms of timing and delivering on business requirements that don’t cover one hundred percent of the information. They do UX/UI design using best practices based on their experience. If a design hasn’t been defined in the business requirements, they’re able to develop their own ideas.

There is also a lack of testing processes and standards in the final phases, and there’s a lack of collaboration with the other suppliers involved. That’s something we have to coordinate ourselves.

How did GoodRequest perform from a project management standpoint?

They use Jira to manage change requests, and it’s working well. The work has been better coordinated since they started using it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a young, agile, and enthusiastic team. They’re a part of our overall digital tools development effort, and their impact is definitely positive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need to improve the coordination of activities with other suppliers in our projects. Also, their testing processes for developed functionalities could be more robust in the final phases.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If the client is a startup, GoodRequest is definitely the partner for them. Their strong point is their flexibility. They build functionalities and make changes in a very short time. They also deliver good designs in terms of customer-facing functionalities.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work as a project manager for an electronic retailer that operates in Slovakia and Czechia.

What challenge were you trying to address with GoodRequest?

We mainly wanted to improve the shopping experience for our customers with smart and easy-to-use mobile apps.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We already had two Android apps, which GoodRequest took over. Then, they created two new iOS apps. They are now taking care of all of those four applications and help with the redesign and further development of our existing mobile apps which included many brainstorming sessions, field testing, and consultations.

What is the team composition?

There are two developers, a project manager, tester, designer, and architect.

How did you come to work with GoodRequest?

We were looking for an app development company from Slovakia or Czechia that could help us with our apps because the company we previously worked with was bought. GoodRequest was one of the companies suggested to us, and after a few meetings, we decided to work with them because we liked them.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested about €100,000 Euros so far (approximately $120,000 USD)

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together started in January 2018, and it is ongoing.

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

Both of the iOS apps that they created for us have an average rating of 4.7 in the App Store and are used by a few thousand people each month. Our Android apps already existed when we started working with them, but they helped us redesign them and create new features. This resulted in improved user retention rate and also improved Play Store ratings. In general, for both of those platforms, our monthly active users increased by more than 50% in the last 12 months.

How did GoodRequest perform from a project management standpoint?

All new updates and features of the apps are planned in Jira and Confluence so it is always clear what the priorities are as well as the deadlines. We also have weekly online meetings and before any new update or feature, we have a brainstorming session. I think everything has been going well and there are no significant problems or delays.

What did you find most impressive about them?

From my experience, the success of a project often depends on the quality of communication from both sides. Communication with anyone from GoodRequest is constructive and effective. I can talk to the designers or developers if I want to, and the response time is always fast which is something I find to be the most impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything was great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If it is possible, have a detailed description of what you want as well as all the requirements and deadlines. If you are still in the planning phase, don’t be afraid to include at least a few people from GoodRequest in the meetings and discussions. They can give you give advice about what users usually look for and how they may interact with your apps.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the online technology manager for a company that operates ski resorts, waterparks, and amusement parks among other properties.

What challenge were you trying to address with GoodRequest?

We needed to develop a new mobile application for our new loyalty and e-commerce system.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided them with specific requirements, and GoodRequests advised us on how to proceed. Their team helped us with the direction for development. For example, GoodRequest helped us decide between building native or hybrid products. After meetings with them, we decided to build native apps because it allowed for a greater amount of future development than a hybrid platform. They built the Android version in Kotlin and the iOS version in Swift.

What is the team composition?

We mainly communicated with 2–3 people from GoodRequest but another 6–7 developers worked on the project.

How did you come to work with GoodRequest?

Slovakia is a small country, so there aren’t many mobile development companies based here. We wanted a local partner that was familiar with our business and selected between 6–7 companies. GoodRequests had great references and offered a good price for the project. During our business calls, they provided insights before we even chose them as our partner.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about €100,000 (approximately $120,600 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in August 2020, and we’re continuously working with them on the mobile development.

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

I previously worked with companies that wouldn’t give their partners specific requirements. One of the best aspects of our partnership was that we provided them with requirements and then they found the best ways to proceed.

Our board was excited about the project from the beginning of development. We appreciated that GoodRequest provided versions throughout the development that we could show the board. In about a week after the launch, we gained 10,000 downloads in the app stores. It was a huge success.

How did GoodRequest perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly meetings to keep up-to-date and communicate via Slack. We’re basically able to communicate with all of their developers, and they’re able to communicate with me.

What did you find most impressive about them?

GoodRequest was flexible with the time and resources for the project. We started the hiring process in July and by the end of August, we had already started the development. They were also able to find more developers for the project when we found it required more development than we initially thought. We also had a strict deadline, and GoodRequest delivered on time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing to share.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s not required but it’s best to have as thorough business or technical requirements as possible. However, that’s general advice.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a product owner of company providing complex biometric solutions such as ABIS, remote identity verification, border control, public security.

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

We wanted to develop a mobile app for enrollment, identification & verification of enrollee from generic mobile devices as a complement to our web-based solution. Our goal was to enable real mobile app to cover complex biometric use-cases such as enrollment & verification (voter's registration, NID) or instant in-the-field identification for law enforcement authorities as there is a big potential still not properly served on the market.

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

From previous working experience.

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

Very "agile". Started from customization of very specific app for voter's registration. Goal - in 1 month (for expo needs):

1. Integrate with ABIS backend
2. Integrate it with biometric android device with built-in fingerprint scanner
3. Showcase on London Identity Week 2021 The vision / requirements were communicated & adjusted on weekly meetings. Development was done against defined accepted criteria.

In 1 month we created app with no major issues being demoed on the London Identity week. Since then we continue with adding new features and 3 POCs for business opportunities were conducted.

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

0,2 FTE Governance - project manager, weekly sync, coordination 2,5 FTE Development - senior FE developers capable of quickly delivering solution with only high-level described requirements

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

1. Big success - app demoed after 1 month of development on a prestigious event
2. App is completely mobile, integrated with multiple devices and external FP scanners - which extends business opportunities
3. 3 POCs in place (1 conducted, 2 awaiting the demo) giving a chance for demo app to be monetized

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

Project manager is easy to communicate, very well organized. Able to react dynamically on changing demand for developers allocation. Organization of work (Jira) and reporting is precisely prepared, all the meeting minutes with action points well maintained.

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

We are impressed by how organized they are.

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

I can't think of anything for now

This review was published on October 21, 2021.

Daniel Ferak

Business Unit Director, Innovatrics

Software

51-200 Employees

Bratislava, Slovakia (22231)

$50,000 to $199,999

Apr 2021 - Sep 2021

Project summary:

A biometrics company hired GoodRequest in order to implement mobile demo apps so their internal teams can focus on product development. The vendor was chosen based on the company's past experience with them.

Feedback summary:

The feedback from the company's sales department regarding the demo apps has been positive. The company particularly enjoyed their communications with the GoodRequest team as it always showed their commitment to the project and deliver excellent results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Business Unit Director at Innovatrics, resposnible for Digital Onboarding Toolkit (DOT) product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

DOT is a full technology stack for remote identity verification applications targeted at system integrators. We hired GoodRequest to implement mobile demo apps so our Sales is able to showcase our technology and at the same time the product team can focus on the product development rather then demos.

SOLUTION

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

We already cooperated on some other projects and were satisfied.

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

The scope of work was the demo apps based on our business requirements and detailed wireframes which we provided. The demo apps were implemented for both iOS and Android platforms. GoodRequest then prepared a detailed project plan and started working on specification which we reviewed. Then the whole delivery was split into milestones with defined key functionalities.

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

Up to 8 people, 1 PM, 1 tester, 1 designer and the rest software developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feedback of our Sales department is very positive on the new demo apps.

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

We had weekly status meetings with detailed status updates and well prepared topics to discuss. The communication was flawless with all teammembers. The main communication tools we used were Slack, Jira and Confluence.

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

I really liked the detailed specification they provided at the beginning of the project based on our requirements. We were able to think about the edge cases before the implementation even started. At the same time, they approach were very agile and if we decided to change some requirements in the later phases of the project, it was never a problem.

I really enjoyed communication with all the team-members and liked their committment to deliver excellent outputs.

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

I can't think of any.

RATINGS

Star Ratings

Overall rating: 5

Quality: 5

Cost: 4.5

Schedule: 5

Willing to refer: 5

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner and CEO of company Fitshaker s.r.o. I manage people and focus on achieving goals.

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

Our website was built 8 years ago and became outdated (old desing, old web structure etc). As we are focusing on strong progress in every way, it was our duty to bring our costumers a new, modern website, which will satisfy their needs in all aspects. And also we wanted to launch our first Apps (mobile and TV app also).

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

One reason was, one of our employee had very good experience with cooperation with Goodrequest. And the second reason was their portfolio, successful realized projects etc.

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

It was a lot of steps, discussion. After that was suggested to us to make an UIX audit with monitored focus group, a lot of interviews with them and finally to start draw wireframe of our new website...a lot of suggestions and comments from our team have been implemented...and it was still the beginning. 

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

4 of them were primary on our meetings. One was AM, the two of there were managers of DEV team, the last one was web designer,

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

New fresh look, fast web loading, new functions and last but not least, enthusiastic reviews from our customers.

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

We started to meet live regularly. After start of Covid everything has moved online. Call every week, discussion about progress etc. We primary used Google meet and Slack.

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

They really care about the final product, such as our new website and apps. And they are really trying to relieve me of hard work...always trying to cooperate with employees in our company, and not always to wait on my decisions. This is sooo important for me.

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

Few months after launch of our new website, I realized the conversion rate of our landing page etc could have better results. Everything was made like a smooth before...but it could be better if we maybe could connect with the web designer with a different opinion. I do not know, i just didnt want to leave this column without any comment 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am HR generalist at Kia Slovakia and was co-responsible for this project from HR side.

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

We wanted to have our own tool for internal anonymous feedback from our employees. The goal was to have a modern and efficient software easy to understand and easy to handle.

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

We considered Goodrequest among 4 other companies. The deciding factors were quality of proposal and price. Goodrequest's proposal was the best we considered.

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

We used Slack, Jira, Confluence and other tools to be able to communicate efficiently. Our meetings were held on weekly basis online due to Covid situation. As the final product we received a very good feedback tool.

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

There were more people working on the project, but on daily basis we were working with Project manager, Lead frontend developer, Backend developer and Designer.

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

Our first run of feedbacks will take place in Autumn, so after that we will be able to evaluate outcomes.

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

Their project management was very good (best I ever experienced), everything was always delivered on time, minutes and all communication was on point and efficient. Mostly we communicated via slack.

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

The quality of their work extremely impressed us. Starting with initial offer and ending with final delivered product, which was without major bugs. We did spend almost no time with testing, as the result was already precisely tested. Goodrequest also cared very well about user experience - we did the user experience testing during the development phase. In total I am really impressed by quality of their work.

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

Nothing, everything was perfect. I can only hope to cooperate with these guys again :)

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of the Doby Hory project. It's a tourist challenge. Our goal is to motivate people to go to the mountains.

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

We started in 2019 with one tourist challenge in Slovakia, in one mountain range which also took place in 2020. In 2021 we decided to make tourist challenges throughout Slovakia in several mountains and we needed to create a new website design for it.

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

In my search, I found many companies that could do the project. I liked Goodrequest the most and after a friendly conversation we agreed to cooperate.

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

At the beginning we had a kick-off call and then they made me an offer. After approval, I sent my sketches and the guys from goodrequest started creating wireframes for the design. We consulted them regularly twice a week and shared our feedback. We worked in the Figma application.

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

The UX / UI designer was the main person I communicated with. We also regularly called with the design director and discussed progress together.

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

People really like the design of the new website, we have great feedback. The final version is not launched yet, but we are working on it and everything is going according to plan. UX is very well built and easily scalable for the future.

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

We had to call twice a week with the main UX / UI designer - Daniel and with the head of design - Michal. We used Slack for communication.

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

They have created a well-designed website, which is at a very high level and well thought out.

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

Better estimate budget and timeline.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a CEO of the company SFZ Marketing, s.r.o. located in Bratislava, Slovakia. We are focusing on marketing, business partners, match organization, ticketing and to deliver services and products for Slovak Football Association

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

We wanted to develop a mobile app for our fans within strategic project Fan 2022 to access our exclusive content of national teams. Our goal was to have new e-commerce platform for both B2B and B2C model, new modern communication tool and to create CRM database of our fans.

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

We launched a tender for this solution supplier. GoodRequest offer won this tender with respect to their experiences in sport app, references and complex and innovative approach.

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

We had a series of discovery meetings to discuss our goals and objectives. We have requested a news about representations, statistics, ticket sales, fan profile and games. After delivering first version for android and IOS, we provided their team with UEFA recommendations for best sport apps.

They incorporated our feedback and delivered the revised version. On the top of that, they offered us new design based on IOS 14. In second version we added push notifications, fanshop and incorporated this new modern design.

How many resources from the GoodRequest team worked with you, and what were their positions?

A project manager was assigned to be our main point of contact throughout the project. In addition, we interacted with 3 lead front and design developers.

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

We are just in the process of launching the app, so we have no measurable outcome yet.

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

The project manager communicated comprehensively, tried to advise and bring proper solutions. We have had a video call with manager every week, but were still regular business consultations and internal meetings. We communicated through Jira, Slack and Mails. Everything was delivered on time.

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

Their mobile app development skills were amazing. They knew everything about UX and execution. Since this was our first mobile app. They are patient and dedicated to walking us through their process while we are learning. They delivered their own ideas and improvements.

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

Detailed status reports on at min. monthly basis (not up to completion of each project stage) could have been helpful so that we could limit any misunderstandings.