GT

Please describe your company and your position there.

3SIX Health are a Healthcare consultancy focussed on simplifying complex problems that exist in healthcare/life sciences. I'm the Co-founder and Director

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

At the start of the pandemic, we decided to focus our efforts/expertise on providing Covid-19 testing services to both consumer and corporate customers. However, whilst we understood the sales, marketing, and logistical challenges here, the area we needed support with was the technology to enable this - more specifically, how do we make the user experience and buying purchase a smooth and simple one. The goals were to establish a service which was compliant, quality, and simple....in the quickest, most cost effective time!

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

I have a long-standing relationship with one of the founders, which is what kicked off the initial conversation. The decision was made based on quality, cost, timeline for delivery and, of course, trust. GT ticked every one of these boxes.

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

There were a number of projects involved in the overall Covid-19 testing project, which I'll outline below:

1. E-commerce platform - key deliverable was a platform which included website hosting and design, payment processing and order fulfilment. For speed and quality, we used the Bubble no code solution which ensured minimal coding for maximum simplicity. Key steps were:
   • understand our needs (cost, timelines, requirements etc)
   • assign a project team
   • key milestone meetings
   • delivery
2. Corporate self-service Kiosk - we required a self-service testing platform for a corporate client who wanted staff to take greater ownership of testing. We therefore needed a mobile tech solution which allowed ~350 staff split across 5 separate sites to register their test (the deliverable). Once again this was built on the Bubble platform and turned around in 14 days from initial scoping. Key steps followed those listed in the project above.
3. Lateral flow verification platform - for our consumer based customers, we required a way of approving the result of a lateral flow test using technology. The key deliverable was a platform which allowed a consumer to upload a picture of a completed test and upon approval, gain a certificate allowing them to travel safely in line with government regulations. This was a system we ended up licensing to other providers due to the quality and ease of system.
4. Ukrainian Nurse Team - we required a team of nurses to help run our virtual supervised testing programme. Within 2 weeks, we were able to source and train 3 highly skilled professionals from within the GT network who supported our efforts within this space. Again, the steps were very much in line with previous projects: needs, options, assign team, deliver. Another great example of the wide reaching network in GT beyond 'just tech'!

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

3 people in the core team:

• Project lead
• Project Manager 
• developer

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

We were able to launch our covid testing service (as an MVP) within 2 weeks of our planning session. The outcomes were a system which took over 10,000 transactions and a test verification service which approved over 20,000 LFTs. We quickly established ourselves as one of the leading providers of testing services within the UK, along with the highest rated (over 1500 trust pilot reviews - average of 4.8/5).

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

Excellent from start to finish. Communication was quick and responsive and approach was always flexed to what we needed. The key thing for us was speed and quality - both of which we always achieved.

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

The ability to understand exactly what we needed and work through to get it delivered as quickly as possible. An outstanding work ethic and attitude! In addition, the network GT have is laden with talent. Every touch point we have is with talented individuals, which always gives me the utmost confidence in the result.  A pleasure to do business with.

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

No!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the co-founder and Chief Technology and Product Officer at Profisy, the innovative B2B product pricing intelligence company delivering growth for leading brands in the events, information and media sectors.

Using Artificial Intelligence, Profisy combines customer data with trusted international and local macroeconomics sources for inflation and market dynamics. Profisy enables customers to rapidly adjust prices with confidence whilst staying on top of changing market influences, understanding how customers respond and optimising revenue for profit.

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

We needed exceptional AI, web and API engineers to design, build and run our new AI pricing product. But, the competition in London was crippling; a revolving door of interviews, offers and counter offers.

We just couldn't compete, as a bootstrap startup, with the big brands and their exceptional recruitment capabilities and very attractive packages. We were also too small and too early for traditional outsourcing or boutiques. We needed a dedicated team that could grow with us and become part of our brand.

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

After six months of trying to hire, we got introduced to GT through a referral. We had very specific requirements, we wanted to integrate exceptional talent into our team, with specific technical skills, we wanted to be responsible for the day-to-day management and we needed them fast. Above all, we needed a partner that didn't need a predefined spec for what we were going to build, we only had some of the user stories and wireframe sketches at this point.

GT seemed to have the holy grail of offerings, completely configurable to our needs, fast and they were interested in working with early-stage start-ups developing innovative products. This fit placed them high on our very short list and after meeting the team in Kyiv, seeing their operation and witnessing their commitment to their team and our success, it was obvious that they were our partner.

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

The scope of work includes: 

• specification, design, development, test, QA and deployment across multiple products
• product research and design
• agile execution using Scrum and Kanban
• web application development in Angular
• API development in python
• serverless cloud architecture on AWS
• machine learning in python
• customer success
• data management
• operations management

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

We have a team of 8 including:

• agile/operations manager
• senior frontend developer
• senior API developer
• head of R&D and Senior Data Science
• 2 x junior data science
• senior product designer
• customer success lead

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

Let's be clear, this is not a project with a start and a predefined end. This is a relationship that is deep in the fabric of our business. What started out as a few people developing software has become the heart of our business operation.

Working with the team at GT we have built an innovative AI software company delivering real tangible results for customers. They have been a critical part of our journey, sourcing and retaining top talent, flexing and supporting us as we started out and navigated the early business bumps and turns. They have exceeded our expectations in every way.

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

We self manage our projects with the team using the usual stack of tools and processes, namely Scrum, Kanban, Jira, Slack, Teams, Zoom, git, Figma, and Office 365. The team are confident, clear and communicates like any business team would if you hired them directly in your office in a very natural and professional way.

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

There are two things that stand out for me. The first is they are genuinely motivated by our success and the success of the people they hire into client teams. The second is their willingness to experiment and learn with us. These are essential when partnering with early-stage businesses and they flex, adapt and grow with you,

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

From my perspective, they have never let me down and exceeded my expectations every month of every year so far.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Talent Director of a global themed entertainment company

For what projects/services did your company hire GT?

We needed a good mix of developers, back end C# .Net, Unity and React to support our teams with internal projects and R&D

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

We were introduced through a trusted contact, then spent some time in country with the team, making sue they understood exactly how we like to work.

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

They provided an initial 4 developers to help us with some R&D, we quickly upscaled the team as the results were excellent. Over time the projects have changed, and tTheir team has been flexible enough to adapt to our changing requirements.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

We work closely with GTs recruiters, they know what we like, we then have a two stage process to ensure fit with the team as well as the tech.

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

Working on our internal projects, with excellent results, has freed our existing team to deliver better customer results faster.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Good, the team communicate well and the shift to more homeworking everywhere has accelerated that, it doesn't matter so much where people are as they can jump on a video call and talk through a challenge with the team.

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

They treat their developers well. That means we get a better choice of good people who can focus on delivering great results, knowing all the HR, finance and admin is running smoothly in the background.

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

We've worked together for over three years now, we've ironed out the kinks as they have got to know our quirks.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the VP of the tech department of technical solutions at a European energy network.

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Talent?

We needed to build a team of people that our company was not used to hiring for.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us hire in an area where we weren’t effectively hiring. The team also managed the risk for us. The model that they provided effectively let us interact directly with their team, which is what we wanted. The team hired software engineers, app developers, backend developers, UX designers, and product managers on our behalf.

What is the team composition?

Their co-founder was our main point of contact. We also had a lead recruiter and an HR contact

How did you come to work with Global Talent?

We met them through a mutual colleague. They were a great fit for our needs.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2019, and we wrapped up in June 2020

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

The recruiting was incredibly effective. We managed to hire the initial batch of people opening the office after a just three-day interview session. Thereafter, we filled out to eleven. We were very happy with the hires. It’s a huge success rate and a lot of it can be attributed to the Global Talent team.

How did Global Talent perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very responsive and they meet the deadlines they promise.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their founder figured out how to put an amazing user experience in their process. They think very well about what the market is looking for. It was exactly what I was looking for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We could tell they were a young company because we used things like WhatsApp for communication. It wasn’t a problem for us, but they could probably be taken more seriously if they adopted a more formal communication style for the customers who expect it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to trust them and the process. Watch them and make sure they’ve understood everything process, and you’ll get a good result.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technical director of a sustainability-focused SaaS company. We offer a platform called Rio, which helps drive performance improvement and deliver sustainability.  

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Talent?

We’re a relatively small company with an already established platform built on AWS. We were looking for an array of high-quality developers who could pick it up to further develop it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed a self-sufficient team that could operate without in-depth product oversight. Their team of React and Node.js experts came in and took over our product.

What is the team composition?

We work with 4 teammates. We have a senior product developer, two mid-level developers, and a part-time QA specialist.

How did you come to work with Global Talent?

One of the challenges we faced in looking for a software team was to find a vendor who’s actually flexible. A number of the companies we were speaking to offered 6­–8 developers, which didn’t fit our requirements. We got ahold of them through some personal contacts in the UK. I was able to meet with the CEO of the company, which demonstrated an appealing level of commitment to our project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $20–25,000 a month. We’ve been doing that for 9–10 months, so I believe it’s around a quarter of a million.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in December 2019 and is ongoing. They serve as a core component of our business now.

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

Their support has been quite transformational. Their team has produced more in the last six months than our team alone has in two years. Their level of output has been amazingly consistent, and their transparent ability to accurately estimate and deliver upon deliverables has been astounding.

Not being a developer myself, I was seeking developers who could use their judgment regarding best practices to implement product improvements. They’ve been forthcoming in suggesting alternatives and improvements, which has been extremely helpful.

How did Global Talent perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very collaborative, and we maintain excellent communication with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They use their common sense; instead of doing exactly what they’re told, they actually think outside of the box. They’ve also taken the effort to understand our product and market. Finally, they only offer high-caliber candidates who are more or less what we need.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could increase the clarity of some of their invoicing and billing processes. That said, we’ve resolved any issues that have come up.  

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director at Quartz Associates. We specialize in the reorganization of companies of all sizes.

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Talent?

We discovered the need for an app that would function as an HR analytics tool.

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we first began working with Global Talent, we traveled onsite to their offices to discuss the process and style. 

We decided on which operating model would work together best for both of us, as well as the timeline and cost breakdown. From there, Global Talent put together a team of developers to actually build the MVP.

What is the team composition?

We work with about eight people in total. There are four members of the development team, as well as four others who operate on the administrative side, including Andriy (Co-founder & COO, Global Talent).

How did you come to work with Global Talent?

The co-founder of our company met Andy (CEO, Global Talent), and brought his team in for consideration for the project. We spent a little over two months evaluating various prospects but decided to go with Global Talent in the end.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent just over €94,000 (approximately $104,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Global Talent in July 2019, and the project is ongoing.

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

We don’t have any quantitative metrics, but we’re really happy with the quality and design features of the first MVP.

Initially, we'd been apprehensive about partnering with a firm that operates outside of our country, but the team has taken advantage of modern communication tools and doesn't allow the distance to be an issue.

How did Global Talent perform from a project management standpoint?

We connect regularly with Global Talent’s team via phone calls, emails, and Slack. Also, we use Trello to track their progress, features, and functionality, and ensure we’re on the same page about target times. 

The team is very flexible when it comes to making adjustments and fixing minor problems along the way.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very eager. It’s clear through their leadership style that Global Talent wants to help us achieve our goals. Whenever we have an urgent task for the team to complete, they do so without hesitation. 

The team also functions as great thought partners and has brought a lot of innovation not just to the project, but our company as a whole.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There have been times where the team could provide a little more education and guidance through their process in terms of how they'd prefer us to interact with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you work with Global Talent, you’ll have the opportunity to work with excellent, collaborative partners.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Smartxpo, a SaaS business developing advanced analytics and AI for the trade show industry.   

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Talent?

As a London-based startup, the biggest challenge we faced was finding talent that we could hire. The skills we needed were data science, Python, and AngularJS, and there was a strong demand in London. We were struggling to find the right candidates, and when we did find them, we were getting outbid. Secondly, as a small business and startup, most boutique or outsourced providers weren’t interested in working with us, as it was too much of a risk and the work volumes were small. 

We found it challenging to find partners to work with, but Global Talent was more than happy to work with us. They actually offered a model very similar to the way I’d implemented outsourcing relationships with companies before, but they offered it as a more integrated service to us, so it was a really good fit. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started out purely looking at software engineering and data science. However, it eventually became clear to us was that there’s talent in Ukraine for data analysis, customer success, and product development. So, we quickly expanded beyond engineering and we now have customer success, product leadership, and an entire data team form Global Talent. They’ve built out four-fifths of our 25-person team in Kyiv.

What is the team composition?

Today, we have 14 people from Global Talent on staff and we’re hiring another six. We have a very close relationship with their executive team, who we call on sometimes. We have three interviews with candidates today. Their junior IT recruiter does all the coordination and hiring for us, so I also work directly with her. It’s a growing team from their point of view, but I’m always working with talented people who know exactly what they’re doing. They make the recruitment process really easy for me.

How did you come to work with Global Talent?

Back in April 2018, one of the founders of our business invited me to lunch with Global Talent’s CEO. He knew we were looking for resources and their CEO had just gotten involved with the company, so he was reaching out to find options in London. I think we were one of the first contacts he made.

It was clear from that moment that Global Talent had the model I was looking for. They were interested in working with businesses in advanced technology. We were in AI and working with data science, so we were their target customer, and they were the target organization for us. It was just a really lucky fit. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’re billing slightly less than £60,000 a month (approximately $78,060 USD) at the moment for a team of 14. We didn’t come into this relationship to save money, but rather to grow our business as rapidly as we could. We’re definitely achieving those goals, but we’re also getting a really good value. 

I think we started out in the region of £12,000–£14,000 (approximately $15,612–$18,214 USD), and we’ve built up over the year and a half we’ve been with them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’re still building out the team. We started with three and we’ve been really successful with our product, so we’re investing in more resources and testing the limits of their capabilities. Their business model has really helped us think about how we can scale our business in a very different way. We thought it would just be engineering to start with, but we’ve experimented with their other skills and we’ll continue to expand our operations there.

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

The first real test was when we started recruitment. They kept their promises to us about how quickly they could set up a team. I think we had the first hire in just four weeks, and the other two were on board no more than two weeks later. After this, I went to Kyiv to do more interviews and selected the candidates we wanted to hire, which were on board within six weeks. We didn’t think they’d actually manage to recruit that quickly, but they did it and worked really hard to achieve the commitments they made to us. 

I’m in this for the long term with Global Talent. They’re really transparent with us about where they’re trying to develop themselves, and it just encourages trust. I know they genuinely mean it when they tell me what they can and can’t do. Furthermore, they provide all the facilities to host our business in Kyiv, including office space, security, oversight, and management for recruitment. However, I take full responsibility for managing the team. We treat them like our own employees in the sense that they participate in the same events, get access to the same information, share the same tools, and contribute to every part of our business. We now have a leadership team reporting to me that has two members from Kyiv on it. 

When it comes to metrics, I’m interested in Global Talent getting recruitment done on time and having accurate billing. They’ve never disappointed, and if they make a mistake, they’re the first to tell me about it. They never give me any cause for doubt. 

How did Global Talent perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s proven to be a very successful relationship.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciated their attitude toward customers—they don’t treat us like a contract and are rather incredibly invested in our success, as well as their own. They make sure we’re getting the best possible service and even have a manager responsible for client happiness. Global Talent goes out of their way to make us feel welcome by organizing events, transportation, hotels, and even parties. They’ve made it an easy experience. Their attention to customers really differentiates them, and I’ve never experienced anything like it with an outsourced company. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Any growing business has its challenges to deal with. They need to grow their own team. While we’ve really enjoyed having a close relationship with their executive team for a long time, they need to grow a customer base of their own and they can’t really afford to spend that much time with us. I told them it’d be really handy if we could get an account manager, and their CMO agreed. He gave us a choice of people to work with, and we’ve been working with that manager ever since.

Overall, Global Talent is very mindful of its own growth and challenges. I’m really excited to watch them grow and I’m happy that we’ve gotten the opportunity to work with them and learn from their experience in this region. I can’t really say I have a particular area of concern about working with them.  

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If you think this is an outsourcing relationship where you can fire your specifications at a team and have them turn that into a wonderful application, I think you’re misreading the business model. They’re giving you access to really talented people, but you’ve got to invest in that as well, which means that you’re going to have to get on a plane and spend time with them. That’s part of the management responsibility.

If we invest our time, the results we’re going to get are exceptional. We have to treat them like staff, not like an outsourcer. That’s not because we can’t work with them through an arm’s length contract, but from my experience, we get the best outcome possible by getting up close and personal, spending time with the people, learning the culture and personalities, and integrating them into the team. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO of early stage SaaS company.

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

We partnered with GT to create a cross-functional, cross-continental engineering team.

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

We met John Harris through a shared network connection and appreciated that John not only understood our engineering team expansion strategy but also our industry.

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

This is a multi-year semi-permanent team structure where we blend our US and our GT-sourced resources into several scrum teams. The scope encompasses everything from high level visual and functional design to technical design/architecture to full stack development, QA, etc. Our GT teammates are an extension of our product R&D team.

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

We are approaching a dozen or so resources from GT and their positions range from front-, back-end development to QA.

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

The work is on schedule, on budget, and of high quality.

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

Our GT colleagues leverage Vodori's project/product management resources in the US.

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

Great overall support and management of our relationship at the GT executive level. Exemplary engineering talent, work ethic, and resilience particularly in the face of extraordinary challenges (Ukranian invasion by Russia).

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

none

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Technical Director of Springboard Applications. Our teams currently work in the UK and Ukraine.

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

We are developing a cloud-based service with web and mobile app elements.

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

Friend recommendation

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

The project is based on current cloud and UI technologies.

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

We are currently engaging a team of 4 developers.

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

The development is ongoing

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

Communication is lightweight - we manage the developers directly

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

Their professional ethos is impressive.

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

Nothing specific

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is a ratings and reviews company working worldwide. My position is the director of software engineering.

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Talent?

We were looking for different types of developers. They helped us find developers who would best suit our specific needs and integrate well into our development process.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They found developers, contacted them, and gave them knowledge about our company to prepare them for the next stage of the interview process. 

Originally, they did a questionnaire with us where they asked what type of developer we needed and which skills we were looking for.

They did the initial research, which included contacting various people and making assessments. Then, they sent suitable candidates to us. 

What is the team composition?

They act like all the other developers that are a part of our team. For example, they participate in daily standups, spring planning, and retrospectives. 

How did you come to work with Global Talent?

Someone recommended Global Talent to us. We looked into their profile and considered the skills they could provide. We also considered the atmosphere of their team. I also traveled to Kyiv to talk with various people from their team, and it was pleasant. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $200,000 to $999,999 with the team total. We invested $10,000 to $15,000 per-month.

What is the status of this engagement?
 
We began around the beginning of 2019, and the work is ongoing.

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

I can see clearly that they’re putting in a good effort to find the best candidate. They’re adapting well to our requirements. If requirements change on our end, they’ll adopt them really quickly.

The developers’ work has been very well-received by our internal team. Their professionalism and skills have been great.

How did Global Talent perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re quite happy with this resource. Our process is complicated, but they have been performing very well overall. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of the people provided by Global Talent is higher than other agencies we’ve worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always a space for improvement. For now, we’re quite happy with them. Their HR platform could be slightly better at recording holidays and sick days. But, as far as I know, they’re already working on it and ready to deploy something to help us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s a good opportunity to work with them. They’re working on the Ukranian market where there are plenty of skilled developers. Due to the visa restriction, you’ll definitely find someone good.