HSTK Haystack

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of EyeConnect International, a secured platform of ophthalmologists. Our platform provides ophthalmology participants with opportunities to exchange their thoughts and ideas with regard to technologies, complications, and complication avoidance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Haystack? 

We hired Haystack for their mobile app development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our platform was initially established on vBulletin, but we found out over a period of time that the platform didn’t have the necessary flexibility we needed. Though we decided to stick with vBulletin, we’ve taken Haystack’s proposal to customize the platform. 

At present, we’re adding all bells and whistles to make the platform more user-friendly and useful to our participants. The app can be used on both Android and iOS platforms. Overall, they’re dealing with an old platform, but we hope to change that in the next 60 days. 

What is the team composition?

We work with five people from their team. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $30,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has been up and running for about three months now. Our participants haven’t had any problem in terms of posting and using the platform. Overall, I’m satisfied with their work, and they’ve met our expectations. 

How did Haystack perform from a project management standpoint?

Haystack’s project management participates in our board meetings, which take place twice per month or every two weeks. We use Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their transparency is their strong point. They’re highly upfront with regard to what needs to be done. They also provide us with a good financial picture of what the tasks will cost. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. We’re completely happy with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Contact Haystack’s CEO, who will assign the project to their team. Take look at their proposal — it’s detailed — and take it from there. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're an accessories company that does everything from scrunchies to lanyards to bag tags to other products made out of a nylon spandex swimsuit fabric. I'm in marketing, sales, and customer relations. It's actually my mother's company and I help manage the business. We've been doing this for 18 years, small-scale home office.

In March, we transitioned to making facemasks for the COVID-19 pandemic. Our facemasks went viral in the south and we've been selling millions of them now. We had to increase production as couldn't even keep up and had a four week waiting time. Everyone loves our masks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Haystack?

We already had the website up and going. Previously, we had a family friend with a very small company helping us with the site. However, they were very slow and not easy to get in touch with. As orders increased, so did the number of issues with the site. We were looking for a new go-to web developer to help out with this.

We also had a very inefficient system where all of our orders would come through emails and blow up our inbox. We had to manually print each email, fill the order, and manually type out the shipping addresses, which was a big waste of time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Haystack fully developed our website for us. They’re our go-to people now when we have things that need to be changed or modified on the website. They also helped create a new process for printing the orders and our shipping labels. We used OpenCart as the platform of choice.

What is the team composition?

We work with three members of the Haystack team.

How did you come to work with Haystack?

They were recommended by a family friend.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2020 and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were able to help us implement a system where we could get two day's work done in an hour. We are able to print out all the orders at once side by side with all of the correct shipping labels. All we have to do is stick the label on the package and send it out. Haystack really helped streamline our process.

How did Haystack perform from a project management standpoint?

It's nice that they're flexible in how I want to communicate with them. Haystack stays on top of things and is easy to communicate with. I have a lot going on so I don't like to sit and go back and forth on emails all day long.

A lot of our communication is through texting. It's much more convenient for me to take a picture of what's wrong or tell them what's wrong than to go back and forth over email or phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very friendly and actually want to help. In fact, they come by our office and say hello every once in a while. Haystack does their due diligence, understanding the company and its needs before starting anything. They try to get it right the first time. They always follow up with me and clearly work to understand the needs of the customer. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

For the most part, it went pretty well. There's not much I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have questions about anything you're skeptical about, bring it up to them. They're very open. I am always skeptical when signing a contract with new people who are going to have access to all of our information and our website.

I bug them a lot with questions, but they are always understanding. Feel free to ask as many questions as you want because they do want to help and they are good at responding.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner fo Riders United, a new outdoor-oriented mobile app

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Haystack?

I work with Haystack to develop envisioned products. They are our main developers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped me envision my final masterpiece onto paper and conceptualize the digital side of things. They laid out how I would accomplish my goal.

We're working on the development part soon and I can't wait. I have a prototype and they're building the app now. They're handling all the design and development, as well as teaching me to understand the technical details. They're developing the app in iOS and Android, using Java.

What is the team composition?

I've primarily worked with three people, but I haven't met their entire team.

How did you come to work with Haystack?

I found them online and they seemed like a good fit. I called like five companies and didn't get good trustworthy feelings. With Haystack, they answered every question and broke down their answers so everything made sense.

How much have you invested with them?

Right now, it's below $15,000 but I expect to spend just under $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in July 2020 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They're really straightforward which helped a lot. Everyone who sees their work is astonished by the high-quality work they were able to accomplish in a short timeframe. They kept their timelines and did a great job going above and beyond to make sure every little detail I wanted was included. They have a professional touch.

How did Haystack perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very clear at project management. They're very helpful — a lot of the technology is new to me but they make it clear cut. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Overall, they're a great company and I can't wait to work with them in the future.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should double down on what they're doing now. It's working very well for them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know every single detail of what you're trying to accomplish. It gives them a general idea of what you want and set your focal points.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Director of Marketing & Communications (former) of CICF

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Central Indiana Community Foundation is a catalyst for progress and a supporter of visionary ideas with the power to improve our community and the lives of its residents.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire HSTK Haystack to accomplish?

• Develop a digital platform and mobile app, MVMT10K

SOLUTION

How did you find HSTK Haystack?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select HSTK Haystack over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from HSTK Haystack were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Haystack was asked to support in building a digital platform that helped the foundation recruit, inform and mobilize individuals and organizations to identify and dismantle systemic racism in their spheres of influence.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were looking at the number of active users on the platform and how much activity/engagement was happening.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Haystack consistently met deadlines and shared in advance when unforeseen obstacles would impact timing or costs so that we could make informed decisions about the best path forward.

What was your primary form of communication with HSTK Haystack?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Topher stayed on the project and provided his professional and technical expertise from the beginning—something that was not promised or expected. They're clearly personally invested in the project's success.

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

Nope.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP, Education of National Wood Flooring Association

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

National trade association servicing members in the wood flooring industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire HSTK Haystack to accomplish?

• Seemless experience for members between multiple technology platforms
• Data integrity
• Integrate technology to cut back on staff administrative time

SOLUTION

How did you find HSTK Haystack?

Referral

Why did you select HSTK Haystack over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

What was the size of HSTK Haystack’s team?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Integrated AMS with LMS creating data push and pulls between two systems as well as a SSO experience. Integrated LMS with Badging service, pushing data to badging platform and thus out to our members. Created full directory using AMS as data source as well as WordPress plug-ins for advertisers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Member experience
• Staff administrative time

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

All of HayStack's team was very easy to work with. Always responsive when we needed a virtual meeting as well as e-mail.

What was your primary form of communication with HSTK Haystack?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They are all very thorough and competent.

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

N/A