JDLT

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner at Andersen Tax UK, the UK branch of a tax and financial services firm headquartered in the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JDLT?

We needed to create a secure web-based portal that allowed us to share information with our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

JDLT built a web app for us from scratch using React and other technologies. 

The platform allows us to set each of our clients up with their own account and unique login information. A few team members from our end are assigned to each account. The portal allows us to share information back and forth. If the client uploads a document, the system will generate an email notification to one of our teammates, and vice versa. 

Now that they’ve built the application, JDLT continues to provide maintenance services. Because the system was built from scratch, we have a lot of flexibility. We work with their team on an ongoing basis to make changes and implement features as needed.
    
What is the team composition?

Jake (Managing Director, JDLT) and Tommy (Technical Director, JDLT) are my two main points of contact. I don’t have any visibility into the team that was actually doing the work. 

How did you come to work with JDLT?

We heard about them by word of mouth. They’re a small business, but they still have a very good reputation in London.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about £20,000 ($25,000 USD) so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2020 and we have an ongoing contract. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I had half of my team get on the portal and do a lot of testing. Based on that, the web app completely meets all of our objectives. 

How did JDLT perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done very well. The initial round of development was scheduled into sprints. In total, it only took a few weeks. 

The JDLT team kept us up to date on their progress throughout and asked questions as needed. They even suggested additional functionalities to build into the portal, and we would discuss whether or not those ideas made sense. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I haven’t worked with many IT providers, so it’s difficult for me to compare. However, the JDLT team delivered a product that looks and feels better than my original vision — they took my idea and improved it. The portal looks fantastic and the functionality is much better than I’d imagined. 

Overall, I had a very good experience. We’re planning to work with the JDLT team on other projects in the future.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any comments. It’s difficult to think of anything that could be better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Before giving their team a list of requirements, take some time to explore the project with them. The JDLT team is very proactive and creative, and their input can help produce a better product. 

They helped me identify the root problem I was looking to solve. We had a lot of video calls and in-person meetings to talk through the functionality. We had a productive partnership — they didn’t just execute on a list of demands.