JIG Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT and pricing manager for a manufacturing company. We import products from overseas and sell them to retailers and greenhouses across North America and globally. I’ve been with the company for almost 12 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JIG Technologies?

About 8–10 years ago, we didn’t have a centralized system within the company, so we did a lot of the work using Excel spreadsheets. We needed help with custom software development to build a full-fledged custom solution to manage everything from our overseas production.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It has taken us over 10 years and multiple stages with JIG Technologies to go from having nothing to having a full-fledged centralized ERP system that got rid of all the paperwork and Excel spreadsheets. Today, everything is done through our online portal; our vendor partners can enter our online systems, submit their quotes, and receive orders from us.

JIG Technologies has built everything from scratch using Ruby on Rails as the framework. Initially, we only needed a place to enter sales orders and quotes. As things evolved over the years, we kept adding to it. Since we work with Chinese manufacturers and ship overseas, the core functionality is tracking our logistics system and communicating the orders we receive from our clients so the manufacturers understand what they need to produce. 

The systems allow us to submit orders to our facilities in China, track products or containers, and see when they’ll arrive; everything is interconnected throughout them. We also have a client portal with a product development section where users can design items online, send them to China, get a quote, and build orders.

After a few years of working with JIG Technologies, we decided to get rid of our other IT company. Since then, they’ve managed all of our IT needs, including everything from printers to laptops and security hardware. JIG Technologies purchases our hardware, specifically setting the laptops for our different departments and team members. They offer on- and offsite services, but we rarely require them to come in. Finally, they ensure that our new employees are good to go.

What is the team composition?

We have 3–4 developers and an architect on the development team. For IT management, there are about 10 rotating teammates; we don’t have anyone dedicated to our account.

How did you come to work with JIG Technologies?

The owner of the company found JIG Technologies through a referral; one of their friends was working with them. The company was already engaged with JIG Technologies when I started working here; I just took over.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with JIG Technologies in January 2012, and it’s an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

JIG Technologies has built something unique to our industry. Our focus isn’t on getting a huge amount of web traffic; we generally know who our clients are. However, JIG Technologies has absolutely impacted our business in a positive way. As a growing company, we take our IT seriously and invest large amounts of money in it. Overall, we wouldn’t have been able to grow without JIG Technologies and the technologies they’ve provided.

Bugs are a common side of any development cycle; we have a dedicated team to ensure things are working smoothly. We also have in-house developers working closely with JIG Technologies. If we have a new project request, we work through it, and once developers have a storyboard, I do the QA testing. Usually, JIG Technologies takes care of bugs within 24 hours depending on how big the bug is. If it’s a larger issue, they’ll tell us the timeline to fix it.

How did JIG Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is excellent. We typically communicate with them 2–3 times a week, depending on what’s happening. We also use emails daily and have a dedicated group meeting with the developers on Tuesday. Additionally, we use GitLab for ticketing; any bug or issue can be uploaded into GitLab and assigned to a developer.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re excellent in dealing with high-tension situations. JIG Technologies always responds promptly and ensures we’re being taken care of. Overall, their intelligence and industry knowledge separates them from the competition. They understand our needs and present solutions that cater to our needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everyone can improve throughout the years, but it’s difficult to pinpoint something. Many things can go south during development, but JIG Technologies has improved their management and communication year after year.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with JIG Technologies. Let them understand your requirements and take it from there. They’ll give you the advice you need.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner and broker of record of a real estate company called Casatank Realty in Toronto

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired JIG to design, develop and deploy a new online portal. Our goal was to deliver a new CRM management system made for real estate agents. This would include an online housing search portal for buyers to find properties they are looking for and get connected to agents.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed multiple developers in Toronto over a period of a few months. Of the candidates interviewed, JIG best understood what we were looking for and offered services and a reasonable cost.

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

We required an online CRM system that included the following:

• Integration with the VOW and IDX TREB data feeds.
• Online search of the listing in a visual map format like Zillow
• Allow buyers to find properties, select favourites and request a showing from a broker on the system.
• The broker portal would include
• Full featured CRM system
• Full integration with the agents google or 365 mailbox – read, send, receive emails
• Full integration with agents SMS texting - read, send, receive messages.
• Full integration with agents cell service – incoming, outgoing call with voicemail support.
• Customizable email marketing system with for new client potential
• Client activity tracking – searches, favourites, showings
• Current Market Analysis reports that can be sent to clients
• Much more. The technologies used were PHP Laravel, MySQL, Twilio, Nylas, Treb VOW/IDX.

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

Project Manager, Technical Architect, Developers, UX designer, Graphic designer. 7 Team members.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was delivered as expected. The timeline and budget were delivered as promised once the requirements were set. We did work through several iterations on requirements, but the team guided us through that.

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

The team was pleasant to work with and always answered our questions. They were responsive and attentive to our needs. They used email and google docs to provide and collaborate on project requirements. They and source control and an online issue tracker to track and address issues.

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

We were impressed by their ability to take our business requirements and translate them into a viable product. They guided us through the process to completion providing valuable insights all the way.

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

We were happy with everything.