Laneways Software and Digital Pty Ltd

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of an agency that underwrites insurance on behalf of insurers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Laneways.Agency?

We had just started the business and wanted to build a website with self-serve capabilities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the beginning of the project, I had a few design ideas and wanted to use a simple website builder. However, once they started asking me about what sort of functions I wanted to site to incorporate, they suggested we use a more advanced software so it would be easier to build out the site in the future.

They then created a few mockups to show me how it would look. Once I signed off on their proposal, they began building according to our agreed-upon specifications.

We’ve built four out of our projected 10 stages. The first two stages provided administrative functions for us, and the next two stages enabled the self-serve capabilities for insurance brokers. Instead of calling or emailing us, we wanted the brokers to get quotes on the site.

What is the team composition?

Jerome (CEO, Laneways.Agency) was our main point of contact. He dealt with our inquiries and specifications, but had two programmers working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Laneways.Agency?

We had actually reached out to two other firms, but they took forever to get back to me and were poor communicators. It was clear that they had no interest in our project, so when a friend recommended Laneways.Agency to me, I knew I needed to reach out.

A few days after describing the project to Jerome, they provided a quote and were ready to proceed. The two other companies even came back to me, but it became a no-brainer to work with Laneways.Agency because they were invested in the project. It has been a great engagement, and we’re happy with our partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $250,000 so far, and have a maximum budget of $750,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018. The project is ongoing, but we’re on track to complete the project in 2021.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The four stages we’ve released so far have been very successful. We’re getting new business and have seen an increase in the number of users. Additionally, we’ve received positive feedback from brokers, who have commented on how easy it is to use the platform.  

On our end, it has increased efficiency because it is faster than our older method of providing insurance quotes.

We’re on track to complete the project on time, so it will be exciting once all the features have been rolled out.

How did Laneways.Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Jerome comes to our offices every week to go over testing, make clarifications, and ask questions. He also sends us emails to update us on the status of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication is stellar. I appreciate that Jerome comes to our office every week. Nowadays, technology makes collaboration easy, but nothing beats someone visiting in person. Jerome has taken the time to understand our vision in order to deliver a product that will be best for us in the long-term. We couldn’t be happier with Laneways.Agency.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend time with them at the outset of the project, so they can fully understand your vision and get everything in writing. I would definitely recommend working with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO of Roonyx, a web development agency. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Laneways.Agency?

We needed to analyze business processes in the company to create a high-quality CRM and well-structured technical specification. Also, we required skillful development consulting. 

What were your goals for this project?

Specifically for this project, we needed business analysis, technical specification consulting, and web development support.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had several candidates for our purposes. Laneways was the most competent among them, communicating very efficiently and succinctly. We also liked how they addressed challenges in terms of giving their own suggestions and ideas.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We worked mostly on business analysis and web development consulting. They helped us polish the technical side of the project as well as create a good technical specification. They provided their own opinions based on their experience dealing with CRMs.

What was the team composition?

Manager, a front- and backend developer, and a business analyst.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Their contribution helped to make a good product on time and within technical requirements. Also, we gained some professional insights from communicating with them that we will use in our future work.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Everything went smooth. We had a great manager who always delivered what we needed on time. Developers and business analyst worked efficiently with the manager, so we had no problems during our collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were highly professional and skilled at business analysis. We enjoyed their constant and effective communication and how pleasant it was to work with them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.