LANEX Corporation

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Know Your Trade

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide pre-qualification and compliance software to the Australian construction industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire LANEX Corporation to accomplish?

• Build the entire platform

SOLUTION

How did you find LANEX Corporation?

Online Search

Why did you select LANEX Corporation over others?

Close to my geographic location

How many teammates from LANEX Corporation were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Lanex was engaged to build the entire platform as an outsourced development company through their Australian entity Useful Apps Pty Ltd / Lanex Australia. This included every aspect of the solution including technical architecture. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The key metric was to deliver the completed project by January 25th, with an absolute completion date of February 14th. This was due to commercial partnerships that required the project to be completed by this date. 
The platform, was to be fully completed, GDPR compliant, relevant SOC2 controls in place (so that we could achieve certification at a later date), and all documentation complete.

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

No. Lanex Corporation, in conjuction with Useful Apps Pty failed to deliver the completed projects. From the start of the project there were substantial systemic failures in the company and the assigned PM had no control or management of the project at all. Several early deadlines were missed and deliverables within the agreed scope were also missed. At one point, just over half way through the project, the PM was removed by Lanex Corporation after the realised the significant problems they had created.

Lanex, in conjunction with Useful Apps were unable to resolve any of these issues. Once we brought on our own CTO towards the end of the project, the extent of the poor mismanagement became even more evident. 

What was your primary form of communication with LANEX Corporation?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Nothing. Lanex Corporation, in conjunction with Useful Apps Pty Ltd would have to be rated as the most incompetent and incapable offshore development house I have ever experienced in the opinion of myself and my CTO.

Their quality of code was exceptionally poor, the project management was non-existant, the created numerous security and privacy floors in the platform which, if not discovered before we launched, would have resulted in possible legal recourse against my company.

The quality of the resources were junior, low-mid at best - In the expert opinion of our CTO and another development firm who was brought in to rectify the significant issues and failures on the projects.

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

Based on our engagement - they completely misreprented their capability as a development company. The provided extremely poor management, inexperienced and incapable developers and an overall lack of knowledge on how to build a platform like ours. 

The failure was so significant that we had to engage a new development firm to rebuild almost the entire platform that they were engaged to do (evidence is able to be provided). Our company was even forced to pursue them legally because of the significant losses, both financial and commercial, that our company faced as a result of this.

Our company suffered significant financial, commercial and reputational impacts as a result of engaging Lanex Corporation, and the related entity The Useful Apps Pty Ltd in Australia.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

i am working for ASA Digital as a web master and project manager. ASA Digital is a company which create website, films, APP and provide QA service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We have a project of developing a vehicle reservation system from Mercedes・Benz, but we did not have in-house back-end developer to invest and construct that. LANEXUS help us to develop all of the reservation system from front-end to back-end, and maintain that as well.

SOLUTION

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

When we got this project from the client, my supervisor introduce them for me, because we also have another projects which are working with them and they are working well. As I know, they are the professional of AWS and back-end development, so I talk to them, and they gave me some advice, and start the development of reservation system project.

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

All of the system is included 3 parts. Account registration, press-user reservation, and the console which is managing all of the reservation, press-user data, and vehicle data. LANEXUS help us to develop all of them by AWS, and the system works very well.

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

A back-end developer is working for us for maintaining system full-time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The client are satisfying the system which we developed, sometimes there were some minor issues like the SSL is expired, or the notification mail does not works, they are always working ASAP for us.

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

Since they are based in the Philippines, we usually talk by Slack, and google meets if I need to present the information for them. 

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

The thing I was also impressed with was they were always willing to learn. Even if the client or the project requires them to work with a new language, they would always be open to learning. They would obviously need some time to go through the learning process initially, but eventually, they caught up.

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

When we first launched, there were some minor bugs on the system. We let them know, and they were quick to fix the issues.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on 23 December 2020

Former VP & Digital Producer, ASA Digital

IT Services

51-200 Employees

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo, Japan (14513)

$50,000 to $199,999

Dec 2018 - Ongoing

Project summary

A digital agency hired Lanexus for their software development services. They were brought in to fill the necessary backend system development resources on the engineering aspect.

Feedback summary

Lanexus was able to provide the clients with a scalable and knowledgeable team that they can always rely on. The team takes on any project no matter the development adversity they may face. Stakeholders found the quality of their deliverables to be satisfactory.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the former product manager and digital producer for ASA Digital. I was mostly in charge of project management along with any digital marketing materials like websites, systems, and apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lanexus?

As a company, we had internal engineers as well as designers, but we always lacked resources. During some of our projects which involved high-end backend system development, we brought in extra assistance in providing additional research resources on the engineering side.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Normally, they would set up a team based on the whole scope of the project, which was very scalable. We’d worked on at least five projects, and they went a little bit differently each time. They had experience in all development languages like PHP, Python, Node.js, and various frameworks as well.

What was the team composition?

For the composition, typically we had a manager, a lead developer, assistant developers, designers, and a whole key quality assurance team. Some projects would compose of 1-2 people and others would have close to about 10 maximum.

How did you come to work with Lanexus?

If I can recall correctly, Lanexus is a company based in the Philippines, but I believe their headquarters is in Sendai, Japan which is also where our headquarters is. That’s where I think our CEOs met each other. When I was looking for additional resources like high-level developers who can also communicate in English, that’s when our CEO introduced us to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $100,000–$250,000 in the duration of the partnership.

What is the status of this engagement?

The ongoing engagement started in December 2018. The first time that we worked with them was for a big project in the US. Eventually, we started working on two projects, during which I got the chance to meet them in the Philippines. The relationship has been very strong throughout the whole period.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For us, it was very hard to access a reliable team that was scalable in terms of resources and technology. Overall, the delivery and quality of their work were satisfactory, and Lanexus was open to any project no matter what the development challenges.

In that sense, their presence was always reliable. Having said that, we had a few projects from the States that didn’t go very well because the development and outsourcing resources we brought in were a little bit lacking overall.

Lanexus quoted us and took over that part of the project to bring in new resources. Sometimes not everything goes smooth sailing, but it wasn’t their fault. It was more on the project management side, so we were still happy in that sense. 

How did Lanexus perform from a project management standpoint?

Another one of their strengths is being able to adapt to any kind of situation. Projects tend to change over time, but whatever the scope was, they would add additional engineers accordingly. They also had a strong management and testing team. We weren’t really worried about the engineers that came in afterward because they had a good follow-through process.

We primarily communicated through phone calls, emails, and Slack. We also used other management tools like GitHub.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would say that it’s the fact that they were able to correspond to any kind of project very quickly. Normally when we would work with other outsourcing vendors, they would require time or some sort of resource crunch. However, Lanexus’ structure was organized in a way that it could be fluid and flexible.

The thing I was also impressed with was they were always willing to learn. Even if the client or the project requires them to work with a new framework or language, they would always be open to learning. They would obviously need some time to go through the learning process initially, but eventually, they caught up.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The development, design, and testing was spot on. Their project management still depended on who they worked with, but it wasn’t necessarily something we expected, so I don’t think it was a problem either way. They could add a UI/UX design aspect to provide a more complete package.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re in a situation where you need to be agile and are trying to find the right balance between speed and competition, I think they’re a very strong candidate.

Star Ratings:

Overall rating: 4.5

Quality: 4.5

Schedule: 4

Cost: 4.5

Willing to refer: 4.5

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company develops web based applications that automate business processes. Clients usually come to us with a process that they have been doing manually be email spreadsheets around, etc and we build a web based application for them. I am a Principal Software Engineer and Product Owner for our TForce application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had a defined list of new features that needed to be incorporated into our TForce application, and we needed to augment our development/QA team in order to meet the requested deadline.

SOLUTION

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

LANEXUS was recommended by some peers in the software development business. After a few conversations we felt like they were a good fit.

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

Our development stack is AngularJS, C# Restful API that utilizes Entity Framework and dotnet Core 3.1. We follow an agile development process, so I would define stories, we would discuss/break them down into workable tasks in backlog refinement meetings. I would manage the content of the sprint, and the developers would pick available tasks in the sprint to work on. I would review the code, and then it would be tested. We use Jira for agile work process management.

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

3 in total: - 1 Angular Developer - 1 C# developer - 1 QA person for testing. As time went on the line between the developers skills started to blur. I would say that both were comfortable enough in all the code to be assigned any task.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The addition of the 3 people helped us implement all of the features we were looking for in the allotted time frame. The code they developed was of good quality and the QA work was very thorough.

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

We had a daily standup meeting using Teams every morning. The team always showed up well prepared to discuss their progress or any issues they were facing. Work was completed at good pace. I also had a bi-weekly meeting with their manager to discuss any personnel issues we might be facing.

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

I felt like they integrated really well with our existing team. There was no "US" and "THEM". They were not afraid to reach out to the existing team with questions, and they were very helpful when the existing team had questions for them.

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

I cannot think of anything about our interactions I would want to change.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

WePlanr is a wedding planning platform and marketplace that aims to help couples from Australia to have an unforgettable wedding experience in the Philippines, with our intuitive and streamlined tech solutions to wedding planning. We help them find, book and manage everything they need for their wedding. I research and develop different marketing opportunities and plans. I communicate directly with our suppliers to get their businesses on our platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To design and develop a platform that makes wedding planning easy and efficient.

SOLUTION

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

LANEXUS was referred to us by a colleague, we researched about the company and were able to see their previous works which really showcased their technical skills in web design and development.

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

Lanex rebuilt our original platform from Ruby on Rails to a more robust platform using ReactJS for frontend; PHP - Lumen and Postgres for backend. They helped visualise our brand vision and strategy and redesigned and built the landing page and platform from scratch.

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

The team was composed of 1 x back end developer, 1 x front end developer, 1 x QA, 1 x designer and the occasional additional resources and support as needed each sprint to help meet deadlines, including DevOps support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching the site, we received a lot of inquiries from clients who are eager to try and join the platform. Clients love the platform and they were able to understand the services that we cater.

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

We have a communication channel where we can easily exchange ideas and revisions if needed. Stand-ups are easily done with just one message and we were able to communicate and meet with the team directly. We used Slack, Zeplin, and Trello to coordinate, provide insights and keep track of the changes that are being made.

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

They are very easy to work with, professional and have excellent skills and passion with their craft.

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

The project was completed smoothly There were few revisions in the designs but they quickly were able to deliver it based on our requirements.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

heybaby is a dating app for people who want kids or have kids. The iOS app has been available since March 2020 and has already acquired an active community of users and some press coverage (NYT, Mashable, Fortune, etc.). The company is a San Francisco and Austin based start-up, in the process of closing a seed stage funding round. I am the Technical Director and I oversee the product development pipeline, from feature specs to deployment.

I also ensure that the app’s technology stack is the best for the requirements, considering every aspect from great user experience to topnotch data privacy and security to organized application administration.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

The challenge that heybaby is trying to solve with LANEXUSis the need for an Administration Tool / Portal that will allow administrators to manage the heybaby app users.

SOLUTION

How did you select LANEXUS and what were the deciding factors?

I have worked with them previously in several other projects. I had first hand experience of their professional and courteous communications, hard technical skills, large team, and competitive pricing.

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

LANEXUS was involved in every step of the project from scoping to implementation. In each step, an excellent LANEXUS consultant was there to help. During Functional Specifications gathering, the UI/UX designer and the QA engineer were there to help us flesh out all the details of the user journey making it possible for the product to be of great help to administrators when it went live. The application developers showed their competency during the development with almost no delays on delivery and minimal issues to resolve the next sprint.

The QA engineer provided a keen eye in spotting bugs and issues that might have been missed going into the implementation. The DevOps engineer setup a great CI/CD mechanism thereby making it possible for us to do swift implementations. And throughout the project, the project manager was there to help us organize and coordinate the project activities to make sure all goals were achieved.

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

The team was composed of 2 Developers, 1 UI/UX Designer, 1 Quality Assurance Specialist, 1 DevOps Engineer, and 1 Project Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since its implementation, the Administration Portal has made it easier for administrators to manage the user of the mobile application. Approval time for new members, photos, videos, etc. has decreased by 80% as the interface for these approvals are easy to use, making the administrators work more efficiently. Moreover, security for the community of users has also increased a significant amount as this portal allows us to communicate with users immediately and suspend any account with suspicious activity.

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

LANEXUS managed the project very well. The team communicated constantly with heybaby minimizing chances of misunderstandings in the requirements. Moreover, the project manager relayed any hurdles or any unforeseen issues as soon as they are known with possible solutions already stated in the communication. This saved the project from being delayed.

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

LANEXUS resources' technical knowledge is outstanding. Combine that with their QA’s keen eye on quality and their PM’s foresight on what could make the product even better than what’s stated in the requirements - they have the winning formula for a great development team.

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

The project went on very smoothly. Only some minor communication aspects related to deployment timing and process. But that was quickly resolved.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was working with a digital and creative agency. I was a senior producer there. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LANEXUS?

They did a project for us and it was made for a large enterprise company. We were creating several interactive and experiential installations. LANEXUS helped us with building the interactive website and the smartwatch app. We did all the design, and they did all the developments for us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created the entire WordPress website and took care of coding the platform. There were a lot of interactive elements that were needed, and it required a special development team and a full-stack development to do that. They also linked that to the smartwatch and there were just many correspondences they had to connect — not just on one app — but across multiple installations. It was a live iOS and Android app that could be downloaded, but then different products could utilize it. 

What is the team composition?

We had two main points of contact — one of them was Wayne (VP), but I’m pretty sure we had at least 10 developers that worked on the project. 

How did you come to work with LANEXUS?

We had worked with them in the past for another third-party client.  Since our company founder had worked with them before, we hired them. This was also my first time collaborating with LANEXUS. I really didn’t have any idea of going to any other vendor at any point. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $150,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with LANEXUS from February 2018–June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They proved to be helpful when we were developing the interactive elements. I could say that they were critical to us launching the app and being able to do a huge worldwide project. They were remarkable partners and it’s the reason I’m doing this call. In fact, the company flew someone from their team in the Philippines to come work with me in New York for about a month. I’ve never met another vendor that would be willing to do that for that amount of time. It was really important for us to have them as our partner. 

We went to six cities around the US, and then we went overseas to Barcelona and the number of people that came and played with the watch was just incredible. Many people played the game in the interactive installments and they had an amazing time. I don’t have any statistics on how many people were at each installation, but what they did for us as a digital agency was such a huge win because we rolled out a big product. 

How did LANEXUS perform from a project management standpoint?

They were able to participate in our Slack and it was helpful. Anytime we just needed to connect through video conferencing like Google Hangouts, they were always available to take the calls with us. Meanwhile, in terms of project management, we used Google Sheets to keep track of a master grid of the status of all the different components we were doing. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their demeanor had been so impressive. They were very calm and so pleasant to work with, even with very demanding clients. I could only imagine us as that demanding agency but the team remained patient and flexible with us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had struggled with the time difference of their location, but I’m glad they now have West Coast representatives in the US. They’re trying to bridge the time difference and that’s helpful. They just became more available to us. I also wished we could’ve had clarity on the project management side of things — maybe we should’ve had the spreadsheet so that we could’ve tracked everything effectively. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hesitate to reach out to LANEXUS. They were lovely collaborators and good people to work with. They were always looking for ways to improve their services and offer better customer support. You can’t really ask for anything better from a partner who’s already willing to improve the way they work to better serve you. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Kaydoh helps real estate agents convert people into leads who visit their websites or social media posts with LIVE chat automation. I am the CEO at Kaydoh.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LANEXUS?

we hired Lanexus to do our chatbot for our product TextCMA and developed our core messaging app for Kaydoh. He did the backend, frontend as well as the messaging app.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to rapidly build a beta product to get to market fast. They did that in an amazing time frame with high quality and low iterations of QA/back and forth .

SOLUTION

How did you select LANEXUS?

They were used by my previous company at GoHire (where I co-founded) and was originally introduced to us by an Advisor that have used Lanexus for other start up projects

Describe the project in detail.

We had a need to build out an automated chatbot to be on pure SMS along with integrating with a 3rd party vendor. The challenge was to devise a flow rule based chatbot that could solicit information with least amount of messages while delivering a high end experience .

The product at a high level was simple in nature but behind the scene was complex. From dealing with our architecture to storage and UX research, all which had to be logged and designed in a way to remain nimble as we tested product out on the market in a beta form before rolling it into production after proving our concept with paying customers.

What was the team composition?

Wayne was our point of contact, but I worked with the engineering team and generally it was one to two people on this project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Lanexus was the core reason why our company gain recognition nationwide. We are pleased with their work and because of their work, our company grew and evolved to other products that still holds DNA of Lanexus code.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was pretty simple workflow. We used JIRA to project manage and we would assign tickets to a team leader who would then pass down or take on the assignment. Wayne our project manager keep the project moving forward and would step in when any delays took place.

Overall communication was probably the main reason why our project was a success. Their entire team is transparent and takes full accountability.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have a wealth of knowledge and expertise. If I needed anything outside of the project scope or introduce new technology, the had someone on their team to handle the request.

Also going back to my previous answer. Their communication skills are great as they spoke clear, and in great English and took responsibility of their work. They always look to make sure we as the client was satisfied and happy.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Currently I've been extremely satisfied with their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a managing partner at PowerStorm Technologies, a software company. We started off moonlighting 8–10 years ago until we went full time a couple of years or so later. We work on website development, CMS, consulting, and development services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LANEXUS?

We hired LANEXUS developers to augment our staff and work on NodeReact, Angular, and other tech stacks. We didn’t have those kinds of developers at the time. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought them in specifically to help with Angular development on the frontend of a CMS since we didn’t have those resources at the time for our client’s needs.

We normally do these services, including websites, custom development, CMS work, but we needed their developers to support us. They were basically a resource who helped with anything up their alley, including Node.js development. 

What is the team composition?

They provided us with two developers who took directions from us during our daily standups and sprints.

How did you come to work with LANEXUS?

They were located in Cebu, Philippines with their main development center, and I’d been there a few times. Their manager reached out to me after I posted that I was looking for good Angular developers. I interviewed them and we went from there.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe the cost was between $100,000–$150,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement roughly ran from March 2016–February 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were fantastic and really good at what they do. We kept using them for a long time. 

How did LANEXUS perform from a project management standpoint?

They were well-run. They sent us weekly status reports even though we didn’t ask for it and did more than what they needed to do. They were great at hitting deadlines on time, always going above and beyond.

I believe we used Trello and Jira and our own boards where we had the list of things we had to do. As for communication, their English was top-notch even though it wasn’t their first language —I would say they were perfect there.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about them was definitely the combination of proactive communication, excellent technical work, and being organized. I think that combination is not typical for other firms. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since we’re a smaller company, they could ramp up faster or expand a bit if we need more workers, but I don’t have any real criticism for them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think potential customers should definitely reach out to them and tell them what they want. Be open-minded about their proposal because sometimes they do have good ideas for project execution.

Other than that, it’s just being clear about your requirements. Since they’re good at what they do, listen to their suggestions and illicit some feedback from them. Don’t assume your plan is the way to go because they have good experience in their field and could give you good ideas. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a company called GoHire. We provide recruiting software that allows candidates to apply via text messaging.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LANEXUS?

They provide software development solutions and web development to help us build out our primary core products, including our apply-by-text services and chatbot recruiting automation tools.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We use a WordPress frontend on the website, and the Lanexus team takes care of our platform's backend. They've been providing technical resources to us while we provide the product management and design to them.

We also use a proprietary platform for chatbot authoring. Usually, we have 1–2 programmers at a time where we build out each of the feature sets and then do releases. We’re in a continuous development mode, utilizing PostgreSQL database and NodeJS.

The chatbot development is in response to the data we researched, where only 40% of the US workforce reads emails once a week. We wanted to have the ability to reach out and communicate with candidates more efficiently rather than relying on email.

What is the team composition?

We work with Alan and Wayne (Team Leads), and we also collaborate with the programming team. 

How did you come to work with LANEXUS?

They were referred to us by a friend who had worked with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

In the course of our engagement, we’ve invested $60,000–$80,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in 2017, and the work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They built our platform for scratch and enabled HR or recruiters to be able to message candidates across multiple channels. The team successfully built text messaging features so that we can essentially inbound candidates with a phone number.

Candidates can be asked by a chatbot or conversational AI tool about their pre-screening information including contact information. We can even integrate it into an applicant tracking system and schedule interviews.

Without them, we wouldn’t have a code right now, so we are not looking at anyone else, as they know what we’re up to. We really have a good relationship with them. 

How did LANEXUS perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very responsive, and that makes a difference. We use Trello and Skype for our tickets and communication. Additionally, we also use email, calls, and Zoom. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have clear English-speaking and writing skills. LANEXUS understands a lot more about the American work ethic and how we do things. When I’ve used teams from other countries, I’ve experienced a difference in prioritization and understanding. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think they have any areas they could improve on. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They have the expertise to get you through, so let them help you. Their biggest strength is making sure there are managers watching over the work you give them and making sure that the client is always being supported. To put it simply, they make sure that things get done. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At the time of our collaboration, I was the VP of operations at Extranomical Tours, a touring company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LANEXUS?

We had two challenges that we were working towards. One was to integrate a chatbot into our site and the second was an automation script for a special reservation system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

LANEXUS provided dedicated engineering resources to integrate the chatbot into our website and Facebook page. They did the development and post-development, including maintenance and support, for these two projects. They helped refine and integrated a third party chatbot program into our existing LiveChat plugin on the website and connected the same chatbot to the Facebook page. They helped with building the data sets and the initial learning of the chatbot.

What is the team composition?

Wayne (Vice President) was our main point of contact for the project and we also had a point of contact for the development team and a QA team.

How did you come to work with LANEXUS?

I worked with Wayne and members of his development prior to this project when they build a reservations system, so I was familiar with how they worked and their skills.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $14,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project from January–April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The chatbot was a huge help and enabled customers to either get access to FAQs instantly or be connected with a live agent. It really helped improve our customer service levels. The script that they built helped reduced operational costs and was well worth the investment. It was something we couldn’t have done without once we had it.

How did LANEXUS perform from a project management standpoint?

They continuously delivered on time and within scope. Their continued support was outstanding. JIRA was the main tool for both of these projects and Slack was our go-to channel for immediate question and answer. We had regularly scheduled calls with them depending on the project progress and they were able to pivot quickly as the project needs changing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The level of post-development maintenance support is something I don’t think I would have ever gotten from other development companies, and that definitely set them apart from other projects I have worked on. It was a huge benefit and gave us peace of mind. They always want to deliver a product that meets the customer's needs and to their level of satisfaction, even if it requires them to work extra time. I would definitely use their service again.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As a non-technical person working on these projects, I think it is always helpful to spend more time refining a product backlog to ensure the scope of the project is clear to all stakeholders.