LookFar Labs

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president and CEO of Acrew, a screening platform that connects employers and job seekers using brief, first-impression videos. We focus primarily on the hourly wage job market in high-turnover industries like construction, hospitality, retail, quick service restaurants, and healthcare. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LookFar?

I needed an adequate and reliable development partner and technical team. We are not in a place where we can hire full-time dev staff, so we needed to outsource that talent. We wanted the partner we chose to be high-quality and local. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our company was founded about 3 1/2 years ago under a brand called GoToInterview. We’ve had a few versions of the platform. We decided to rebrand as Acrew using the high-level features of our past platform, but really we started from scratch with LookFar.

With our platform, employers can post a job opportunity online with corresponding interview questions. The questions are customizable based on a couple of factors. If you're looking for a specific skill level, culture, or personality, you can ask relevant questions that are specific to the job posting. Once the posting is published, a job seeker can answer the questions using a smartphone, webcam, or computer. Then, the employer receives a notification that says something like, “Crystal has applied for the barista position at Starbucks. View her interview now.” Within just a few minutes, that employer gets a sense of the candidate’s motivation, fit, and performance.

How did you come to work with LookFar?

New Orleans is a relatively small community, and LookFar is an actively engaged participant in the local entrepreneurial community and tech startup space. They’re hard to miss. They branded themselves as the development shop that attracted the best talent in the city.

How much have you invested with LookFar?

We’ve invested $50,000–$200,000 with LookFar.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the engagement in February 2016, and the first launch of the product was in July 2016. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

The user feedback is amazing. We’re a 2-sided market, and we had the challenge of creating a product that was easy to use for both job seekers and employers. More of our time is spent on the employer side because they’re the paying traffic. We have a whole sales process to get the employers on board, but numbers-wise they’re the smaller side of the 2-sided market. The job seeker side is much grander in scope, but we’ve almost completely eliminated the friction on that end in terms of their ability to use the tools and ease of access.

Our user feedback is consistently high. The platform is easy to use. People like it and feel good about it, which is starkly different from my previous platform.

How did LookFar perform from a project management standpoint?

The main collaboration tools we use are Vox and JIRA. LookFar has a team-based approach, which I enjoyed. We worked with a project manager, at least 2 or 3 engineers, and a UX/UI designer. Outside of development, LookFar supported us holistically with a complete rebrand of our company. They had us think about who we are, what message we want to communicate, and which color patterns and logo would convey our image clearly. They even helped us think through some of the content on our site and took us through an exercise to refine our messaging and branding. They brought a variety of perspectives.

Generally, they perform well from a project management standpoint. They have an Agile process, which requires quick feedback from us. They deliver when they say they will and communicate any issues immediately. They’re also precise with the budget.

What did you find most impressive about LookFar?

LookFar put together a helpful assessment that addressed our marketing and customer acquisition plan. We went through a half-day workshop, which was a great addition. In general, LookFar is dedicated to seeing startups in New Orleans succeed. They’re forward-thinking in referring customers, creating partnerships, and refining clients’ messages.

Every week, they’re sending me something to elevate or move our business forward. Even though they have a portfolio of customers, I feel like a partner, and I really appreciate that.

Are there any areas LookFar could improve?

I don’t have any suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The Idea Village is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that seeks to create positive change in the city of New Orleans via entrepreneurship. I specifically manage New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, a large annual festival that engages thousands of people through a week of dynamic content, keynote speakers, networking events, and happy hours, infusing the community with critical resources for supporting the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LookFar?

We needed to revamp the New Orleans Entrepreneur Week website completely. It had an older UX and was not user-friendly on the backend. We were also implementing a change with a key tech vendor. We had built a triangle connection between 3 different platforms—Salesforce CRM, the NOEW website, and a platform for managing attendee data. We needed a vendor to manage this update seamlessly. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

LookFar proposed a complete revamp of our UX, in addition to extracting the previous event-attendee platform, replacing it, and improving the overall UX for our team, which would primarily be using the backend of the website in order to extract data. They leveraged much of the existing custom backend but revamped it to improve its value for our current purposes.

The site serves as an information source, outlining the full scheduled events (we had 125 in 2017). It also allows people to register for the festival and RSVP for each event. We use the site to collect donations as a nonprofit. On the backend, we have built a few different tools that can be leveraged by partners. Half of the programs within the festival are produced by partner organizations, and we let them log in and access robust data about their own events, including attendee lists with demographic and psychographic information. Much of this content had been accessed on the frontend by the partners and manipulated on the backend by our team.

How did you come to work with LookFar?

They were a long-term partner of our group before becoming a vendor. We host a series of accelerator programs for early stage startup companies. LookFar has been a critical mentoring resource for several of those companies, as well as an eventual vendor.

We did consider a few other options, but, since we had some familiarity with LookFar’s products and working style, we felt comfortable with them.

How much have you invested with LookFar?

The cost of their work was between $150,000 and $200,000 for the website and directory.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started discussions with LookFar in early fall of 2016. The website was launched in January 2017 before the start of the festival in March. LookFar was critical in managing the large influx of traffic we were getting at that point in time and continued to provide maintenance along the road. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

We saw an overall increase in our audience for the New Orleans Entrepreneurial Week. In 2016, we engaged around 12,000 people, and we had over 14,000 in 2017. This spoke to both the quality of the marketing we were able to do around the site as well as the better data overall. We implemented a new tech vendor, and LookFar was critical in making sure that the infrastructure worked properly. We were able to communicate our offerings more clearly, which contributed to the uptick.

People loved the site, and we received nothing but positive feedback. Repeat visitors appreciated the simplicity of finding information and the ease of RSVP’ing to events. Building a custom schedule can be challenging to do in a digestible way. Many people appreciated the decisions we made, which were primarily driven by LookFar.

How did LookFar perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager got to the core of what we needed and managed the teams appropriately, making sure the work finished on time. Like all tech projects, we had a few twists and turns, but we never encountered a problem that LookFar didn’t have the expertise to solve, even if that meant leaning on other members.

We were impressed with their UX expertise. They did a great job of revamping the branding on our core website and presented multiple solutions to problems. In the past, when dealing with other tech vendors, we were usually given only 1 route. LookFar made multiple recommendations but left decisions up to us.

They were timely with deliverables. We met on a weekly basis for sprints and refining the monthly scopes of work to keep the project on track. This included an assessment of the work to be done, the price tag, a breakdown of the tasks, and expectations of us as the client.

The communication was clear. We used a tool called Asana to keep the project moving, coordinate approvals for key elements, and determine the acceptance criteria for functionalities.

Our project manager was always available. I could shoot her a text even at 9 p.m. and figure out what needed to happen the next day. Overall, it was a seamless process.

What did you find most impressive about LookFar?

They are willing to go the extra mile, which isn’t true for everyone. Because we are a nonprofit, working with us may be a little different than building test platforms for high-gross startups. LookFar has many clients who fall into the second category, but they were willing to be flexible and research topics that were outside the realm of their existing expertise. Having worked with a lot of tech firms, I can say that we don’t always get this level of service.

Are there any areas LookFar could improve?

The biggest area of improvement, which is on us as much as it is on them, is making sure that we’re adhering to the monthly scopes of work, particularly on the budget side. As a nonprofit, we track items to the dime, and we went slightly over for a few months. This didn’t impact us terribly, but it should be avoided if possible.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of ListenRing

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide urgent mental healthcare via telehealth. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire LookFar Labs to accomplish?

• App Development

SOLUTION

How did you find LookFar Labs?

Referral

Why did you select LookFar Labs over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from LookFar Labs were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

App and Web Development 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were prompt with their responses to our needs. 

What was your primary form of communication with LookFar Labs?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The company has been friendly, prompt, cooperative, responsive, organized, and overall it has been a pleasure working with every member of the team. 

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

No 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Program Manager of a software company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Developer of a App based on a Community Policing approach where citizens and police officers work together to make their area safer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire LookFar Labs to accomplish?

• Transition the App software development and operations from previous developer
• Update the App to meet new operational requirement
• Troubleshoot and solve problems as needed

SOLUTION

How did you find LookFar Labs?

Online Search

Why did you select LookFar Labs over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fits our budget
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from LookFar Labs were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

On a regular basis update the App to meet changing requirements and enhance the App to provide additional features. Process the updates thru Apple and Google

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

App remained operational as the updates were developed and released

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

Great project management. They are always available and responsive.

What was your primary form of communication with LookFar Labs?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Easy to work with and competent people

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President/CEO of il Stratega

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Manages the website for my client that includes branding information and a fully automated commercial catering order site

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire LookFar Labs to accomplish?

• Maintain the website productvity
• Edit/maintain site as needed
• Keep catering order site up to date and working at all times

SOLUTION

How did you find LookFar Labs?

Referral

Why did you select LookFar Labs over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Well educated on process

How many teammates from LookFar Labs were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Support and maintain client website that includes an e-commerce/online catering system

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Maintain the running of the website - no issues with main and catering order site

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

LookFar works hard to get things done quickly and efficiently.

What was your primary form of communication with LookFar Labs?

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

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

The knowledge and expertise of the team are significant strengths.

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

There's nothing they need to improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an app and webapp based platform that connects brands to talent for marketing partnerships and endorsements.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

LookFar Labs was hired to help us push out new features quicker and manage our priorities.

SOLUTION

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

We are a start up, and unable to bring our tech in house. We were looking to contract out with a team of developers that are honest, communicate constantly, and experts in the field. We wanted our team to be based in the United States with connections to coders globally, and Lookfar Labs checked all of those boxes for us.

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

Management, coding, dev, and design. Full service- front-end/back-end, react-native language. They are also skilled in Webflow.

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

12+ team members, from lead developer to design. We use Lookfar Labs for all of our technology needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have exceeded expectations on delivery, timeline and communication.

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

They are extremely organized and work with various management tools: Slack, Miro, etc. We are in constant communication and have never had to follow up for a response.

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

The culture. They are all just good people. But, highly skilled, good people.

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

We have been 100% satisfied.