Machinery

Please describe your company and your position there.

Remote Bob is connecting tech startup founders with the best virtual assistants. Our Virtual Assistants are helping business owners to free up their time by delegating repetitive admin and marketing work.

For what projects/services did your company hire Machinery?

Even though our business model is scalable, we were struggling with a complicated process for onboarding virtual assistants, onboarding clients, creating a communication channel for both of them, and delegating & reviewing tasks in the most efficient way. We needed a solution to do this faster and to simplify the whole thing!

What were your goals for this project?

• Research the best solutions from a business perspective
• Create a nice interface
• UX was very, very important for us
• Simplify the whole process of delegation and task delivery

How did you select Machinery?

I sent inquiries to 7 UX agencies, and after reviewing their proposals I decided that Machinery had the best portfolio, the most reasonable pricing, and I really liked how Lora was honest and trustworthy during the intro call.

Describe the project in detail.

We are virtual assistant company and our next step was to build the tech for our platform. We hired Machinery to help us with the research phase to see what would be the best next steps for us to start with. They did really detailed research with our current users, as well as existing solutions on the market and proposed how we can differentiate from others.

After recording and analysing our main business flow, they proposed user journeys that would cover our main goal - current business process automatization. We wanted to explore design part as well, so they did visual design for a smaller part of main flows in a mobile app, as our approach would be mobile-first. We were very happy with both how they solved UX issues and how visual side of the app turned out to be.

What was the team composition?

Project Manager, 2 developers, and 1 designer. Everyone was attending weekly meetings and stand-ups.

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

We save 20+ hours for onboarding every VA and client, because of this solution. On top of it, now when we have a Remote Bob owned communication channel, it is less likely that a VA and client will connect on a personal level and cut us out. It is very user friendly, our clients and assistants absolutely love it. This made our business so much more cost-efficient and professional!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Easy and straightforward. The team was very responsive, it was easy to organize group calls, they were very punctual and they delivered exactly what they promised and more.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have high-end experience and impressive knowledge. They are still so simple, honest, transparent and nice to talk to.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can remember

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an IT manager of business and digital solutions. I’m in charge of finding, leading and executing projects that are designed for either end-users or real patients that are not associated directly with us from B2B developments or services that help our customers grow their business with us and by themselves.

My organization is a world class leader in healthcare. We manufacture products that serve more than 120 countries that are helping patients to live healthier and make better lives. We are always focused on providing services along with the products that we hand out to our B2B partners. We are also growing a B2C field with some more lifestyle brands, so we have two segments: one is medical, and the second one is lifestyle.

What challenge were you trying to address with Machinery?

We had some sketches, concepts, and prototypes laying around that we had developed mainly for presentation purposes. We regularly demo these inside our company. The challenge was to get them some rapid funding internally for the product we developed with them.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Machinery helped us with the execution of the development work from Android and iOS platforms. We’ve already had the prototype and design specified.

The product is focused on enabling frontline workers to report inventory changes to the back office. It manages inventory and, at the same time, takes some supplemental load and paperwork off of users because they're not required to call into the back office and ask if there's any more inventory for them. They can just pull it through the app.

The app itself uses some scanning applications so it's able to determine the inventory status and whether it's ready or not from a serial number that is printed on the product — you can just go ahead and point their camera at a product and instantly get it started.

It also has optical recognition that allows the users to upload a picture of the product prescription directly from the camera. It imports the patient data needed, and you just finish up the process. It usually took people from 20–30 minutes.

What is the team composition?

We used to work with the designer and 11 more employees that were involved in the whole process. They had a pretty good team dynamic.

How did you come to work with Machinery?

We came across a recommendation from one of our design team members who really was the trusted person to do the job. He recommended them because he has previously worked with them and they had good chemistry. 

The main reasons we went with Machinery were their availability, technical knowledge, and flexibility to our requests. They were very flexible to shift their other engagements and they didn't need a lot of time to get introduced or to get updates on the project, mainly because they were well connected with the recommended person.

Therefore, they gave us not only the best estimate in terms of accuracy but also in terms of price and volume. They were still able to get us through the project very quickly and they're still supporting it.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent €73,000 (approximately $86,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from November–December 2020. 

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

We ran some rough metrics — the most important was the early testing that we got through our testers and real users that will be using the app in the future. The average process time that it took them to fill out the details before and with the app went from 20–30 minutes to two minutes maximum. It's a lot quicker than it used to be, you have no data logs and it's working perfectly on both iOS and Android devices — that was impressive.

The other metric was time for delivery. They really focused their efforts on delivering something that was ready for a presentation and for not only visually, but also functional aspects. They had the lowest estimate or the most precise estimate, which also meant that it was a very straightforward approach.

We tried to do some grouping Lodestar metrics to see which users would be the ones most willing to use the product and who would be totally devastated if we didn't continue to offer it.

We haven't officially launched the product yet simply because we've got some investigations regarding the backend, which Machinery didn't take any part in. So it's not on their end, but from there, we just need to make them add up the changes and we'll continue to add value to the feedback. 

How did Machinery perform from a project management standpoint?

They didn't waste a lot of time trying to understand and find the project. They just knew that this was the thing that we needed to do. Therefore, they really did a lot of quick calls and they were able to get the team up to speed in the timeframe. They delivered within three weeks where the best estimation was 3–4 months. They really overcame the expectations.  

We had invitations within their Slack environment; we had a channel dedicated to check up on progress and stand-up meetings. Then, I would have a separate contact person as the product manager who informed me about any required details, any changes, any refined evaluation, and estimations.

The toolchain that we used was Trello, mainly because of time to market or time to ship. Whenever I needed something, I could either ring them up or they would give me daily status updates. If I couldn’t read results, they would explain them in more detail, but I was always up to speed and I could always check how far they came and whether they needed something for me. The communication was pretty straightforward.

Now, we are in the process of migrating over to JIRA and continuing the environment on our own corporate systems, Corporate JIRA, and Corporate Microsoft Teams for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think the team dynamic is really the most game-changing part I've noticed in Machinery. I didn't see any distinction between the iOS and Android teams — they all were pretty well organized. I worked with a lot of other agencies or internal teams as well, but I just couldn't find any that performed and were able to manage their relationships so well as they did.

They were able to rearrange around the common theme. Of course, they had to deliver, but the way they accomplished it was more of a sense of community rather than separating the tasks. They knew what it would take and everybody did their part. I felt the most unique thing about working with Machinery was that they welcomed me into their family and it felt like they all worked on the same goals and no one was off by a beat.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing that Machinery could improve on was that we didn't have a lot of time to anticipate what the future might hold for us. There was really nothing that we could have foreseen in our scenario that would show us if we would scale or gain traction quickly. We're just trying to get through all the feedback that came in as bug reports or as the regular testing strategy. 

Any advice for potential customers?

The suggestion would be to talk openly to really state the challenge and not to sugarcoat it. I recommend having an open mind to address any concerns or any priorities that might change because they're very welcoming in changing things.

It's also important to give feedback as often as possible because they really thrive on it and will appreciate it. I gave them concrete things that I found were optimized or that were irritating me in one way or another and they were really great at growing from the brief to actual execution.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a media startup. We launched a platform called Huxly News, which is an interactive app and website that allows people to compare their opinions related to trending news on a map.

What challenge were you trying to address with Machinery?

We had the ideas for our platforms, which were ironed out with our design team. We needed a partner to build our app and website. We worked with different providers to execute the platforms and the results were a mess.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Based on the work previous service providers delivered, Machinery developed our iOS app and website using Ruby on Rails. Their team listened to our ideas for the platform and realized them. They helped create a concept with thorough logic to ensure the platforms would run smoothly. We designed the majority of the platform, which their team integrated with their designs. They developed the platforms with features that enable users to share opinions on an interactive map. Their team integrated capacities for users to vote according to one of the three different takes on each news story posted. We’ve kept them on to make ongoing changes to the app.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Lora (CEO, Machinery) and Zoran (CTO, Machinery) in particular. Lora has run the operation and Zoran has focused on programming. They have about six or seven people on staff.

How did you come to work with Machinery?

After failed attempts with other service providers, we found Machinery. We worked with different developers that didn’t deliver anything. We went to Eastern Europe to find more affordable and competent vendors. We asked around and found Machinery through a reference. I went to Croatia to meet their team in person and felt that they were legitimate.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $110,000 with Machinery so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the engagement in November 2017, and continue to work together.

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

Before Machinery came onboard, development dragged on through failed attempts. Once they took over, we saw the product being built every month. Machinery delivered a quality product. We haven’t experienced any bugs. We’ve paid an extra retainer to keep them on in case any features break down, but nothing has broken down. It’s like buying a Mercedes off the assembly line; you can just drive it. They did an amazing job.

How did Machinery perform from a project management standpoint?

Machinery has proper project management in place. They took our ideas, listed them, and put a team together. Then, in collaboration, they developed our idea. To communicate, we used Slack, Skype, and emails daily. Their team delivered platform features regularly. We saw the results of their work every day. If Machinery says they’ll do a task, they’ll complete it. Their team held dynamic dialogues with us. Their team will work long hours to deliver a product. If something doesn’t work at 2:00 am, they’ll fix it. To help deliver a product, Machinery will hire a freelancer. They have a network of educated people to support projects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Once Machinery takes you on as a client, they care about you and your product. Their team went well beyond the basic contract. They’re excellent at listening to their clients. Their team is extremely technically competent. They have impressive organizational skills. I would recommend them to anyone because of the professionalism they bring to the job. I’m very grateful to have found them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Like I mentioned, if you buy a Mercedes Benz, don’t drive it into a swamp and expect it to function as a monster truck. It’s a great car; but it’s not for that, right? It’s the same for Machinery. They’re a specific team that works on specific projects with great technical know-how and a professional approach to running a project.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO and Founder of KaraokeBars LLC. We provide a platform that connects users with the nearest karaoke bar in their area, including verified show times and dates.

For what projects/services did your company hire Machinery?

We had a half-built mobile app, so we needed a development company to complete the platform and deploy it to the App Store.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to finish the app, test it, and deploy it.

How did you select this vendor?

We found Machinery via Toptal, a global network that connects freelance developers, designers, and other specialists with businesses.

Describe the project in detail.

We provided Machinery with our iOS code repository, several features we wanted to implement, and a list of bug fixes we needed them to correct. The team fully cleaned up the system and updated its functionality on time, then helped us release our high-quality on the App Store.

What was the team composition?

We worked with one app developer from Machinery.

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

Without any promotional efforts on our end, the iOS app secures roughly five new users each week. Our analytics also show notable usage rates after the initial installation. This success reflects the quality of the product that Machinery delivered.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Machinery developer was always responsive and available to assist with issues and requests. I'm very happy working with Machinery.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

With a high-level of technical ability, the developer was very detail-oriented and communicative throughout the project. In addition to meeting all deadlines and staying within estimates, Machinery offered creative input that we hadn’t considered previously.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, everything ran very smoothly.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide DIY appliance repair through chat and live camera to save people time and money.

For what projects/services did your company hire Machinery?

Our business is based around a software development kit (SDK) from a vendor, but we needed it to appear branded with our look. We needed an app built for Android and Apple that accomplished this.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create an app that seamlessly integrates our branding with our vendors camera-sharing SDK.

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through a freelance clearinghouse, and they provided several resources for us to choose from.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Our native app was built completely to our specifications.

What was the team composition?

We worked with two engineers.

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

The app is a vital part of our business model, and, crucially, sets us apart from our competitors. It accomplished everything we requested.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was done through daily situation reports, real time updates, and strict adherence to our planning guidelines. Communicating through Slack, Skype, and other media channels kept us in close contact.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The engineers quickly understood the intent of our project, and its importance. They quickly became team members as much as outside consultants. Their ability to work closely with us and share our vision was impressive.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I can’t think of any areas where we wish they would improve. Their team couldn’t have controlled anything that impeded our project. All of our issues were outside the scope of their work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the artistic director of Animafest based in Zagreb, Croatia. As one of the leading international animation events, we bring great programs and guests to the festival every year.

What challenge were you trying to address with Machinery?

We wanted to develop an app for festival guests, allowing them to create schedules and access information about venues and films.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Machinery developed our iOS application. It provided scheduling functionalities and information for international visitors about venues. Users also had the ability to edit our festival mascot into their photos. There was also a game featuring the mascot, and a functionality for creating stop-motion videos using multiple photos. Users could share their creations on Facebook and other platforms.

What is the team composition?

Our designer communicated directly with their designer, while our production team and I communicated with Machinery’s project manager.

How did you come to work with Machinery?

One of my colleagues was familiar with the local developer network. She mentioned Machinery to us, and we got in touch.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent less than $10,000.

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

While the festival attracts 15,000 guests, it only lasts for a week. As a result, the app has limited use. I don’t know exactly how many people used it, but it was likely around 5,000. We didn’t receive any negative feedback, and we did see people posting stop-motion videos. I’ve used the app myself, and I do like it.

How did Machinery perform from a project management standpoint?

We had an initial in-person meeting with their entire team to discuss the functionalities of the app. Most of the communication was over phone and email. The day-to-day dealings were the task of our production team and I was made aware of any issues. Everything was delivered on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We haven’t worked with any other developers, but we’ve collaborated with printing companies and other providers. Compared to those, we haven’t experienced any issues with Machinery.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, Machinery adhered to our agreement.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I'd recommend them. The team was responsible, and quite enthusiastic about our app.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner and managing director of Mamazone, a marketing and advertising consultancy company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Machinery?

I hired Machinery to develop a series of makeup tutorial applications for iOS and Android, and provide general consulting on app development.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to achieve 90,000 downloads between 2013–2015.

How did you select this vendor?

I received a recommendation from a friend. After two meetings, I decided to hire Machinery.

Describe the project in detail.

Machinery developed makeup tutorial apps that include video tutorials created by a professional makeup artist. The applications feature ten professional, easy-to-follow HD videos, followed by a list of the makeup products used.

What was the team composition?

Machinery provided a team of developers.

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

We achieved our goal of 90,000 downloads, and have reached approximately 140,000 downloads to date.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our workflow was easy and efficient.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were extremely precise, stuck to deadlines, and provided solutions for any challenges that arose. They satisfied my needs and expectations from the beginning.

Please describe your company and your position there.

An online tourist food and drink guide, Taste of Croatia also serves as a platform uniting food and drink writers and tour guides. We offer writing and consulting services, help workshops, and local food events. As one of the founders, I am also a content editor and writer.

For what projects/services did your company hire Machinery?

We hired Machinery to develop and design the Taste of Croatia mobile application. The app would be a location-based guide providing users with gastronomical information.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to improve the accessibility of our existing online guide for the iOS platform. We wanted mobile phone users to experience our web guide in a simple, practical, and well-designed format.

How did you select this vendor?

Through prior contacts, I knew Machinery to be a young and ambitious company with good references. They were eager to take on interesting and original projects.

Describe the project in detail.

It did not take Machinery long after our initial meeting to grasp the project’s concept. Once we agreed on the basic design, timeline, and our needs and preferences, the process was smooth and cooperative. Clear, productive, and daily communication allowed us to quickly develop the first draft of the app. With some final fine-tuning, Machinery delivered exactly what we had envisioned, even suggesting some technical improvements.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and a chief developer, both of whom were also the company's founders.

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

The app was among the first of its kind in Croatia. Since day one it has attracted a lot of attention with positive user reviews and feedback.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Machinery team was always at our disposal with easy, clear communication and a smooth, effective workflow. They had no problems with deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

In a short amount of time, they managed to interpret our goals for this project and translate it into a product nearly identical to our ideal version.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Although small last-minute issues are to be expected with a new mobile app, most obstacles were addressed prior to launch.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Meeteor Software. We’re a collaboration platform that develops healthy team cultures within organizations.

What challenge were you trying to address with Machinery?

We hired them to build our mobile app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our collaboration software is a system of folders where users create meetings, manage tasks, capture decisions, and store documents. Machinery built a replication of our web app for iOS. While the API was created by our in-house developers, Machinery collaborated with them and developed everything related to the iOS app itself. They did all the UI/UX designs, mockups, and were responsible for coding it. The app enabled users to plan an agenda, take notes, attach documents, send reading invitations, etc. Actions performed on the app could be seen through other technologies integrated with the web platform. They also handled the QA testing for both the mobile and web app.

What is the team composition?

The team consisted of several people including a UX designer, a UI designer, and three other developers.

How did you come to work with Machinery?

We got connected with their CEO through an agency and she did some really impressive work for us. We decided to build a mobile app and she mentioned her team is capable of that. We investigated her team’s previous work and it was top notch as well. We already knew we liked working with her, so we moved forward with Machinery.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $200,000 and $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2016. The engagement ended in August 2017 when we decided to shut down the software.

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

Machinery needed little oversight from myself or the technical lead and was able to quickly mimic our web app in a way that worked on mobile. The UI/UX design was great; they really understood what the app was about. We received lots of informal feedback from users who liked the software and experienced very few crashes. It was important we didn’t have issues rolling out new features and they did an excellent job QA testing everything. They delivered high-quality work.

How did Machinery perform from a project management standpoint?

I didn't have a lot of interaction with them from a project management perspective because they worked with my technical team. Some of them participated in our regular company meetings to review the project’s status and their process. I only heard good things from my technical team about how they were wonderful collaborators. They came into our offices twice and were such lovely people to be around. They really contributed to our overall company atmosphere.

Our technical team used Trello to manage development and Slack for communication. They also used our own collaboration tool for meetings, utilized Google Docs, had weekly stand-ups via video conference, and used an agile methodology.

We wanted everything to be bug-free, so they worked with our technical team to set the timelines. On occasion, schedules would get backed up with our team trying to get the API in order, so Machinery could release what they needed. Issues would arise on both ends and impact the timeline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Collectively, they’re a really solid mobile team. They work well together and seamlessly integrated with the rest of my team. In total, we had people from five different countries and multiple time zones all trying to communicate using English as a universal language. Machinery navigated those complexities extremely well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I was delighted with the work they did. They do a fantastic job and I loved having them be part of our company in some way.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Instead of assigning specific tasks, we relied on their expertise to make the best decisions possible regarding design and development. Giving Machinery that responsibility and accountability pushed them to contribute. We also did our part to bring them into the team and work closely. We treated them as if they were part of our company and not as a contract development shop. Those factors lead to a successful project.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager for a video streaming service.

What challenge were you trying to address with Machinery?

We needed to supplement our team with additional developers to facilitate the transition to video streaming.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Machinery helped with the backend development of our iOS app on Rails and used AWS Elastic to house our video services. We work together as if they’re a part of my in-house development team. As a result, we go through the project’s scope and I assign them to tasks to fulfill as needed. They continue to support the app and other development projects.

What is the team composition?

I only interacted with the two developers assigned to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $100,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2015 and the engagement is ongoing.

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

With over 10,000 downloads, the iOS app is more successful than the Android version. People seem to love it.

How did Machinery perform from a project management standpoint?

There’s open communication whenever needed via slack. We have weekly development meetings and use Pivotal Tracker integrated with Hubstaff to clarify how long specific tasks take to complete.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We continue to work with them because their developers are responsive and open to communication. They ask questions right away to avoid derailing the project. We consider them apart of our team as opposed to an outside resource.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any negative criticisms. They’re always willing to learn more and push themselves.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Our progress has been really smooth, so it’s difficult for me to recommend a different approach.