Mercury Development

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Swagelok is based in Solon, Ohio. My position is the senior manager of digital marketing and communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mercury Development?

Since I have joined Swagelok, I have not gotten to work with them on a project yet. I’ve only been with the organization for close to a year. I can provide details on 2 of the other companies at which I’ve worked with Mercury. They’ve followed me to different places over the last 8 years.

I first worked with Mercury when I was working with a chemical company. I was trying to create something for sales people to take into high-end meetings with executives at car manufacturers, in order to present a specific product. It’s an adhesive which makes it possible to combine similar metals. It can lightweight a vehicle by basically gluing aluminium to steel in certain places. We wanted to show different examples of where this adhesive could be applied on car frames. The iPad had just rolled out at that time, so there wasn’t anything in place beforehand. Mercury was an early adopter for trying to develop for the platform, and we were able to take advantage of this.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the aluminium gluing project, we took some 3D models, both of card exteriors and interiors, highlighted the key areas, and made it so that the car could be rotated, in order to have discussions about those areas. It allowed users to pick between a few different car examples, and there was a calculator on the side through which they could determine how much money they could save on the CAFE exhaust taxes by light-weighting the cars, having them consume less gas, which led to fewer emissions. We wanted to show just how much manufacturing costs could be reduced by just light-weighting each car coming off the line.

It also calculated rough estimates on overall CO₂, basically showing how many trees would be saved, as cars were coming off the manufacturing line. It was a very successful project, on which Mercury not only handled all programming but also designed different UX experiences for the interface. It may have contributed to my promotion within the company, given how well-received the application was received at the General Motors group. I also had a chance to meet some of the leaders at Hyundai and other places, and influence sales.

The biggest surprise for me was how simple the process was. I needed to find some generic 3D models, and Mercury detailed the polygon count and other information for what I had to obtain. I found a freelancer who created those models for $150, after which Mercury took the files and pulled them right in.

After this project, we created the ability for folks at trade shows to have discussions with different potential customers. We had downloaded different materials, from videos to technical documents, around which someone might want to have a discussion in real-time with a potential customer, and we also created a shopping-cart-like feature. The salesperson could click-off documents they wanted to send to the prospect after the conversation. The software allowed for someone to have a conversation, go as deep into it as the other person wanted to, and, if they didn’t have the time, the additional materials could be sent to their inbox as attachments or links, before that person even walked away.

I left the chemical company at the end of 2014, and joined a fire protection product manufacturer at the beginning of 2015. I came into a digital role while things were a bit crazy. One item was a catalogue app on which the people before me had spent an overabundance of money. The company that had developed it was on its way to going belly-up, so I retrieved the source code from them and had Mercury take over to fix the project. They did it at a fraction of the cost.

That company focuses on different means of fighting fire, including high-end industrial and chemical fires. This group was set in Texas, but, if there was a fire at a plant in Philadelphia, and there was a chemical which the people there didn’t know how to put out, the team would be brought in by a fast plane or helicopter. As soon as they were on-scene, they gave the orders to everyone.

One of the things they wanted to be able to do was to create a calculator which would tell them what kinds of hoses and valves they needed, and the distance travelled through those hoses by whatever fluid was being used, so that they could know what kind of output speed was possible. I worked with Mercury and our engineering team. From a bunch of spreadsheets and some wireframes I mocked up, they were able to put together a solid application which is still being used.

How did you come to work with Mercury Development?

I made some web searches and looked at 3-5 companies. There weren’t many groups which were taking advantage of the iPad at the time. Mercury stood out through the simplicity of the messaging on their website, which lined up with my goal. They were also responsive after I contacted them. We had a few quick back-and-forths on email, which made me confident that Mercury was a group I’d want to work with.

How much have you invested with Mercury Development?

The chemical company's investment was between $100,000 and $150,000. Not only did Mercury start doing projects for me, but some other people at the company continued to work with them on some other tasks, including some for the Olympics.

For the previous company, the original fire protection app that was designed by the first company cost the company around $80,000. Mercury was able to fix everything around it for around $6,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

My first interaction with them was in July, and I started working with Mercury around October 2010. I have introduced them to our online team at Swagelok, and we’re working on finding a project to start. We’re 11 months in, so it’s taking a bit of time to move through the corporate approval process for vendors.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I wanted the ability to visualize what I wanted from the experience, and Mercury has basically made it happen. They don’t try to come in as a turnkey solution, and really know what they know and don’t know. This made talking with Mercury’s team effortless. They’ve never shied away from a challenge and never thought that my ideas were too crazy to even consider.

On one occasion, they had taken some 3D car models which were being projected through an Xbox Kinect. This was happening in 2010 or 2011. Not only was Mercury able to accomplish things, but they could take my ideas and come up with something even crazier. No one else was really doing these things; I did a lot of research to find Mercury, and what I saw from the early conversations matched up with my needs. I knew they would be a good partner, and it’s why Mercury has followed me to different places and has been a factor in my success in making different things come to life for various organizations.

How did Mercury Development perform from a project management standpoint?

I worked with a core team of 3-4 people, but I don’t know how many different programmers were involved on the backend. At times, we spoke weekly, but it could also be monthly. As things got closer to delivery, we usually touched base once a week, but much of this was just a back-and-forth on email for any iterative things along the way. I mainly spoke to the senior management.

Whether I was talking to some of the leadership people, or the project managers, everyone was always enthusiastic. I never had a problem getting a hold of someone, and I never had any questions about them being realistic around timelines. Mercury would usually surprise me, and have things done sooner than our expectations.

There are certain meetings you can look forward to because you know you will be energized and have fun, no matter where they take you; these were our conversations.

What did you find most impressive about Mercury Development?

The most impressive thing has been the fact that I haven’t come up with something that Mercury wasn’t able to find the technology for.

Are there any areas Mercury Development could improve?

I’m not trying to make them all puppies and rainbows, but I haven’t had a bad conversation or experience with Mercury.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Mercury Development?

Have a conversation, and get an idea of what you’re trying to do. Mercury is at its best when the client has a concept which is ready to go, so the team can feed off of the excitement. In general, technology is becoming easier to do, while making good business plans is becoming increasingly difficult.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Initially, I was the CTO for a company building digital cloud storage with a focus on rediscovering memories in the form of photos, videos, and music. In that capacity, I worked with Mercury for around 3 years. Due to that initial experience, they were asked to assist with my new company’s current project, which kicked off 2 months ago. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mercury Development?

We needed a mobile strategy for our initial product, which only had a web strategy at the time. Our focus was migrating to a mobile-first experience for users, with web being secondary. We chose to outsource the project for several reasons, including time to market and cost. The challenge became finding experienced developers in the areas we were targeting—namely, iOS, Android, and desktop applications.

As we continued the project, we increased its scope to include fairly sophisticated integrations with specific mobile hardware. One of the facets was a partnership integration with an Indian handset manufacturer. This involved specific camera functionalities and video-processing equipment that had to be custom-fit.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our in-house team started the initial work on the web part of the project, and we brought Mercury Development onboard a year later. They initiated the Android, iOS, and desktop work.

The productivity of our engagement with them was reliant on the nature of the consultant team and the capacities of the in-house team. We offer fairly high-level visions and good product management; however, we did not have sophisticated wireframe design capabilities or requirements-gathering and documentation. Mercury has a relatively comprehensive set of skills that can be added in a modular fashion to our own capacity. This made it possible for us to have high-level discussions and explore details, and then the Mercury team fleshed out the remainder of what we needed in more precise terms. When we needed more details from an analysis point of view and wanted to capture additional requirements, they were able to do so. When we provided that information, Mercury Development simply captured and implemented it. We fit together well.

In the middle of the project, we developed an adaptation to a particular deployment in India. In this case, we had a disconnected user base, as opposed to our situation in the US, where people generally are connected to the internet all the time. This meant that we had to design our caching of information in a way that was synchronous and could support an offline situation. That required a thorough analysis of complex synchronization situations, including the ability to create folders and take photos offline, add metadata to them, and synchronize all of this information with the cloud once a connection was present.

We organized our teams by a couple of verticals and horizontals, with a team for each platform, centered on a single language and set of characteristics. These included iOS, Android, Windows desktop, and Mac OS teams, with core engineers who provided the actual implementations for the feature sets (some cross-platform, and some not). Layered on top of this, we had some horizontal groups such as business analysis, which was not platform-specific. For example, some features required analysis specifically in the context of Android versus iOS. The native contacts infrastructure on iOS is fundamentally different than on Android, so, even though the business analysis involves some sort of integration with contacts, the platform-specific integration requires its own analysis based on the platform’s capabilities. In general, an engineering team was in charge of the implementation with several cross-platform layers, including design, analysis, product management, and quality assurance.

At most, we had approximately 30 people from the Mercury group and amongst those 5 teams. Over 3 years, we had the advantage of changing the team sizes, allowing us to balance resources as our business requirements changed. We could add brand-new teams and adjust the velocity of feature production.

In the US, our market was predominantly iOS, as 60% of our customer base used this version of the app. However, in India, the market was 99% Android, which prompted us to build resources according to our business definition.

How did you come to work with Mercury Development?

They were engaged with the company before I joined. I re-engaged them after viewing their previous work. For our first cloud project, there were no other vendors when we made the initial selection, but I did perform a vendor review, using other companies on the market for comparison. I was open about this with Mercury, in terms of ensuring that they offered the highest value and were market-tested.

For our next project, I conducted a 3-vendor comparison prior to selecting or recommending Mercury. This included SOWs [statements of work] and RFPs [requests for proposals] with 2 other stellar vendors.

The vendor-selection process was fairly standard. Certain parts take time and involve some risk. In the current RFP, a point in Mercury’s favor was familiarity. This is an intangible benefit which makes a difference when differentiating between independent contributors. It allows increased efficiency and communication within the team. This is important not only for the engineering groups, but also for the different horizontals such as product management, business analysis, and design.

How much have you invested with Mercury Development?

This is not something I can disclose. There was some fluctuation.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Mercury Development in August 2013. The first version of the mobile application launched within 3 months. From that point, we continuously deployed new features on a 2-week sprint cycle.

Our current project has been running for 2 months, and we have a team size of 7 people. It’s a much smaller-sized project, and I anticipate that it might go on for another 4–5 months.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s difficult to say since our business metrics are confidential, and it would be hard to attribute them solely to the implementations of a single party. I can certainly say that some results would not have been achieved without Mercury’s help, but the same is true for many different aspects.

On a high level, fundraising for the first project was achieved because of the development of the application and its demonstrated functionalities. The partnership with the phone manufacturer and distributor in India required us to install the app at the factory level to ensure a high customer acquisition. Our app basically replaced the native gallery, which made usage statistics go through the roof. We could make some estimations based on when the partnership with Mercury began and the number of phones deployed since then. Roughly speaking, this equals the number of users we have and parallels our other business metrics. I cannot attribute this solely to Mercury, since there were other factors involved, including our business partnership and management.

How did Mercury Development perform from a project management standpoint?

As the product owner and chief technology officer, I interacted with Mercury’s team every day. We used an Agile scrum methodology and had several touch points with different groups. In the capacity of product owner, I’d discuss with the business analysis and design teams at Mercury on a bi-weekly basis. We also had normal sprint communications like retrospectives, demos, and planning sessions for the next cycle.

With the engineering teams, we’d have a daily scrum, depending on the nature of the task. If there was a problem that I could resolve, Mercury’s team contacted me more frequently. If there were no problems, we could go for days with only general communication.

We used Google Hangouts and email primarily, as well as frequent interactions through JIRA, Basecamp, and so on.

What did you find most impressive about Mercury Development?

I don’t have a single example. I appreciated half a dozen factors, including their project management (attention to detail, organization, meeting recaps, precision), business analysis (thinking through requirements, finding details, asking clarification questions), design (aesthetics and UX based on available technology), and engineering (velocity, documentation, quality insurance). Among these functional areas, I appreciate Mercury’s desire to be above-average in every respect. They don’t rate perfectly in every area, but their quality across the board makes them stand out. They’re strong collaborators.

Different companies may need different things, depending on the situation. I may view Mercury as the right solution for a startup context when in-house talent isn’t sufficient.

Are there any areas Mercury Development could improve?

I’ll always want better pricing and project-based budgets, as opposed to time-and-materials/staff-augmentation models. Other than that, I don’t have any comments.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Mercury Development?

In some cases, a startup needs to put together an MVP or proof-of-concept as rapidly as possible with low costs. I would not recommend Mercury for this type of engagement. Other companies fit that model better.

Mercury is a well-documented, organized, and detailed group that’s not too expensive. They offer a great project management style. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Aisle411 is a software development company creating retail platforms that allow clients to find store-based products through the use of mobile devices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mercury Development?

We needed support with integration for various retailers around the world. We needed to ensure that our software was up-to-date and that all the systems were tied together properly. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We always seek to support our clients by building robust platforms that are tested and functional. Mercury has done a good job of providing a turnkey platform that lets us find use cases. They’ve built and tested those solutions.

Mercury has provided development and UX design for a variety of platforms, including iOS, Android, and web. They also developed the backend databases that tie into our web services.

One particular iOS and Android integration enables people to search for and find products inside stores.

The team size has varied from 2–10 people from Mercury’s side, depending on the platform and requirements. They have a robust staff of people who can do many different things in parallel. Typically, our VP of engineering will work with Mercury’s project management leads in order to put the teams together. I don’t know if there’s turnover within their organization, but the quality of work has never suffered.

Mercury’s project managers act as our primary points of contact. The daily communication with the developers is filtered through the tracking platform.

How did you come to work with Mercury Development?

At first, we handled development with in-house people, but we became frustrated with them. We’d been using Mercury on-and-off for the past 9 years and had always been impressed by the quality of the products they created. We knew they would do the work properly and have continued our collaboration based on this ability.

Mercury was based in St. Louis, although they had programmers in different parts of the world. That was a substantial factor when selecting them. We never had any organizational challenges with them, no matter where they were located subsequently. We’re always a phone call or email away from getting what we need. Now, we’re focused more on the quality of the product and of the support. We’ve always been happy from this vantage point.

How much have you invested with Mercury Development?

The cost of their work has been hundreds of thousands of dollars.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Mercury Development in 2009 or 2010. First, we asked them to build an internal iOS app. A year later, they developed the Android version based on the quality of the initial app. Although we haven’t worked with Mercury Development consecutively since that time, we always reach out to them for various projects. We’re always impressed by the quality of their work and their focused approach. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Mercury Development built the first version of our Aisle411 app for iOS and Android. They continued to support us with a later version of another app, which is still available in app stores. They’ve completed phenomenal jobs for us over time.

How did Mercury Development perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great at setting milestones, specking projects, putting together Gantt organizational charts, and breaking down tasks. We know exactly what we’re going to get, both from a frontend and a billing standpoint. They approach tasks precisely, showing which team member is responsible for what. Everything has been delivered on time and within budget.

What did you find most impressive about Mercury Development?

They are diligent and professional.

Are there any areas Mercury Development could improve?

I can’t say anything bad about them. I’ve always been happy with the outcome of everything Mercury has managed.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Mercury Development?

It’s important to know what you really want when building software. Mercury will do a good job of planning, but not knowing the targeted outcome will likely lead to extended budgets. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of a retail company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a local online auction. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Mercury Development to accomplish?

• Develop a new auction platform

SOLUTION

How did you find Mercury Development?

Clutch Site

Why did you select Mercury Development over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from Mercury Development were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

The main goal of this project to develop and integrate a new mobile auction bidding platform, which includes an iOS/Android mobile application, and a desktop admin page for managing inventory and sales. The platform was integrated with existing systems, including proprietary software and a Warehouse Management System (WMS), to ensure seamless operation of bidding, inventory tracking, and sales management.

Key Goals:

• Enable customers to participate in live auction bidding through a user-friendly mobile application.
• Allow admin users to manage inventory, sales, and auctions effectively through the desktop admin page.
• Ensure real-time synchronization of data between the auction platform, existing software, and WMS.
• Provide an intuitive experience for both bidders (end-users) and administrators (staff).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• User Engagement (Active users, bidding participation, retention rate).
• Auction Activity (Revenue generated, number of auctions).
• Platform Performance (Uptime, bid latency).
• System Integration (Inventory sync success, data integrity).
• User Experience (Satisfaction ratings, task completion rates).
• Financial Metrics (ROI, cost savings).
• Post-Launch Support (Bug resolution, support tickets).

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

Overall, the project management was exceptional. The seamless communication and prompt response times were crucial for us, and Mercury consistently delivered on their commitments, ensuring the project was executed smoothly and efficiently.

What was your primary form of communication with Mercury Development?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their ability to maintain clear and open communication throughout the project, along with their fast response times, made the entire process incredibly smooth. This, combined with their technical expertise, made working with Mercury easy and efficiant. 

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

No 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the project maneger of DGS HomeSource

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

"My company, Craftech, provides expert Online Reputation Management (ORM) services to help businesses manage their online presence and reputation."

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Mercury Development to accomplish?

• "Improving online reputation and increasing positive reviews"

SOLUTION

How did you find Mercury Development?

Online Search

Why did you select Mercury Development over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from Mercury Development were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The goal of this project was to improve the brand's online reputation, increase positive reviews, and enhance its overall online presence."

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

- 25% improvement in online reputation score 
- 50% increase in positive reviews 
- 30% increase in social media engagement 
- 20% increase in website traffic 
- 40% increase in brand mentions

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

Mercury Development's project management was very good. They always delivered on time and met project milestones.

What was your primary form of communication with Mercury Development?

Virtual Meeting

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

The most impressive thing about Mercury Development was their expertise and professionalism. Their team members were very experienced and knowledgeable, and they always answered my questions and found solutions for me.

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

Mercury Development did a great job working with me, but there are a few small things they can improve:

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for a non-profit media company specializing in the creation of educational resources.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mercury Development?

We hired Mercury to create an Apple TV app that draws data from our YouTube channel.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create a stable and simple Apple TV app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them online.

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

Initially, we did a round of discovery sessions and a beta demo. They then did several rounds of refinement, customizing the functionality and aesthetics based on our feedback.

What was the team composition?

We worked with one project manager and a team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They gave us exactly what we wanted. We are incredibly happy with the product, which works perfectly and gives us access to a whole new demographic—families.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The development process went smoothly. Mikhail (Project Manager, Mercury Development) was awesome and easy to work with. He translated my goals into technical requirements seamlessly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed with their ability to deliver a polished end product.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Not that I can think of.