NMG Technologies

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I have several patents that I’ve filed, and the one I’ve been working on with New Media Guru is an app that works with Instagram. When consumers upload photos to Instagram, they can log into the app, called Forward My Photo. The app then allows consumers to send their photos out to the world. People can then vote on the photographs, and the app sends the ‘likes’ back to Instagram. There are links in the app that can tie back to Instagram and follow people.

What is your position?

I’m the founder of the startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with New Media Guru?

I had the idea for this app, and I needed to find a company to build it.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

The app is native to iOS. We’re currently working on the Android version, and the first release should be completed this week. New Media Guru collaborated with me on the functionality and how it was going to look. We did that over Skype calls, and they set up Basecamp to work through. Everything was benchmarked, and we had specific deadlines for tasks, which worked really well.

This was my first time using Basecamp to manage a project, and I would recommend it. We also used email and Skype to coordinate the project. Skype was a really good tool to share the desktop. If we were working on something that didn’t need to be addressed right away, that was emailed and then added to Basecamp as a to-do. If we were going to have a release date for a certain portion of the app, we would schedule a meeting on Skype and review those points.

This was a learning process for me. It took several months to figure out what I wanted it to look like and how I wanted it to function. They did a good job of walking me through those pieces. For someone starting out, I would recommend a company like New Media Guru. When you’re new to this type of process, someone needs to walk you through what is and isn’t realistic. They did a really good job of guiding me as we laid out different benchmarks for the development. They also met the deadline for getting into the App Store.

How did you come to work with New Media Guru?

I looked online for reviews on different companies, and I read a lot of them because I didn’t want to choose the wrong company.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

For the iOS version, it was probably $17,000 to $18,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

From start to finish, the iOS development took about eight months. We’re almost finished on the first release of the Android version.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Since the app went live about two months ago, there have been about 2,200 photographs uploaded and about 600 active users. I’m still trying to figure out the target audience for it and the best way to promote it.

I have a video on YouTube showing how to get more likes on Instagram, and there have been 76,000 people who viewed the video. I didn’t realize that Android has so much more of the market than iPhone. They did mention that to me, but they programmed what I wanted them to.

How did New Media Guru perform from a project management standpoint?

They have not charged me one dime over what they said they were going to charge, and I think that’s a really big plus. They gave me an estimate at the beginning, as well as benchmarks. I paid a certain amount upon completion of each benchmark, with the last installment paid once the app was sent on to the App Store. They’ve not exceeded the contracted amount. Since we started the Android version, they’re four weeks ahead of schedule.

What distinguishes New Media Guru from other providers?

By using Basecamp and setting specific benchmarks, they kept the project organized and on schedule. That has helped us both be successful. I don’t see myself going anywhere else to continue the development on this app. I like the product that I have.

Is there anything New Media Guru could have improved or done differently?

I wasn’t specific about what I wanted done. I’ve learned that I need to be very detailed in the requirements. Through this transition, they’ve helped me understand what the benchmarks mean and how they can be more efficient in delivery when I’m more specific. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Absolute Investment Advisers manages alternative mutual funds that are sold by advisors. Therefore, our audience is financial service professionals (brokers, advisers, institutions, etc).

What is your position?

I'm a principal here. I primarily work with the marketing department, leading the design and production of all on-line and off-line collateral.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with New Media Guru?

We needed a very clean and simple site that incorporated more rich media (like rotating images) and dynamic functionality (drop-down menus) to make the site nicer to look at, but more importantly, easier to navigate. It was really important to create a dynamic experience for our users rather than something that was entirely static and informational in the boring sense. Having a responsive design that was reliable was extremely important, too.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

We hired New Media Guru to come up with a new solution for us. We already had an idea of what we wanted the visual design to look like, so they began by expanding upon that design concept and supplying us with alternative design options. From there, they ran quickly and efficiently through the design of all subpages, architecture and UI [user interface]. New Media Guru has a robust online review tool that allowed me to see design revisions and make notes and comments for the design team to see and incorporate. Along with that online review tool is an equally robust dialog tracking tool that ensures their entire team is included in correspondence and can easily go back and check comments/decisions all in one location (as opposed to having to search e-mails or play phone tag). Once we locked down the visual design, navigation and UI, New Media Guru then developed the site on a staging server using Front Page and made sure I understood how to also use the admin tools to make necessary edits and changes. It was an easy and efficient process with few if any, hiccups that could have been avoided.

How did you come to work with New Media Guru?

We found them online. There were a bunch of different companies we were considering at the time of doing our research, but we felt like they had a good track record of previous work and a decent foundation. We appreciated how well-versed they were in English and how responsive they were before winning our business.

What is the status of this engagement?

We're still using them and will be for the foreseeable future. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or user feedback from this engagement?

I had initial concerns about working with a company halfway around the globe, but these concerns were quickly put to rest by the responsiveness of the entire New Media Guru team. In fact, the time difference allowed me to submit comments/changes/ideas at the end of each day only to find all of them completed (while I was asleep) the next morning. The other thing I was blown away by was the cost of their service. It was literally a fourth of what I would have paid to have the project done locally. In fact, the one element I needed to have done by another vendor (which was the building of 1 registration page/template) cost more than a third of what I paid New Media Guru for their entire scope of work. I found the quality of their work very good and we rarely had issues with bugs discovered later. And even when issues came up, they would rapidly resolve them. 

Is there anything you would consider unique about their practice?

Their flexibility and responsiveness were both fantastic. I was going into the whole thing very skeptical and cautious because of the horror stories I've heard over the years, but honestly, these guys have done great. They never left me hanging and they always kept their word. They're just very open and professional.

Any areas for improvement based on your experience collaborating with New Media Guru?

If I need to make any future changes to the template or any individual pages, I will need to hire them to do the work, but I am okay with that because I know I will not pay too much for it. If you don't have the sense of urgency that would require that you reach your development team by phone really quickly, then there is no reason NOT to use this company. However, 24/7 support availability would probably be the one thing they could offer. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I own a sports media website that's geared towards maximizing the value for sports fans, in terms of what they get from their teams.

What is your position?

I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with New Media Guru?

The original scope was to create a web-based platform that will allow fans to vocalize their opinions, through a petition platform. I couldn't do it by myself because I'm not a tech guy. The idea has been in my mind for a real long time, but I only recently decided to pursue it. I knew that I would need to find someone with the technical skills to build it for me. That was the challenge, just finding the right talent to build out my application.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

They took care of both the visual design and functional development. We went to them initially for the development, and then working together on finding the right design elements for the website. We tested different functions in terms of what would be best from a user experience standpoint. During the course of the development process, I've worked with five to 10 people, and there was a project manager on their end.

I was bootstrapping the idea, so the timeline was stretched out a little bit. It was probably a year and a half in total. I am not the tech guy, so all I can tell you is that there's a WordPress component to the site, but the petition piece itself is entirely customized.

How did you come to work with New Media Guru?

I posted the opportunity on Elance, and received multiple offers. I evaluated the offers based on their prior experience and requested contact information for some previous clients. I contacted them and interviewed them to make sure that they were the right fit. I had a short list of about five companies. New Media Guru seemed to be the most qualified, so I went with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was in the range of $10,000 to $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The website is not live to the public just yet. I'm still working on the final launch plan.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

They've delivered all their assigned milestones on time, within budget, and without any major defects. We needed to go back and forth on a few different things, but none of them were huge deals, mostly some minor customizations. I'd request a change here, and it would cause a change somewhere else, but we wouldn't know that until we tested it. Things have been going back and forth, getting those things resolved. With this being my first time launching a website, so I don't know if that's common or not.

How did New Media Guru perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Basecamp for project management and I found it very helpful. Going into the project, I wanted to make sure we had a good back-and-forth and solid communication. Basecamp really helped with that and they were very flexible and responsive throughout the whole thing. I have no real complaints here.

What distinguishes New Media Guru from other providers?

I wish I could give you a comparison, but I can't. I think they are very responsive, given the fact that they're based out of India. New Media Guru is willing to work with me just about any time, and they're very flexible given my limited schedule. That was something I really appreciated throughout the development process. I was launching this on the side, and I had a full-time day job. Whatever slowed the project down was sometimes on me, and they were patient to work with me on that.

Is there anything New Media Guru could have improved or done differently?

My only real suggestion is related to some of the conference calls we had via Skype, clarifying different things, it wasn't always as productive as it should have been. I don't know if it was the Skype technology itself, but having a conversation and with the accent issue, it wasn't always clear what was being communicated. I would probably recommend more of a chat service, if you're trying to address a certain issue in real time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're an educational social media site that strives to make research more social, fast-paced, and more interactive. We're launching in about a month [October 2015]. A good way to describe the website is that it's an educational Twitter. It's basically an academic microblogging site that looks to connect students, professors, and other invested academics. We have a team of about 60 people in the United States and four or five people from New Media Guru in India. 

I'm the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with New Media Guru?

When we started about four months ago [May 2015], I knew I wanted to create an educational social media site. I had a demo website on WordPress, 10 pages of what I wanted the website to be like, and they basically took it from there and built it out.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped me plan the website, flesh out specific features, and do the design and development. The scope was the creation of the whole website; it included design, development, implementation, testing, and also some strategic planning, helping me decide the direction of the company and the website. We have a core team of about five people from New Media Guru: a project manager, lead designer, lead developer, lead tester, and a few other supporting people.

How did you come to work with New Media Guru?

I posted a project on Elance, got about 50 to 60 bids for the project, and interviewed 20 to 30 of them via Skype and telephone. I talked to New Media Guru two times for about an hour each via phone. I looked at their past clients, which included Intuit and other very reputable clients. They had a very solid portfolio. They actually created a 50-page business proposal of how they would go about creating my website even before we started. That was very impressive, and it kind of won me over. They're very detail oriented, very professional. All those qualities led me towards choosing them. 

How much have you invested with New Media Guru?

I would say about $18,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The relationship is ongoing, and we hope to launch the site in about a month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They're very interactive. They communicate really well. We used two tools to help oversee the project, Basecamp and InVision, to go back and forth. So far, they have the beta version done as a backend—the content management system—which looks really good. They've done a lot of design work, which has turned out pretty well so far. They have a lot of expertise. Any feature that I want to add, whether it's metadata in the searching, interactive statistical graphs, or custom feeds, they can always develop it. They always have the expertise to implement it. So far, I've been really impressed, they're really responsive, and it's turned out pretty well.

How did New Media Guru perform from a project management standpoint?

They've always been able to remain within the specified budget and the timeframes agreed upon. We've added a lot of new features so, as a result, the cost has increased, the scope has increased, but both were a mutual agreement between us.

What did you find most impressive about New Media Guru?

I would say their communication is good. New Media Guru is interactive. Even though they're thousands of miles away in India, it feels like they're still part of our team, in a virtual office. That's something I would consider unique. They're good people, easy to work with. Honestly, I haven't worked with too many providers in the past, but that's something that stands out. They're very detail-oriented, very systematic, and organized.

Are there any areas New Media Guru could improve?

Not so far. I guess we'll see once the site comes out if there's anything to improve on. So far, I've been very impressed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Adaptive Professionals is a website that is meant to do what the traditional staffing companies have been doing for 50 years-plus, in providing accounting and finance temporary personnel to companies. Instead of going to one agency where you could find a recruiter to help you out, matching your needs with the right temporary employee, you could use the Internet for what it was meant to do.

You go on our site and find your match directly. You can interview the candidates digitally live or over the phone. Then, from there, negotiate rates, pick who you like, award the job, and move forward from there. Like any other staffing company, it even does the payroll and treats them like an employee for tax purposes and law purposes, so that the companies are always free to hire and fire at will when they need to, just as if they had gone to an Accountemps or a Robert Half.

The big difference here is not only is it 24/7 on demand, but all rates end up being 30 percent cheaper because we don't have hundreds of offices around the country and that kind of overhead to make our rates stay up high. We are a direct online solution that costs a lot less. We target 10- to 100-person companies, not the Fortune 500. That's us in a nutshell, so if you need a temporary accountant, you just dial us up.

What is your position?

I am the founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with New Media Guru?

We hadn't built anything yet. This was just an idea at the time, and we came to New Media Guru with the idea. I had a spreadsheet of the workflow that we had in mind and the vision, and we worked with them from day one until today building it out.

I'm a former executive vice president of a staffing company. I took it public in 2008 so, in terms of validating the idea, I was from the industry anyway. I'm also a chief financial officer and a certified public accountant. The idea of providing accounting and finance via the Internet as a staffing company – nobody has ever done it – so I don't know how you'd possibly validate the idea with the guys who are building the website. However, the workflow was definitely possible, and I worked with them on that. They validated that it was possible to build something like that.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in more detail.

We came to them with a detailed description of the vision and the functionality in a Word document, and then a lot of workflow type documents. We outlined everything in Microsoft Excel and presented to them how we envisioned the different stages of it all coming together, from the time the customer walks in the door to the time the job is finally completed. From there, they started building out a document to describe it in more technical detail, we blessed it, and then the work started. They used .NET to develop the functional platform.

The composition of the development team was initially two and a half to three people, and we made it up to three and a half. They think of it as almost like full-time equivalent: two dedicated developers, half a QA [quality assurance] guy, half a project manager and, intermittently, there would be a designer.

I'm a hands-on guy, so I was with them on every call with the lead developer and the project manager.

You couldn't ask for a more complicated site, and there's a challenge in doing this overseas. In order to build what I wanted to build, we had to treat them like an employee, and that involved a little bit of payroll law and labor law. There had to be compliance on the site and a lot of confidential information. For instance, if you were calling me from California, the employee law there is a lot more labor-friendly and a lot more complicated. For instance, you can get overtime daily in California. In most states, if you work more than 40 hours, you get a time and a half. In California, you can end up with double time on a certain day, depending on the sequence of days.

We had to go to state program overtime rules. Then, we had to do I-9s digitally because that's part of signing up an employee, and W-2s, background checks, and all that stuff had to get done in a way that was automated, using government forms and following government law. For people in India, this was all 100 percent new to them, particularly New Media Guru, which isn't a humongous firm, dealing with Americans all the time. They did a very good job at comprehending what it was I needed to have done from a workflow perspective and translating that into the programming and the design.

That was a big, complicated challenge, and building that took a lot longer than even I thought it would. I was hoping it would be a year before I could launch something on the market. This isn't their fault. I'd never done something like this, either, so this was entirely new. By the time we finally went to market with it, it was two years later. We didn't change the core functionality itself a lot during the development process, but a lot of features kept evolving constantly.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are still working with them. The most recent milestone was completed yesterday [September 2015]. We often have Thursday releases and, depending on the complexity of the release, they could be a month away from each other or a week. One big release happened about a month ago. This last one wasn't as big. It was like a two-week gap between the last one and this one.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We are a startup, so I wouldn't say we're that formal. The one measure that I think means the most to me personally, because I've been the guy who funded most of this, is how they met the deadlines for the releases, and that has become a lot better in time. We started the work in January 2012, so it's been a while now – three and a half years. Now, regardless of the complexity, we pretty much hit the deadline. I think that's been something that's gotten good. In terms of trying to quantify things, it's not like they're a month off every time, but they've usually pretty much hit it.

We've had a full-time QA specialist on it for a while now, and I do QA as well. I'm a former auditor, so I can't help myself. I test everything. I have to be honest with you – this might have been the biggest project they ever took on. When you're programming a complex system like this that spans three and a half years, I don't think this was something that they were used to. They evolved during the past three and a half years to the point where the QA is nice now. I don't get work product where I'm finding bugs all over the place. It's gotten strong.

How did New Media Guru perform from a project management standpoint?

I have access to Basecamp, which is the tool they use, and that's become more of a communication tool for us. We track release items on Google Docs, and I think that's more my preference than theirs because I like to work in a spreadsheet.

The features get put there, there's a column for QA sign off on the dev's site and servers, then I put a sign-off on all the items for the next column, and then the live server has a sign off. We have a full team meeting before the release on the dev server, and then we let it go. Then, it's on the live server, then we let it go and make sure everything's working. From a project management perspective, that's how it's been working. When you're having so many frequent releases, we felt like this was the best approach. It's worked out well so far.

What distinguishes New Media Guru from other providers?

It's been three and a half years, and the exact same guys have stayed on our account. Only recently have we had somebody leave, after three and a quarter years. I would have to say that's been pretty excellent. The lead developer and the lead project managers are there.

New Media Guru is very entrepreneurial, and I think that helps a lot with a company that's small. That stands out with those guys. We interviewed many firms that were bigger, and they were asking me to follow their rules and their way of going about it. They weren't very tolerant of anything a little bit more outside the box. These guys were, so I think that their entrepreneurial nature helped a lot.

Is there anything New Media Guru could have improved or done differently?

Maybe a little bit more cross-pollination. Some of it you don't want to do because of competitive aspects, but maybe some more exposure to what we're doing from the other teams inside of New Media Guru to lend some more creative insight expertise and stuff like that.

That's why you go with a firm – to leverage the entire firm's expertise. We've pretty much had our team and worked with them that way, and it's gone great, but maybe it would have been something else if they had a little bit more of a mobile background that we could have taken advantage of. Things like that, I'm not sure, but I know that there are a lot of things going on out there right now with other sites and technologies. I don't know if the answer is yes or no to this, but if there was other stuff like that going on inside New Media Guru that we could benefit from, that might have been good.

Of course, you might give away competitive secrets, so you might not want to do that. I'm not sure that's a valid complaint. Other than that, I'd really like if they worked on the New York time – normal business hours. That would be fantastic. I'm worn out from getting up early. No. I can't think of anything off hand. They've just improved and grown a lot with us. I think they were a lot smaller when we found them, and the team kept growing. I really don't have too many complaints.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Digital Products of Sera Prognostics

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Sera Prognostics is a leading proteomic and bioinformatics company dedicated to improving the lives of women and babies through precision biomarker-based tests designed to enhance pregnancy care. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire NMG Technologies to accomplish?

• At Sera Prognostics, we are at the forefront of advancing maternal fetal health, particularly through our cutting-edge proteomic and bioinformatics solutions. One of the significant challenges we faced was the need to overhaul and optimize our digital presence to reflect our mission and values while providing seamless user experiences for both healthcare professionals and expectant mothers. Our previous website, though functional, was outdated and didn’t fully capture the innovative nature of our work in precision biomarker-based tests. We wanted a website that would not only be visually appealing and informative but also support patient engagement and provide easy access to critical information. We reached out to NMG Technologies because we were seeking a partner who could deliver a high-quality, custom web development solution that would elevate our digital presence, enhance communication with both healthcare providers and expectant mothers, and ensure our website aligned with the advanced technology and science behind our products. In addition, the ability to integrate with bioinformatics tools was a critical part of the project’s scope.

SOLUTION

How did you find NMG Technologies?

Online Search

Why did you select NMG Technologies over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from NMG Technologies were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

NMG Technologies worked closely with our team to understand the complexities of our field and the diverse needs of our audience. They crafted a comprehensive solution, which involved the full redesign of our website with a focus on clean, modern aesthetics while optimizing functionality. The team delivered a fully responsive design that looked great across all devices and user platforms, from desktops to mobile phones. This was crucial as our stakeholders have different access points, and we wanted to ensure our content was accessible and easy to navigate.

The scope of work involved several key deliverables, including a complete website redesign with a user-centered interface that emphasized clarity and ease of navigation. Custom integration for our proprietary biomarker data and integration with various bioinformatics tools we use to present detailed, scientific information in a digestible format was also vital. A robust content management system (CMS) was put in place that allowed our internal team to easily update and manage new content, such as scientific publications, news, and test results. Security features were integrated to adhere to healthcare data regulations and ensure the protection of sensitive information. Additionally, SEO optimization was done to improve search engine visibility, helping us reach more people seeking reliable maternal and fetal health information.

NMG Technologies also implemented advanced analytics tools that allowed us to track user behavior, providing valuable insights into how visitors were engaging with the site and which content resonated most.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results we achieved from this collaboration have been nothing short of transformative. The redesigned website immediately helped us position ourselves as a modern, forward-thinking company, and it provided a better user experience for our target audiences. Our healthcare partners have noted the new website’s ease of use, especially when navigating through scientific and medical data. Additionally, we’ve received positive feedback from expectant mothers who appreciate the website’s welcoming, accessible design and its ability to communicate complex scientific information in a way that’s easy to understand.

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

Project management was another highlight. NMG Technologies maintained clear communication throughout the project, which was essential given the interdisciplinary nature of our work. They responded quickly to any concerns or changes we requested and were extremely flexible in adjusting the project to meet our evolving needs. The timeline was met consistently, and they delivered all components as promised, with no delays or miscommunications.

What was your primary form of communication with NMG Technologies?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

NMG Technologies' deep understanding of both the technical and medical sides of our work was most impressive. They didn’t just create a beautiful website—they ensured it aligned with our scientific expertise and supported our strategic goals in the maternal and fetal medicine space. Their ability to translate complex scientific content into an accessible digital format was truly remarkable.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Wellness Group

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Nutritionist Consultation, Health Screening, Detox Program, E-Commerce, Water Machine, Health Supplements, and Corporate Program.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire NMG Technologies to accomplish?

• Create a platform for video hosting that will enable us to upload, arrange, and market all of our game footage packages to athletes. Include software in the uploaded movies that enables backend users to construct a timeline of clips that divides game segments according to player numbers and stats.

SOLUTION

How did you find NMG Technologies?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select NMG Technologies over others?

Great culture fit

How many teammates from NMG Technologies were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Building a video housing website that could arrange, package, post, and sell a lot of film in one place was our task for NMG Technologies. Giving backend users the option to record brief clips of every play made during a game and subsequently tag those films by player and stat was one of the main deliverables.

This makes it simple for coaches and athletes who buy their film package to look up and download particular plays while watching their match. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was completed successfully, on schedule, and within our allocated budget. We can now successfully start selling our movie packages to events and entering into contracts with them.

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

We communicated with NMG under the supervision of a project manager. We had meetings with our project manager every week or every two weeks. Their team of experts was able to ask us targeted questions, demonstrate their progress, and provide us with updates on future deliverables during these encounters.

What was your primary form of communication with NMG Technologies?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

It was amazing how well they understood our company and devised original solutions to our issues.

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

There was nothing that I could alter.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CFO of Shippo

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Shippo is a shipping software company that helps businesses manage their shipping processes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire NMG Technologies to accomplish?

• At Shippo, our mission is to lower the barriers to shipping for businesses worldwide. With our business rapidly scaling, we realized our existing web infrastructure was struggling to keep up with user demand, performance expectations, and the need for seamless integrations with third-party APIs. We needed a partner who could bring expertise in web development, scalability, and customization while also understanding the unique needs of the software development industry.

SOLUTION

How did you find NMG Technologies?

Online Search

Why did you select NMG Technologies over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from NMG Technologies were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

NMG Technologies undertook a comprehensive approach to address our needs. They began by thoroughly understanding Shippo’s platform, including our current infrastructure, business goals, and customer pain points. Their team conducted discovery workshops with our stakeholders to ensure they captured the nuances of our industry and objectives.  

The scope of work included rebuilding the backend architecture to ensure the platform could handle higher traffic loads and complex shipping processes. They designed a visually appealing, intuitive front-end interface for a seamless user experience. Additionally, they developed integrations with multiple shipping carriers’ APIs for real-time tracking, rate comparisons, and shipping label generation. They also created a dashboard for merchants to access analytics, shipment histories, and performance insights while implementing security measures to protect sensitive data, given the nature of our business.  

Throughout the process, NMG Technologies provided continuous testing and quality assurance to ensure everything worked flawlessly.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results were beyond our expectations. The platform’s performance saw a significant improvement, with page load times reduced substantially, even during peak traffic. The new design was well-received by our users, with many commenting on how easy it was to navigate the updated dashboard and manage their shipping needs. The real-time API integrations proved to be a game-changer, reducing errors and delays for our customers. Onboarding times for new merchants also improved due to the user-friendly interface, which included helpful prompts and tutorials.

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

NMG Technologies demonstrated impeccable project management skills. They maintained consistent communication through weekly progress meetings, shared detailed updates, and were always proactive in addressing concerns. Deadlines were met without fail, and their ability to adapt to changing requirements was commendable. For example, mid-project, we identified the need for additional customization for certain carriers, and they seamlessly integrated those changes without disrupting the timeline. 

What was your primary form of communication with NMG Technologies?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What stood out most about NMG Technologies was their ability to truly immerse themselves in our vision. They treated our goals as their own and brought a consultative approach to the project. Rather than simply executing tasks, they offered valuable insights on improving certain features based on their experience. Their attention to detail and commitment to quality were evident in every aspect of their work.  

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

No