Olearis

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner for a mobile app studio. We publish various mobile apps in the App Store and Google Play.

What challenge were you trying to address with Olearis?

We wanted to create and launch a new novel app, so we hired Olearis to help us out.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked with Olearis on developing a mobile app. Initially, they created all the design assets for the app, as well as the content required for the project. After that, they developed and tested the app. Throughout this process, we provided them with feedback and worked with them to fix the issues we found.

Once Olearis sorted out the issues, they helped us publish the app on the App Store — we’ll publish it for Android later. Since then, they’ve helped us implement updates and design changes, and they’ve also helped us create similar apps. Although I don’t remember the technology stack, they’ve used an engine to build native apps.

What is the team composition?

We kicked off the project with Oleris’ owner. Since then, we’ve worked with a project manager and 1–2 developers.

How did you come to work with Olearis?

I found them on Upwork. Initially, I connected with the owner, who developed a contract document. We reviewed that document in detail and communicated with our internal team to review the scope we would agree on. Then, we agreed on the cost, a timeline, and its different milestones before starting our engagement.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around August 2022, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

Thanks to Olearis, we’ve launched a unique product line that didn’t exist before.

How did Olearis perform from a project management standpoint?

Olearis’ project management has been very good — proof of that is that our partnership is ongoing. Their communication is very clear, and they work on an hourly basis, which is very important for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Overall, Olearis is a great and very strong development company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing Olearis could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear and upfront about your requirements and specifications.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Rogo Rent, an event rental platform.

What challenges were you trying to address with Olearis?

We had hired a previous development firm to build the foundation of our product, but they couldn’t complete the final polishing steps to get the app ready for launch — we had a huge issue with QA testing. Due to this situation, we needed someone to take care of the final testing and polishing steps to put the app in the different mobile app stores.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Olearis is further developing and testing our existing Android and iOS mobile app to ensure it’s flowing the right way and launch it in the different app stores. In terms of features, the app allows users to use calendars, chat, order, make requests, and make bookings. Overall, it's an event rental request app that allows users to lend or rent items to other users. Regarding technologies, they’ve used Flutter, Python, and Stripe integration.

Currently, they’re updating the system and finding any potential glitches or bugs we get from new users, which they address based on my list of priorities.

What was the team composition? 

I’ve worked with 5–10 members of Olearis’ team, but I talk directly with a project manager and a lead QA specialist. Nonetheless, I know they have several front- and backend developers working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Olearis?

I found them through Upwork. After that, I had initial conversations with Oleg (CEO), who shared with me great things about their company. They became a top contender based on their transparency and communication skills. 

In addition, I spoke with Olearis' customers to ask them different questions and learn about their experiences. They told me how Olearis addressed their issues, set certain objectives, and were clear about timelines and quotes, which was exactly what I was looking for. This information gave me the confidence to move forward with the working relationship with Olearis. 

How much have you invested in them?

So far, we’ve spent around $20,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

Olearis has been able to deliver everything on time to release our product in the mobile app stores. In addition, users have received our app positively; we’ve seen a lot of five-star reviews, which is great because that way, we can see how the platform has been operating in terms of performance and UX.

How did Olearis perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve stayed within deadlines and budget and are communicative and upfront with the project’s details. Moreover, I've spoken to the project manager from their team, which is important for me because we had bad experiences in that area with our previous provider. Olearis has listened to me and provided me with one of their experienced senior project managers to take over the project. This teammate has been doing an excellent job communicating and keeping us on time and within budget.

In addition, they’ve adapted to my preferred methods of communication, including email and Slack. Their team sends me a reminder when a task is pending to ensure that we’re keeping up with the project, making the experience of working with them very easy. Regarding tools, we’ve used Excel, Jira, Google Drive, and Dropbox for sharing documents and updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Olearis’ communication is professional, detailed, and punctual without me having to micromanage them, which is what I expect from this partnership. I like their transparency and honesty in letting me know when they can do something. Additionally, they provide context and an explanation whenever they see that something isn’t achievable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only challenge we’ve experienced with Olearis is the different time zones. Still, I prefer working with them knowing this than engaging with someone with the problems I had with my previous partner.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront with your needs, and don’t rush the process — it’s important to take the time to clarify things so that everyone is on the same page. 

I also recommend learning about your project manager; I don’t know if I’d have had such an incredible experience if I had gotten a different project manager, so try to choose your team for the process.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of IT company

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

The goal was to create an outstanding app for real estate market of Toronto. With amazing UX/UI experience & great performance.

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

I know Oleg - the CEO of Olearis for ages and I know how he treats the projects. His team is a team of true professionals who always advise on best solution based on my priorities and care about the project as their own.

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

• Discovery phase - we organized workshops where we talked about app vision, needs and requirements. Olearis provided us with an initial roadmap and estimate, and we could start working on the project. We already had designs ready so everything was ready for development.
• Development phase We were following SCRUM methodology during our development. Delivery was predictable and we could get parts of the app on a frequent basis. Communication was incredibly fast and clear. And the quality of the app was superb.
• Production phase Olearis supported us during production - small change requests, updates base on user response etc. They gave a great advice on martkering as well. The client was happy about that.

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

• 1 Project Manager
• 2 iOS developers
• 2 Android developers
• 1 QA engineer

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

The client was really happy about the app. Olearis delivered the project according to the estimates. The complex parts such as highly loaded map worked really smooth .

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

We used Slack as our main communication channel . We have weekly meetings and biweekly demos at the end of every sprint. I could join daily team meetings if I wanted. The most important was a clear communication and efficient meetings.

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

Attitude to the project Deep expertise in everything they do Ability to hear and focus on what I really need as a client.

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

Everything worked so well on this project that I really don't have anything to add.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and product manager of UpLife, a mental health education company. The organization has an application with content inside an app. We have a content development team with psychologists, writers, voice artists, proofreaders, and others.

What challenge were you trying to address with Olearis?

We needed to outsource our IT services to cover all our IT efforts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Olearis has helped us with the backend part, app development for iOS and Android, and everything related to QA and web components. They’ve developed the application from scratch while we’ve managed the design, UX, and look and feel.

Initially, we provided them with the documentation and technical specifications for the product development side. They’ve handled the project management and all the requirements, also providing technical documentation and descriptions.

The app is Flutter-based due to their recommendation. It has onboarding and a dashboard showing a collection of mental health wellness courses. The dashboard and homepage are personalized; users immediately see the most relevant content.

The courses are sessions of interactive podcasts between 10–15 minutes. The app asks questions, and users answer them while listening to the podcast. All the progress is tracked, and everything is summarized. Users also have access to their history to see how they passed a particular course; they can learn something during the session, but then they need to practice incorporating it into their lives. Additionally, Olearis has developed a habit calendar to help users master new habits by having daily reminders and tracking their progress.

What is the team composition?

We have two developers, a QA person, a project manager, and a part-time web specialist.

How did you come to work with Olearis?

We’ve been collaborating with Olearis for many years; we did two projects with them before this one. We had pretty good experiences with their team, so we decided to work with them on this project.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2016. The project took nine months from the discovery phase to the launch. However, our relationship is ongoing.

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

They delivered in a good timeframe, and the development was remarkably well done. Currently, the app has hundreds of thousands of users paying subscription fees. We’re making money already, which is an excellent metric of success.

How did Olearis perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is good. Olearis works in a scrum framework and manages the project well. The team asks us questions and helps us organize. During development, we had two-week sprints with the delivery of a new release at the end of each one.

We use Jira and Asana as management tools. Additionally, we use GitHub, Firebase, Amplitude, and Slack for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re pretty strong from a development perspective. The engineers are mature; they write the code and take a proactive role in all meetings. Olearis has been a great help with their technology vision. Overall, their proactive approach and attention to detail are outstanding.

We’ve also been surprised by how fast they created an application that worked for iOS and Android with one source base code. We have designers on our team, but their collaboration with Olearis’ teams is excellent. They’ve adapted well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing they could improve is resource allocation. Sometimes there are breaks in the project, mainly because we require periods to review what’s been done, so we temporarily stop the work. When we have to continue, it takes more time than expected because they allocate the resources to other projects and then get the development team back to ours.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you come to them with their specifications and requirements, they’ll do the job perfectly. Moreover, they’ll be involved in the discussions and provide feedback. Therefore, having the requirements and designs read is the best case. However, Olearis also provides business analysis to help you determine the requirements if you don’t have them. Additionally, they have an outsourced team for the design.

Please describe your organization.

My company is a software firm that develops enterprise applications, particularly mobile enterprise applications.

What is your position?

I'm the CEO of the company.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Olearis?

We needed development resources for an application we are building.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They have helped us with developing a product of ours. They provided development for both Mac and PC operating systems. Additionally, they have provided graphic design and a strong QA [quality assurance] process.

How did you come to work with Olearis?

I worked with Olearis at a prior company. Because of this, I knew what their skills were and what I could expect to receive. We wanted a team that was already put together, worked well together, and had a strong skill set in iOS and Android – Olearis met these requirements.

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

The project has cost about $100,000

What is the status of this engagement?

I plan to continue working with them for the foreseeable future.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The products that Olearis helped us develop is in use by five of the top 20 global financial institutions. We've had a lot of success with the product that that they've helped us develop. I would attribute that both to the skill of the development and the expertise of the quality assurance, making sure we deliver a great product.

How did Olearis perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform consistently very well. If there's ever some kind of problem in a project, we're alerted very early on.

What distinguishes Olearis from other providers?

The team at Olearis has strong expertise and works well together. I can't emphasize enough how phenomenal their quality assurance is. The price is competitive. All that together adds up to a great fit for us.

Is there anything Olearis could have improved or done differently?

No. Olearis has provided us with the best people that I've ever worked with.

Please describe your organization.

Joslyn, Ltd. is a consulting and software development business. We have different consulting services along with some application products.

What is your position?

I am the Founder and Owner.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Olearis?

We had a web application we wanted to launch mobile versions of on iOS and Android.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We went to Olearis with an existing web product. We wanted that translated onto iOS and Android platforms. They came back with a few initial proposals of what that could look like and some commercials from their point of view. They provided everything from design, UX, [user experience] coding, and QA [quality assurance].

How did you come to work with Olearis?

I stumbled upon them online and after seeing how good their communication was, it was an easy decision.

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

We've spent in the region of $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We're still doing ongoing work with them. It's probably been two and a half years from the original project to the ongoing work we're doing with them now.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We initially launched an iOS app which from concept through production took under three months. It has received good reviews. We had Olearis take over some existing Android projects we had other companies producing. They quickly resolved the ongoing issues we had been having.

How did Olearis perform from a project management standpoint?

Olearis was fully immersed in every aspect of the production. We didn’t deal with the same people for every part of the project but they are very much in control of the overall coordination.

What distinguishes Olearis from other providers?

Olearis' ability to communicate effectively and always be on the same page was very helpful. They very rarely have to explain anything twice. They always understand where we're coming from and are very practical in every step of the project. Not everything has been perfect. Sometimes there have been slight issues, but they've been very quick to not only resolve the issue and make sure it doesn't happen again. They have always ensured we don't feel any financial burden because of issues that arose.

Is there anything Olearis could have improved or done differently?

We would have liked to have had consistent people working on the project as a whole. It made it a bit more complicated to have to always go to different people for different parts of the project. That being said, we have already had this conversion with them. They've taken all the feedback and have addressed it. It's not anything that's outstanding.