Onetree

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a direct consumer shoe brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OneTree?

We hired them for software development and website maintenance of our e-commerce platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over the years, we’ve worked with OneTree on specific projects and maintenance support. The team used PHP and Magento.

What is the team composition?

Throughout our engagement, we’ve probably worked with eight or ten developers.

How did you come to work with OneTree?

I met them at Magento Imagine, a conference for those who are interested in Magento.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested more than $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first engagement with OneTree started in 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since working with OneTree, our business continues to grow. The team keeps improving our tech stack. Our site is performing better and faster. The code is clean, and the site speed is quick. They also helped us develop some custom functionality to create a more tailored customer experience for our visitors.

How did OneTree perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re currently using JIRA. When there’s a critical item, they’ll work overtime or after hours to help get the project done. When they do make a mistake or fall short, their team owns up to it. They’ll share with me their insights and learnings, discussing how they can improve or do things differently.

OneTree takes accountability and ownership of their role. When they’re successful, they take it. When they’re not successful, they take it. They regularly ask for feedback, which I find is rare with other outsourcing companies. They’re very sincere.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They align with our time zone, which makes it easier to collaborate on projects. With offshore work, a lot of it requires working late at night or early in the morning. When it’s the middle of the day, and something goes wrong with the website, it’s tough from a time zone standpoint. It’s nice that OneTree works with that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could provide a more strategic eye when there are technological opportunities that could matter to our business. Ultimately, it’s our responsibility, but they’ve improved in that area to make it a great partnership.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Novugens. We provide biometric solutions on mobile devices including face recognition, voice recognition, fingerprint touch ID, and face ID. We work with banks and international institutions to provide them with authentication within their existing apps. We can also develop apps for them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OneTree?

The biggest challenge was with one of our use cases: pensions. Many pension funds have a yearly requirement to make sure the recipients of the pension are still alive. Oftentimes what happens is the recipient is located in a different country, which makes it harder to check.

We were developing an application that would include the biometric piece and a liveliness piece (our name for it) that would enable a retiree who lives in, say Singapore, to download the application, do a two-minute enrollment, and confirm with a motion like blinking or shaking their head to ensure that they’re alive. We needed a mobile app design to cater to that older user base including larger icons, smooth screen transitions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We heavily rely on Sketch for the design of the different screens, and also on InVision for mockups. It helps us visualize the design and mimic what it will look like in the end.

One of the added-on features we offer is an analytics portal that captures details related to the transactions. It helps pension funds with millions of retirees when they’re being audited. One Tree helped developed a new design for the analytics portal to make it more user-friendly for pension administration officers.

Right now, we’re making some minor changes but my goal is to keep working with 1–2 designers for the next few months. Then, as new clients come in, they’re going to want to change the look and feel and the colors, which we can quickly do but we need someone to design it.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people in total. They’re all design related. I’ve had multiple meetings with their CEO and their founder, and having that connection where they ask me what my goals are has been great. It’s made it a very good experience. I mainly deal with developers and designers.

How did you come to work with OneTree?

I’ve worked for the Inter-American Development Bank for many years, as well as The World Bank, so I’ve developed many contacts in international organizations and vendors. When I left The World Bank I wanted to find a company to partner with that would allow me to scale quickly. If I end up with 15–2- customers I can’t hire a whole team here in Washington. If I needed two developers for two months or five developers for six months two one year I could do it with OneTree without dealing with all the payroll work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $25,000–$30,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There have been no problems with delivery, even with the pandemic. Our solutions have to work all the time, any time. It’s our motto. As long as you have a cellphone connection, you can do the authentication within seconds.

How did OneTree perform from a project management standpoint?

I didn’t use them for project management, but there’s no red tape with this company. I can speak with them via phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their cost was great compared to the rates for developers here in Washington D.C. Their designers are great, too; they have a feel for what’s needed. They understand the industry and the trends that are coming up so I’m not stuck with a design from the 1980s. There are times when we go back and forth over the best approach, and I like that interaction. They’re not telling me what to do and they listen to why I think something needs to be done differently.

I’ve worked with several people in different capacities. Some are better than others, but they also interact with my team members; the coordination has been good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have some rework to do here and there because a design didn’t work too well, but that’s expected. Additionally, I want to move like the speed of light; my customers are waiting for me to deploy certain things. I don’t have time to explain all the details and review all the little things. In some cases, they’ve asked me very specific questions where I wish they would run with it. That’s a personal issue though; it’s not a fault of theirs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and managing director of a data analytics survey solutions operation. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OneTree?

I worked with them extensively because we have many clients in need of web and database development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I’ve done numerous development projects with them, but the most substantial one was for a federal agency that was in need of a mobile application. They took the lead on app development, social media marketing, and launch. 

What is the team composition?

When we’re in the middle of a project, I’m in contact with 2–3 teammates. They have key project managers that I interface with. The project managers then communicate tasks to the rest of the team. 

How did you come to work with OneTree?

Before I started this company, I was working at Cornell University. I had kept in contact with a data scientist who served as a guest speaker for me in the past. When started this company, I reached out to him for help. He introduced me to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent at least $500,000–$600,000 with them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2014, and our teams have an ongoing collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was so successful that we received three rounds of funding for it. That was largely because of their work. They were able to apply state of the art technologies to their solutions. Clients have been overwhelmingly satisfied. Some have even been collaborating with OneTree for several years. 

The quality of their work is outstanding. Accuracy is everything in this field, and they’re consistently able to deliver in that area. They’re professional, easy to work with, and have a great understanding of their industry. That gives me confidence in their skills without much oversight on my part. I’ve referred others to them as well, and they’ve had nothing but positive experiences.   

How did OneTree perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Slack for communication, which was excellent. They always had solid timelines and a project manager. Missed deadlines were never their fault. When things haven’t gone as planned, they’ve been very accommodating. They always adjust to our timeline, which is rare for tech companies.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their breadth of services is quite impressive. They’re able to service both private and public sectors. Offering solutions to unexpected problems, they proactively look for ways to ensure success. It’s hard to find an organization that can clearly translate technical endeavors into something that a non-technical person could understand. They do that exceptionally well. 

Their team works hard to develop its own people and give back to their community. That’s something that our clients are always very impressed with. They’re giving their own people opportunities for betterment. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d love for them to have physical offices in the area so we could see them more often. However, all of our work can be done virtually, so distance hasn’t been an issue at all. They have the right balance of customer service and technical skills.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of the Software Testing Bureau, a company that offers testing services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address OneTree?

We hired OneTree for their development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We created a tool for test automation, and OneTree was responsible for the frontend development. The main goal of this tool was to allow non-technically-savvy users to perform test automations themselves. To achieve that, we were looking to create a nice, intuitive interface that could be used by anyone. They use React to build the platform. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with about six people in total. There was a senior developer,  a junior developer, and a UX lead. Later on in the project, two more developers and a project manager joined.

How did you come to work with OneTree?

We are both based in Uruguay, so we knew about their company and their experience with building frontend technologies. Further, we’d partnered with them in the past, in a project where we actually had provided them services, so it seemed like a good idea to work with them again, this time as clients.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2019 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are still in the process of finalizing the tool before sending it to market. However, all of the comments we’ve received thus far are great. The product is intuitive and visually-appealing, two of the most important factors to us. When we do launch it, we have great sales expectations. As our sales cycle grows, we expect to continue working with OneTree to provide updates and new developments.

How did OneTree perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve used different communication channels throughout the project. We’ve also had weekly follow up meetings. Our technical teams are in touch every day. So far, everything has gone smoothly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their commitment to deliver a quality product has been evident throughout the entire process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing that comes to mind. It was a great first experience for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

Lentesplus is an online eyewear store operating in Colombia, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina. I am the company’s founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address OneTree?

We hired them to upgrade our e-commerce platform. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were using Magento Open Source 1.9 and we wanted to upgrade to Magento 2.3, the enterprise cloud version. We were looking to improve the functionalities both for our clients and ourselves, and to improve our productivity with this. They used an agile methodology, which was key to the success of the project.

What is the team composition?

We worked with around eight or nine people.

How did you come to work with OneTree?

We had a selection process where we interviewed companies that were recommended by Magento, and OneTree was among them. They ended up being the ones selected in the process because of their transparency.

We felt that we were able to communicate better with them than with other agencies. We were also impressed with their flexibility. They were more willing to adapt to our needs and to the particularities of the project.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested around $250,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2018, and we continue working with them on an ongoing basis. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our conversion rate passed from 1.2 to 3.5 immediately after the project was implemented. Additionally, the number of tickets received by our client service center decreased by 40%, which means that the improvements in the platform allowed our clients to sort everything out by themselves.

How did OneTree perform from a project management standpoint?

At some point in the project we had to change the methodology, but that was caused by inner changes in our company which forced us to delay the project. They were very flexible and understanding. They showed their commitment to work with us as a strategic partner more than just a service provider.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Something that stands out about them is their communication. It’s always is fluid and transparent. That is very relevant when you have projects this big. Working them gave me peace of mind.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For very specific projects, they are short on developers. For example, we would like to implement PWA into our platform and they might not have enough developers with expertise in this technology.