ONLINICO

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

ONLINICO is certainly cost-effective. We’re probably saving 55% to 65% on cost compared to hiring an equivalent local team to do what ONLINICO does. I feel like we’re getting value there. Primarily, ONLINICO has helped us reduce our infrastructure costs. We’re developing in Azure, and they’ve found ways to do it better. We’ve also managed to cut out some services that we were paying for because the architectural work that they did is better than what we had come up with ourselves. It’s pretty rare that we discover actual defects in their work. Their products usually just need some polishing.

How did ONLINICO perform from a project management standpoint?

So far, everything has been delivered in the time frame and budget we discussed. They’ve been pretty much accurate with everything.

I think we have three people from ONLINICO on the project at the moment. They produce status reports in the formats and with the cadence that we desire. We have a primary point of contact there who reaches out to us at least once a day. I don't want to put them on the hook for something that they might be doing extra nice for us, but I kind of wonder when their project manager sleeps because she’s always in contact.

We’ve experienced some issues because of the language barrier and time difference, but I would say that’s to be expected. I have worked with a lot of similar companies, and it has been far less of an issue with ONLINICO than with anyone else I've worked with. They’re willing to stay up a little late to accommodate my team’s schedules. Our main point of contact speaks wonderful English, so there’s not a barrier there. However, sometimes when we talk with the other developers who aren’t typically client-facing, we might have to ask them to repeat themselves. However, they’re intelligent and competent people, so that’s a pretty minor concern.

We use a variety of tools to communicate. Our primary communication tool is Slack. For voice and video, we mostly use Skype, but we’ll occasionally use Google Hangouts. ONLINICO usually delivers status reports using JIRA and Confluence. We don't use JIRA and Confluence at my company, but we’ve worked with ONLINICO through their system because it doesn’t create any real overhead for us; they just send us the links. If a feature is in the last few phases and we just need to interact really fast and collaboratively, we’ll set up a Trello board. Trello’s a nice tool that everybody on both sides of the world seems to like.

What did you find most impressive about ONLINICO?

We’re impressed by all of the little things ONLINICO does for us. I don't doubt that there are other companies with similar skill sets and price ranges, but ONLINICO has great attention to detail, the projects are on time, and their team is insightful and helpful. I wouldn't say that there’s one thing about them that stands out; it’s more of an overall great experience. I feel less worried about my budget and my timelines because I trust them and I know they’ll handle everything well. If I had to pick one way in which they impress us, it would be their trustworthiness.

Are there any areas ONLINICO could improve?

ONLINICO does pretty well overall. I know they have an English teacher on their staff, so it would be good if their developers keep attending those English classes. Honestly though, it’s really not that big of a deal, and frankly, I probably ought to learn a little Russian. I don’t have any major criticisms or improvement suggestions for ONLINICO. I’ve been pretty happy.