The-Parallel

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of research for A-100, a real estate business. I’m responsible for inventing new products and creating products connected with IT technology.

What challenge were you trying to address with The-Parallel?

We needed help with VR and CRM development for our real estate firm. Our goal was to provide a new and unusual tool for our customers to use.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The-Parallel built our sales tool with several unique features. One of the elements within the platform enables VR touring. Users can view apartments and houses, while virtually walking through the locations. The platform was created to be very interactive. Their team also built a CRM system into the platform.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 2–3 people from their team.

How did you come to work with The-Parallel?

The-Parallel approached us with their ideas, and we chose them because of their deep understanding of the technologies. We liked them because we could learn about the devices in the field from experts.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $25,000 on the whole project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them on this project from March–July 2017.

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

We’ve received positive feedback from our customers—they all say it’s been a useful too. The technology has been a great addition to our services, so we're using it for another project, as well.

How did The-Parallel perform from a project management standpoint?

The-Parallel was responsible and kept us on track, pushing us to make necessary decisions. Their team was proactive and stayed on top of the workload. We felt lucky to work with them because of how they managed the project. We primarily communicated via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The technology they created was unique to our business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’d be beneficial if they could present their ideas in ways that make customers love it immediately.  

Please describe your company and your position there.

BackLite Media is a media organization with a portfolio of premium outdoor and digital media solutions. I'm the administration manager. 

What were your goals for this project?

Our contract for several prime outdoor advertising locations expired, so the landlord offered the locations in a public tender. Our goal was to submit a successful technical and financial bid that impressed the landlord and secured a new contract. 

How did you select this vendor?

We invited The-Parallel to give a presentation on their capabilities, with a particular focus on VR. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We wanted to show an innovative, impactful vision of how our new signs would look, rather than relying on a simple two-dimensional illustration. We decided that a short VR film would be the best solution. Using the 360-degree photographs of the location and technical drawings from the sign designer, The-Parallel produced an impressive VR film. 

What was the team composition?

Since our project was fairly simple, the team was small. One person at The-Parallel worked with me. The photographer and sign design companies were also involved.

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

Feedback on the VR film was highly positive; the landlord was impressed with its lifelike rendition of the sign. Although we're still awaiting the results, we are confident that our bid will succeed. We have no doubt that the VR film served an important role in our presentation.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They managed the project remotely through phone calls and messages. We had no issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by the speed of their responses and the helpfulness of our contact. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't suggest anything.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager within the change team of NEBOSH. Our team is responsible for creating new products and updating or implementing new systems, our organization is the national examining board for occupational safety and health. We develop syllabuses for our qualifications and set methods of assessments.

What challenge were you trying to address with The-Parallel?

We are exploring new technology and how it can be used to enhance learning and learner engagement. It is one of the ways we plan to accomplish continually improving the way we deliver our health and safety courses.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The-Parallel was responsible for building the product. They created a virtual reality warehouse environment to allow students to gain confidence when hazard spotting for a risk assessment.

What is the team composition?

Five developers worked on the app. Our main point person was Alex (Co-Founder & COO), he was supported by three other team members.

How did you come to work with The-Parallel?

We sent our brief to about 10 other companies, and The-Parallel’s pitch and demonstration were both very strong. It was clear they understood the project right away. They were flexible with our accelerated schedule, and the quote they sent was quite reasonable.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in July 2019, and the project is ongoing.

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

The product is currently in beta, and we already have really great feedback from our learning partners. Internally, our team is excited to be working on this project.

How did The-Parallel perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate over phone, email, and web video calls. The-Parallel is always on hand to discuss questions and concerns, and they have given great advice as virtual reality is quite new to us. We’ve relied on them to give advice and help us through each milestone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were really impressed by the quality of work they were able to accomplish given the timelines and pressure put on them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that comes to mind. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The-Parallel has enough expertise to guide their clients through any project. Regardless of if you have a detailed brief and know exactly what you want, or if you’re new to virtual reality, they’ll understand your project and deliver.