Planet Web Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a task project manager at an Australian company. We have two main products. One is an e-commerce application and the other is a classified application. Both of these products have been developed by Planet Web Solutions.

What challenge were you trying to address with Planet Web Solutions?

The first application was built by another company and that company wrote most very poor code. Planet Web Solutions was onboarded and they fixed it. They made my iOS and Android mobile applications for that first product. The second product they are working is a classified application.  They made a web version and native iOS and Android mobile applications.

The e-commerce site, the first application, has a multi-vendor platform marketplace model.  A buyer and seller can both interact on the site. Planet Web Solutions also built some features which are specific to our own product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The previous company began developing the app in 2013. The previous developer before delivery trashed all the shopping cart, all the invoicing, the multi-vendor platform ordering system, and the rating system. There are a lot of things which were broken. That company left in July 2015, and I gave it to Planet Web Solutions in September. Their first job was to fix the web application. They did phase one of bug fixing by cleaning antiquated or redundant files. They even rewrote a few of those functions which were critical for the application. Afterwards, we opened phase two where we worked on the iOS and Android mobile applications. I asked them to change the design to make it more responsive. They are still working on the first project.

The second project which Planet Web did from scratch was the Laravel application. First, we quickly proceeded through the business requirement and gathering phases. Then, we defined the sprints which included the QA phase.  Subsequently, they started the mobile application. They pushed all of the code onto my server and managed the deployment of the application. They took this second project from initiation all the way to delivery.

What is the team dynamic?

In the first project, there were two project managers Shefali [BA] and Satish [CTO]. One was managing from the business perspective and the other, from a technical perspective. There were two guys for the PHP development and one guy each for iOS and Android; they had one QA. For some phases, they added one extra guy to complete it on the timeline.

How did you come to work with Planet Web Solutions?

I found them on Elance. We interviewed a lot of companies and Planet Web was one of them. I chose them based on the experience they have with building e-commerce stores. After a meeting with the CTO regarding the PHP,  tools and project management, I concluded they were the right firm for me.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $28,000 for the first project. The second was $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on the first project in September 2015.

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

They fixed all the application. It was completely broken and I was left with nothing. All of my investment in 2013 through 2015 was gone. The biggest impact I can say right now is I have a functional application. We haven’t properly launched our application. From their development work, we have saved plenty of costs by using them to fix the bugs. 

From a stability point of view, the site has fewer bugs now. It’s more dynamic and the pages are fine, the converse from the previous one. 

How did Planet Web Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

I had daily stand-up meetings with both of my contacts. The timeline changed multiple times. I needed to launch it sooner than the initial time. They completed the e-commerce app on my deadline.

There were some points where they needed to pay more attention, but otherwise, overall, they performed well. I would say from the customer service perspective, the way they were interacting with me, the way they were answering my inquiries throughout the whole development process.

The first application was an uncertain application. They fixed it although my budget increased as they started digging in the code and finding more and more issues in the application. It was my as per my initial budget, so it was justifiable. For my second application, they fixed everything and they built it within my intial budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way they communicate and the way they attend to their customers is impressive. Right now, I’m in direct communication with the CEO and the CTO, so as soon as I have any problems, it gets resolved quickly. That’s a pretty good thing for me. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have been with them two years and I have seen them improve. Initially, they had some issue specific to their QA department, but that has been solved after my feedback. Right now, I don’t have any constructive criticisms of them. 

Do you have any advice for potential clients?

For the people who are newcomers, I would tell them to communicate with them but have their requirements ready. Spend some time in the requirements phase,  chatting with them; these guys will come up with some pretty good ideas. To work with any development company, you should have a game plan in hand. Specific to Planet Web Solutions, give them a shot with e-commerce, Magento or PHP based products. They have experience, and they can deliver.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Pooja Kudesia, and I’ve been in the development business for four or five years.

What challenge were you trying to address with Planet Web Solutions?

Initially, we wanted to develop an e-commerce website using WordPress without using a premium team. We then wanted to develop mobile apps for some of our clients. Planet Web was the first company we’d worked with.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Planet Web initially created our e-commerce site. I explained the requirements to the team, and they came up with a statement of work before development started. Planet Web developed a custom catalog feature for us in Magento. We wanted to have a brand catalog as a base, while keeping the previous website images.

After completing our development projects, they built mobile apps on behalf of some of our clients. These projects weren’t purely e-commerce, and they involved fully custom development.

Some of the more complex features they developed included timebound videos for people to like, comment on, or follow and a plug-in for online medical appointments with automatic calling and encrypted chat features. Planet web also provided a seamless e-commerce solution for a Taiwan-based bulk electronic components company and an Indian gateway for luxury products from the U.S. and U.K.

What is the team dynamic?

The team size varies by project; when I worked with them on our e-commerce platform, I interacted with one project manager and one business analyst. I typically had a single point of contact, possibly their CTO. We worked remotely via Skype and phone meetings.

Once we finalized requirements and the scope of work, Planet Web introduced a designer and a frontend developer, who created an interactive prototype for clients. After that, they assigned a development team.

Our projects were not huge, but they weren’t tiny either. Development teams were always between four and five developers at a time. I’ve been to Planet Web’s office, and they have a huge team of developers.

How did you come to work with Planet Web Solutions?

We contracted Planet Web to develop our e-commerce site. I was skeptical about how this first project would go, but they launched the site efficiently. Everything worked fine, giving me confidence to engage them on a client project.

The initial requirements weren’t very clear, and the client kept changing their mind, but the team was able to deliver in time. We’ve established a good rapport with the team and want to keep working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost of their services has been under $50,000. Projects have ranged from $1,500 to $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Planet Web in late 2013. We worked on the e-commerce project until August or September 2016. I am no longer in that same business, but I am focusing on my own products: one for school management, and another for doctor appointments. Planet Web is still working with me on those.

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

They completed everything to our satisfaction.

We aren’t working with the U.S. clients Planet Web developed mobile apps for now, but the e-commerce website for our Taiwanese client is performing well. While the luxury goods site changed its design and focus—it’s not selling luxury products any longer—it’s still using Planet Web’s Magento platform.

Planet Web’s team continues to help me with SEO for my scheduling platform, in order to attract organic users.

How did Planet Web Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We have regular Skype calls, after which Planet Web takes our requirements in detail, and creates an SOW [statement of work]. Upon SOW approval, they move to wireframing and visual design, in the case of more complicated products. For smaller projects, they start on visual design directly. When it’s ready, I decide on technology—Magento, WordPress, or custom development. Once everything is finalized, Planet Web starts development.

We have clearly defined milestones. I’m comfortable with a WBS [work breakdown structure] in an Excel format. Planet Web sends me weekly or monthly sheets, depending on the project, and they’ve never missed a milestone. Once the product is ready, QA is completed, and we’ve approved it, we report any bugs we find, and they fix them. We’ve always launched on time.

The process is streamlined. This is one company I can trust to follow the project milestones completely. I am very satisfied with their quality of development, communication and general project management process. Their communication has never been a problem for me, which is one of the biggest contributors to a project’s success.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their development—coming from the design industry, I find that Planet Web does an amazing job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It was difficult for them to manage milestones when we made changes to the development requirements, but it would be for any team.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If you’re looking for a great team that is open to suggestions for development, no matter how silly, Planet Web will definitely work toward a satisfactory solution. Their deliverables are technically very sound. We had some challenging requirements, but they didn’t mind going the extra mile to do the work.

However, Planet Web won’t sacrifice functionality for a quick fix. In my eagerness to launch an app, I requested a simple chat function. But they pointed out potential legal complications and conflicts with cross-platform apps and helped me understand the technical challenges of using a free server. Planet Web wants products to function efficiently long-term, rather than focusing on the launch alone.

If a company is looking for a long-term collaboration with a team they can rely on, Planet Web is the clear choice.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a home furniture, textile, decorative accessories, and rugs manufacturing company based in Jaipur, India. We export all over the world, especially to the US, Australia, and Europe. The company is close to 40 years old.

What challenge were you trying to address with Planet Web Solutions?

We have worked on several projects with Planet Web Solutions, one of the main ones being the development of our company website, manglam.com. We have also developed a website which is specific to the trade shows we hold in the US. We had been using a very old-fashioned PHP website and had no e-commerce solution at all.

What was the scope of their involvement?

After meeting with Planet Web Solutions and getting their feedback, we made the decision to move forward to a Magento e-commerce website.

The website is a showcase for our products, which customers can add to their wishlists, customize, and so on. A particularly difficult feature we wanted was around customer groups. We work with the biggest discount stores as well as individuals, each with different price points. One very important feature on our website was giving customers login credentials, and selecting which group they belong on the backend for our internal records. They can be retailers, importers, designers, or individual customers, each with their own pricing. Planet Web Solutions implemented this feature, eliminating any confusion regarding pricing. There is much more standardization in our company because of this.

Creating a wishlist was another important feature. Every customer who goes on our website can input the changes he or she would like to have for a particular product in the form of a wishlist. As they create and submit these wishlists, we will receive the exact format of a proforma invoice. This process is completely automatic, whereas it used to be done manually on Excel. It has reduced the time spent by merchandisers and our marketing people.

We have also developed a sales application connected to the same backend, which helps us take orders during tradeshows.

How did you come to work with Planet Web Solutions?

I am based in Jaipur, the same city where Planet Web Solutions is located. I was searching for the top website developers in India and found some good options. I spoke to all of them, but working with a developer from the same city would make for a more comfortable relationship. I booked an appointment with Planet Web Solutions and went from there.

How much have you invested with Planet Web Solutions?

The cost of Planet Web Solutions’ work has been $15,000–$16,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Planet Web Solutions in March 2015. We have created two websites which are live at the moment, and are working on two other pages as well as an iPad application. They will all be integrated with our Magento backend.

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

Before, we were not searchable on Google, which was a very big problem since there were many competitors with similar names to ours who had top positions, whereas we didn’t exist on Google. It was essential to gain visibility, which Planet Web Solutions was able to do.

Because of the way in which our website had been designed, it required a lot of manual work. We have been able to eliminate one job completely from our merchandising team, so the new site was a very big shift for us.

We have 100% more sales than before. Customers are using the site extensively for selecting products. We receive 20–25 selections per month through the website. People aren’t buying online, but they are sending us screenshots, adding wishlists, and selecting products from our website. We are able to get almost 50 new leads per month through it.

How did Planet Web Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Their service and backend coding are both exceptional. There used to be delays on our team’s side in delivering information, but Planet Web Solutions followed up with everything we needed to do. Planet Web Solutions’ team even visited us a few times and got all the required information from us. The communication is very good. None of my emails went unanswered.

What did you find most impressive about Planet Web Solutions?

I’ve never considered switching to another company due to the quality and pricing that Planet Web Solutions delivers. They’re very strong in terms of coding, can make anything happen quickly, and they respect our requirements, not taking anything lightly. Not having to remind Planet Web Solutions of the same issue again and again is a very big thing.

There have been a few very urgent projects, including an e-commerce website we built for a particular trade show. We needed to develop it within a week, not the usual two or three months. I explained everything to Planet Web Solutions’ team, and they literally developed the site in four working days. It was functional during launch, but we continued to improve it every day.

Are there any areas Planet Web Solutions could improve?

They could provide some aesthetic design services and work more on the look of the website.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Planet Web Solutions?

I simply think that customers should start working with Planet Web Solutions. They are very professional when it comes to communication, and are responsive and good coders. Whatever the person needs, they should be clear about it. It can often happen that, after starting the project, the client will want a big switch. This creates a problem for the development company, because they may have already chosen the backend and other technology. If there’s a huge sudden shift, then everything could be in vain. My advice is to make a roadmap for the website and take recommendations from Planet Web Solution. They can mention things that the client doesn’t know, and make technological upgrades.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the ​Owner​ at a company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. It is a German organization selling a wide variety of carpets at wholesale prices in the European market.

For what projects/services did your company hire Planet Web Solutions Pvt. Ltd.?

We hired Planet Web Solutions to build our Magento eCommerce website equipped with basic and advanced eCommerce features like a user-friendly customized theme, easy product integration, and more.

What were your goals for this project?

Our primary goal for this project was to build a robust and highly-secured online store with advanced navigation and filter options, dual language support- English and German, an easy and simple interface for enhanced user experience. It needed to be built in Magento as our inventory control is only capable of integration with Magento.

How did you select this vendor?

The company’s awards and recognition in the eCommerce, specifically in Magento made us connect to them. We shared our project requirements in detail and after a few conversations, we realized that their Magento consultant understood our project better than us and they are capable enough to meet the project’s functional needs. Considering the project’s budget, priority, and company’s experience, Planet Web Solutions served our purpose well and that’s why we opted for them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

This is an eCommerce development project developed in the Magento Community Edition 2.3.3. Services provided by the Planet Web Solution: ● Implemented a well-known Magneto eCommerce theme (desktop and mobile-responsive) and then customized it as per our specifications. ● Added all the necessary and advanced eCommerce features like custom-layered navigation, custom price filters, mega menu feature, customer login and registration, one-step checkout process, etc. ● Integrated the site with multiple payment gateways. ● Ability to manage full website ​contents like CMS pages, products, categories, customers, and Orders by Admin. ● Developed the site with the capability to handle massive inventory, orders, and payments with ease. ● Provided optimized web architecture, product images, SEO friendly URLs to improve the web presence and search engine ranking of the site.

What was the team composition?

The project team had 3 people- Magento Developer, UI/UX Developer, and Quality Analyst. All three professionals were experts in their work and they managed the project in a systematic & transparent way.

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

We’ve experienced a good hike in average order per day after the website development. We are doing better than our competitors and the site is constantly improving its Google ranking​.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Since the team size was just right, there was no scope of mismanagement. The team delivered the project within the decided time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have extensive experience in designing and developing high-performance scalable e-commerce websites. The Project Manager explained how to manage the website, update, and control inventory, generate sales reports, and other essential site operations.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are managing the site for the last three months and till now we have not faced any issues. The team is easily approachable and they resolve our query in a very polite way.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO of an investment firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Planet Web Solutions?

We wanted to get a website for our firm. Our preference was to have it done on WordPress. This way, any minor changes or wording differences that we wanted on the site could be adjusted by our personnel.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had Planet Web Solutions do two different phases of the website for us. I had contact with mainly one person who was the project manager. It did seem like he had other people helping him out when we staged the site up because I was adding two or three other authorized users to have access to the site to build.

How did you come to work with Planet Web Solutions?

I have a good friend of mine who is big into email and web marketing. He’s a pretty well-known professional in the field. He has a lot of websites built, so I initially asked him if he could build me a website for my company. He said that he didn’t have the time, but he used these guys on Upwork that were really good on projects they had done for him and that I should give them a try. When you get a referral from someone who’s knowledgeable in business, you usually go with it. I also saw Planet Web Solutions' portfolio on Upwork and saw that they had experience and had done a bunch of work too. To me, this is what they do for a living, and they’re very good at it. He provided me Planet Web Solutions' contact information, and I gave them an outline of what I was looking to do on my website. We negotiated and agreed on a price and timeline.

How much have you invested with Planet Web Solutions?

We agreed on a fixed price of under $10,000. When we paid them, we put the money into escrow on Upwork and then released it in certain milestones. Planet Web Solutions completed the first phase for us in two or three weeks. After the first month, they asked if we could release half the money since more than half the website was done. I thought it was fair and released the rest of the money upon completion.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the first part at the beginning of November 2016. We finished the second part yesterday (March 2, 2017). The project got delayed on our end, not on their end whatsoever. Planet Web Solutions would have had everything done per the schedule, but we got held back with other things.

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

Since we just finished the project yesterday, we haven’t worked on SEO [search engine optimization] to get recognized online yet. The main reason we built the website was so that investors had a website that they could go to to look at us because you need that in this day and age.

Since we are an investment firm and run a hedge fund, we’re not allowed to advertise. However, if someone comes across our website through searching, that’s fair game. That’s why we haven’t shown it to many people. The only people that have seen it are our attorneys to make sure everything was legally correct in there, our family members, and our investors. It’s all been positive feedback from everyone regarding how professional the website looks. The biggest compliment I can give Planet Web Solutions is that I had a vision of what I wanted to be done, and they executed that vision perfectly. I left creative things up to them. I said, “I don’t have an idea of what I want to do with this, so why don’t you put something together and see if I like it?” Even on the things that I asked them to use their creativity on, they did it to my expectations or exceeded them.

How did Planet Web Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

For Planet Web Solutions being over in India, their communication was very good. They spoke English almost natively and understood everything I was saying. There was no communication barrier. We had a time difference, but we were able to work around that pretty easily. We primarily talked to each other by messaging and uploading documents through Upwork’s platform. If I had ideas or changes of what I wanted to be done on the website, I would create videos of my screen showing them what I wanted. I would also send a Word document with an outline of what I was discussing in the video. I did all this because there is a time difference of 10 ½ hours between us. I would put that together at night. The next morning when I would come to work, they would tell me that they had the changes made for me to review. We would then go back and forth that way. There were a couple of times where we spoke on Skype and had a screen sharing session for things we were trying to bounce ideas off or with something I wasn’t 100% sure about.

What did you find most impressive about Planet Web Solutions?

The most impressive thing was the quality of the work for the price that we got it for. Planet Web Solutions was customer oriented. For example, I already paid them out on everything two days ago. I emailed them through Upwork the other day about one or two minor changes I wanted, and they went ahead and made them. When you contact them, they usually get back to you right away. Changes never take longer than a day or two. They’re on point. I deal with a lot of vendors in the US, and I’m constantly waiting, or they’re too backed up and busy. Planet Web Solutions offered the best customer experience I have had, and they’re not even in the US.

Everything I wanted to be done, they did it exactly the way I wanted it. Anything that I gave them freedom or creativity to do, they produced something that was very professional looking that went with the theme of the website. That’s exactly why I wanted them to do that.

Are there any areas Planet Web Solutions could improve?

I don’t have anything bad to say or anything that Planet Web Solutions could improve upon. I am honestly happy with their work, especially for the price, so I can’t really nitpick and say there are one or two bad things I would say about it. Again, I’ve only worked with them on one website; it’s not like I’ve worked with them on a hundred things where I can then say they lack in this department. For me, I haven’t had one problem with Planet Web Solutions whatsoever.

I didn’t have any problems or hiccups in the process. Going through this process, I wouldn’t have expected it to come out exactly the way I wanted it with no problems, but that’s exactly what happened. It’s very rare to have this happen.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

After getting a master's degree online through a UK university, I wanted to provide the same service to students from my country, allowing them to gain knowledge online. This is the basis for my company.

I am a co-founder of the company, along with my wife.

What challenge were you trying to address with Planet Web Solutions?

I approached Planet Web Solutions for help building my platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Planet Web Solutions designed and developed my CakePHP website from scratch. I gathered ideas from similar portals in the US, but I wanted to create a unique style for my own site. Planet Web Solutions was able to implement everything I brought up in our meetings.

How did you come to work with Planet Web Solutions?

I'd had a very bad experience with a local company in Oman, which was not able to develop my website. I was looking for a strong company which could help and support me. I visited a number of websites, including clutch.co, and approached 10–15 companies, ultimately selecting Planet Web Solutions.

How much have you invested with Planet Web Solutions?

The initial cost was $50,000 but it was increased as I requested more features.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Planet Web Solutions at the beginning of 2016. The development time was only seven months, but I came up with more ideas along the way, so the development has been continuous. I am new to this business, so I didn't have a complete idea in the beginning.

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

I am quite happy with Planet Web Solutions' work. There were a few issues to fix with the website, mainly related to the text being written from right to left in my region. Planet Web Solutions was generally good at fixing any errors.

How did Planet Web Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Planet Web Solutions worked closely with me, took responsibility, and fixed any problems as soon as possible.

What did you find most impressive about Planet Web Solutions?

I have dealt with 3–4 other Indian companies, and by comparison, I appreciated Planet Web Solutions' fast response time. Whenever I raised any inquiries, the answers were given to me in a short period of time. The other companies needed reminders, and would generally reply within 1–2 days.

Also, Planet Web Solutions' owner was involved with my work directly, whereas I would mainly talk to the managers and programmers when working with the other companies. Whenever I had an issue, Planet Web Solutions' owner took it seriously.

Are there any areas Planet Web Solutions could improve?

Planet Web Solutions could improve price-wise, but I was happy with their communication and work. I have worked with other Indian companies and usually had to relay the same information 3–4 times.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Planet Web Solutions?

Not in particular, but I would recommend Planet Web Solutions to any client. They're a good and fast company.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a travel and leisure-based online business. I am the owner of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Planet Web Solutions?

We needed to edit and develop a quite complex WordPress theme.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Planet Web Solutions performed our initial customization quite well and developed a custom WordPress site for a different brand of our company. We're also using Planet Web Solutions to build a large bespoke directory-style website using the Laravel framework.

I have dealt directly with our contact from Planet Web Solutions. He looks after the team, so I'm not sure how many resources have worked for us.

How did you come to work with Planet Web Solutions?

We found Planet Web Solutions on Upwork. We became inundated with offers and chose Planet Web Solutions most likely because of their expertise level and price.

How much have you invested with Planet Web Solutions?

The total cost of our work with Planet Web Solutions has been around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Planet Web Solutions in October 2015. Our most recent project started in August 2016, and we plan to finalize it in October 2016.

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

We've been very satisfied. Planet Web Solutions's work has made a big impact in our effort to modernize our processes and become more responsive. We have started new projects with Planet Web Solutions on 2 occasions, which is a reflection of our confidence in their service quality.

How did Planet Web Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Planet Web Solutions has stuck to our timeline and budget so far. As projects go on, I will ask for changes, which has moved our deadlines. I have dealt with our contact from Planet Web Solutions directly on the phone and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about Planet Web Solutions?

We're based in the U.K., and Planet Web Solutions is in India, which has had a good benefit in terms of exchange rates. This was the starting point to our collaboration. Since then, the key for us has been Planet Web Solutions's ability to work during U.K. hours. Correspondence is always very good, and I've never had to restrict it to 2 hours in the morning when our relative working hours happen to coincide.

Are there any areas Planet Web Solutions could improve?

I have used Basecamp and Asana in collaborations with other people. I don't know if Planet Web Solutions uses these tools for other people, and I haven't felt it was important in our case, but they could make the reporting process more organized.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Planet Web Solutions?

I would simply recommend that clients start working with Planet Web Solutions.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a development firm providing custom web applications and platform-driven websites on WordPress, Magento, and other technologies. We have been in existence for around 7 years, and are expert marketers for SEO [search engine optimization], PPC [pay-per-click], social media and other areas. I am one of the founders and a partner in the agency.

What challenge were you trying to address with PlanetWeb Solutions?

We needed assistance with software development and support for our company and our clients.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have worked together with PlanetWeb on many things, including new development, customer service, and application maintenance.

We have also used PlanetWeb for SEO in the past but eventually took on an in-house department. While we're not doing this with PlanetWeb currently, they still did a great job.

We are the child company of a larger, US-based one, which had experience working with PlanetWeb. When we started out, we evaluated them, as well as a couple of competitors, and ultimately decided to work with PlanetWeb.

How much have you invested with PlanetWeb Solutions?

This is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with PlanetWeb for 7 years, and have no plans to stop.

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

PlanetWeb has worked very hard developing new features and technologies that we came up with, as an agency. PlanetWeb was successful at implementing features, and making our applications sing and dance.

We've worked with PlanetWeb on some very large e-commerce projects. One of the reasons for continuing to work with them is their rapid response to any issues that we experienced through the normal development lifecycle. PlanetWeb has an ability to get things done immediately, through a dedicated team. Whether it was on a night or over the weekend, if we needed to get something done, PlanetWeb worked hard on it.

How did PlanetWeb perform from a project management standpoint?

The ability to translate our ideas into technical applications is definitely a strong point for PlanetWeb.

What did you find most impressive about PlanetWeb Solutions?

As a whole, PlanetWeb is an extremely professional company. They never shied away from a new task or something that they'd never done before. This is important to us, given that we're a creative agency, and tend to come up with things which haven't been done yet. We sometimes struggle to come up with solutions, but, in our ventures with PlanetWeb, they came up with viable options, and made them work at the end of the day.

Are there any areas PlanetWeb Solutions could improve?

We tend to do our design and try to come up with unique products for our clients. When it comes to making creative designs, although PlanetWeb can do it, they could take on younger, more creative talent who can think outside the box.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with PlanetWeb Solutions?

The key in this industry, whether dealing with PlanetWeb or anyone else, is to have a good documentation set before taking on a project, and review all potential pain points. Clients can sometimes ask for things that can conflict with their goals.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president of Adkisson Consulting. Our company provides strategic consulting software applications for design, architecture, and project management.

What challenge were you trying to address with Planet Web Solutions?

We wanted to find an offshore partner that could help accelerate the development of web-based solutions and mobile apps. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Planet Web Solutions has been our engineering partner for a few contracts. Together, we have built public websites for 2-3 customers. We’ve also developed software-as-a-service business platforms for user management and engagement. I'm currently using Planet Web Solutions for mobile app development for clients. They act as the end-to-end engineering team, building the software as well as helping with design and performing pre-testing.

How did you come to work with Planet Web Solutions?

I was introduced to Planet Web Solutions through one of the development heads from a previous engagement. He continues to work for me and we'd both had experience with offshore development teams. I always felt that it's important to get the recommendation of someone you trust. Through our previous experience, we were able to quickly jump in and pick up a conversation with Planet Web Solutions' team.

How much have you invested with Planet Web Solutions?

The cost of Planet Web Solutions' services is around $10,000 per month. Over the last four years, we've given Planet Web Solutions around $100,000 worth of business.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Planet Web Solutions in 2012 and have worked on 3-4 projects since then. Currently, we are developing 2 solutions for a customer. 

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

Planet Web Solutions has delivered according to our design blueprints 100% of the time. Based on their experience with different solutions, they've given suggestions for improving usability and performance. The quality of the delivered products is exceptional compared to other software development projects. I have not been disappointed with any of the products delivered or proposed by Planet Web Solutions.

How did Planet Web Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The Planet Web Solutions team communicates very well by offshore standards. We have a 12-hour time difference but we still maintain a tight connection. We don't necessarily talk face-to-face or on the phone with Planet Web Solutions. Instead, we have straightforward emails and Skype calls. We usually talk to them early in the morning or evenings.  Using the tools available to us, we send them our requirements, designs, and feedback. Planet Web Solutions has been very attentive to our needs and messages. They've reached out during my time zone and helped me avoid working odd hours. I've worked on projects where the teams wanted to have calls at 12 AM Pacific Time, so I can appreciate Planet Web Solutions' flexibility.

What did you find most impressive about Planet Web Solutions?

While their work product is up there, I've especially appreciated Planet Web Solutions' flexibility and communication skills. That’s in comparison with other offshore teams I've used. I never found myself struggling to understand written or oral communication from Planet Web Solutions. Their team is very clear in our talks, which can be difficult at times because of different dialects and accents. From the developer to the head of the company, Planet Web Solutions is very open. They produce excellent output and are always good at delivering what we asked for.

Are there any areas Planet Web Solutions could improve?

No, since we have straightforward processes. Any areas of improvement are always in terms of resource allocation. This is project-based, though. Overall, Planet Web Solutions has done a great job, and they're attentive to the requirements of our customers.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Planet Web Solutions?

In working with any offshore company, it's important to ensure that communication tools and processes are in place. The project requirements and designs should also be air-tight. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of myKidzDay. We offer a childcare app.

What challenge were you trying to address with Planet Web Solutions Pvt. Ltd.?

We hired them to improve our mobile app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app is a knowledge sharing platform that tracks child activity and facilitates active communication between childcare providers and parents. It also benefits childcare service administrators as a recordkeeping tool that can run report analyses and track attendance.

We previously worked with another development firm, so the first stage of this project was knowledge transition. We gave Planet Web our code base and explained how the app works within its general architecture. Then, we communicated our business and technology challenges regarding compatibility with newer versions of Android. We also talked through some features we wanted to add to both the mobile and web app.

The plan was for Planet Web to stabilize the app so we could relaunch it on iOS, Android, and Kindle. Once that was accomplished, they began to program enhancements by restructuring the backend and updating the API’s. They also worked on our web app to implement features tailored to education professionals and administrators. The project continues as they extend those features through our mobile apps and deliver regular updates.

What is the team composition?

We have a lead project manager but also work with other managers and staff interchangeably depending on the current needs of the project.

How did you come to work with Planet Web Solutions Pvt. Ltd.?

We weren’t overly pleased with our previous provider and decided to find a vendor better suited for our needs. We were apart of an accelerator program and heard good things about Planet Web. We also worked with a previous client of theirs who recommended them. We began to heavily consider them and checked a few more references. Everything came back positive, so we decided to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re on pace to spend $25,000–$27,000 for the total project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

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

Planet Web resolved the bugs left by our previous provider and stabilized the app. That was a big success because we were starting to get negative reviews due to the app’s prior iteration frequently crashing. More recently, we’ve been able to implement some of the new features they’ve built and have received positive feedback so far. As a result, we’re confident in the success of their future developments.

How did Planet Web Solutions Pvt. Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

They use Zoho, but we speak with the project manager at least twice daily to get progress updates. They’re located in India, so our calls take place at 6 a.m. EST and then again around 10 a.m. EST. It’s been a smooth process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve worked with other firms for mobile app development and Planet Web is among the best. Their project management skills and technical expertise are remarkable. Other companies we’ve worked with required us to direct them through every step of the process and be the driving force of the project. Planet Web comes to us with new ideas that benefit the product in ways we’ve never considered. They’re collaboration and ability contribute to the process has been phenomenal.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re ecstatic with the work they’ve done so far. They’ve completed tasks in a few days that other companies described as not feasible.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We initially engaged them with a fixed fee model, but later switched to a committed resource model. This worked better for us because the committed resource model is cheaper and enabled the same developer to work on our system for over two months. This familiarity allowed the developer to provide solutions to problems we weren’t previously aware existed in the system. Therefore, I’d suggest new clients work with the project manager to figure it out which pricing model is best suited for their project.