Polcode

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a telecom services provider as a senior UI designer and developer for our enterprise SaaS portal.  

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

We were trying to rapidly develop our SaaS platform with new features and capabilities. We have a very small, inexperienced team in-house, so we were looking to Polcode to add development capabilities and speed.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Starting with the technology first, our website and platform runs on PHP Laravel, so we were looking for Laravel developers. Our assigned developer from Polcode works in an off-shore model, creating prototypes and concepts for us, but also coming behind the curtain and helping with code review and improvement, including with speed performance and the UX.

Pretty much everything we’ve done has been from scratch, but we did use a Bootstrap template as the base of the frontend. We’ve customized it heavily, however, and now, three years later, it’s no longer representative of the template.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with 2–3 account managers, not including our one developer. We’re looking to add another developer currently. We’ve also interacted with a server expert who’s helped with the configuration of and troubleshooting on our web server.  

How did you come to work with Polcode?

We reached out to them through UpWork, and I met with one of their managers. They found a Laravel developer that seemed like a good match. They are also strong in HTML and JavaScript, which our site also use.

There was a very short onboarding process. The developer understood our project quickly and was able to install our project in their environment very quickly, contributing within a few days of us engaging them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $90,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since April 2020.

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

Their work has been great, with a lot of it serving as templates for our developers to implement similar features with. We’ve been very happy with Polcode and our assigned developer.

I’m not privy to how much we’re making through the portal as a business, but I know we’ve obtained many more customers since Polcode came onboard. We’re very pleased with their work and are as satisfied as we could be. The portal wouldn’t be as feature rich and capable if we’d done it without Polcode.

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s very easy to communicate with them. We speak through Trello and instant messaging, and GitHub acts as our code repository.

They’re very responsive. I can talk directly to the developer whenever I want, and they work later hours being over in Europe. They’ve adjusted to my schedule nicely.

We don’t have very strict timelines, and I know things are being done as fast as they can be. I’m happy with the turnaround.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The competency and expertise of their developers stands out. Their people are very qualified and knowledgeable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. I don’t have any suggestions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very specific in who you’re looking for and what skills you want them to have. After that, give them as much work as possible.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of startup. We have created a marketplace for healthcare jobs.

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

I needed somebody with programming or coding ability to set up a website with a simple, straightforward, and intuitive interface.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Polcode developed our website using Laravel. While most of the content comes from our end, they’ve been extremely helpful at filling in the gaps.

What is the team composition?

I work with two people, including a programmer. Joanna (IT Business Manager) helps streamline the communication between the programmer and someone like myself, who has the vision, but not necessarily the language. She does an excellent job.

How did you come to work with Polcode?

I’d looked into taking on another endeavor. It wasn’t financially ready at the time, but I put my feelers out on Upworthy. Multiple people replied, including Polcode. Their approach made me feel comfortable: they were transparent as to what the cost might be, and they only provided estimatations after thoroughly looking into what I was hoping to achieve. They were also very timely in getting back to me.

When I began working on this project, I initially went with another firm. We agreed upon a contract, and they worked as hard as they could to deliver. However, I wasn’t fully satisfied, especially with the communication. I remembered how effective Polcode was at communicating, so I circled back to them.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent about $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

While we’ve been formally working together for 5–6 months, we’ve had a relationship for over a year. They took over this project in June 2020, and it’s ongoing. We will hopefully wrap up within the next two months. They’ve looked at taking on other projects for me as well.

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

Because we haven’t launched yet, I don’t have any user feedback. However, whenever we’ve met to discuss expectations and next steps, they’ve met if not beaten the timeline 100% of the time. They also give me timely feedback.

Working with the previous provider was a challenge, whereas Polcode is committed to being timely. 

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

Polcode has been very transparent about expected resources and time allocation. They manage the project very well. They understand my limitations; I’m not a programmer, so I don’t speak their language. However, they always speak in a language I can understand when discussing tasks. They let me know how many hours the task will take and what date they can deliver by. Then, they deliver and bill me.

They communicate throughout the process. I let them know what I’m envisioning, and we have a conversation about what’s feasible and what’s not. They not only let me know what to expect from the deliverable but also communicate once they’ve completed something. Then, they give me time to look at what they’ve done to make sure it’s to my satisfaction.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their transparency is impressive. I made my budget limitations clear, and I think there have been times when they could have tried to charge me more to optimize a deliverable. Instead, they make it very clear what the cost will be, and they give me time to think about whether or not I’ll have those resources. Then, we move forward. 

The transparency has been huge because I’ve never felt that I’m not in control of my spending. At the same time, the quality of the work that they put in and the quality of the product that I get back haven’t been compromised. Although they’re not being paid to collaborate, they lend their expertise where they can. That’s part of what makes me really happy to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My lack of experience makes this difficult to answer.

Any advice for potential customers?

Take advantage of their willingness to discuss in the plainest terms possible what you’re hoping to achieve. They’ve demonstrated to me that they have the capacity to bring your vision to life, whether or not you have programming expertise. Having worked with the previous provider and Polcode, I’ve learned that the clearer I am with my vision and expectations, the more precisely and quicker they deliver. I’ve found myself spending more than I would like to when I don’t accurately communicate my vision. 

I strongly recommend working with Polcode. Be upfront with them regarding your budget or time constraints. They’re very flexible in finding a way to work with you, such as by providing a more affordable programmer with less experience, which won’t necessarily compromise the quality of the work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is Trinsey Apps and we create sports applications for volleyball coaches in order to help them track statistics and coach better.

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

We wanted a development partner to handle simple coding and execution of our app. I was part of the Olympic volleyball coaching staff in 2016, but I didn’t have the technical skill to develop the tools that I knew coaches needed.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed and built two apps for us, both of which help coaches to keep track of statistics in a way that doesn’t require being a trained statistician or a really experienced coach. Originally, we developed just for iOS, but our second app is cross-platform as well.

Since then, we’ve expanded quite a bit to include a web platform that hosts a community where people can post videos or questions and interact with one another around a variety of volleyball related topics and content.

What is the team composition?

Joanna (Project Manager, Polcode) is the main person that I interface with but there are about four other members of their team working behind the scenes. Joanna coordinates with the designers and developers who have the specific skills that we need for whatever we’re working on at the time.

How did you come to work with Polcode?

I posted my project on UpWork and they submitted a good proposal, so I started working with them from there. Things went well so we expanded our involvement over time.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of the project overall has been around $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017 and are continuing to develop a variety of apps and functionalities.

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

The main result I care about is the fact that we were able to smoothly develop the product and launch it, and that it has been selling since then. Users really like the product, and while we’ve obviously had to patch things, we haven’t run into any major problems with bugs, so it’s been pretty successful overall.

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management skills are very impressive. We originally communicated through Upwork but have set up a teamwork platform that we now use to keep track of developments and make sure everyone is on the same page, which works very well for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think they are really strong communicators, which is incredibly important when you are outsourcing a project. If you’re in a different time zone, or even in a different office from a part of your team, communication is really critical, but they are always responsive and comprehensive in their messages to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of the challenges of being a small team is that you may not have the developer you need right away, which can cause things to take a little bit longer. However, that’s just a side effect of how their business model works, which has its own advantages as well, so I’m not sure it’s something they really need to fix.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just be clear about what you want. If I set out precise parameters of the task I’m asking them to do, then it is done very well, but if I’m vague, then there tend to be several rounds of back and forth that maybe could have been avoided.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner for workITaround, an IT company for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

We needed someone to develop a data management system for our customers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Handling design and development, Polcode created the data management system according to our business requirements. We let them choose the technology because it didn’t matter to us. The technology just needed to be secure and easy to use. Their team created screen mockups and core data-collection features.

What is the team composition?

We were in contact with an account manager.

How did you come to work with Polcode?

We contacted a few Polish companies and conducted trial projects with each one. Polcode was the easiest to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested €50,000 (approximatively $54,400 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2017, and the work is ongoing. Currently, we’re working on six projects together.

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

We’re pretty happy with the results we receive from them.

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

We use email and Trello to correspond. Their team always delivers within acceptable ranges. The account manager tries her best to keep everybody happy.

We handle project management on our end by collecting business requirements and making plans. The process is very clear. First, my team goes to a customer and collects business requirements. Then, I transcribe the requirements and put them on a Trello board. Next, Polcode gives us an estimation and plan as to when they’ll be finished with developing our requested functionality.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re very happy with Polcode — that’s why we’ve stayed with them all these years. They’re flexible and always try to do their best. Processes are not always easy because of missing resources, but Polcode does their best for us and that’s good enough.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When we miss or forget to answer something, they don’t send a reminder. I’ve found that they’ll just leave it alone. When it comes up again, I check and find out that they asked questions a week or two ago without sending a reminder that it was urgent.

This doesn’t happen all the time. For some projects, the account manager notifies me of urgent tasks. It’s not really negative because my team should follow up more.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I advise them to visit Polcode in-person, this helped us a lot. Make sure to have a good understanding of your account manager.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a company that provides data market intelligence analytics to law firms and legal recruiters.

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

We originally reached out to Polcode to update our website. They’re a PHP shop that came highly recommended.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Polcode is our partner of choice for anything tech related. Whenever we need work done for our site, we approach them to implement our ideas. They offer both backend and frontend development. While they specialize in PHP specialist, they provide us with many more services.  

They set up reporting and analytics capabilities for us that pull information to present on the site in various visual formats like graphs and PDFs. They participate in complex projects that demand coding expertise and a thorough understanding of the underlying data.

What is the team composition?

We interact with a project manager and a lead developer from their team on a regular basis. A total of three developers from Polcode work for us on almost a full-time basis.

How did you come to work with Polcode?

A different development company we used for Salesforce recommended them when we ran into difficulties with a previous PHP provider. Based on our previous experience together, we liked their work and contacted them for our most recent engagement.

How much have you invested with them?

Our expenditure falls within the $50,000–$200,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked together since 2016, and our collaboration is ongoing.

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

We don’t have any metrics or statistics to demonstrate the success of the engagement. Qualitatively, our customer feedback has been very positive. People love the updates Polcode implemented. We’re very impressed with the ownership the team takes in our projects.

No other developer we’ve worked with has returned results as quickly as Polcode, who often completes our requests within half an hour. They’re highly efficient and add a lot of value. We never feel like they overbill us.

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

They run project management very well. We take a two-pronged approach and have a close relationship with both their project manager and lead developer. We can approach either one, depending on the need.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve worked with several vendors, and none have ever been as efficient or as dedicated as Polcode. They launch separate pieces of development on our site for us to assess one at a time. If anything needs to be changed, they quickly jump in to tweak it. The team's greatest strength is their diverse skillset. After we spent thousands of dollars on an AI project with another company, Polcode came up with a better alternative almost immediately at a much more competitive price. If a project is within their wheelhouse, they will be more efficient and cost-effective than any other company. We’ve learned to approach them first.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any improvements to suggest. We’re very pleased with their work. The only thing they could do to help us more would be to extend their working hours.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Polcode offers expertise in a variety of programming languages including PHP and Symfony. I would definitely recommend them to future clients. We feel very lucky we found Polcode, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without their help.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT director at Peter Christian, a UK-based menswear company. We target consumers over 50 years old.

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

We needed a team to develop our Magento 1 site. We weren’t pleased with our UK-based developer, so we decided to find a new agency.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a third-party create the designs, and Polcode developed the Magento 1 website based on those. They’ve helped us add new features to the site, including implementing payment functionalities. Their team integrated the platform with our back office, and are providing ongoing, daily support for other challenges. We’re planning to use their services when we upgrade to a Magento 2 platform in the future.

What is the team composition?

At the moment, their team provides a project manager and two developers.

How did you come to work with Polcode?

When we decided to hire a different agency for the project, we searched for European companies with Magento experience and discovered Polcode.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent in the $10,000–$50,000 range. When we move forward with the Magento 2 development, the price will be higher.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in May 2017, and we’re still working together.

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

We don’t have specific results, but we’re thrilled with the platform’s stability and the work Polcode continues to do for us. Because of their development support, we can strengthen and add new features to our site.

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly calls for progress updates, and they quickly respond to any of our problems. They’ve implemented a ticketing system for managing the project, so we can add requests and make updates with their developers efficiently. Additionally, I’m confident they’ll handle the Magento 2 development well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s hard to find strong Magento developers as a smaller company, so Polcode’s skill set has been valuable to us. Also, we were worried about a possible language barrier, but their English is excellent. Their team is quick to solve any issues we express— they’ve been a reliable partner.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s worth engaging with their team as much as possible. They’re friendly and strong communicators, so having regular contact with them will make for a smoother process.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a consumer brand that sells a premium range of teas, teabags, and tea ware to hotels, distributors, and high-end restaurants. We offer online sales for direct-to-consumer purchases.

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

We had a previous development agency in place that went into liquidation. We needed a new agency to support work on the two platforms we use.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They support the work we do in WordPress and Magento. They mostly fulfill ad hoc requirements and initially helped complete some small projects left over from the previous company. They also support the website, add new features, and make bug fixes or general improvements.

At the beginning of 2018, we had a very specific new requirement to develop a trade portal for our B2B sales. We needed a way for our business customers to place larger orders on a different version of the website. We contracted Polcode to help with that project in addition to their ad hoc duties.

What is the team composition?

Normally, we work with a team of three. We have a client account service manager and two developers. A senior developer is in charge of one platform and a mid-level developer is responsible for the other. When we ran the trade portal, we also had a project manager and low-level developer to help with that project.

How did you come to work with Polcode?

We started looking for new agencies and knew about Polcode from a previous business I worked with. I knew the quality of their work and liked their turnaround times. I reached out to them and asked if they would take on our account.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around £30,000 (approximately $39,500 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August or September 2017. We normally engage them on an ad hoc basis and are allotted a set number of hours each month for small projects. We take on larger projects on a separate contract basis. Our ad hoc relationship is ongoing.

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

Because of the nature of their work, we don’t have any easily attributable results from their ad hoc work. The trade portal has reduced the personnel hours spent processing big orders, so they’ve contributed to projects that have a positive impact on the company.

They don’t have a particularly proactive role with us, most of their work comes from specific requests we make for bug fixes and small improvements. They have helped us with longstanding issues we’ve had with our checkout system and improved our customer service journey. They’re very diligent with completing our requests, but we have a different sort of relationship with them than they may have with more active accounts.

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve employed them in two different ways. On an ad hoc basis, we only have a small number of hours allotted to us each month, which can be difficult to plan for. Our need of them isn’t always consistent, so we sometimes have to chase them and make sure they deliver the features and fixes we need in a given month.

For the trade portal project, we had a regular project manager who worked very well with us and kept us updated. We had regularly scheduled calls and were very proactive. It was a much more comfortable way of working together and we had a much better time with that project. We use email occasionally but mostly interact through Trello and Skype. We also have a standard bug management system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical knowledge and understanding of the platforms allow them to find solutions quickly. We certainly reap benefits from working with a senior developer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes our core intent gets lost in translation, but we usually get our point across. They understand most of our needs very quickly and are very technically aware. They provide effective in-depth support and we have an atypical client-agency relationship that works well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with hiring any agency, do your homework and make sure your scope and briefing documents are clearly defined. If you lay everything out, you are more likely to get the results you want.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a Director and Co-founder at Cloud Canyon Media. We’re a startup creating a lottery syndicate platform. The platform buys real tickets for various lotteries around the world and splits those tickets up into syndicates for individual users to pick a mix of different lotteries. Users get the benefits of playing in a syndicate, which are pooled entries that give you much greater chances of winning the prize.

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

We were a startup with nothing more than a business idea. As co-founders with marketing backgrounds, we didn’t have technical expertise. We needed someone to take on the technology side for us—to develop the business idea into a fully-functional brief and then build the platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Polcode developed the brief and built our platform from scratch. The main the main task was web development which they did everything to get a fully customized site, including wireframes, UX, and web design.

The platform is built on Symphony per their recommendation. It features a number of API integrations including an automatic lottery ticket purchasing system and a syndicate management system that automatically allocates customers into different syndicates. There’s also a third-party payment system to process recurring billing transactions.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and three different developers, including a primary developer who was with us for the duration of the project. They provided additional developers as and when we needed them.

How did you come to work with Polcode?

I’d worked very briefly with them in a previous role. At that time, I found them on Upwork. I’d had a very good experience with them and knew that they had good developers on staff. I invited them to pitch for the new project.

They stood out compared to other firms by helping us to flesh out our idea into a brief. They eventually ended up telling us exactly what we needed and how it should work, which was fantastic.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from about February 2017 to February 2018.

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

Polcode’s brief was to create a minimum viable product, which they did successfully. We continue to build it out to improve it. We currently have over 6,000 registered customers. We're also close to securing investment.

The quality of the code is fantastic. I’ve worked for large corporations in previous roles where we were using off-the-shelf software from well-established companies charging millions of dollars in licensing fees. What Polcode built for us is better than that.

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through Skype. We use Github as well as Redmine for project management.

They managed things efficiently. They were always able to tell us the exact timescales and potential bottlenecks that we would face.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of expertise. Their ability to transform an idea into a brief into a finished product was great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In terms of development, they're fantastic. They don't claim to be a design agency or particularly offer design services. They did supply designer but I don't think they have enough design resources.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have a good discussion with your account or project manager beforehand to set expectations and understand the skill sets of the people who will be working with you.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of client services for a digital marketing agency. We offer online promotions, brand sites, apps, and other services in the digital space.

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

We needed support with WordPress, Magento, PHP platforms, and a specific Salesforce integration. Our ideal long-term consulting and development partner would take initiative and stand by their work product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re currently working on 2-3 projects together. Polcode completed all of the development, QA, and testing for our WordPress sites. A Salesforce integration lets our customers interact with the internal digital sales management software. They also developed our Magento project.

What is the team composition?

Polcode assigned us one developer along with a main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Polcode?

Polcode’s great results and feedback on Upwork caught our attention. We reached out to set up an interview. After meeting the team, they seemed like a fantastic partner.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working since September 2017.

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

Polcode delivers on their promises, offers great suggestions, and always comes in on the mark. The team is fantastic and extremely professional. They’re clear, concise, and communicative; I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone. The Magento project is still pending because our client opted to put it on hold. We worked on that site with a brand-new build, so there’s no previous data for comparison.

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

Polcode uses a Redmine tool and managed the process effectively. If a task is taking too long, they’re quick to let us know. Joanna (Senior HR & IT Recruitment Specialist, Polcode) is great at her job. Our initial WordPress developer left the company, and she promptly found a replacement and had me vet the potential new hire. After being brought up to speed, the new placement has been just as good as the original resource.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Polcode’s commitment to their projects and attention to detail is a unique attribute that’s hard to find in the development community. Our business model involves more external developers rather than internal resources. We’ve had a lot of experience vetting companies, and Polcode stands out from the crowd. Keeping their promises, they deliver on time and within the estimated budget. There’s very little drama, and they’re great all around.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any suggestions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be frank and honest with them. If you have a strict budget limit, let them know. Giving them as much detail as you will help them accurately estimate the timeline and scope.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the partner and president of a digital agency.

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

We specialize in the .Net platform. Our technical team needed additional help with PHP and Laravel.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve done multiple server migrations. One project was in Laravel and another was in Opencart, which is PHP-based. In addition, they’ve improved sites’ e-commerce features, extensions, and marketing capabilities. Although this is an ongoing collaboration, we’ve had emergency support scenarios in which Polcode triaged services. In these instances, the team resolved functionality issues from previous vendors’ work.

What is the team composition?

Their team has about four people.

How did you come to work with Polcode?

We looked for an international vendor with more affordable costs. The agency needed to know open- source platforms, PHP specifically. We found them via an online search; they looked like a quality company.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in April 2017 and is ongoing.

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

Their work is exceptional; there are no defects. The team finds deficiencies quickly in projects where they weren’t the original developer.

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

Although their remote location limits real-time communication, they use several platforms to keep the partnership effective. One team member worked over the holidays after his wife gave birth; the team provides exceptional service, but he particularly exceeded our expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their service offerings create value. The team is proficient at many skills; they also speak English well. They’ve made the process very smooth and cost-effective.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not based on my interaction. The relationship has been fantastic.