Quantum Mob

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president and CEO of a test preparation company that focuses on the medical college admissions test. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Quantum Mob?

We were trying to develop an educational software product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought on Quantum Mob to develop our software product. Within the first few weeks, we were assigned a designer who worked in Miro. We had several design meetings with their team. Their team developed some of the product's backend in Node.js and React. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with about five teammates from Quantum Mob, including several designers and a backend developer. 

How did you come to work with Quantum Mob?

I found Quantum Mob on Clutch after working with other companies on this project, 

How much have you invested with them?

I put down a $60,000 deposit with Quantum Mob before they started the job, then I spent an additional $40,000 with Quantum Mob. 

What is the status of this engagement?

My engagement with Quantum Mob was from December 2020–January 2021. 

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

The partnership with Quantum Mob started well — we were discussing a long-term working relationship. However, it was soon clear that the designer they gave us couldn't handle our task. After I reached out to their CEO about the problem, they suggested letting the teammate continue on the project. They were inflexible. It was clear that the designer didn't understand UX/UI or the processes — he was in over his head. 

Once our partnership came to a close, Quantum Mob delivered part of the backend, but another developer looked at it and said it was useless. They also delivered part of the design on a Miro board. The Quantum Mob did return a portion of my deposit. 

How did Quantum Mob address the challenges that arose?

At the beginning of the project, I'd made it clear that my work involved a lot of risque, cutting-edge comedy related to science. They claimed to be comfortable with the material, and we moved forward with the project. During one meeting, I made a joke to my wife that we all laughed at. We went on working, but two weeks later, the CEO said he needed to talk to me. I thought we would talk about the issue with the designer because we'd been working together for a month and I had nothing to show for it. 

Instead, he informed me that my joke had offended one of their teammates. I wanted to apologize, but they didn't tell me who I'd offended; they only asked that the incident not be repeated. I was stunned. I was planning on spending over $1 million on this project, and they were trying to tell me not to joke with my wife. 

After sitting on that information for several days, I asked the CEO to remove the complainant from the team because I suspected it was the designer who was unable to deliver. However, the CEO then told me no one had actually been offended, but the joke might have offended someone in the future. They then told me they weren't removing the designer and I needed to change my attitude. Obviously, we couldn't work together — we needed to make a humorous, efficient product and their team put a damper on the humor. I felt stifled.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on my business. I went from doing live classes in 25 states to none. So, what I wanted to do was create an online product. However, the project with Quantum Mob didn't pan out, and I lost $40,000 on this project with Quantum Mob. 

How was project management handled?

Quantum Mob managed the project poorly. They assigned a teammate to the project who was unable to do the job and was unwilling to address the issue. Then, they turned the tables and attacked me. I don't think they would've done the same if I hadn't put the deposit down — I think they were counting on me not walking away from that money. 

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

Quantum Mob's teammates have great personalities — we were having a lot of fun together until that one meeting where I joked with my wife. I can't speak to their coding because they didn't do it. 

In what specific areas can they improve?

First, Quantum Mob should learn how to compensate when something is going wrong. They need to react better to problems. Secondly, they handled their reaction to my joke very poorly and made me realize I couldn't work with them.  

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

It is tough to give any advice because I feel like I explained my project well before starting the project. I gave Quantum Mob some examples of my other products, made them listen to my materials, and then explained that some people might find the material offensive. However, the relationship still turned sour. I'm not sure how I could've avoided this situation with Quantum Mob. ​

Overall, I'd suggest customers take a scrum course and learn how to be a product owner. It's important to interview each company carefully, and customers should ask for vendor recommendations. Also, it's not necessary to give large project deposits. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CIO of a healthcare solutions company that mainly deals with oncology and hepatology patients. We also work with insurance providers to give 360-degree services to patient groups on behalf of large pharmaceutical companies. Our customer base on the provider side comprises clinics, hospitals, doctors, patient support programs, pharmaceutical companies, and actual patients.

What challenge were you trying to address with Quantum Mob?
We were working with a new client and Quantum Mob helped us with product design and product strategy.

What was the scope of their involvement?
We started with a number of sessions where we brought in several stakeholders — including our CTO — to discuss how our new product could best change the business process of our client. We also looked into aligning and integrating this new product into our multiple existing systems. 
With their specialization in Figma, Quantum Mob did rapid design work to help our busy team meet the deadline. The end product was comprehensive documentation and high-fidelity mockups, which we then used.
What is the team composition?
We worked with a total of 4–5 people. There was a facilitator, a project manager, and several designers.
How did you come to work with Quantum Mob?
We cold-searched for onshore companies since we needed to work in person with the team. There is only so much we can do remotely, and seeing as we needed rapid design work, we wanted to hire someone local. Based on that criteria, we decided to work with Quantum Mob. We also liked the tools they used, the way they shared their processes, and how their approach aligned with our business needs. 
What is the status of this engagement?
It was a month-long initiative. We worked with them from October–November 2021.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
On the strategy side, Quantum Mob was able to help us solidify our business requirements. They facilitated discussions with the business folks quite well. On the design side, They were able to meet the functional requirements. We were able to go into production at the beginning of the year with a great deal of confidence. The final product itself received good feedback from businesses about how it successfully met their needs. 
How did Quantum Mob perform from a project management standpoint?
The project management was excellent. Communications were great, and the follow-up on stakeholders was very effective despite most of it being done remotely. Quantum Mob had very capable practitioners on both the strategy and design sides, and they were all able to adjust to the process to meet our deadlines. 
What did you find most impressive about them?
What really stood out to me was their all-around competency and focus. Though we focused more on design in this project, I believe we can use them again for any development or staff augmentation needs in the future.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I don’t think there’s anything they could’ve done differently. We had to work remotely because of the circumstances, so that was not on them. We put them under a lot of pressure, but they did quite well. They were client-focused, making it feel more like a partnership rather than a client-vendor relationship. 
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
It depends on the nature of the project, but it is critical to identify who will facilitate the first session as this will leave a lasting impression on the businesspeople and senior members of your organization. Quantum Mob has impeccable facilitation and communication skills, and they also have other folks who can do highly technical work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a community manager at Club Quarantine, a virtual dance party and community platform. Each week, we host an event on Zoom featuring deejays, dancers, and performers. We also have a platform where we share information about things that are pertinent to communities. In my position, I do a lot of administrative and marketing work.

What challenge were you trying to address with Quantum Mob?

We wanted a way for people to access and get an overview of what we do in one, singular, easy to navigate experience.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their primary deliverable was to code and build a website we had designed by an outside designer. We wanted something that would be both easy to find information on and that would be visually appealing and include animations. 

We also wanted to be able to easily update our content on the backend on our own. We’re using Webflow.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with the developers. First, we connected with the CEO, who helped us find the right people for our project, and then we started working with the head developer as well as someone who’s assissting him.

How did you come to work with Quantum Mob?

Quantum Mob is a local business based in Toronto, and we’d seen a lot of cool work they’ve done with companies just starting out in our community, so it seemed like a good fit. They were originally recommended to us by a friend who knew of them. Once we started talking to them, it seemed like they could do what we wanted.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since November 2020. A good amount of the project is completed; we’re just tying up some loose ends.

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

The website definitely captured the tone we wanted — something that was active and in motion. Quantum Mob was able to achieve that without it being heavy-handed over overwhelming. It’s easy to use and very interactive. They did a good job of taking our ideas and designs and bringing them to life.

How did Quantum Mob perform from a project management standpoint?

They did pretty well. Quantum Mob stayed in constant communication throughout the process. We’ve had a few live meetings where we follow up and discuss what we’ve done and what our next steps are. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Quantum Mob makes us feel like anything is possible. They make it really easy for us to ask questions, and they encourage us to explore everything, even when we feel there could be barriers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they could do better. It’s been a really positive experience so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come with a very clear idea of what you want to execute. Quantum Mob is good at looking at the whole picture and figuring out what can and can’t be done.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior product manager of the rewards domain at LoyaltyOne, and I work specifically on the AIR MILES reward program.

What challenge were you trying to address with Quantum Mob?

I joined the organization in March 2019, and at the time, LoyaltyOne was already working with Quantum Mob. We are a marketing-based company and we’re not digital development experts, so we brought the team on because we needed to stand up a new merchandise rewards experience digitally.

We needed a new website because our old one was stale and subpar. We needed a frontend digital experience delivered in a tight timeline. Since then, when we’ve had similar initiatives, they are the ones we’ve brought on. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have our own in-house UX design team, so they came up with a general look and feel and brand guidelines. Quantum Mob’s developers then built out our vision while providing consulting throughout the process.

Because of the success of the first website, we continued working with them for multiple projects thereafter. They worked primarily with Node.js and React.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two teams of three individuals. At the peak, we worked with six frontend developers.

How did you come to work with Quantum Mob?

Our organization put out an RFP and the team won the contract. We also deal with another company for our backend platform who recommended Quantum Mob. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The initial project lasted from August–December 2019. We also worked with them throughout the course of 2019. For the rewards program specifically, our agreement was completed in January 2020.

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

Quantum Mob did a great job of delivering the product, and they were a great partner in terms of bringing our visions to life while working with an aggressive timeline. We were able to complete our corporate targets within the timeline we wanted, which was a success. 

Additionally, we’ve seen growth year-over-year (YoY) which means that the new websites are working, depending on the redemption channel. Collectors are happy, and we’ve received positive feedback.

How did Quantum Mob perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a great partnership because we had full-time resources. It felt like they were an extension of our team. Because it was a longterm project, it also felt like they were coworkers. Quantum Mob attended all of our internal rituals, and they spent time on site for multiple days a week. 

We had planning and project sessions and demos, and the team always attended those. They also kept us up to date from a development perspective. If something wasn’t going to meet the timeline, the team was very transparent and adjusted the schedule as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Quantum Mob was very flexible and willing to be an extension of our team. They embedded themselves into our ecosystem, which isn’t always the case with other companies. Additionally, their developers are highly skilled in a frontend capacity.

The team was able to grasp anything we wanted to bring to the market while providing a consultative approach when needed. Another impressive aspect was their speed. They helped us to deliver against our timeline and budget constraints 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It was a great experience as far as working with a third-party entity. If anything, an opportunity for enhancement would be continuously serving as a consultant.

As a contractor, you have to make sure that your client is happy, but if the client is doing something that isn’t correct, you have to steer them in the right direction and be honest from a technical standpoint. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be true to your objective. Quantum Mob is a team of highly skilled developers who are willing to roll their sleeves up and get work done. If you don’t have a roadmap of what you need to develop, the partnership may not work well. 

The developers may lose interest if they’re not being challenged or if they don’t have good quality products to work with. 

Before you engage them, make sure you have a well-defined roadmap, because they’re excellent at bringing that vision to life and taking action against it. Additionally, make sure you’re transparent throughout the entire journey.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an app developer at an Integrated Marketing Communications company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Quantum Mob?

We were rebuilding our client web portal from scratch and needed a long-term contractor partner who could help us oversee this project from development to ongoing maintenance.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Quantum Mob was provided data models, mock-ups, and blueprints of how I wanted to rebuild the system. They helped update the database schema, created a front-end with React, and a server with Node.js. We also had integrations with various third-party API’s. They helped us considerably by building in responsive design for mobile, which we hadn’t initially talked about. They also handled all of the DevOps setup for AWS.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with their developers on this project and ownership.

How did you come to work with Quantum Mob?

I saw a review for them on Clutch and reached out to the owner. Quantum Mob got back to me quickly, and we met to discuss the project. I also contacted one of the reviewers to get additional feedback because I had some reservations from a bad experience I had with a previous development agency on this project. I wanted to hear first hand from an existing customer—what it’s like working with Quantum Mob.

How much have you invested with them?

The total at this point is well over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in January 2018, launched the portal in July 2018, and continue to add new features and enhancements on a regular basis.

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

They’ve pulled through when we needed them and turned around good work. Our site performs well and they ensured that it would function at the scale we needed.

How did Quantum Mob perform from a project management standpoint?

We primarily use Slack to communicate, I had to oversee a lot of the process. They’re growing quickly and are in high demand, so be ready to work closely with them to keep things moving. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their owner, who’s is also a developer, is really engaged and passionate about the work. He’s talented and answers questions thoroughly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would have liked detailed time logs since it adds a level of transparency. We worked a bit to get the reports to a place where I liked them to be.​

​​​​​​Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront about your expectations and ask detailed questions. Also, be aware that you’ll have to keep your developers on full-time if you want to maintain consistency in who’s overseeing your project. This was tough for me to accept, but as this project grows, I’m am seeing the value in have a consistent developer at my disposal, in addition to having the rest of the team to jump in when needed. So, you pay for a body, but you really have the entire company at arm's reach when things come up.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the digital project manager at NewAge Products, which is an e-commerce business specializing in high-end cabinetry. I am responsible for the implementation of new features on our websites as well as integrations with other software. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Quantum Mob?

We needed assistance with web development and cross-platform integration, as we currently do not have any in-house developers. We were looking for a team with experience in providing web solutions and offering knowledge in UX design.

What were your goals for this project?

Our website needed to be rebuilt from the ground-up, including custom field-editing for all elements throughout the website. We also wanted to clean up the code and integrate Shopify APIs with applied HTML/CSS/PHP.

How did you select this vendor?

Originally, we conducted an RFP process with nine digital agencies that we selected via referral. We liked Quantum Mob's ability to understand the project’s scope and willingness to provide solutions to any gaps that were discovered during the refining of requirements. Our negotiating process involved NewAge business owners and the leads at Quantum Mob.

Describe the project in detail.

Quantum Mob primarily worked on the website’s frontend and backend, providing development and testing while sharing their expertise in UX design.

Initially, we went through a discovery phase to clarify the scope of work. We had prepared designs and mockups in collaboration with Quantum Mob. They offered ideas to support different website features and improve performance.

Quantum Mob wasn’t responsible for providing UI-related direction, but they offered ideas anyway. This helped us understand the role of our in-house creative team in relation to the new features. Their feedback gave us insight into how to keep our website current and fast.

What was the team composition?

From our company, the team included me, our creative team, the business owner, and our marketing team. Quantum Mob provided a tech lead, a project manager, developers, and a UX consultant.

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

The impact of Quantum Mob’s work lies in measuring conversion rates. The efficient page loads, new designs, and improved user flow increased conversions from 3% to 4%. This increase was sustained on a weekly basis and is continuing to grow. The new designs have reduced bounce rates throughout the site and provided easier calls to action.

We have also been able to conserve resources due to the streamlined communication between content teams and vendors when updating content. Now, we have custom fields that manage all content. SEO improved throughout the site due to restructured pages and improved image tagging.

We never thought we’d get such great results so quickly. Quantum Mob definitely exceeded our expectations.

How effective was the project management?

We collaborated constantly through daily standups and weekly status reports. Quantum Mob utilized Jira to provide full visibility as the project progressed. This helped ensure that our business aligned with the project’s scope and priorities.

Quantum Mob was available on multiple channels, including Slack, Skype, email, phone, and Jira. We raised any concerns throughout the project, and Quantum Mob discussed contingency plans for any potential risks that could impact the site’s implementation.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They adapt completely to any process, environment, or technology. Their unfamiliarity with the Shopify platform did not impair their ability to suggest effective integrations with data from our site.

Quantum Mob’s cross-functional team prioritizes consistent communication with clients. Whenever I had a concern, they were always available to walk me through the issue and provide a solution. Of course, our company provided strict processes to ensure we stuck to our plan.

Quantum Mob stood out to me because of their emphasis on end-user interactions, which should be the driving factor for all software implementations. They fully understand the reach of each new product or feature and are able to communicate this perspective accurately to clients. Whenever I had doubts about any insights provided by Quantum Mob, they always provided relevant data to support their position. In the end, everything worked out well.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

They could improve their resource flexibility. They have a strong in-house team and are growing rapidly, so they are constantly looking for more people. However, if I wanted to increase the velocity of a sprint, I’d appreciate having enough available resources to expedite development. Quantum Mob is seeking to address this issue. If we’d had more resources, we may have been able to complete the project more quickly. However, based on our deadlines, their timelines still met our constraints.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

BrokerBay provides operational software for real estate brokers. The company’s two major components include a marketplace that resembles an MLS [multiple listing service], and the operational efficiencies of an actual brokerage. We’ve been in business for about 18 months. I’m the co-founder and CTO.

What challenge were you trying to address with Quantum Mob?

We have been growing within a very specific market niche, but lacked the appropriate development resources. Hiring a full-time development team was extremely difficult, so we wanted to work with an outside agency.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We give them a variety of tasks, from small features and bug fixes within the product, to large stand-alone modules. We outline the necessary business requirements, wireframe them, and set our monthly budget caps. Then we take them the pieces and they determine what is feasible within our financial and timeline constraints.

We work a lot within an angular Mongo 1.4 Node.JS, specifically Sails.JS, for the majority of our systems and the frontend build. One of the bigger modules they work on operates like Google Hangouts or Facebook Messenger, but we’re able to integrate it directly into our platform and spin it as a stand-alone feature. They took the majority of the technical initiative after we provided our projected business direction for it.

What is the team dynamic?

We have a good rapport, so I speak with the developers directly. We work with one to three team members, depending on the engagement at hand, without any dedicated project manager.

How did you come to work with Quantum Mob?

I worked with Eric [Co-Founder & Head of Operations, Quantum Mob] and Erich [Co-Founder & Head of Technology, Quantum Mob] at my previous company. I knew we could trust them and the quality of their work, so we decided to give them a shot.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began to work together in August 2017. December is a slow month, so we will take a short break and reconvene early in 2018 to figure out our next steps.

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

We don’t have a fluid way of quantifying the features’ impact on our revenue, but we wouldn’t be as far as we are without their help. They were instrumental in our instant messaging feature. Brokers don’t usually implement functionality outside of slow times in the season, so releasing that feature made sure we’d have at least a month of revenue.

The quality of their work is great. They’re as concerned with our quality as we are, and they help us figure out best practices for a startup like ours. Some of their suggestions for frontend tools help us identify and eliminate bugs, and they help a lot with the actual client environment and setup.

How did Quantum Mob perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate frequently, and they check in every couple of days to clarify requirements. In our kickoff sections, we really broke the process down into understandable pieces, and they gave us great feedback for improvements. We mainly communicate via Slack or phone, and use email for things like invoices. Their office is near ours, so it’s easy to go meet with them in person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a small shop, but they really hustle effectively to deliver the product. They don’t take our company’s financial size into account, and really try to find the best solutions to help both our businesses. They do a great job and really put us forward.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Because they do their best to appease and prioritize all of their clients, they sometimes run out of time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Potential customers have two options. They can either bring a specific set of requirements to the project, or Quantum Mob can help brainstorm. Sometimes laying out a timeline is difficult, but if you can set a schedule, success and measurable milestones are almost guaranteed.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the managing partner at Temagami Systems, a company that provides software for utilities to enable their delivery of conservation programs in Ontario.

What challenge were you trying to address with Quantum Mob?

Our core development team was experiencing some challenges, so we were looking for a company with expertise in software development to work with our team on the user interface components of our system.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted our front-end software to integrate with our back-end software, with which we already support 35+ utilities. They have very good UI developers and data experts, who supported our efforts at various stages of the project – from the prototyping stage all the way to the launch. Our end product is a web app: it's primarily a web-based solution, but it has responsive components such as compatibility with a mobile device. There is also some offline compatibility.

We had to deal with a vast level of complexity – not only in the data, but in how the data is presented to customers in a simple way. We wanted our customers of any skill set to understand the data, and Quantum Mob helped us find a way to make this happen. They work in a rapid and agile way and got to the core of what we were trying to achieve right at the beginning.

What is the team dynamic? 

We worked with 5–6 people.

How did you come to work with them?

One of our developers recommended them. After we interviewed Quantum Mob, we saw that they had more experience than our core team, so we basically had Quantum Mob replace some of our core team and become a supportive entity within the development system. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent close to $160,000–$170,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in May 2017 and it's an ongoing collaboration.

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

We just launched the system for one of our utilities, so we're still waiting for feedback. In this case, we're competing against the government system, in which completing an application takes 20–25 minutes. In our system, an application takes on average 6 minutes. Our metrics will be measured by how many new customers we are able to acquire.

We're dealing with a very complex project, and they've been very responsive in terms of fixing the issues that have emerged. They work autonomously about 90% of the time, and we finish the final 10% together.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Slack as our main communication tool with all of our team. We also use GET system, which is our agile where we have our backlog and can see what everyone is working on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're a small group of very talented people who actually care about delivering. They're looking for our best interest in a significant way. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Before you engage with them, have a relatively good idea of what you want to do to be respectful of their time. They're high-quality individuals and very fair in their billing. Their time is too valuable to be wasted.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a Construction Project Management Consultancy

For what projects/services did your company hire Quantum Mob, and what were your goals?

We are currently rounding out the potential for a Construction Contract Management Solution that uses business intelligence in an automated management tool.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I reviewed a variety of vendors via internet search and Quantum Mob seemed a good fit.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Quantum Mob facilitated a project sprint to determine the feasibility of the desired software solution. These activities occurred over an intensive two week period and encompassed discovery, segment analysis, user mapping and design.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Primarily three individuals from Quantum Mob worked with me on a daily basis throughout the process. This team included a lot of hands-on participation of Eric, one of QM's founders.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The sprint sessions with Quantum Mob helped round out a number of technical point for this project. Additionally, these sessions forced a degree of discipline in the exploration of this project. The final key deliverable was a detailed Project Sprint Report.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The team was very hands on and our sessions ran between 5 - 8 hours per day. Given the Covid situation, all meetings were held via video chat utilizing tools such as Sketch.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I really appreciated the approach taken by Quantum Mob. Plans were laid out very clearly with direct goals in mind. The fact that one of the co-founders of the company took such an active interest in my little project really gave the project a greater sense of importance.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I'm very happy overall with the efforts made by Quantum Mob, and I don't really have any suggestions for improvement.