Ready4S

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a program and partner relations manager for Trace One. The company specializes in a product lifecycle management software run as a SaaS for white-label, fast-moving consumer goods. We have offices in Paris, the UK, Germany, and the US, as well as colleagues in South America.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

Our existing applications — what we call our core products — were 15 years old, and we started a program to completely redevelop them. It was a ground-up rebuild. One of the products in the portfolio was a new product, and we needed quite specific skills for that application, so we engaged Ready4S to supply additional developers to supplement our internal teams. Moving forward, we’ve engaged with them for additional resources and skillsets.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The application was written in PHP, which requires quite a specific skill set to develop with. A third party originally built the application, but we bought the intellectual property rights so we’re able to customize and extend it internally. Ready4S helped and continues to help us with that customization work. There’s a roadmap of work they’re helping to deliver. In addition to development, they provide us with testing and QA resources to validate that the application is fit for delivery.

Our SaaS solution is a web-based application hosted on the Google Cloud. We’re going to look to host all of our applications on mobile devices in the future — probably tablets rather than smartphones, as they’re fairly complicated.

What is the team composition?

Currently, they provide us with three senior PHP developers and one QA resource. They’ve recently extended their resources to include 2 React developers that work on the front- and backend of our .NET applications.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

I wasn’t involved in this decision, as they came on before I moved into my current role, but we continue using them because they are competitive in terms of price, and their support and skills are extremely good.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent just shy of €1,000,000 (approximately $1,200,000 USD) with them to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2019.

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

We track different measures of success, including velocity. This ensures that our partners deliver at the expected pace. The teams that Ready4S operates on have a set number of features or changes to deliver at the end of every two-week sprint. Capacity is expected to at least maintain constant, if not improve. Our longest-tenured team from Ready4S excels at continuous improvement.

We also track the quality of what our teams deliver We look on an application-by-application basis, and the support issue rates for the applications that Ready4S works on are very, very low. The quality of what they deliver is absolutely where it should be.

Because we operate as a SaaS provider, our retailers are our customers. Other than minor code quality issues, there haven’t been any problems from a customer perspective. Ready4S provides extremely competent developers. We’ve only had one delay and two serious incidents in two-and-a-half years, and that’s pretty good going.

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t use any third-party project management tools, as we manage their resources directly. Their output, workload, and everything is managed entirely by our internal product owners.

That said, I have a very good working relationship with Ready4S; we’re prepared to deal with any issues, should they arise. We have regular calls, and they notify us of any holidays, sick leaves, or delays. All our communication happens on Microsoft Teams. Because they’re fully integrated into the team, they communicate on a very regular basis. We can’t tell the difference between the Ready4S developers and our internal people. They’re 100% a part of our team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The dedication of Ready4S’ developers stands out. They care that they deliver a high-quality product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m hard-pressed to say anything. The only area I believe that they could possibly improve in is their speed in providing resources with the additional skill sets that we request.

I would prefer to use Ready4S to service all our suppliers, but they’re not always in a position to respond quickly to those requests. I don’t know if this stems from a size issue or is merely a consequence of supplying skills that are outside of their traditional core.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go for it. You won’t regret it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO at Cloud Officer. I develop mobile, backend, and all types of applications in many different markets.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

The problem in Montreal is that the demand for developers is very high, but the supply is low. We have no choice but to find employees that are elsewhere in the world. We already have a team in Montreal. The goal for us was to complement that team.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We are exclusively using Ready4S’s mobile developers. We onboarded those employees to the existing team.

What is the team composition?

The team size varies, but right now, there are two iOS developers and two Android developers.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

I tried developers from many different places in the world. Poland is good for us because the time zone isn’t that bad, and the quality of their employees and communication is good. The Polish teams speak English really well, and they’re not afraid to ask questions or tell you that you’re wrong if you are.

How much have you invested with them?

We have four developers who we pay $60 per hour.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2017, and the work is ongoing.

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

The quality of their service and work is exactly the same as that of my in-house employees.

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management isn’t applicable for us. I manage Ready4S’s employees directly. They join our team on our daily scrum. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ready4S’s company isn’t too big or too small; they’re just the right size. They understand our requirements as a smaller business. I don’t have 300 programmers working for me. They know that from time to time, we lose projects, and we have to stop working for a few months until there’s some change to make. They adapt really well to my midsize business versus large corporations that just want to place an employee and keep it working for five years without asking questions. They understand our business relationship as well as the needs of our end-customers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Like any other company in the world, I have lost some very good employees because they wanted to move on and do something else. It hasn’t been a lot of employees, but I’m always sad to lose someone on their side.

They’re close to a price point where it’s no longer profitable for me to go there. They charge me in US dollars, so I have to pay for their services plus the Canadian to US conversion rate on top of that. We’ve discussed this with them a couple of times.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I manage the resources directly. If I’m not happy, it’s my fault. We treat them exactly as if we hired someone locally. We asked them to share employees’ resumes, and we had some short, technical interviews with them. We spoke with them to make sure there was a personality match as well. We chose from the pool that they gave us.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our firm is a professional and technology firm that helps the global enterprieses manage risks of their third parties and partners.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ready4S?

The project was about buidling a new subscription based web platform for getting diverse information to address legal challenges.

What were your goals for this project?

To build a comprehensive and easy interfaces to order and view a large range of information to the users To build a platform that is adaptable to the constant changes of the product structures and strategy without much burdens

How did you select this vendor?

Ready4S had engaged with another project within our firm earlier. Due to nature of industry we have very strict and highly sophisticated restrictions on security and policies to follow with them, which sometimes takes a long time to solve when working with external enviornment. I chose Ready4S in that their performance with the previous project was good as well as they're presumed to know the way of working for our firm.

Also, when I had a meeting with them for the first time to discuss the project, they're the one who proposed the Discovery Workshop session to have a concrete and agreed requirements before we start and estimate the project scope to make more accurate timeline of the project, which sounds very compelling to me.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

• design work of the platform following the brand guidlines that are already set up 
• backend and frontend for the platform 
• Discovery workshop before the development starts to estimate the scope 
• project management 
• QA and regression test
• Integrations with firm's commonly used tools (for finance, CRM etc) 

What was the team composition?

• designer 1
• backend developer 3
• frontend developer 2
• project manager 1
• QA 1 
• Sales rep 1

we have internal development team invovled in the same project, which composes:

• frontend developer 2
• backend devevloper 2
• architect 1
• Lead devevloper 1 
• VP product 1
• Product Director 1
• Product Owner 1

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

Haven't released yet 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

One thing that impressed me while I'm working with the Ready4S team is they're getting things done as committed. - it covers not only timeline, but also includes the quality. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team is great in that finding any potential issues in advance and acting proactively. And whatever new challengs come in, they're VERY responsbile and just jump on the issues to solve together. Absolutely they're making me feel that they're part of our team and take a vital role in the project in general. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Lexly, a legal tech platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

We had an old platform that was very difficult to scale, so we decided to rebuild the whole platform from scratch. For this to work, we needed to maintain our old platform and expand the team.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us build the platform from scratch, including the AWS infrastructure and front- and backend applications. The backend application is coded in PHP on Symfony. The frontend application is built in Angular.

We’re trying to make law cheaper and more accessible to both individuals and small companies with our three different products. One product is aimed at individuals or small companies. It’s a dropbox for legal documents with handy features like e-signature, reminders, and more. Ready4S worked from September 2019–February 2020 on that project.

Overlapping their other work, they started with another effort in February 2020. Their team was responsible for enabling a lawyer to configure a web form. When an end-user wants to generate an agreement online, they go through these web forms. At the end of the process, the system generates a PDF file with the actual agreement. That project is still ongoing.

We’re kicking off the start of the third product, which is a CRM system mainly aimed at lawyers. However, all these products fit together. They have different target groups but the three products together differentiate us.

What is the team composition?

The team has varied over time. We started out with a smaller team of 2–3 people. Starting in 2020, we expanded the team to be around eight people. We have a DevOps specialist, one UX designer, one QA specialist, and the rest are front- and backend developers.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

I have an acquaintance who pointed us toward some potential partners. After meeting, we chose them because they were a very good fit for us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about €500,000 (approximately $563,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2019, and the project is ongoing.

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

We haven’t launched the applications yet. I’m positive we’ll make the platform more scalable by the end of our partnership, however. Things have worked better than expected because they’ve been very flexible.

They’re solutions-oriented and helpful in many ways. It’s a huge software development project and there’s always going to be problems. I think their approach has always prioritized the customer. We've overcome any obstacles we’ve come across fairly easily.

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a team of developers and project managers in our company. At some point, we planned to take over the maintenance and continue the development of this platform. In the ned, we decided to mix the teams.

Most of the project management has been done on our side, but Ready4S does have one project manager that has been with us all along. Using Jira and Confluence for documentation, we got aligned very quickly and things are working well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like how they’ve been very solution-oriented. When we asked for additional resources, they’ve been very quick at finding those for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve had a turnover within their organization. It has affected us to some degree, but they’ve always managed to work out a solution. Still, it would be more beneficial to retain team members all along.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their close involvement with your team is key.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an engineering manager at Uber, a ridesharing company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

We had quite a lot of work related to some firmware. I was looking for a company that could provide us professional engineers who could very quickly understand what was going on in the project and build the system together with our internal team.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They are helping us with our firmware. They work closely with the hardware electronics. The technologies we’re using are C, C++, and Python coding. They’re writing drivers. They’re working with sensors, with IoT devices, with microcontrollers, and with near field communication (NFC) technology. There’s also GSM and GPS technology. There’s a lot of path sensors. There are LFD displays and LED displays. We have accelerometers, barometers, magnetometer sensors, electric motor controllers with better management systems, and also a login with microcontroller units where you have to have a real-time operating system (RTOS).

They’re also involved in building the automated assistant, so-called hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test system. It’s a standalone device that actually simulates the hardware system and adds all the functional automated and test scenarios together around that and integrates into our continuous integration system. They’re touching almost everything to some extent.

They help in our office and remotely as needed.

What is the team composition?

There are three guys in the office and there’s a five-person team remotely supporting us.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

I looked at different companies. There are a lot of companies that provide outsourcing services but very few are professionals in this engineering world. It took me quite a while to find Ready4S. We had a very good discussion with them. They understood what our needs were. They tuned their recruitment very precisely for our needs. They were proactive. We gave them a tough interview. We had them solve some problems and the interview takes a couple of hours. They were very high-level compared to other companies we interviewed. They provided us 10 candidates and we picked eight of them. The other companies provided us 15 and we couldn’t pick anyone out of them because they didn’t match any of our requirements.

How much have you invested with them?

Over $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2019 and the work is ongoing.

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

We’re really happy with them. They’re quick to respond. They solve the problems. They listen and provide professional work for us. They’re really highly skilled engineers. They provide the right people. We don’t have to teach them. They know what to do.

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint?

They work in a scrum methodology. Every week we have some kind of demo that they present to us. It’s a really good cooperation because it doesn’t take our time. They’re self-driven. They use tools like Jira and Confluence and repositories like Git.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They push me to make things quicker. Even though we didn’t sign all the paperwork between Uber and Ready4S to be able to pay them, they agreed to start working beforehand. We just signed an NDA so we could exchange data and information. They took a risk. After a couple of months, they signed the papers, everything was clarified, and Uber paid what was overdue. The project was saved because I had them at the right time. Compared to other companies, they wouldn’t start working until the papers were signed and that takes a couple of months. It was a game changer for me. They act quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They a have a good understanding of scrum but they could train the people at the beginning. It’d be helpful because we have to spend some time with them to adjust them to our way of working. Some engineers might have better English skills.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a well-defined project or the part of the project you’d like to outsource. It will be much easier for you if you use Atlassian tools so you can see what’s going on with the project. Have your paperwork ready because they can act very quickly.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a fundraising company for schools and non-profits. I am the CEO and founder of the company so I am responsible for all major decisions and oversee implementation.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ready4S?

We hired Ready4S to build us a completely new custom app and website that worked together. We have a membership platform that users would need to be able to log into our website and/or our app and receive the same service. We also needed a platform on our website to be able to register students to be able to participate in fundraising efforts as well as a platform to allow users to register on our website.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to complete a new iOS and Android app that worked along with our website to provide a service to our users.

How did you select this vendor?

The clutch reviews are what led us to Ready4s. We were considering hundreds of different app and website companies and narrowed it down to about 10 who we would contact directly to speak in depth about the project. From there, we talked for hours with many companies and got a better idea of pricing and weighed the quality versus pricing aspect. We then had our top 3 companies picked out and Ready4s was one of them. We ended up going with Ready4S because we felt they understood the project the most and assured us this was in their wheelhouse.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They created a savings app and website for us. They built an entire membership platform where users pay to sign up and then have access to our app and website. They helped with a rebranding of designs that we previously had as well.

What was the team composition?

Throughout the project we had about 15 developers, designers, or team managers working on the project. The vast majority of the time, we had one or two people working on each different aspect, iOS, Andorid, and website. The size of the team constantly changed based on need. We ended switching a team manager about 25% of the way through, and then we ended up losing and assigning someone new for the Android part of the project right towards the end.

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

Although it took longer and cost more money than originally thought, the product they produced is top notch. We have not had any problems with any bugs or anything to this point (knock on wood). Additionally, their coding is very neat and clean and documented very well. I happy with the level of quality they produced.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had a couple different project managers throughout our time with Ready4S. Our last manager was on the project for 90% of the time all the way through completion. Living in Florida, and them working in Poland didn't affect the project at all. They were really good at getting back to me within the next business day if I sent them something late in the day, for most of the project. At the end, it got a little hard to stay in contact and get answers but it ended up working out.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their quality of work was most impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would say price and time estimations could be improved on, but keep in mind that we were creating a custom product that ended up creating unforeseen problems and things that we needed to add along the way. I also would say response time could be improved. For the first half of the project, it was wonderful and very immediate. My suggestion would be to even just reply confirmation of the question, complaint, or other correspondence as I understand some things take time. But I would just like to know they received it.

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm the founder and owner of a Dubai-based organization. We’re focused on developing applications for the professional services sector.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S? 

We were looking to develop a mobile iOS referral tracking app, specifically for law firms.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

I got Ready4S involved at an early stage to help us think through the concept. They did everything from designing and developing the app to eventually transferring it onto our server. It was a complete end-to-end project. 

It's a fairly simple app in terms of functionality. The core feature allows users to refer clients and contacts to one another. Companies or organizations are able to monitor and track referrals as well. 

What is the team composition? 

I worked with a senior designer, a senior developer, and a project manager. Initial discussions were with their business development team. 

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

I found them on Clutch along with several other firms that matched my criteria. I had calls with them and two other contenders and they came out on top. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about £25,000 (approximately $31,500 USD).

What is the status of this engagement? 

The project took place from February–April 2019.

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

I was quite happy with the way Ready4S approached the project and how the app turned out. They met all of our requirements. We were looking for a team that could give us a high-level design for the app, which they definitely did. They were able to work within our time frame and budget, and they were responsive and easy to work with. 

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint? 

My project manager gave me updates each week of how many hours they spent on the project and what I could expect in the next week. They created a project timetable and kept me in the loop on what was going on behind the scenes. I'm a lawyer by background. It was very important to me that they could speak a language I understood. Ready4S did a great job of guiding me through the process without using technical jargon. I don’t think that's an easy-to-find skill but they nailed it. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

They spent a lot of time working with me at the beginning just to get the job. During those initial months, their business development team always followed up and went the extra mile to land this project. I was talking to other firms as well, but I could tell Ready4S was hungry for the work. That was refreshing because sometimes firms can be complacent, which is off-putting. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No, I can't think of anything. I was 100% satisfied. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Be clear with your requirements and instructions. Having daily contact with the project manager is helpful. That's what I did, and it worked really well for me.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am self-employed and have been developing an artificial language app called Algilez for several years. The language has been developed in conjunction with Greenwich University in London.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ready4S?

I have previously tried creating a mobile app myself using an online template. However, it was slow and amateurish and not good enough to publicize. Since I had little technical knowledge and a limited budget, I needed a company with an experienced staff to produce a high-quality mobile app for Android and iOS.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to provide a mobile app that customers would find easy to use while learning a new artificial language. It was also necessary that I be able to update the lesson pages and associated audio files by myself, so the application needed to be simple, and I needed support on how to maintain it. Although I could be very flexible with the timeframe, my budget was limited.

How did you select this vendor?

I found Ready4S while reading online reviews of app development companies. Ready4S appeared to be highly regarded and offer services at a reasonable price.

Describe the project in detail.

At the invitation of their sales team, we traveled to Poland to meet with their staff for several days. During the scope meetings, we got a good idea of what was possible and affordable while reviewing the various requirements. Once we agreed on the layout and the general appearance of the app, I put the lesson pages and audio files into the system, and Ready4S trained me to make any changes that I wanted.

What was the team composition?

We met with a project manager, their leading developer, and a designer in our original scope meeting. We also met with a contact from the sales team and the office manager. The project manager changed before work began, but we didn’t experience any setbacks because of the switch. A QA tester and a financial representative were also part of their team.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The app has only recently been released, and we are starting the process of publicizing the complete language project. I felt that we needed a tangible product—the app—that people could use before I started marketing the service. Similarly, despite a lot of testing, we are still in the early days concerning identifying any bugs in the app.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicated regularly during the project. During the busiest period, we held Skype calls once per week and exchange emails daily. I needed to supply most of the lesson content, so I did my best to ensure that I didn't end up delaying any of their work. The leading developer, in particular, was always helpful and responsive when we identified any issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Despite my project being relatively small, Ready4S made sure to look after me and provide plenty of support. They gave regular updates regarding their progress and my budget. I was initially skeptical about the logistics of working with a remote team, but we ended up working very well together. They spoke English well and made effective use of my money.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I expect that their staff is more accustomed to working with larger companies than with one-person shops like myself. I came in with very little knowledge about mobile apps and various other technological elements necessary for these kinds of projects. I would have liked to see a brief information sheet at the start of the engagement so that we could go over the parts of the app that I was not familiar with.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the junior project manager at The Straumann Group, a dental service organization made up of multiple brands. We provide tooth replacement services and orthodontic solutions.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ready4S?

We needed web application development services.

What were your goals for this project?

We set out to create a web application so doctors could communicate efficiently with their patients.

How did you select this vendor?

I read about them on Clutch, and we asked them for a proposal. They were proactive and delivered much more than we expected. It was very easy to communicate with Olaf (Business Development Manager) and his team.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The web app allows our client companies to show their patients the various treatments they offer and explain treatment recommendations. The app also contains a patient-data entry form with an interactive tooth-selection chart. At the end of the process, the app prints out a final offer on services that will be emailed to the patient. If the offer is accepted, the acceptance is sent to our internal center, where someone follows up with the patient and schedules the procedure.  

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of a project manager, a designer, and a developer.

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

The offer/report generated through the application lets the patient discuss their treatment with their family before committing to it. This also creates leads for our customer’s, which they can follow up on later.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Olaf managed the project well. We had Skype calls whenever necessary and didn’t interact unless the project required it. I have to say, there was less communication than I expected, but it was very effective nonetheless. Their team understood our needs clearly and delivered the project on time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their friendly staff was always willing to go the extra mile. They had great designs too.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The pricing should be competitive.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder of a startup that aims to improve sports communication by introducing a new group voice communication app capable of hands-free use.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ready4S?

We needed them to develop our Android app.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a working MVP to introduce to winter sports.

How did you select this vendor?

We chose them based on their reviews on Clutch.

Describe the project in detail.

We started with a series of discovery meetings. We prepared a work schedule that assumed four two-week sprints to prepare an MVP version of an app. They also integrated an API for a third-party communication provider.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, UI designer, two developers, an architect, and a QA resource.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The cooperation resulted in a great app design. We are still working on monetization.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had weekly update calls. Our PM updated us on a regular basis. We used Basecamp for project management and Skype for communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their creativity in the field of UI and their ability to find solutions made a difference.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They could improve their communication and their preparation of formal documents. They could also offer better verification of suggested ideas.