Reetek

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a building supply company that provides prefabricated and pre-engineered materials to mining, industrial, and farming businesses around Australia. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Reetek?

Our purchasing process doesn’t involve a warehouse. Instead, we have a consolidation chain. That requires the material to change hands several times before its delivered to its end location. We needed a solution that would allow us to follow, maintain, and keep track of purchasing from one end all the way to the final customer. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We created a custom platform to meet our needs. They started by scoping out the work and set up the platform. It required an API and compatibility with programs that we use in-house. Because of that, this was a very custom, complicated process. We separated the process into different sprints and milestones. Completing those on time, they helped us build our solution from scratch. 

To build the platform, they used ASP.NET while working with our Microsoft servers. The API ended up posing the greatest challenge by the end of the project. They also introduced HubSpot into our day-to-day work. They’re still working with us in a support capacity.  

What is the team composition?

They have a very organized management hierarchy that determined the team structure. Because of this, I’ve spoken to pretty much everyone on their team at some point in time for different parts of the project as a whole. We had two different project managers during the development process.

How did you come to work with Reetek?

We found them online and compared them against our other options. Their proposed time frame and overall availability appealed to us, so we hired them.   

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $250,000–$500,000 with them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2015, and our team is still collaborating.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There were tons of moving parts, but it immediately showed results after it was up and running. Before we moved to this solution, we were piecing together solutions to tons of pain points in our current operation. We needed something that would work for our team in any location. With our new solution provided by Reetek, so much of our processes are automated. We no longer have to worry about losing files or getting anything lost in translation from person to person.

Because we’re not making these mistakes, we’re saving time answering customer concerns and making ourselves more credible in the market. We can handle twice as much work while saving money.

How did Reetek perform from a project management standpoint?

While I thought it would be important to be close to each other while working, this project didn’t require any face-to-face contact. Everything was documented well, so phone conversations were all we really needed. They used Jira and connected with us via Asana to organize small sprints for the project. It was very much an agile development project. I was kept in the loop via email and Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We felt like they were an internal part of our team. They’re great at touching base with us and adjusting their work if we request it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. I wouldn’t still be so invested in them if I didn’t believe that they’re the best of the best.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s not necessary to hire a small, local team. Despite our remote relationship, our communication was smooth and we got just as much contact as we would’ve with a local team.