Revido

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-owner and lead technologist at Upcycle Holdings, a very small firm focused on buying and revamping software applications. We try to buy undervalued software apps to take them to the next level, make something more valuable of them, and hopefully get a good cash flow from their distribution or sell them at a higher price to another company interested in buying them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Revido?

We had purchased a small, mobile-responsive web application for loyalty and rewards programs. This app had been built on Bubble.io, a platform we had no prior experience with. Although I had tried to get up to speed fairly quickly with that platform, I also wanted to hire a development team with experience in Bubble.io so that they could help me make quick changes to the app and eventually become a trusted partner for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, Revido reviewed the existing app, looking at inefficiencies with the data structure. We found out that it had a lot of data structures for a relatively simple app, so they made refactoring changes to simplify the data model, reducing and consolidating the database objects.

Later in our engagement, Revido focused on refactoring some of the app’s pages. These pages had been built in an old-school fashion, in which one page took to another. Thus, they helped us implement a single-page architecture that uses APIs to update itself as users interact with it. This part of the work aimed at having a better UX by providing a much more responsive and fast-loading app.

This app is a loyalty and reward programs app for retail stores. Businesses can configure their own rewards system and digital punch cards to enable customers to join and leverage their rewards. End users can also scan QR codes — custom-generated for each business — with their mobile devices through the app. These codes can take them to a page where they can subscribe to the store’s loyalty program or count their visit to the store for their digital punch card.

What is the team composition?

We worked with five people from Revido. Initially, Rodrig (Managing Partner) was in charge of project management, and a developer assessed the platform and identified the needed changes. Not long into the project, after identifying that most of the work would be focused on database restructuring, we changed project management from Rodrig to Kevin (Product Lead) because he had more experience in that regard. We also switched developers because the first developer was in Russia when the Russian Invasion of Ukraine started, so he had to relocate. Finally, we worked with a third developer on the small UI-heavy portion of the project.

How did you come to work with Revido?

Bubble.io has a referral program that lists agencies with expertise on their platform. I submitted an RFP on that page, and Revido was very prompt in responding. I also got responses from several other companies, so my first filter was to evaluate if their emails were professional and pointed to professional-looking sites.

After that initial vetting, I shortlisted 4–5 candidates, including Revido, and scheduled appointments with all of them. When I interviewed Revido, I met with Rodrig and had a great experience interacting with him. Shortly after our interview, he requested backend access to the app to do an initial assessment. Within a day, he came back with their evaluation and some recommendations.

Revido’s evaluation seemed to be in line with what we needed. They didn’t try to get too detailed or do too much work. During this process, I also paid another agency to do some initial work so that I could assess their quality. What this agency turned around within a month was less valuable than what Revido had delivered as a free assessment within a day. They immediately demonstrated the value of their work — I wanted them on my team.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $5,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–June 2022. We decided to stop the collaboration and postpone some of the enhancements we had planned for the app until we were sure that it would be a good business opportunity. Besides, I’m actively looking for opportunities to work with them again on other projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Revido successfully reduced the unnecessary complexities of our app’s data structure and implemented the single-page UI, ultimately simplifying the app and making it easier to maintain and enhance in the future. Now, we have a more streamlined app than we had when we first purchased it. 

The app was already in use when Revido joined the project, so they also did an excellent job at updating and enhancing it with very few interruptions or hiccups to end customers. Although we had to end our engagement for this project, we plan to work with them on future projects because they did great work and became a trusted partner.

How did Revido perform from a project management standpoint?

Whenever we found issues, Revido was very quick to respond. Even after our engagement was over, I found a couple of issues I let them know of, and they quickly made the necessary changes.

Additionally, Revido made it very easy to communicate with them. For example, they integrated into our Slack workspace, which we used for our daily communication. They also used Notion for project management and task tracking.

From the initial assessment, Revido kept all their work well-documented using Notion, making it very easy for me to review and comment on it. By leveraging both Slack and Notion, it was very easy to follow up on the project and have a good sense of what they were doing for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Revido is a very honest company. They know the no-code technology they claim to know, and they don’t try to say yes to everything just to get business. Additionally, they’re a very lean no-code software development organization.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only hiccup we had was when we switched developers because the new developer had to get up to speed. Although this resource was able to do it very quickly, he didn’t take care of some tasks that the previous developer had documented as needed. Still, it wasn’t detrimental to the outcome. Other than that, I would only advise them to keep doing what they’re doing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would highly recommend giving Revido a try for your no-code development projects.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Growth Rhino is an outbound agency. We book meetings for B2B SaaS companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Revido was hired to build a chrome extension. We found it tedious to keep track certain prospects. The process involved us going to Linkedin on a weekly basis and updating a spreadsheet. We tasked Revido to build a product (using no code) that can monitor these prospects and send an email when there is an update.

SOLUTION

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

Revido started of with doing a discovery then we moved into building a prototype then variations of the MVP. This was an iterative process. The reason I went with Revido was their ability to document the process on Notion. It was very transparent and gave me insight on the product development side. I cross referenced Revido's process to about 15 other no code developers. None came close to being this organized and professional. Plus they were able to work on a sprint billing model which made the payments significantly more flexible.

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

Main requirement to use Bubble to build and Notion to document. I believe we used a few different APIs to access different data sets on Linkedin. Then used Sendgrid for mail delivery.

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

I interacted with several people over the course of 9 months. Rodrig the Founder & CEO was my main point of contact. Then there were 2 developers, 1 designer and another UX person

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had sprint deliverables. Overall this allowed us to build out a proper roadmap. Therefore each iteration was delivered. To date we have a fully function chrome extension product that delivers the necessary experience.

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

Easy to communicate with - both are companies were on Slack. Adhered to timelines and only delays faces were usually from 3rd party.

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

We were impressed by their ability to be agile and provide a certain level of product development insight.

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

We identified early on there were issues from an estimation perspective. We resolved this but discussing it in more detail and determine what was the level of effort

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder of Swap Commerce Limited. We are a return management platform based in the UK focused on e-commerce Shopify retailers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Upgraded to develop the MVP for our company. We partnered with Upgraded before we had any clients and the business was in its inception. The goals were to develop a product that we could launch and onboard 5-10 clients before looking for a formal seed funding round.

SOLUTION

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

Rodrig, the founder of Upgraded, was the key deciding factor for us. He was super responsive from the get go, completely grasped what we were looking to do even though we were only in the ideation phase at the time. He very quickly was able to put together a roadmap for the development of the product.

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

Upgraded designed the product from scratch in Bubble. They were responsible for creating the roadmap up to launch for the MVP. They were also responsible for developing all the API integrations we needed with shipping carriers as well as with Stripe and other 3PLs that we are now working with.

They also went over and above the scope and also ran demo's of the product as it was being built with potential clients, which has given us a huge headstart.

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

There were 4 people in the core team. Rodrig, the founder, as well as a Product Manager and two devs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Upgraded have gone over and over what we could ever have hoped for. We are continuing to work with them even after our MVP has been launched and clients onboarded due to the quality of the work, responsiveness and speed of delivery. We already have a waitlist of over 10 clients which is growing by the day.

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

Communicated on Notion and Slack. We had daily check ins with the Product Manager over Google Hangout.

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

Two key elements stood out for us

1. The team are great to work with and genuinely good people. We enjoy connecting with them on a personal level outside of the work they have done
2. Willingness to go over and above what was initially in scope to make sure we hit the deadlines we have set with clients.

The Product Manager frequently worked through the weekend to support this - which was hugely appreciated.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Product lead for an EdTech SaaS company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our company traditionally provided programs and consultations for those programs within educational organizations. We realized that our program could be converted to a SaaS product that would allow us to scale much more rapidly. Our original wireframes summarized a slightly complex product but it was built with ease by the Upgraded team.

We have already scaled to customers that would have previously been impossible to reach, and our goal is to continue growing clients and revenue with little overhead costs.

SOLUTION

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

One of our close advisors recommended the Upgraded team and their communication skills easily set them apart from our other options.

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

We provided wireframes and the general goals of our SaaS platform. The Upgraded team was able to course correct any faults that we didn't recognize and quickly build out exactly what we wanted. Using Balsamiq, Figma, and Notion, the Upgraded team created the perfect application for us.

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

We worked with 2 members from the Upgraded team and I've never seen so much accomplished from a development perspective within a month's time. One focused on overall product functionality and build efficiency, while the other spent most of his time actually developing the web applicaiton.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within a months time, we went from nothing to a fully functional web application including user management tools, SSO, and many complex algorithms for multiple reports, dashboards, and product features. We instantly transitioned our existing customers into the new business model and have begun onboarding customers that we could have never reached without being a SaaS company.

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

Using Notion, the Upgraded team provided detailed sprints, goals, costs, and time frames. Everything, whether planned or unplanned from our companies perspective, was handled with professionalism and expertise.

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

Working within the no-code space was completely new for us, and I can't believe how quickly the Upgraded team was able to take our notes and turn them into a product. However, I have worked with many traditional developers and I can confidently say that the Upgraded team is an absolute pleasure to work with. I can't think of any situation where conflict or disagreement delayed our sprints.

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

I've never had a better experience while building a new application. The only improvement the team could make would be growing in size to further increase their services.