Scopic

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Estimating of a construction company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a full-service electrical, life safety, and home automation contractor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Scopic to accomplish?

• Help us create a web presence for the automation portion of our business

SOLUTION

How did you find Scopic?

Online Search

Why did you select Scopic over others?

• High ratings
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Scopic were assigned to this project?

I'm unsure exactly how many people have helped

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Copy existing site to create a platform for our automation work. Create a landing page to link our (3) primary solutions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Completed copies of content, drafts of home and landing pages. Improved speed for site. Google Analytics incorporated.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project Management was fantastic and most definitely got back to us promptly. They were extremely helpful in answering our questions; they also had great recommendations for us.

What was your primary form of communication with Scopic?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We like that Scopic has a wide range of professionals a part of their team. Whatever we encountered within the project, there was always an internal source that project management could reach out to. We also really appreciate the company's transparency and like how we get a weekly report showing where the hours for the projects are being allocated.

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

I can't think of any at this time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner of Dissertatione Network. We launched a token a couple of months called DN Meta Token. We’re excited about the prospect of giving educational institutions and individuals opportunities to close financial gaps by investing, holding, and selling our tokens.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scopic?

Scopic was involved in the token development process starting from the concept all the way through implementation. We worked with them to flesh out the utility and prospects of how this token could create excitement in the education industry. The team helped in the development and deployment of a custom token for us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Scopic helped us with concept development and the challenges we didn’t consider earlier. They worked on educating us and ensuring we were making the right decisions. This would attract potential investors and make us competitive as a cryptocurrency startup.

From there, we went through the modeling phase and had analytics to determine the token price. On top of that, the Scopic team helped develop white papers containing all the information investors would want to know.  

Regarding features, our token had a buyback feature of 2%. This allowed users to buy back tokens to bring them back in circulation or send them to others. We used those tokens for marketing development costs, lawyer fees, and other expenses. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Milena (Project Manager), Ruell (Developer), Amresh (Key Account Manager Custom Software), and other developers. 

How did you come to work with Scopic?

This idea came out of a crowdfunding campaign in 2013 on a platform similar to Kickstarter, and it was relegated to the educational market. Fast forward to 2021, we realized there was an opportunity in the cryptocurrency space for the token. As a result, we researched companies that could help us address this opportunity and fix the problem of educational disparities in the US and worldwide. 

Our team sought out vendors for this cause and found Scopic online. I reached out to their sales representative and had several meetings before I felt comfortable using their service. Our teams engaged in more productive talks in March 2022 and finally signed the agreement to get started. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $20,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started searching for companies in October 2021 and selected the vendor in March 2022. From there, we began the development in June 2022 and finally launched the token in March 2023. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have no success metrics since the token’s success is contingent on creating enthusiasm around its usage. Since the SEC has made several lawsuits against Coinbase and Binance, things have been tricky. 

However, we’re telling the world about our great project, and we believe there’s going to be more enthusiasm for it. Overall, we feel more optimistic about it now than we did a few months ago. We’ll hopefully garner our first few token holders in the next couple of weeks. 

How did Scopic perform from a project management standpoint?

Milena was knowledgeable and had great project management skills. She made us feel comfortable. Meanwhile, Ruell was smart. His guidance was instrumental in ensuring we weren’t making mistakes that would cost us a lot of money. They were honest and trustworthy in that respect; they didn’t allow us to go down a path that wasn’t going to work out for us. 

Amresh was also knowledgeable about how cryptocurrency taxes worked and how token prices were set. We interacted with him a number of times — even though he was out of the sales role, he came back to the project and helped us out. 

Moreover, our timeline went longer than expected, but it was the right timing. We could’ve done things sooner, but it would cost more money, and they’d have to put resources toward the project. The timeline ended up being perfect because the project didn’t feel like a burden. It didn’t get in the way of my profession and gave me the opportunity to do something I was passionate about. 

For communication tools, we used Teams, which was fine for document storage and communication accountability. We also had a lot of phone calls and emails. This was perfect for me since I wasn’t on many apps. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was professional and patient with us even as some of our decisions changed with the developments in the industry over the course of the engagement. All of their members were instrumental in helping us along the way. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We set the budget at roughly $10,000, but we exceeded it. We changed our taxes a couple of times, so the budget increase was partly due to the decisions that we had to change. 

However, I wish there was more transparency regarding Scopic’s pricing. Holding more meetings regarding our budget would’ve been appropriate. That way, we’d have known where we were on our budget and could’ve mitigated increased costs by moving things around. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Set budget meetings, and make sure the scope of work matches the pricing. This is something wish we did more often. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO/President. We support companies across the USA with Labor Management and Time Tracking Solutions

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were looking for a partner in supplying needed people with skills as demand required. They have been great in fulfilling all our needs.

SOLUTION

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

We found them through guru.com. The deciding factor was the people on their staff and their understanding of our needs and the project.

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

The development of features has been on time and within budget. The ability to pivot quickly to new requirements has been key. The amount of control over the process has been a great help to meeting our needs. The project is on-going in providing tools for Labor Management and Time Tracking, primarily in the entertainment industry.

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

We have worked with 9 people at various times over the years. There are currently 6 people on our current team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching we have resulted in doubling our customers every year and this is in line with what our plan is.

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

People. It all comes down to the staff you can provide. They are key to the success of the project.

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

The flexibility of providing for any need we have given them.

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

There was only some confusion with the accounting department, but that has been cleared up long ago.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Frontier Automation develops 3D vision based process automation products. My position is Technology Director

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

C++ 3D image processing, 3D scientific visualization, 3D historic database recording and playback.

SOLUTION

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

Frontier have engaged Scopic developers for the past 6 years, initially for our 3DReclaim product. Our long term Scopic developers have extensive experience with our products and development environment.

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

The team of internal and Scopic developers developed a bulk carrier vessel tracking application, implemented with an array of 36 x 3D LiDAR sensors covering two kilometers of wharf length. The 3D image processing was implemented with custom software using C++ in conjunction with CUDA and OpenCL to achieve the necessary rela time processing requirements.

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

The Scopic team was full time senior developers and additional resources for project management, database development and user interfaces as required at various stages of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The developers delivered on the design requirements with minimal bugs or rework. Quite outstanding as the real time 3D image processing is inherently complex.

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

Project communications were facilitated via JIRA with regular weekly meetings between the northern European based developers and the Australian project team.

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

Scopic provided world-class C++ developer resources. The Scopic developers undertook complex 3D image processing with excellent results.

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

We have noted a distinct improvement in proficiency in the English language by developers where this is not their first or second language.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on Month Day, Year.

Paul Wighton

Director of Technology, Frontier Automation

Manufacturing

1-10 Employees

Australia

$200,000 to $999,999

Jun 2014 - Ongoing

Project summary: 

Scopic Software provided outsourced C++ developers who worked on image programming for an automation app. Their software processed 3D point clouds from laser systems and updated a data set.

Feedback summary: 

They provided experienced and capable developers who are comfortable programming in various environments. Scopic Software’s resources provide accurate estimates and work largely in a self-directed way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Frontier Automation. We develop 3D image-based automation. We’re a small company with a very niche and relatively high-priced product that doesn’t have a large market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scopic Software?

When we first began doing image-based processing, we recognized that one of our resources lacked expertise in C++ programming. We did queries and advertised in Australia, but were never able to find suitable applicants. We decided to look worldwide for outsourcing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided C++ image programming for automation applications. We have one machine with five lasers. We have 300,000-400,000 point per second lasers and two longer-range 20,000 point-per-second lasers. In order to handle this, we use stockyard machine control with a stacker reclaimer.

It’s generally recognized as the largest semi-autonomous machine in the world because it’s on rails, but totally unmanned. It’s about 10 stories high and sits on a rail track 11 meters wide with a couple of vehicle roadways to pass under it. It’s an extremely large machine with a 60-meter boom and 10-meter diameter buckle wheel. We control that and position a chain within about 100 millimeters.

The software they helped create is an essential part of the application. It actually processes the 3D point clouds from multiple laser systems and updates a data set for stockyard which is 1.2 kilometers wide. We’re currently doing another system that is 20 meters wide. Essentially, we have our new memory data set that has a 40-millimeter horizontal resolution at the stockyard.

We’re currently sitting at around a 500-megabyte internal data set and it will roll up to 1 gig to achieve the functional requirements of the application. We do very high-speed processing with more processing power on our machine than anywhere in the world. We essentially put up a server and they were choosy on processing systems and video co-processes as well.

It’s been a learning exercise for ourselves and Scopic Software. We’re using Nvidia GPU processing that didn’t exist four years ago nor did some of the libraries we’re using. We’ve had to discover the appropriate external libraries to use to provide the performance system. The stockyard, which is the main dataset, is accessed by 9 or 10 processes. It’s quite a unique C++ application in that it’s got a large number of processes accessing a very large data set in real time.

We do our processing and surface reconstruction at the line-hour prime rate of 10Hz.  When the application is running, it will use 100-130 concurrent threads. There are very few developers in the world who can do multi-process C++ including Nvidia GPU. Most of our standard routines have SSE intel vector instruction optimizations and we also have equivalent processes that we bring in a GPU environment for those as well.

What is the team composition?

We currently work with two developers. In the early stages, the maximum number was four developers and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Scopic Software?

We advertised for developers and within 24 hours, we had heard from eight very high-level C++ developers from various countries around the world. We worked with one of them for proof of concept, but that didn’t meet our performance requirements. Even though they were a very large organization, it was the first application that was truly real-time. We went looking for a low-cost option in India. We came across Scopic Software in a web search and we spoke with the owner. We eventually started using developers and most of the developers have been from Northern Europe throughout the whole time.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $250,000-$300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2014 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m happy with their work and we have no plans to stop working with them. We tried employing multiple C++ programmers but found they didn’t have enough experience. We write half the application in PLC programming and some other processing and they are familiar with that environment as well.

How did Scopic Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They haven’t handled the project management since we were working with four developers. I serve as the project manager and one of the two current developers is a team leader. Their developers are really good at managing their time and their tasks. We don’t have to keep a close eye on them. We give them the task and they give us an estimate of the time, and we’re very aware of the time it should take.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with their ability to locate three high-quality people on very short notice.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We could have had more video or audio conferencing. I’ve never actually spoken to one of the developers we’ve had for two years.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know the type of person you want. We generally will put someone on trial for two or three weeks and we can judge pretty well if they’re capable within that period.

Star Ratings

Overall rating: 5

Quality: 5

Cost: 5

Schedule: 5

Willing to refer: 5

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of SDS Industries. We create precision temperature controllers for hobby and industrial applications, specifically kilns and ovens.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scopic?

Initially, we hired them to help in the development of a mobile application for Android.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Scopic has developed our mobile app. After discussing the project with them, we opened up the project to build the app for both Android and iOS. We gave them access to our preexisting app’s code and our server data. Our team also gave them a minimal set of requirements to follow. The team used React Native and C++ to develop the app, which is our core functionality and is linked to our products. Since then, we’ve also pulled them into additional work relative to backend efforts on our server. 

As of 2022, Scopic has been helping us with website development, marketing, and some new product introductions that we’re doing. We gave them access to our existing website and have worked with them to specify a new site map. The team has pulled things from our legacy site while implementing the new design we’ve collaborated on. The website is geared towards information, including product descriptions, a webshop, and user support. 

Additionally, we’ve used Scopic for SEO pre-planning and content generation, including copywriting. The team has been involved in keyword research and backlinking efforts. Currently, they provide continuous development for our mobile app. 

What is the team composition?

When we started, we worked with a small team of a couple of developers and a project manager. Our team has grown with the introduction of new work. For some time, we had simultaneous marketing and app development, and we had two product managers, one focused on development and the other on marketing.

Currently, we work with roughly 19 teammates who hit our project weekly or monthly, ranging from front- and backend developers, C++ and mobile app developers, project managers, and QA teammates. We’ve also met with Scopic’s owner and operations manager. 

How did you come to work with Scopic?

We found them on Guru.com, where I submitted a job request, and they bid on it. We went back and forth with some conversations and ultimately landed on Scopic as our best option. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $300,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Scopic has met our expectations when it comes to mobile app development; they’ve been very good and responsive. Their developers are wonderful, and their communication has been good. 

However, their website development hasn’t been quite as good. Although we had a strong team when we started, Scopic had a priority shift and relocated resources, so we went from an A-team to more of a B-team. We’ve since gotten to a good place, but it took longer than it should have. Regarding marketing, we never gelled that well with the program manager in charge because they lacked good communication skills. Therefore, we halted all further marketing work with them. 

How did Scopic perform from a project management standpoint?

Their program management has been a bit of a struggle. We’ve gone through four program managers. Our current and previous managers have been excellent. Still, we’ve missed a number of deadlines due to poor planning on both sides. Generally, the commitments from the start of projects don’t pan out. 

We use Teamwork, Jira, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint for project management, so we have a reasonable set of tools to help us collaborate. As for communication, we use Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Scopic has some depth on the bench, which goes a long way. They can respond accordingly if and when people decide to leave their company. The team invests time and energy in training their resources, identifying their talent, and applying it where it needs to be. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have some room to grow in the marketing and web development sides. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should use Scopic for their core strength, which is in mobile app development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of FindUniquelyU.com.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scopic?

I needed help with developing the MVP of my business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Scopic has developed my platform from scratch using Laravel as the key technology for the backend. Their scope has ranged from web design, wireframe design, web development, and testing to launch and marketing support. Initially, they worked with our sales team to go over our high-level plans. Then, they worked with our branding team to create the designs required for the platform.

My platform is a service-based web app that facilitates workshops with different instructors. It integrates with BigBlueButton to provide the classroom functionality to our membership.

As for our marketing efforts, Scopic’s marketing department has helped us launch a YouTube Ads campaign. Currently, they’re also working on our SEO strategy, and they will continue helping us with our marketing by analyzing data and helping us optimize our efforts. In addition to the platform, they’ve also helped us create a secondary marketing site on WordPress to support those efforts.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with Amresh (Sales & Legal Specialist), Megi (Project Manager), Diego (Intermediate Software Developer), Emilio (Marketing Project Manager), Petra (Marketing Specialist), Luca (Administrative Specialist), Eugene (Web Developer), a lead designer, and a few other people.

How did you come to work with Scopic?

When I was starting the project, I did a Google search and read reviews on different blogs about development partners, and Scopic came up in those listings. I vetted them and five other companies from around the world, and I loved Scopic from the start. Their estimates worked within my budget, and their proposal was the best of all I got by far.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first talked in April 2021, but we officially started working together in December 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Scopic, we’ve successfully launched a product that is now up and running. Their team quickly fixes bugs when we come across them so that the product continues to be a success.

As general feedback, Scopic is an amazing team. They’re talented and responsive, and they always come to the table with brilliant ideas. They’re experts in everything they do, so I intend to have a very long-term relationship with them because I want to add a lot more features to the platform.

How did Scopic perform from a project management standpoint?

Scopic’s project management is incredible; they overperform. They’re very communicative, and they’ve delivered under budget and earlier than expected. Although the project manager is in Albania and the designer is in South Africa, they follow my time and schedule and are very responsive to my needs. The team is always prepared to provide status updates, and their work is phenomenal all around. We communicate via email and Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Scopic’s team comprises authentic, kind, and real individuals who don’t try to be something they’re not. They’re great partners and match with us very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They’ve gone above and beyond my expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more information you can provide, the better the outcome will be.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a partner in a sign installation company with 18 full time employees. We provide sign services in three states.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had a MS access based order taking and processing program that was developed over 30 years ago. We were looking for someone to modernize the program, making it web based as well as adding apps for both our customers and employees. We were hoping that it would take no more than a year to complete. Our goal was to have an ordering system that mirrored our old one but was web based.

SOLUTION

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

We found Scopic thru an online search and after communicating with them decided to use them for our project. We were impressed by the number of positive reviews. It seemed that they were a good company to work with for a project like ours.

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

The first step was to to review the code provided and the decision was made to rewrite it and also the apps. We were looking sor a seemless integration where we could export our current database into a new,more functional program.

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

Originally we had a project manager, and programmers for both the web based front end and back end and also a programmer for the apps.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Here it is 2022 and we are still trying to get our program working well enough to open it up for our customers to use. The project manager left and was not replaced, one of the main programers took on new duties within the company and now has very little time to finish our project. We are at the point where there is a punch list of items to be fixed but after waiting months to get the relativley minor items fixed we are not sure what to do.

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

Project management is awful, people sometimes take weeks to get back with a responce to a question. At this point they are asking me if they should assign more/other resources to our project. Is this not a decision that they can make for themsleves??

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

Nothing.

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

Better oversight of the people managing projects. It sounds like a good concept, hire qualified people from around the world to work for your customers. In our case it is not working well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of OnMerit Marketing; we provide website design and digital marketing services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scopic?

We wanted to modernize the look and functionalities of our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Scopic has been helping us to code enhancements to our site. It’s a WordPress site with an events calendar plug-in to manage events, and they assist us in stylizing the events in a custom way that isn’t available through that plug-in. Overall, they’re allowing our website visitors and tourists to find events and businesses on our platform, favorite them, email them to themselves, and subscribe to our mailing list.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with a project manager and Dennis (Frontend Developer).

How did you come to work with Scopic?

They were referred to us, and after that, I’ve worked with them on previous projects, so I decided to reach out to them for this one as well.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $30,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2007, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our time efficiency has been great. Having a dedicated project manager from their team has made this an efficient partnership because I can communicate my requests to them.

How did Scopic perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management in terms of communication and sticking to budgets has been good. They also commit to our timelines to have everything on schedule. Their team is also responsive, even though we’re in different time zones.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The communication between us and their project manager and developer is outstanding; they’ve been able to understand our goals and what we’ve outlined.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think there’s anything they can improve on — if I need something complicated, they’re my go-to team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have detailed plans for the project before getting started to ensure that everyone’s on board with the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Mediphany. We provide video explanations of patients’ medical or imaging study results to them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scopic?

We needed a custom software that could help us make the process of producing video explanations for our customers more efficient. We needed a company that could do this cost-effectively and would be flexible in moving forward in a continued relationship with us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Scopic handled the front- and backend development of a video production tool. They provided some assistance in designing and marketing the product as well.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager as well as front- and backend developers from Scopic.

How did you come to work with Scopic?

Scopic was recommended to me by an acquaintance, so I looked them up and browsed through their Clutch profile to read some client testimonials. It seemed like they fit our needs for this project, so we decided to hire them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this project from May-October 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Scopic designed and developed a product that is functional and useful in the way that we expected it to be. I also received great feedback about the overall quality of the product.

Overall, Scopic was a great partner. They were accommodating of the changes in the scope and flexible in meeting our vision for the final product.

How did Scopic perform from a project management standpoint?

Scopic performed great in terms of project management. They had to replace our initial project manager, not at our request but because the previous one had left. The new project manager was excellent. He was always aware of and very considerate of cost issues. They were incredibly great at prioritizing tasks, allowing us to develop the project in a cost-effective and agile manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was very impressed with the comprehensiveness of Scopic’s services. We had needs that crossed into different areas, but they had the full set of skills that we needed to achieve our goals for this project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We initially had some issues with the appropriate setting of expectations with regards to deadlines and costs, but Scopic immediately took care of that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to be very clear about your requirements. You might need to be really precise about what you want to happen or achieve so that they could give you the best possible explanation or estimate of your project’s costs and timelines.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing and technical director for KidsTale Playgrounds. We’re a distributor of playground equipment for parks, schools, daycares, and so on.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scopic?

We brought them in for several key projects, starting with software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, Scopic created a playground design tool for our independent sales playground consultants, so they could sit down with a customer and design a playground in 3D based on their needs. We had the criteria for the objectives, and they did all the programming work. Additionally, we had another team working on the models, and then we brought the two together. Scopic did a lot of Ruby on Rails scripting, and we built the application around SketchUp, an existing open-source 3D platform.

Other projects emerged once we started scaling the demo up to full-scale production. KidsTale Playgrounds didn’t have any marketing efforts, so I took a look at them and went back to Scopic. In addition to the playground designer software, we put together a marketing strategy and rebuilt our website.

What is the team composition?

We deal with two people regularly: a lead programmer and a project manager who oversees all the operations on their end. Several people are involved behind the scenes, but we don’t know the exact number. 

How did you come to work with Scopic?

We found them using Guru; we were looking for someone to do the scripting. After reading their profile and conversing with them, they seemed like an excellent fit. 

How much have you invested with them?

Over four years, we’ve spent quite a bit with Scopic. The cost is above $100,000; it’s been $80,000–$90,000 on the website, and the SEO and everything that goes on the site is additional.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2018, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve done other software development projects with other companies and individuals, but none of them went as smoothly as with Scopic. They’re very trustworthy, and we value their team members. The lead programmer is knowledgeable, and we appreciate his feedback. It’s a genuine partnership, and we like their hard work — we’ve released a phenomenal product and had an astounding number of clicks and leads on social media.

How did Scopic perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is handled well. They’re the best company we’ve worked with; we’ve heard many nightmare stories on website development, but Scopic isn’t like that.

We’ve had several project managers for various things, but we’ve established an excellent working rapport with them. Moreover, they’re excellent at communicating issues and understanding everything we’ve put into the project initiative. We seem to speak on the same level, which allows us to do amazing things.

Every week we get a clear log on a journal to see what they’ve worked on and the hours that go along with that particular task. In that sense, they’re very transparent. Some other companies just give us a general invoice for 20 hours, but there aren’t details on what they did during those hours. On the other hand, every team member of Scopic logs in their hours and what they do on the project. Since we also operate under a budget, we manage that and communicate our high-priority projects with the project manager to control where we spend time.

Scopic has a platform to manage the project, and that’s our primary way of communicating with them. Additionally, there’s a secondary person with the marketing team, and we use Skype to be a little quicker.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of honesty and integrity is outstanding. They don’t tell us they can do something if they don’t have a clear idea. If the project scope is questionable, they go back, have a meeting, and then return to us to let us know what they can do.

Also, we work on multiple projects simultaneously, and they’re great at adjusting time and hours to ramp up the work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’d be nice if we could sit down in the same office space from time to time, but we’ve been working remotely, and their talent spreads across the globe. In reality, our only hurdle is that our budget isn’t as big as we’d like to engage more with them. We don’t have any criticism or items to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’ve recommended them to other clients, and I’ve advised them to document the work and lay out some type of architecture. Scopic is more than capable of putting together an architectural diagram, but the better information you give them, the better products they’ll deliver.