A tech team you’ll love working with
Secret Source is a technology outsourcing agency based in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. We provide IT teams for SMEs throughout the UK and USA.
We Believe
Happy developers write really great code
Our culture is based around staff happiness. Flexitime, remote working, continual professional development, clear promotion scale, one-to-one mentoring, paid training, regular team events are just some of the things we offer our staff. We believe the happier your team, the better the results.
Long-term relationships over one project stands
A relationship takes time to mature and develop. We believe we offer the most value when we work as part of our clients’ teams, offering long term benefit over quick fixes.
Customer happiness defines success
Customer happiness is one of our main KPIs. We measure it every month on a RAG scale and make sure every project is always green
Collaboration is the key to success
We work a lot on building psychological safety within teams, so our developers and our clients can work seamlessly together, all the time.
Why we're different
Our team is made up of British and American project managers with a Canarian development team. Working with us is just like working with a UK agency… but with a Canarian price tag
Our uniqueness:
We speak your language.
Same timezone as the UK
We’re the same timezone as the UK, but in slightly sunnier climes. If you’re going to outsource your IT, outsource to a place you want to visit, The Canary Islands.
Fun to work with
Our culture based on collaboration and happiness means we have very low staff churn and enjoy long term partnerships with great project success.
“We value honesty, friendship and trust above all else in business. Secret Source do too. That is why they have been our partner for 6 years and we will always work with them..”
Mark Bjornsgaard - CEO System 2
headquarters
Recommended Providers
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Portfolio
Informa, Experian, British Gas, Apply4, Barclays, BackStreetMerch, Royal Meterological Society
NHS web beds
Brief.
Having never attempted to solve the problem before, the brief from Wessex was as simple as it was challenging;
“We have a shortage of beds in our mother and baby units. We need to quickly know where there are available beds in the UK, without having to phone every single unit, so we can relocate mothers and babies as quickly as possible.”
With no comparable system in place and a client willing to delegate full responsibility, Secret Source developers were free to explore all available options, with only one condition; that our solution should be intuitive and easy for managers to work with as the users will not be regular IT users.
Solution.
With the help of Wessex NHS, our CTO and a senior developer began by interviewing key stakeholders and staff, to build up a clear picture of what they needed and their technical ability.
Once this research was complete the next step was to build an MVP (minimum viable product) delivering the functionality required in a way that was easy for staff to use.
Using Laravel and breaking the work down into 2 week sprints, backed up by regular meetings with management, we created the first prototype of an app containing just core features. We then passed it over to a small group of testers, located within Mother & Baby units in Hampshire, to evaluate performance and generate feedback.
Impact.
During its beta phase, while only available in 17 Mother & Baby units across the Wessex healthcare region, the NHSBeds app made a noticeable difference with 100% uptake and continual usage over the six month trial period. Enquiry times were reduced from 30 minutes+ / day to less than 1 minute and bed occupancy increased significantly.
After its initial success the WebBeds app has now been extended to all MBUs nationwide, with plans for a full rollout across all NHS departments in the UK.
At the end of 2018 our work was highly commended at the prestigious NHS digital awards in the category “Improving Care with Technology”
British Gas - mobile app
Brief.
British Gas is one of the largest insurers in the UK with 80,000 customers buying home, contents and boiler cover. With competition in the insurance market increasing, British Gas were looking for new ways to disrupt the “insuretech” market.
Partnering with the innovation company System Two, British Gas wanted to investigate their idea for an Artificial Intelligence driven insurance brokerage platform to prove their hypothesis that consumers want to save money on insurance and will switch services if easy and automatic.
Solution.
Our goal was to create an app that organised all of a user’s insurance policies and advised them when to renew and how to save on future renewals.
Using an agile-based process our outsource developers quickly built the first prototypes and started collecting user data, building new iterations of the product based on user feedback. Initial manual versions were considered cumbersome and too time-consuming so the focus was put onto making the app as simple as possible.
The final version of the app was almost totally automatic with no user input required. Once signed in, the app scanned the user’s email and organised their insurance policies into an intuitive dashboard. From there, reminders were sent out automatically to renew policies and, using a basic algorithm, would recommend alternative policies based on their existing data.
Working closely with the System Two UX&D team we built the app using React Native with a backend built in WordPress in just 12 weeks with 3 developers.
Impact.
Zoe onboarded over 500 users within a month, comfortably hitting the target required to secure a second round of funding.
Testimonials.
“We value honesty, friendship and trust above all else in business. Secret Source do too. That is why they have been our outsource technology partner for the last 6 years and we have no plans to change.”
Apply4 Ruby on Rails platform
Apply4 is the largest film and event booking application in the world, issuing permits to TV and film production companies on behalf of local authorities and controlling impact on communities.
Brief.
Following the initial success of their flagship product, filmapp.org, Apply4 were beginning to encounter growing pains. Having used a succession of agencies to create their original offering, the company wanted to expand the product and establish a long lasting relationship with a digital partner in order to extend their reach internationally.
The brief was to maintain the existing software filmapp.org and simultaneously rebuild the whole system into an intuitive app that could easily be sold to, and used by, clients around the world.
Solution.
Our first MVP was an app, built using Ruby on Rails, to manage road closures for the City of Atlanta. We completed the product within four weeks in 2015 and it’s still in use today managing thousands of applications a year.
Once completed and validated we used this initial project as a base to begin roadmapping future work, taking into consideration workflows, user stories and improved functionality, ensuring scalability and a seamless customer experience.
Working in an agile framework, on a sprint by sprint basis, we continue to maintain and improve the functionality and user experience of the Apply4 platform. A permanent team of 3 Secret Source developers and a dedicated project manager are supplemented, when necessary, from our pool of experts for UI and UX consultancy.
Impact.
Apply4 is now an integral part of civic planning and management in cinegenic locations across more than 20 cities in the UK and USA.
Most London boroughs now use the system, along with authorities in Manchester, Cardiff and Liverpool. In America Pittsburgh, Seattle and Atlanta have been early adopters, while a role call of productions using the platform includes Harry Potter, James Bond, Hunger Games, Paddington Bear and the Walking Dead.
NOCN - scrum team
Brief.
NOCN Group is an educational charity whose core aims are to help learners reach their potential and organisations thrive. The group includes business units specialising in regulated UK and international qualifications, End Point Assessment, Access to Higher Education, assured short courses, SMART job cards, assessment services, consultancy, and research.
Solution.
Traditionally NOCN had outsourced their IT needs on a project by project basis. However, with a growing backlog of requirements, they were looking for more reliable, regular support that would act more like an internal team than an external provider. As NOCN did not have an existing IT infrastructure they needed to work with an agency to provide the full support they required and, with IT agency costs in the UK too high for their budget, they looked at outsourcing their IT overseas. After completing two initial trial projects Secret Source was selected as their partner.
Working closely with the group head of IT, Secret Source built a team to work exclusively on the NOCN platforms. The team consists of an IT project lead / backend Laravel developer, a frontend REACT developer and junior Laravel developer supported by a part time scrum manager and an on-demand UX/UI designer. In 2021 this team added a second front end developer.
Impact.
Since day one we have been able to offer value to the NOCN group. From urgently needed new brochure sites to custom web applications that have significantly cut down manual processes, Secret Source have been able to work through their lengthy backlog and rapidly build new products as needed.
Examples of work we have built include:
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A test centre search tool to allow users to quickly find their nearest testing centre
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A brochure site for the Indian arm of the business
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A card checker tool so users can check the status of job cards online
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In response to the COVID-19 lockdown, in just 2 weeks we built an online application form for users to request emergency cards.
S4RB - Scrum teams
Brief.
S4RB helps retailers work closer with their suppliers providing tools to monitor feedback, product development and quality. To manage their range of products, S4RB had traditionally employed in-house programmers. However, with growing costs of IT in the UK and a difficulty recruiting people with the profile they required, S4RB decided to build an external IT team to work alongside their existing developers and product manager.
Solution.
Secret Source have built two teams of three programmers. One specialised in the MEAN stack and one team building new products specialised in JS, Azure and PHP.
Impact.
After many years of working with an in-house development team, S4RB have moved to a fully remote team for the first time. The transition took 4 months and has been a huge success. We have increased our team from 3 MEAN developers to 8 developers.
We enjoy a very close relationship with S4RB, we participate in all meetings from daily standups to random coffees with their Nottingham based staff, our developers pair-program with their team and we regularly meet up face to face in our Las Palmas office or in Nottingham.
Testimonial.
S4RB started it’s journey to find an nearshore provider two years before finding a secret source, and after a failed attempt with another provider we learnt a number of valuable lessons. We realised how important it was to have a personal relationship to a provider that was critical to our success.
Secret Source were upfront and honest with us from the start and that transparency has continued. We’ve had challenges during the onboarding, but with their commitment and clear communication we have succeeded and see a long term partner of the business.
Centrica - MVP development
Brief.
The Innovation department at Centrica are continuously looking for new ways to improve the user experience for their seven million customers. As part of one of their experiments we were tasked with building an MVP mobile app that existing Centrica users could use to contract and manage micro-loans through their pay-as-you-go smart meter.
Solution.
Speed to market was the key to success of this project. The MVP needed to be rapidly built, tested and launched so the innovation team could validate their hypotheses.
As the app needed to be built quickly and launched on both Android and iOS our team opted to use a cross platform solution using React Native with a backend API built using the Laravel framework. Working with their in-house design team we built an MVP app and a user-facing WordPress site. The first iteration was delivered in two sprints showing the various dashboards and the full app, connected to the Centrica payment systems and energy management API and ready for customer use, was delivered in 12 weeks.
Impact.
The app was launched and tested with a closed group of users. Ultimately the idea itself did not validate their hypotheses however valuable insight was gained into user behaviour and further products are being developed based on this knowledge.
Testimonials.
Fred Cana - Innovation
¨On all the projects we worked together it always felt like a collaborative effort, Secret Source took time to understand my objectives and requirements then applied both their broad technical expertise & progressive thinking to the project to deliver my desired outcome.”
“As with all things innovative you’re always looking for people that can deliver with agility & pace but who are flexible enough to work within budget constraints and Secret Source are always great on both fronts.¨
Cole & Son web design
Cole & Son
With a history stretching back to 1875 and a reputation built on traditional craftsmanship, Cole & Son were looking to combine their rich heritage with a more modern feel, for the launch of a new range of wall coverings.
Brief.
Iconic UK wallpaper maker Cole & Son needed a stylish online brochure – for a collection by designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard. Limited by the flexibility of their main website the brief was simple – create something fresh and sophisticated to reflect the company’s strong brand image together with the layered, contemporary opulence of Bullard’s work.
A looming product launch meant deadlines were tight, we had just two months to design and build the site from scratch.
Solution.
Our agile process ensured time was not an issue through a phased development solution – delivering a working product as quickly as possible, then building out using client feedback to finalise design.
Cole & Son wanted a visually impressive website, which required a high degree of custom coding. As the target audience for their campaign were other design professionals – who typically use large screens – we chose React to keep things lightweight and fast.
This allowed Secret Source developers to incorporate some stunning animations and effects, without compromising page speed or load times.
Impact.
Working in conjunction with the design team at Cole & Son – incorporating their feedback and ideas – meant we were able to deliver the finished website ahead of schedule..
The result is a beautifully responsive online catalogue that projects the worldly influences and decadence of the designer’s highly original work.
Future.
Following the success of our first collaboration with Cole & Son, We have been commissioned to produce a number of further sites and we look forward to a long relationship.
Royal Meteorological Society - dig transformation
Brief.
The Royal Meteorological Society is an iconic British institution with a long and established history as the nation’s authoritative weather resource. The society’s reach goes way beyond the UK, with thousands of visits every month from every part of the world and their content.
Like many established online properties, the existing RMetS web had simply outgrown capacity and was unable to deliver the kind of experience or functionality users expected.
The organisation wanted a new digital hub to better promote the diverse range of services their existing website provided. This included an expansive news archive, academic resources, a very active events calendar, shop, weather information and large private members area.
Two issues RMetS requested we pay special attention to were addressing a high drop off (or bounce) rate and the difficulty editors had publishing new content.
Royal Meteorological Society main page
Solution.
The Secret Source team built a custom Drupal theme in Drupal 8 and migrated the data from their existing older Drupal 6 system. We integrated custom event and membership modules tightly coupled to their existing CRM.
The result is a modern magazine style layout which echoes earlier designs and maintains a strong connection to existing membership, while offering new audiences a contemporary and engaging experience, through simplified and intuitive navigation.
Royal Meteorological Society mobile version
Impact.
With the new RMetS website going live in early 2018 bounce rates immediately dropped, from almost 60% in April to under 10% two months later. Page views, average session durations and new users reflected similar improvements.
Maximus Maximise
Maximus
Despite being a relatively new kid on the block, Maximus has grown quickly to become one of the top 10 outdoor advertising agencies in the UK. They lead the sector in the provision of large, non-conventional and often iconic locations for premium billboard style campaigns.
Brief.
As part of a major rebranding project – which included a change of company name – Maximus were clear what they wanted from their new website:
“An emphasis on the independent culture and disruptive reputation of the company, that would sit comfortably among more established companies in the sector.”
Solution.
With scale and location playing an important part in their business offering, our goal was to reflect the visual impact Maximus make on the ground, with a website that matched their vision. We designed and built a beautiful mobile first responsive site that was both quick to load and stimulating to view.
We developed a custom-built ‘lazy load’ Ajax template, allowing us to incorporate large, high definition images and videos, without compromising on page loading speeds or mobile design.
Future.
We continue to work with Maximus as they expand their website offerings.
Backstreetmerch web
Brief.
Backstreet Merch is a leading retailer of licensed entertainment merchandise, managing online stores for 200+ bands and artists. They sell everything from t-shirts and hoodies to mugs and remastered vinyl pressings from The Kinks to The Black Eyed Peas.
Backstreet are responsible for creating standalone store pages, to be embedded into third-party websites and their work often requires a high degree of customisation.
With no ‘off the shelf’ solution capable of managing their evolving e-commerce platform, Backstreet have their own front and back end systems in place to manage inventory and fulfillment. But rapid growth combined with high volumes of sales, meant the company were looking for a reliable team to take on their web development.
Having worked their way through a large number of developers in a short space of time, Backstreet wanted a development provider with the stability to manage long term growth of their platform and the skills to continue developing functionality and customisation.
Solution.
Secret Source embedded our first developer into the Backstreet team in mid-2017, to work on the integration of Apple Pay. Since then we’ve added more talent from our bench on an as needed basis.
The company’s e-commerce platform is based on Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), MS SQL Server, and programmed in C# on .Net. IIS is the system that sends pages to the user (Web Server). MS SQL Server is where all the data is stored. C# is the programming language used to create the pages and .Net is, in this case, the web application framework used to facilitate development.
Impact.
Over the last two years Secret Source developers have worked through Backstreet’s entire inventory of more than 200 online stores replacing outdated systems, with an new updated custom built e-commerce platform. Store revenue and visitors are now at record levels.
A team of between 3 and 5 Secret Source developers remain embedded within the Backstreet workforce.
Salurate - mobile app
Brief.
Salurate are the developers of an award-winning, low-cost device which tests for pre-eclampsia, a condition affecting around 8% of pregnant women. Left untreated it can result in high blood pressure, severe sickness and even death.
Their single use, non-invasive kit delivers the first reliable method of testing for pre-eclampsia, without the need for needles or trained medical staff.
With the long-term goal of delivering a free service for women to test themselves, using nothing more than a sample of their own saliva, Salurate wanted an app to manage user data, communicate with a central database and alert GPs when a patient was in danger. Their more immediate problem was addressing a high drop off rate in clinical trials, which sat at more than 50%.
Solution.
We took an agile approach to the project, making incremental adjustments throughout the lifetime of the build based on user feedback and collaboration with the device makers.
For the interface we developed and refined an intuitive user journey using React Native, with a backend built in Laravel for robustness and scalability.
Impact.
Among test groups using the app drop off rates fell to under 5%. This delivered sufficient data to validate fresh clinical trials and further pilot schemes by health authorities in Denmark and China.
Testimonials.
Nigel Clarke - CEO Salurate / Morgan Innovation and Technology
Diversification is key and having a tech partner like Secret Source – who we can turn to for anything we’re not able to manage in-house – is vital in helping us secure new business, enter new markets and remain competitive.
Their deep understanding and flexible approach helped transform a brilliant idea into a life-saving product.
National Restaurant News - Top 200
NRN Top 200
With more than 900k hits a year, the ‘Top 200’ brand is the most successful online property operated by the Nation’s Restaurant News group. It’s one of America’s leading resources for food service professionals in search of comprehensive performance information within the industry.
Brief.
Advances in technology and increasingly sophisticated customer expectation meant NRN were losing relevance in a crowded digital space.Other websites were providing the same or better information in a way consumers preferred.
Low digital investment over recent years threatened credibility and the quality of data the NRN could present.
Solution.
Our solution involved relocating the entire Top 200 platform to a standalone domain, Top200.NRN.com and building a custom site with an exclusive focus on presenting the top200 business data in an engaging, intuitive way.
Secret Source developers used WordPress, with a React front end, to deliver a customised dashboard which allows allowing users to sort, filter and produce customised reports on the top200 restaurant data.
For content producers and editors we built a custom dashboard allowing staff to upload, edit and publish complex data quickly and easily.
Impact.
The newly created Top200NRN website is probably the most comprehensive online research tool documenting America’s leading restaurant vendors and suppliers. It offers visitors unparalleled access to a vast digital library of historical performance data, with a rich choice of viewing formats.
Capable of delivering up to date figures on turnover, growth, reach and rank, it returns the Nation’s Restaurant News group’s benchmark product to America’s leading resource for business intelligence in the foodservice industry.
Reviews
the project
Staff Augmentation for Professional Services Consultancy
“Secret Source Technology SL provided us with technically competent and highly experienced resources."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I was the director of technical delivery at ODIN, a professional services consultancy specializing in data engineering.
What challenge were you trying to address with Secret Source Technology SL?
We needed help in building a single customer view data platform.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We hired Secret Source Technology SL to augment our internal development capabilities and help us build a single customer view data platform from scratch. This involved taking data from many sources and loading it into the platform, which then fed into our various business and analysis tools.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent around £250,000 (Approximately $320,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from January 2019–October 2021.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Secret Source Technology SL delivered the solution on time and within budget. Additionally, the pipelines that were created were successful and helped us process huge amounts of data for up to four million users.
How did Secret Source Technology SL perform from a project management standpoint?
Secret Source Technology SL performed efficiently throughout. They were also present in all of our sprint ceremonies and workshops despite working remotely.
We primarily communicated through video calls.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Secret Source Technology SL provided us with technically competent and highly experienced resources who had a broad view of technology as well as a keen understanding of the particular specializations we required. They were also quick to understand our work style and development process.
I also appreciated how incredibly flexible they were. They were able to quickly scale resources up and down depending on our needs.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I have no complaints. They gave us great resources at a great price, and it all worked very well.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Make sure to be fully transparent and to treat them as collaborators rather than suppliers.
the project
Custom Software & Web Dev for Construction Company
"They were a good team, and we actually felt like they were our own development team."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the director of BuildBuddy Construction.
What challenge were you trying to address with Secret Source Technology SL?
We hired them to build us our MVP platform. It is a platform for homeowners that are going through a house extension process.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Secret Source Technology SL did custom software development for us. Richard (Founder) was very helpful in terms of helping me to understand the process and nature of the engagement. There was quite a lot of discussion around how everything was working, the team requirements, and all of that other stuff. I got a detailed scope of work, discussed it, and came to a service agreement.
The product that we were building was created to help homeowners manage a tender process with builders. When someone is going through a house extension, they will go to three or five different builders to get quotes, so we were building a platform to help them manage that whole process.
Their team helped us build a WordPress website, which we are still using and testing with. Then, there was a web app that was developed and built with PHP and React-based frontend. We integrated it with AWS. They also provided us with UI/UX design services.
What is the team composition?
We worked with Richard, who mainly handled our engagement. We also worked with the COO and a dedicated project manager.
How did you come to work with Secret Source Technology SL?
It was through a referral.
How much have you invested in them?
We spent around $60,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked with them from April–July 2021. We haven’t yet re-engaged with them yet because we are still in the discovery phase, and we aren’t ready to do more development.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We found that we haven’t yet acquired customers that are at that stage in the process of the journey. We wanted to target people that are at an earlier stage and get earlier engagement, and then convert them into that whole experience. We haven’t done anything on the product side and have just focused on the proposition and customer development and discovery. We are still in that phase, and that has been mainly working with the website and targeting acquisition with different propositions to see what is converting and what is performing.
However, we’ve made some good progress, and we know what our metrics are as far as clickthrough rates and bounce rates, where we’ve had some good performance. We just need to continue the journey with the user to get them to a point where it is relevant for them to engage with the product.
How did Secret Source Technology SL perform from a project management standpoint?
Their project management was very good — they were well-organized, and everything worked the way it needed to work with very minimal bugs. We used Jira and Figma for design. We typically communicated through Slack, Google Meet, and email.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They were a good team, and we actually felt like they were our own development team. They understood our business, so they were able to show us how to go through a development sprint — there was really good communication during that process.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I can’t think of anything they need to improve on.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Know what your requirements and objectives are and be very clear on what the success will be. Also, make sure to communicate these clearly so that everyone is on the same page.
the project
Mobile App Development for Time-Tracking Software Company
"They're very responsive and communicative."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m a product manager at TIQ, a company that writes software for law firms to help with automated time tracking. We also have a web application, software integration APIs, and reporting APIs.
What challenge were you trying to address with Secret Source Technology SL?
We’d been doing mobile development in-house and were looking to outsource that so we could focus on our web app and our APIs.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Secret Source developed our mobile application. We had an existing React Native app, and we provided that source code. However, we wanted to get a fresh start with the most up-to-date technology, so the Secret Source team started the new development from scratch using the old code as a reference. Additionally, they used our mobile API to get data from our systems.
The mobile app functions as an extension of our web app, which fetches data from lawyers’ systems, presents an overview of their day’s work, and they have to confirm their activities. Secret Source developed the mobile app for more on-the-go scenarios. The team added functionalities that allow the users to see the overview and swipe right to confirm or left to decline. Users can also edit the details if needed.
Secret Source built the app for both iOS and Android. They currently handle change requests and new releases on the app.
What is the team composition?
I interacted with 3–4 people from Secret Source, including the former CEO.
How did you come to work with Secret Source Technology SL?
I found them through a Google search.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in 2021, and it ends at the end of March 2022.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Secret Source has delivered the desired functionality within our target range. The goal of the project was to make sure we had more regular releases within the mobile app. Previously, we had an average of three releases per year, and now we have a release every two months. When things need to be changed, our response times have been shorter with Secret Source.
There are systems set up to detect crashes, and those are immediately available for Secret Source developers. Any remarks from a customer enter through our customer success manager and are then passed on to me. I share the comments with Secret Source’s developer, we create a ticket, and they pick it up as soon as possible.
How did Secret Source Technology SL perform from a project management standpoint?
Most of our communication is through Slack via direct messaging, though we also use email. We use Jira as a ticketing system for software development to define the work that we pick up together.
The project has been well managed. We work with Secret Source in development sprints, and we know what we can achieve because we have a monthly budget set up. It took a few sprints before we found our productivity set-up, and since then, everything’s been very predictable.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Secret Source is outstanding in their communication. I’ve been in touch with developers and the project manager on their end, and they’re very responsive and communicative. Throughout the project, it’s always been very clear who’s waiting for who; we haven’t lost a lot of time with miscommunication.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They could improve availability. I would love to continue the project after this month, but unfortunately, they don’t have a developer available on the level that we require. This is due to the current market situation.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
I would definitely recommend them. However, not having a developer at this moment is a bit of a risk for us. So, I would advise you to get in touch and ask if they have a standby developer if you decide to work with Secret Source.
the project
Software Development & Maintenance for Software Company
"I like how they picked up our legacy platform and delivered a solution while understanding the business challenges."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the Technical Director of Source-Pilot (previously known as S4RB). We help brand owners work with their suppliers to achieve their sustainability goals. We solve the problem of aligning hundreds of your suppliers around your goals whilst they produce and develop hundreds of your products.
For what projects/services did your company hire Secret Source Technology SL, and what were your goals?
We have a legacy MEAN stack product that is highly customized per customer and contains a large amount of technical debt. The technology required specific outdated knowledge e.g. Angular.js. We partnered with Secret Source so they could continue to deliver custom requirements whilst moving the platform to EOL. Secret Source, under the direction of our internal tech leadership, then created our new SERN based platform.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
We met multiple vendors face to face across Europe but picked Secret Source because they offered a personal service and were happy to act as an extension of our development team. They understood the challenges of recruitment in the UK and took away the problem of managing and retaining key talent. UK timeszone helps being part of an extended team and we felt they were similar to us in company size, goals and culture.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.
Year 1 was to support and deliver on a MEAN tech stack platform. We work in a lean kanban methodology so their was a constant stream of development. The goal was to allow us to keep delivering for our customers as we planned for a longer term future with new technology. This was an extremely challenging project due to the amount of technical debt and the complex structure of the code.
Year 2, the goal was to deliver the new SERN based platform on Azure. A true multi tenant application using key tools/services to reduce the amount of new code e.g. Using Auth0 for authentication. Secret Source shared responsibility for the architecture and were entirely responsible for the delivery of the project.
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
Over the course of the 2 years we have worked with 9 developers, 1 UX designer and 1 data analyst. The current development team consists of 6 developers who are a mixture of Junior, Mid and Senior developers.
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
The team are responsible for delivering out vision so can only be measured against the roadmap which is successfully being followed without created unsupportable technical debt.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
They are flexible and can provide project managers. For our project we provide the project management skills. We have daily stand-ups and work in a lean kanban approach. We are continuously working on a "project" or two whilst also planning the upcoming one. We have a Work in progress limit of 2 projects whilst also allowing each project to flex in size to accommodate unknowns and refactoring required to build a new platform.
Beyond the stand-ups I speak nearly daily to a senior member of the team so we can adjust timelines and prioritize the work as we learn new information. As with any development team, you need very strong stakeholder involvement to help them make the best decisions that impact your business.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
I like how they picked up our legacy platform and delivered a solution while understanding the business challenges. It would have been too easy to walk away or to try and grow the project on their terms to rebuild before we were ready.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
One of their pro's is how they create a Secret Source culture to recruit, retain and develop their development team. However, this does clash if you want to work with them as part of an extended development team.
When their are dependencies between your staff and theirs and they work so close together, it can sometimes be a problem when the team feel pulled in 2 directions. E.g. they want to meet the development commitments they set but they also want to be part of the secret source culture/team.
It's not really a big problem because we are measuring our outcomes which are great, it is just the only source of tension. I suspect it would be less of a problem if you handed 100% of the development of a project to them including BA, PM, UX etc so they could make their own decisions.
the project
Web Development & SEO for Asset Tracking Company
"We also appreciate the ideas they suggested throughout."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I'm a Director and part owner of Automatrics Limited, we supply asset tracking and theft finding and recovery services using GNSS GSM and RF technology
For what projects/services did your company hire Secret Source Technology SL, and what were your goals?
We wanted to launch a new website to coincide with the release of our new Automatrics MTrack Advanced products. We don't follow the pack so we needed cool content with lots of interest, our site to be different yet also be familiar especially in terms of navigation.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
We were recommended to look at Secret Source Technology SL, we checked out some of their work but more importantly were management and technical discussions making sure all our needs could be implemented including structured data.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.
We needed a bunch of mini one page websites all contained within the main site , tht approach would help with SEO for our product. Secret Source Technology SL provided the full build including the rebrand . Lots of video on our site with real life recovery operations linked to our successful YT channel
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
We worked with a team of three, Todd overseeing things he has great experience and this was used to kerb designs that just would not gel. Charlotte was quick to recognise our branding requirements and got that right straight off which was super cool. Then Juan continues to put the whole site together and ensure compatibility. Nothing is too much trouble for any of the team and they provide a flexible approach to working needs. SO there is some give and take
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
To date we have been totally impressed with the build , there will be some additional content and we know we will have a website suitable for our best in class approach.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
Great communications as and when needed.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
The team effort most players were involved. We also appreciate the ideas they suggested throughout.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
I think we should possibly have given a little bit more thought to desktop responsive design , although we wanted mobile first and the output for mobile was done pretty quickly the desktop still needs to sing , and it can be difficult to change standard mobile first layouts . So yes mobile design leads but desktop examples could come a lot earlier on in the process. That would save time later. But this is not a major concern we understand the site build will grow from initial concept.
the project
Wordpress Development for Medical Technology Company
“Working with Secret Source feels like having an extension of my own team—they’re great.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CEO at Morgan Innovation and Technology. We develop and manufacture products that have a positive impact on society, specifically in the medical, defense, and commercial spaces.
What challenge were you trying to address with Secret Source?
Secret Source provides ongoing support for our website, ranging from transitioning to a new platform to redesigning the site.
What was the scope of their involvement?
To start, Secret Source transitioned our site and all of our pages to our own platform. Originally, our site was based on SharpSpring, but their team put us on a WordPress site. Once this was complete, they began working on redesigning our site.
What is the team composition?
I’ve worked with around four members of the Secret Source team.
How did you come to work with Secret Source?
Our CEO knows the owner of Secret Source, so they were recommended. Their team is also up to date on technology and a good cultural fit for us, as we’re both very family-oriented businesses.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent £1,500 (approximately $1,900 USD) for the transitioning of all our pages and £4,500 (approximately $5,700 USD) is our budget for the new site.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in February and the engagement is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
For the first project, everything was carried out extremely efficiently and quickly. We didn’t need to make any changes to the final product because the work was perfect.
We’re delighted with the work they’ve done so far on the site design portion of the project. Their expertise makes us feel confident in the final product we’ll receive.
How did Secret Source perform from a project management standpoint?
They’re excellent. We communicate through email, which is my preferred way. Skype and Google have also been convenient, primarily to ensure everything is updated in real time. As a team, they’re very open, friendly, and willing to establish a good relationship.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Working with Secret Source feels like having an extension of my own team—they’re great. Their style of communication fits perfectly with us and makes us confident in their capabilities.
Are there any areas they could improve?
There’s nothing I’ve come across that they could improve.
the project
Smoke Test Development for Venture Dev Firm
"They are a reliable tech partner who we trust to deliver quality sites on time."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the product owner at an innovation and venture development company. We manage innovation pipelines and build disruptive new businesses through experimentation.
For what projects/services did your company hire Secret Source Technology SL?
My company hired Secret Source Technology SL to build and perform smoke testing. We needed to test business ideas and functionalities for a finance company.
What were your goals for this project?
Utilizing custom-built websites, we wanted to rapidly test various business ideas and get real user feedback to validate our hypotheses. Each site needed to be easily amendable for A/B testing. The sites also had to be delivered in less than a week and heavily integrated with Google Ads and Google Analytics. We hoped to use these results to determine which ideas should advance to the next stage.
How did you select this vendor?
We had previously worked with Secret Source Technology SL on several projects. They are a reliable tech partner who we trust to deliver quality sites on time.
Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.
Secret Source Technology SL built eight smoke tests to assess new business ideas and functionalities, like custom forms and payment gateways. Built in WordPress, the sites were linked to Google Ads and integrated with Google Analytics to test user interaction. The sites were mobile-responsive and optimized to load quickly.
What was the team composition?
The team included one part-time scrum master, a UX/UI designer, and a WordPress developer. When necessary, we worked with a Google Ads and Google Analytics expert.
Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?
One smoke-tested idea has advanced to the next stage, and we are in the initial fundraising stage to build an MVP. Secret Source Technology SL delivered valuable feedback for each site.
How was project management arranged and how effective was it?
Our assigned scrum master gave daily updates and ensured timely project delivery. User acceptance testing (UAT) necessitated only minor changes, which the team implemented quickly. We communicated via Hangouts/Jira and Slack.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
When we began working together, Secret Source Technology SL emphasized that the key to project success is creating an enjoyable and collaborative partnership. I have found that this approach makes a genuine difference and leads to the highest-quality work.
We continue to do all of our development work with Secret Source Technology SL. They are Agile and MVP development experts.
Are there any areas for improvement?
When we occasionally needed work done on short notice, Secret Source Technology SL was not always able to provide developers. It would be great if they could be more readily available in such instances.
the project
Rebranded Website for Ad Agency
"They are delightfully friendly and really try to make the whole process as easy and fun as possible."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am a creative consultant at Maximus Maximise, a large outdoor advertising agency focusing on premium billboard campaigns. I designed their new website and assisted with their rebranding.
For what projects/services did your company hire Secret Source Technology SL?
Maximus Maximise has recently undergone a large rebranding project and a new website was an important part of this work. We hired Secret Source to work with our design team to build the new website. It had to be quick to load and visually engaging, with large high-resolution graphics and videos right at the front.
What were your goals for this project?
We wanted to see our new branding reflected in the design and implementation of the website while maintaining our SEO ranking.
How did you select this vendor?
We decided to work with Secret Source because I've worked with them on multiple occasions in the past. I always trust them to deliver on time and within budget. It's always a pleasure to work with Richard (CEO, Secret Source), Rachel (COO, Secret Source), and their team. It was a no-brainer that we chose to hire them for the Maximus website.
Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.
We worked closely with Secret Source throughout the entirety of the project. While we did all of the design internally, they helped in many design decisions and provided input on how the website interactions would work. They chose to build the site on WordPress so we could update the content easily. They also built a custom theme which would allow fast loading while allowing us to use high-resolution images and video. They delivered the site on schedule, and we spent a few days doing user acceptance testing (UAT). While we didn't find any errors on the site, there were a few tweaks we wanted to make once we saw it online, and they happily made all of the changes for us.
What was the team composition?
We contracted one part-time Scrum master, a frontend developer, and a WordPress backend developer.
Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?
We are really happy with the website. It fits in perfectly with our brand and works great. Although we weren't using site usage as a key performance indicator (KPI), we've seen a steady increase in visitors and a significant increase in time spent on the site.
How was project management arranged and how effective was it?
As always, Secret Source was really easy to work with. They took our designs and requirements and created a detailed statement of work (SoW), so we were all on the same page. Every week, their Scrum master updated us with progress and communicated any questions the team had for us. They used Slack for chatting, Google Hangouts for video meetings, and Jira to manage the workflow.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
I always enjoy working with Secret Source. They are delightfully friendly and really try to make the whole process as easy and fun as possible. They're very customer-oriented. While things don't always go perfectly, for example, if we fall behind schedule, they make sure we know well in advance, and they always offer practical solutions.
Are there any areas for improvement?
I genuinely love working with everyone at Secret Source. The only frustrating thing is that sometimes they don't have developers available on really short notice, and I often have to wait a week or two.
the project
Web Development for Management Consulting Firm
"The Secret Source team is excellent. One specific thing is the way in which their work is very process-driven."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Please describe your organization.
We are a small innovation consultancy. We help brands of all sizes innovate in different areas of their business. We work with very large businesses, like Barclays, Experian and other large tech brands. We also make investments.
What business challenge were you trying to address with Secret Source?
A lot of the work that Secret Source helps us with is sparse, turnaround, quick experiments. We do lots of very small builds, essentially float tests for different markets and propositions.
How did you come to work with Secret Source?
We work with lots of different freelancers, and I have been working with Secret Source for a long time. At first we worked with them because of their very low price. Our first project with them was building interstitials for Barclays, where we were running an innovation. Although they remain reasonably priced our relationship is now really about efficiency and quality.
Could you provide a sense of the size of your work with Secret Source in financial terms?
In terms of price, most of our projects are very small—between £500 and £1,000 [approx. US$730 and $1,500]. They just built a website for an agency that I consult for, which was a £12,000 project [$17,500], a really big one. So there’s a very large range in costs, but for us, as a small business, the cost is reasonably minimal. That doesn’t mean that Secret Source is not important. Once a site is validated, we’ll spend a lot. We spun out an experiment website last year about test-driving cars that was relatively small, but now we’re getting investors for that business, who will spend a lot of money on the site.
What is the status of your work with Secret Source?
The Barclays project started in 2011, so we started working with them around that time. The relationship is ongoing. Secret Source is very much a trusted partner, someone that we will always go to.
Could you share any statistics, metrics or other feedback about their work?
One of our major metrics is time. For example, we just finished a little website called tryamiele.com. We got that assignment at four o’clock on a Friday afternoon, and the site was live the next day. That’s what we rely on Secret Source for, to be very quick in getting experiments up and running.
How did Secret Source perform from a project management standpoint?
The Secret Source team is excellent. One specific thing is the way in which their work is very process-driven. My planning process is very robust, and I think they do the same. Knowing that your partner works in the same way as you do makes everything easier.
What distinguishes Secret Source from other providers?
They take ownership of the projects. This level of commitment actually doesn’t make business sense unless you’re prepared to invest in the long term. Even if there’s a problem that will cost a lot of money to fix, they’ll fix it, because they know that means everything in business.
This is what it’s like in the world: if you meet someone you trust, it’s pretty hard to tear yourself away. This is the kind of longevity that Secret Source is looking for. Once they land a client, they are not going to lose them.
Is there anything Secret Source could have improved or done differently?
There are capabilities that I would have valued in them, which they don’t have. For example, we’ve been asked about virtual reality. We built a cutting edge app on the iPad about learning taekwondo. We took Europe’s leading taekwondo expert, and put him through motion capture, a very big bit of technology, which Secret Source could not handle. What they do is the very practical side of technology.
Regardless, I think as different platforms and technologies come out, they will develop those capabilities. But because of the nature of what we do, we tend to get asked to do the more cutting-edge things, for which Secret Source doesn’t always have the capability.
the project
Web Design & Development for Data Communications Firm
"The clients are really happy with Secret Source and the speed at which they complete projects. They're able to deliver."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Please describe your organization.
We've been in business for about 80 years. Most of our clients are non-profit organizations, non-government organizations, or international organizations, like the World Bank or the United Nations. Those are the types of clients that we work for. We are a minor service provider. We also offer consulting in different areas of IT. Everything that is IT-related: email, networking, monitoring of services, databases, web hosting, etc. People know us because we've been around for this long.
What is your position?
I'm Ricardo Uribe and I'm the Chief Technology Officer of CGNet Services.
What business challenge were you trying to address with Secret Source?
We needed some support with a number of our clients.
Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.
They work with our clients directly. For a recent project, one of our client’s websites had problems with its search engine integration and Smartphone loading. Secret Source was able to prepare a work plan, which included SEO to solve the issues.
Secret Source has strong knowledge of Drupal and WordPress, the main content management systems used these days. This makes them an ideal option for our clients.
How did you come to work with Secret Source?
I have known Ted Strauss for around seven years. We've been working with them, on and off, for different web-related tasks.
Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?
That is confidential.
What is the status of this engagement?
We still work with them. The good thing, from my point of view, is that since I trust Secret Source so much, I know how they will handle a client’s issues. I'm not a web person, so I need to trust them to work with a client and come to an agreement. I can easily ask them to contact a company and see what we can do for them.
How did Secret Source perform from a project management standpoint?
The clients are really happy with Secret Source and the speed at which they complete projects. They're able to deliver.
What distinguishes Secret Source from other providers?
The fact that I can trust them distinguishes them from others.
Is there anything Secret Source could have improved or done differently?
I don't know. I like that they are in a time zone that works for me. We have a lot of clients in the European-African area. They're very flexible in regards to time zones.
The platform was successful in processing huge amounts of customer data for up to four million users. Secret Source Technology SL provided highly experienced resources and was flexible and accommodating. The technically-proficient team communicated effectively and was able to scale as needed.