SENLA

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT and process manager for a game development company that’s working on different titles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SENLA?

We hired them to build a custom internal tool for creating Gantt charts based on our database. We use it to manage both big projects and operational tasks.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SENLA developed our tool based on our specifications, working on both the frontend of the platform and the server-side tool used for entering data. The team also created the documentation for deploying and using the tool. SENLA worked with our own IT team during deployment.

What is the team composition?

I mainly worked with one project manager and one representative of the development team. The manager overlooked the working environment and allowed me to get in touch with the technical team without any barriers.

How did you come to work with SENLA?

We were looking for a vendor that could build our tool within our required timeline, which spoke the same language as our team, and that we could personally meet. SENLA is in the same city as we are and their estimate allowed for a buffer within our budget for any unexpected changes.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with SENLA in January 2017. Developing an initial version took very little time, but the process was delayed by some internal decisions on our end. The initial phase ended in the summer of 2017, after which we continued to work on some small changes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

SENLA delivered everything we requested. The tool increased our project managers’ efficiency and they’re now able to undertake more tasks than before. There were some bugs, but they were fixed, so I can’t really say anything bad about their work.

How did SENLA perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered each iteration on time and within budget. We used Skype for communicating with the project manager and their lead developer. SENLA was open to questions, addressed everything we wanted to discuss, and were available whenever we had a request, which made working together quite pleasant.

We didn’t request a strict project management methodology, however, the process included some scrum elements. We didn’t have any issues in this regard.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver what they promise.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great for SENLA to handle the creation of technical tasks and work orders as part of the business analysis. This would make the process more comfortable for clients, but it isn’t an essential part of their service.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a business relationship manager for a large, international company. I’m responsible for the Russian region, covering both front office and back office applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SENLA?

We were trying to optimize our training solutions, specifically by automating our business innovation game. It’s a simulation of real medical representative functions. We wanted to make it available on the fly. Before, it took several days to prepare everything because it was a purely manual process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked directly with three members of the SENLA team. We had a project manager, a designer, and a developer. I assume they had more specialists dedicated to the project.

How did you come to work with SENLA?

It was by reference. One of our colleagues worked with them before, and he had excellent feedback for them. We invited them to send a response to our request for proposal, and it was outstanding. They have quite good competitors, but they really tasked themselves to deliver a detailed response, showing us that they understood the business problem. More than that, they understood right away the technical layout and solution.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in January of 2016 and ended in March. After they completed the first phase, we saw that it was working well, so we gave them phase two, with additional requirements and scope. We are in the process of several new tenders, and we would like to see them winning these projects, as we had a great experience with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I really like that SENLA’s team was able to think through the task and come up with a solution. They didn’t say it wasn’t possible or unlikely to be done. They did their best, and they even implemented additional technologies to fulfill all the requirements. A lot of vendors just take the scope and relay the technical possibilities. SENLA really searched for opportunities to use technologies that no one has used before. Also, with the solution they built, we optimized a process that usually took at least a night and a day. Right now, everything is complete. All of our business stakeholders are happy with the solution. It was magical for them. Everything runs smoothly and is wonderful.

How did SENLA perform from a project management standpoint?

I like that I didn’t have to micro-manage them. We agreed on milestones and certain breakpoints of functionality that we’d need to test. In most cases, you have to micro-manage a vendor to ensure things are delivered on time and within the agreed scope. With SENLA, they really gave me their diligence, and I’m totally satisfied with that. They’re very structured, and they also use Agile methodology so they’re quite flexible. I really enjoyed their approach, where I could really see the incremental product development. In most cases, we used email to communicate. We also used Trello and instant messaging throughout the project. SENLA’s response rate is quite good. They always respond within one business day.

What did you find most impressive about SENLA?

First, they deliver, no matter what. Whatever the problem is, they will find a solution for you. The second point is that you don’t have to micro-manage them—they are quite mature and responsible. If they have a task or a deadline, they will fulfill everything and deliver on time.

Are there any areas SENLA could improve?

I don’t see any point where they could improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Internal System Development Group leader in Forex Club. We are an online trading company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SENLA?

The most important challenge was a redesign of our CRM system to integrate with Salesforce. The redesign was about the core functionality and key features of the CRM. With this project, we needed high quality specialists who could help us to provide those changes on time and with a high level of quality. We’ve found such people in SENLA.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The scope of the first stage of the project with SENLA was focused on the development and redesign of the lead-to-client funnel. This task was very complex because of how many customizations were done during the past several years. Because of that, there was a lot of legacy code that had to be changed carefully, as the system has 400 internal users and is being used 24/7. SENLA provides us with high-quality Salesforce integration. After we successfully finished our initial project of CRM improvements, we plan to continue with them.

How did you come to work with SENLA?

We have a long list of potential partners among different outsourcing companies, and SENLA was included in this list. When we began our project, we looked for outsourcing providers who had a Salesforce experience—SENLA had that. We organized several interviews and meetings with different companies and finally chose SENLA because they had the best offer.

How much have you invested with SENLA?

Right now it is about 50-200k, but we plan to involve SENLA in other projects as they show us high performance and quality of their job.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first and second stages have been completed, and currently, we are working on the third.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I can say that mine and my team’s feedback including the product owner of the CRM has all been positive. Unfortunately, because of an NDA, I cannot share any details about workloads and functionality realized.

How did SENLA perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed perfectly. They always react on time without delays and are always ready to help us.

What did you find most impressive about SENLA?

I have experience with several providers, and SENLA differs from them with their agile approach and fast response time. Also, their staff is dedicated to working hard. This mattered because it was remote work. We never felt that the team we were working with were working on different projects.

Are there any areas SENLA could improve?

Currently, I have no issues with them. All of our concerns were both small and eliminated during the first month of our partnership.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are focused on software development for the card payments industry. I am the SVP of project delivery for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SENLA?

From time to time, we experience a gap in our resources, which is why we approached SENLA.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have internal testing capacities but need to extend them occasionally. SENLA provided unit testing for a few of our Oracle PL/SQL and Java projects. We handle integration testing through our resources.

SENLA also provide resources to our development department, but I haven't been involved in that area.

How much have you invested with SENLA?

The cost of SENLA's work is around €10,000 per month [approx. $10,800]. Over the course of our relationship, the cost has amounted to around €250,000 [approx. $270,000].

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with SENLA in May 2015. We have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

In the beginning, it was difficult for them to get acquainted with our specific industry and understand it. After a period of three months, SENLA started working within our expectations. It would be difficult for me to share metrics. That being said, the general feedback of SENLA's work is positive. They are quite knowledgeable.

How did SENLA perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is done through our resources. SENLA's team reports directly to us and only handles technical activities. They're not responsible for deadlines and don't have internal plans. When a resource receives a task, we will calculate the approximate time needed for that kind of activity. SENLA's team has been responsive. We communicate via Skype, phone, and email.

What did you find most impressive about SENLA?

At a company level, SENLA is good at collaborating with its partners. Regardless of what problems we may have experienced throughout the relationship, their upper management was always willing and able to improve our cooperation.

Are there any areas SENLA could improve?

It would be difficult for me to answer. I can't think of anything in particular.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Behind Every Cloud is a managed services provider comparison business. We developed a benchmarking product called The Clover Index which stands for Cloud Vendor Ratings, and we focus on helping mid-size finance brands select private cloud and hybrid cloud suppliers in the UK market. I’m the managing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SENLA?

We wanted to work with a firm that understood Salesforce communities, complex Salesforce configurations and development, and tieing those things to web content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The problems we were trying to solve were about building graphical interfaces for a lot of the managed services providers’ data that we had developed in Salesforce. We had a mental concept of where we wanted to be, but we didn’t have detailed specifications for the project. We agreed to work on a time and materials basis. We knew we would need a lot of different resources and we didn’t know how much of each. We wanted to work on a more interactive basis, though, which has worked very well for us.

How did you come to work with SENLA?

I think I got some unsolicited mail that introduced them to me. I was looking for a Salesforce development partner that was also cost effective, and SENLA fit those parameters.

How much have you invested with SENLA?

We spent between $80,000 and $90,000 with them over the course of our relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2015 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We do a lot of lead tracking and we’ve grown from a 200,000 pound [US $245,680] turnover to 500,000 pounds [US $614,200]. A lot of our leads are coming through SENLA’s automated engine that they built for us. One thing that we wanted for our web engine was to make it easy for people to filter cloud vendors. The biggest selling value for us is that the cloud vendors themselves instinctively get how that’s working and how that’s helping them be matched to clients. That’s been massively valuable for us and it has helped to build a profile within the cloud vendor’s community.

How did SENLA perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re fantastic. One thing I was worried about since they’re in Belarus and we’re in London, was the remote collaboration and the language barrier. Neither has been an issue. I’ve been massively impressed. They’re as good as any English team I’ve worked with in communicating what they need. They have some great tools that they use to get screenshots. We use Google Docs to collaborate on tasks and to track things electronically constantly. Their approach to managing code, development, and testing is great. If we want to do something quick, they have the tools for that, but if we want to do it in a structured way, they document everything in order to keep things organized.

What did you find most impressive about SENLA?

They’re very amiable and personable. The have a good English speaking team. At times, I’ve asked them to do things out of the box and they always find someone in their network that can help. I haven’t had to go anywhere else for any development work I want to do.

Are there any areas SENLA could improve?

Not really. Every time I’ve given them feedback, they come back with corrections. I’ve asked for some quite creative tasks and they’ve developed some really cool things for me. I’m very happy with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a startup located in California that’s developing computer vision algorithms for a virtual fitting system for shoes. When a person records a 360-degree view around their foot, we’re able to reconstruct a 3D model from that and pick the right shoe for a customer that’s buying shoes online. I’m the CTO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SENLA?

We have several mechanical engineers and computer vision engineers but we didn’t have any iOS developers or backend developers, which is what we needed help with.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had the algorithms but we needed SENLA to build a system from scratch that would enable someone to record a 360-degree view of their foot. The user needed to be taught how to do it, record it and send it to a server. The server then processes the images and gives back a 3D model that will be visualized on the user side. We wanted the backend developed in Java and be able to run on Amazon Web Services. For the iPhone app, we wanted to use Objective-C. We needed motion and a low-level camera, as well as all the server communications to be integrated into the app. SENLA also did the design work for the iOS app. I gave them a mockup of the core functionality we wanted; they proposed some designs and gave their suggestions based on previous apps they had built.

How did you come to work with SENLA?

They came highly recommended from a friend who knew them personally.

How much have you invested with SENLA?

We spent a total of $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in February 2016 and we had to stop working with them in June of the same year because we were not further funded for development outside of the US.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The product is working reliably. We’re now able to focus on algorithms on the backend which is what our specialty is. The app hasn’t been released to the public but we plan to do so in the next three months. We’ve worked with several shoe companies and they are very excited about the product. They think it has a clean user interface.

How did SENLA perform from a project management standpoint?

I worked with their CTO, Victor, who was the project manager as well. There were two iOS developers and two backend developers. I mostly communicated with Victor but also with the main iOS and Java developer. They made it a point to understand what we were trying to do. They provided suggestions on how to do things technically. We set a date for completion and when we needed things done faster, they were able to add more resources to the project.

What did you find most impressive about SENLA?

They were always friendly and the code was extremely clean. People that have taken over the project have commented that it’s set up very well architecturally. My partner is American and SENLA was able to communicate in English effectively when we had group calls. Their original estimates were accurate as well.

Are there any areas SENLA could improve?

Maybe I would’ve talked to the developers directly more often.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Product Officer of Monetha

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Monetha is a platform that empowers users to take charge of their digital profiles and earn rewards from their online activities

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Increase capacity of building backend services

SOLUTION

How did you find SENLA?

They reached out to us

Why did you select SENLA over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from SENLA were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

SENLA provided backend development services, focusing on both our website and mobile app. They worked primarily with Golang, PostgreSQL, and ElasticSearch, and also introduced Temporal to optimize our workflows. Occasionally, they also handled some fixes in Python.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Implementation and support of 4 services

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

We handled the project management ourselves. They’ve been great at communicating, meeting deadlines, and aligning with our processes. We’re happy with how they manage the work.

What was your primary form of communication with SENLA?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We’ve been really pleased with SENLA’s communication, organization, and consistent delivery of quality work. They’ve become a reliable part of our team, and their commitment has made a big difference.

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

No issues. We’re very satisfied with the partnership.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Digital Finance Expert of Access Microfinance Holding AG

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Invest and manage a network of banks focusing on providing finance to small and medium enterprises.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Ensuring high software quality

SOLUTION

How did you find SENLA?

Referral

Why did you select SENLA over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from SENLA were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Deployment and testing of a software solution from a third party provider, including:

• mobile apps for Android and iOS
• USSD
• Web front end portals
• Registering all bugs with vendor (via JIRA) and following up until resolution.
• Develop and use automated tests.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• High improvement in software quality of releases
• Numerous automated tests developed
• Very detailed findings of bugs

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

The nature of the engagement is to provide resources for software testing on an ongoing basis. Project management is not required.

What was your primary form of communication with SENLA?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• They were excellent professionals with a deep understanding of software applications.
• Experts integrating into company team seamlessly
• Flexible working arrangements
• Open and professional communication

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

• Planning and communicating increases of expert rates with more anticipation

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of Videoslots Ltd

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We run a major online casino offering sports and slots products, operating in Malta, Sweden, UK, and several other countries. As the CTO, I oversee our internal IT, infrastructure, security, Business Intelligence, and development teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Grow our team with great tech resource
• Spread risk across different resource suppliers

SOLUTION

How did you find SENLA?

Senlatrade visit to Malta

Why did you select SENLA over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from SENLA were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

We had some big modernization plans for our software and needed reliable tech specialists quickly. SENLA provided exactly the talent we needed. Working with them was very convenient, as they brought all the developers under one contract and one location.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Delivery of stories and project work 

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

Very responsive to any needs. Easy to communicate with and to find common ground to be able to work effectively together

What was your primary form of communication with SENLA?

Virtual Meeting

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

Very good communication and willing to find ways of working together

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

Nothing I can think of