Sigma Software Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of College Finance Company. We help college students and parents find ways and strategies to better save, borrow, and pay for college. Our business launched just six months ago.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software?

We’re a lean business without in-house developers or product managers. We needed a development partner who would help us launch our website. We also needed help in building some software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve done several interrelated projects with them. They designed and deployed a WordPress website, and then provided consulting to help us maximize its SEO performance. Sigma built custom tools and interactive features — like a savings calculator — and integrated these into the site. I believe the site is hosted on AWS.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager who is our primary point of contact. She organizes and delegates tasks to designers and developers in the team. We also interface with an account manager who helps scope out our projects with them.

How did you come to work with Sigma Software?

They were a referral by a friend of mine, who also owns a startup. He had successfully worked with Sigma and highly recommended them. I got to know them through that introduction.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $65,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2020 and have an ongoing partnership with them. They’ve essentially evolved into our development arm.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sigma Software has been a dedicated, proactive partner. They don’t hesitate to give us guidance in areas that are outside of their strict scope of work, and we’ve benefitted from their insights. While we rely on another agency for SEO, Sigma Software gave us recommendations on how to further improve our positioning. We immediately benefitted from their input.

Additionally, I’d say that they’re excellent at managing me to make me a better client. They’ll look for ways to help me be most efficient and active in my execution. I’ve really appreciated their support and insights, in that way.

How did Sigma Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager is very good; she has a full command of design considerations, technical components, and SEO, so she’s very efficient to deal with.

We receive weekly summaries of progress, and their constant engagement ensures that they’re never the ones slowing us down. It’s almost always the case that I’m the roadblock, and not them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication and client management have been exceptionally effective. I’ve worked with 7–8 software development firms and many, many individual developers. Usually, they neglect to give me the feedback I need to stay on top of things. Unlike them, Sigma Software has been excellent at keeping me on track.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Most of their team is located in Ukraine. Sometimes, we benefit from the time difference, but there have been a few occasions where I wished they were accessible in the same time zone. It’s not a big problem, by any means. It’s simply something I’ve been frustrated about, from time to time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Set and try to be crystal clear about your expectations upfront — what you want from the project. They’ll be very proactive in making sure you achieve it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Zapp360 is a software-as-a-service ad-based platform for local marketers. We sell and channel through local resellers looking to use digital tools in order to engage better with their audiences and drive traffic into stores, to events, or for the services they provide. I am the founder and CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software?

We needed tech developers. We had scoped out a rough idea of what we wanted to bring to market but had no technical skills to build the actual product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sigma Software took our platform from wireframe to reality, providing interface design and coding. We're constantly making new developments and maintaining the platform, so Sigma Software remains a key resource in our world. We also have internal product managers, but Sigma Software provides most of the coding.

Sigma Software assigned 8–12 developers to our project. As we added new requirements and expanded the budget for executing on those requirements, the team size grew. Our resources include C++ and JavaScript developers, designers, QA specialists, and database managers. We have a one-to-one collaboration, with a key product manager on our side interfacing with Sigma Software's liaison. Their manager has been integral to our product's success. We do interface with Sigma Software's resources directly from time to time.

How did you come to work with Sigma Software?

I used to be engaged with a company that used Sigma Software's services. We also looked out to the market for partners with end-to-end capabilities for making our platform come to life. We looked in places like India, but also locally, in the US and UK. We also considered hiring in-house resources but came to the conclusion that Sigma Software would be the best choice for creating a market-ready platform in under 6 months.

How much have you invested with Sigma Software?

The cost of Sigma Software's work has been above one million dollars.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Sigma Software in early 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform built by Sigma Software became live and revenue-generating within 6 months. There was a lot of feedback in that short period of time, with tweaks, upgrades, and changes to the development schedule. Sigma Software was accommodating and flexible in doing this.

They worked with us in interpreting what we were trying to get done. Our main expertise was around the marketing for a software-as-a-service platform. This kind of interpretation can't happen in a vacuum, but rather through the organic collaboration between coders, designers, and technologists acting as business visionaries.

How did Sigma Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Working within two different time zones has given us time to think and develop requirements, with Sigma Software resuming work while we were sleeping.

We used Skype for live chats, which occurred on a regular basis: daily during the early stages and weekly at the moment. We also used certain software for tech development and timeline tracking on Sigma Software's side, as well as phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about Sigma Software?

One of the reasons for outsourcing a particular component of a business is the gained efficiency, as well as access to the know-how and resources available in certain parts of the world. There are barriers in terms of time zones, cultures, and languages, but Sigma Software embraced our way of communicating. Although their native language isn’t English, they were far better than others in terms of understanding what we were trying to do, regurgitating it back to us, and executing it. I found this aspect to be unique, compared to other outsourcing shops.

Are there any areas Sigma Software could improve?

I can't think of anything off the top of my head. We consider Sigma Software to be a strategic partner and an integral part of what we're doing at this time. They've grown as a company since our first interactions, adding offices in the US and other locations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP Engineering of an advertising & marketing company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Sports Data and Advertising products

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sigma Software Group to accomplish?

• Develop Advertising Products

SOLUTION

How did you find Sigma Software Group?

Referral

Why did you select Sigma Software Group over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Sigma Software Group were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Supplement existing engineering teams to develop and enhance advertising products across our activation and identity products.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Succesfully integrate into existing teams and supplement product velocity across our focus areas.

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

Excellent attention to detail, and worked within our existing project management systems to ensure clear and timely delivery of tasks. They have always responded to our needs with urgency and quality. 

What was your primary form of communication with Sigma Software Group?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Candidate screening and selection that aligned with our needs and in timezones that worked best for our teams.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Sigma Software Group could have done differently?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of ANGEL Last Mile GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

With its innovative delivery system, ANGEL offers end customers the highest level of convenience and first-class customer satisfaction in online retailing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sigma Software Group to accomplish?

• extensive knowledge in software development
• experience in the process engine
• cultural fit

SOLUTION

How did you find Sigma Software Group?

Referral

Why did you select Sigma Software Group over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Sigma Software Group were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Sigma Software designed, developed, tested, and implemented the software in collaboration with our product owner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Delivery of the software in very high quality and very reliable.

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

Thanks to the agile approach, everything could be delivered - in time & in budget.

What was your primary form of communication with Sigma Software Group?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They were a very innovative company with a strong sense of team spirit and excelent staff.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Sigma Software Group could have done differently?

Keep it up!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the CEO of an advertising & marketing company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our organization establishes and enforces responsible privacy practices across the industry for relevant digital advertising, providing consumers with enhanced transparency and control through multifaceted principles that apply to multi-site data and cross-app data gathered in either desktop, mobile web, or mobile app environments. It is an independent non-profit organization led by leading advertising and marketing trade associations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sigma Software Group to accomplish?

• Application Development
• Time efficiency
• Extend team technical capacity

SOLUTION

How did you find Sigma Software Group?

Referral

Why did you select Sigma Software Group over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Sigma Software Group were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Development of a new app for Android and Amazon stores

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• App delivered in time and in budget. 
• Met and exceeded our expectations.

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

They are terrific to work with. Not only do they think through a project holistically at the beginning, but they are adept at helping provide advice as the development progresses to make sure that all the value of the tech is being captured by your enterprise.

What was your primary form of communication with Sigma Software Group?

Virtual Meeting

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

I am impressed by how dedicated and disciplined they are.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Sigma Software Group could have done differently?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Engineering of an education company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Help radiologists gain confidence in their diagnosis and improve turnaround times with our expert-led video courses and the largest collection of curated, scrollable DICOM cases available anywhere.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sigma Software Group to accomplish?

• Build internal dashboards to enable our team to track, evaluate and act on the status of our business.
• Offer dashboards for our customers to have direct access to insights about how their team is using our product and the impact of their engagement.

SOLUTION

How did you find Sigma Software Group?

• Prior Relationship

Why did you select Sigma Software Group over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• They go above and beyond

How many teammates from Sigma Software Group were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

1. Advise on architecture for new ELT data pipelines and Clickhouse database configurations
2. Build dashboards for various use cases including internal business analytics, sales demos and external customer self-service insights
3. Utilize row-level security to simplify the build and maintenance of customer facing reports while ensuring multi-tenant data privacy
4. Document all terms, data models, charts, filters, etc.
5. Assist in overcoming technical challenges during implementation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1. Dashboards delivered on time
2. User satisfaction and excitement
3. Reduction in support tasks for retrieving data insights

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

The Sigma staff are always personally engaged and eager to help us, their clients. The engineers are committed to deliver high quality products on time. Meanwhile, our account managers stay personally aware of progress and our satisfaction, demonstrating readiness to guide and assist the team to stay on track. Generally the Sigma team goes above and beyond the typical expectations of a consulting agency to provide value.

What was your primary form of communication with Sigma Software Group?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Sigma is uniquely obsessed with helping my company succeed. The hours committed, financial arrangements offered, and friendship developed are all a testament to their desire to see my project and company thrive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Sigma Software Group could have done differently?

My arm hurts a bit because I keep pinching myself to check if I'm dreaming. Maybe if they were a little less fantastic, I wouldn't have such a hard time believing that they are real :)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Lava

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We help brands automate and scale their user-generated content, by incentivizing creators while they're shopping.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sigma Software Group to accomplish?

• Build Shopify Custom App
• Build Shopify Public App

SOLUTION

How did you find Sigma Software Group?

Referral

Why did you select Sigma Software Group over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Sigma Software Group were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Sigma helped my company scope and build a highly advanced, custom Shopify app & checkout extension. It is not an out-of-the-box solution and required real problem solving to get it completed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• They delivered both a custom and public Shopify app within 2 months of development.

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

Very responsive and organized. Wonderful leadership. They went above and beyond to satisfy us.

What was your primary form of communication with Sigma Software Group?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Engineering ability is strong. Leadership is strong. Communication is strong. I will definitely be working with them again.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Sigma Software Group could have done differently?

I will take most of the blame for this, but billing and payments should be done every week rather than lump sum at the end.