SMISS

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO for Clear VAT AG. We are a startup working with partners to create a platform for tax clearing within the EU.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SMISS?

We needed frontend developers who were experienced in React to help develop our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the concept phase, SMISS helped us understand how to write requirements for the developers to fulfill. Together, we created detailed concepts describing user interfaces necessary for merchant profiles. The goal is to support customers in the EU. There were different functions needed, such as showing transactions for previous weeks and months, menu items such as profile, passwords, and administration, and much more.

In the next phase, they developed and implemented a third version of the product, helping bring it to distribution on the Cloud platform.

What is the team composition?

We worked with five members of the SMISS team in total. In the first phase, we worked with three people, and two developers supported us during the development phase.

How did you come to work with SMISS?

I reviewed their success stories on an online platform. I chose them mainly for their experience in the areas I was looking for.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between €15,000 - €25,000 (approximately $17,000 - $28,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around January 2018, and it’s an ongoing cooperation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m very satisfied with the quality of SMISS’ work. They have good documentation of their code. Our internal lead developers always give positive feedback, especially when compared to our previous experiences.

How did SMISS perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was easy for us because of the collaboration in the beginning, including precise description of tasks. They are very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

SMISS acted quickly to make changes when we came up against things not working as we had planned. They’ve done an outstanding job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the beginning, they weren’t inputting and helping us with ideas to improve the concept. We clarified our expectations, and they adjusted accordingly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CTO and CMO

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SMISS?

I have utilized them almost exclusively for all development of our UI/UX and back-end systems using Code Ignitier, Yii, PHP and MySQL

What were your goals for this project?

The current project was to develop a system from the ground up to manage our drip campaigns and various hardware to execute marketing campaigns and strategies.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I was referred to Yevgen by another partner of mine before 2015. We tried some simple tasks with his team, and quickly realized that they were super efficient. We have been using them almost exclusively ever since on all projects.

Describe the project in detail.

I cannot divulge the current project's specifics as it is internal and secret; however, I can say that it uses multiple hardware systems and various protocols and apis, SMISS is integral in this process. They're writing our back end in PHP and Perl, and they are writing the front end using various javascript/html5/yii/php/jquery/etc.

What was the team composition?

SMISS assigns a project manager for us, and we typically work directly with them or with the developers depending on the size and scope of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They demonstrate that they require very little guidance, they always meet or exceed expectations, they are great at setting reasonable expectations and timelines, and they have never required a re-write or any major adjustments to deliverables.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They have worked extremely well with our internal developers. If they feel there may be conflicts, they have been vocal and intelligent in assisting us with development strategies to ensure efficient delivery.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

That they get it right the first time. I have used many developers across the world, and SMISS has been our go-to team for years now.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I cannot think of any

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of Benebay Inc, a health benefits company. We make self-funding available for small companies. Usually self-funded health insurance is the way to save expenses on health insurance. We’re bringing technology into play so we can enable these more economically priced products to the smaller groups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SMISS?

We already had real-time claims adjudication technology that we developed and are using in Europe. We needed to make the full advantage of that in the United States. We also needed to comply with all extensive US regulations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SMISS worked on both the back- and frontend of the system, programming the entire platform. The architectural knowledge was mainly on our side, but they participated very much in analyzing business requirements for the market needs. 

What is the team composition?

We’re currently working with seven people, though the team was larger earlier in the project. We have two backend and two frontend programmers, as well as a tester, project manager and business analyst. 

How did you come to work with SMISS?

We did a comparison of different possibilities. We also were referred to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $250,000-$500,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I really want to praise their attitude. They’re hardworking, responsible, and reliable. On the technical side, everything SMISS delivers is high-quality and on time. Also, in terms of the business analysis, the team made a very valuable contribution.

How did SMISS perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been flexible in using the tools that I specifically asked for, though they also have an internal system that they use to manage the project. I get regular detailed reports. It’s a well-managed project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attitude plays the primary role in their work. The industry is really complex and that was a huge challenge for them. Their technical skills, their persistence, and the energy they put into understanding the complexity is impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve mainly been working on the backend. Their frontend work was good enough, but they could be stronger with their design work. That being said, I’m happy with the work they’re doing and the collaboration we have.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Establish the relationship and understanding once you’re past the initial acquaintance stage so that it can work very effectively. You need that initial warm-up with any company you decide to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director Business Process of a fabric manufacturing and marketing company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Fabric manufacturing and marketing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Locate a backend PHP developer to assist with multiple portal and commerce projects.

SOLUTION

How did you find SMISS?

Referral

Why did you select SMISS over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from SMISS were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

They developed 2 portals for B2B customers. One portal allows fabric customers to place orders, get order status, and download product specifications. The second portal allows custom window customers to configure / price / quote custom window product. The second portal also provides a knowledge base and product information.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Delivery of 2 highly reliable and scalable B2B platforms.

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

Sprints were always delivered on time.  In addition, the quality of code that was devlivered was very high, which allows us to deliver a stable and delightful platform to our customers.

What was your primary form of communication with SMISS?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They had great communication skills, work ethics, and skill sets.

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

Nothing comes to mind.  It was a great experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of (a/an) Software

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Software tools for working with financial and operational data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Build out new features
• Improve code quality

SOLUTION

How did you find SMISS?

Referral

Why did you select SMISS over others?

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

What was the size of SMISS’s team?

1 Employee

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

Mobile app development using React Native and full stack web development using React/Node.js. Shipped end-to-end features, taking great care to implement in line with design system from Figma.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Delivered high-quality MVP quickly in only a few months
• Achieved paid users with MVP

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

Yes - they were great to work with. Responsive, thoughtful, and pleasant.

What was your primary form of communication with SMISS?

• Email
• Messaging App

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

They had great work quality and attitude; a joy to collaborate with.

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

I don't think so - I had a great experience working with them!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a tech startup based in London.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SMISS?

We used SMISS to help us build the first iteration of our B2B SaaS product.

SOLUTION

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

We were connected through an agency.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We integrated the developers into our team and together built our platform.

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

2.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We successfully completed the project and shipped the product to our customers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was excellent.

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

They were great to work with.

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

Nope!