The Smyth Group

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Chief Communications and Development Officer of a financial services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Membership association for financial planners

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Smyth Group to accomplish?

• Support our association as we build an modernized service offering

SOLUTION

How did you find The Smyth Group?

Referral

Why did you select The Smyth Group over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from The Smyth Group were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We retained The Smyth Group to build a modernized service offering for our members and consumers. They supported us in identifying what we needed, developed a robust blueprint to make it happen, and are working with us to execute the vision. The work being done includes:

• The overall strategy and blueprint
• The full development of the software and technology to bring it to market

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As the product is still in development, we anticipate it will lead to increased member loyalty and satisfaction, new business for participating members, and greater consumer awareness of financial planning.

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

The team are amazing communicators. They respond to every question and issue in a timely manner, are responsive to our needs, and are eager to learn how they can best support our organization's goals.

What was your primary form of communication with The Smyth Group?

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

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

They understand our space. They understand the importance of financial planning and want to learn as much as possible to support their work with us. You don't always come across that desire in service providers.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Smyth Group could have done differently?

Nothing comes to mind! They are amazing partners!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of MOD Energy Solutions

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

MOD Energy Solutions provides clean, mobile and off-grid energy solutions, including EV Charging as a Service, to reduce infrastructure constraints and increase energy accessibility.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Smyth Group to accomplish?

• Custom Software Development

SOLUTION

How did you find The Smyth Group?

Referral

Why did you select The Smyth Group over others?

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

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

We engaged The Smyth Group to help explore and plan software solutions that support fleet electrification, Charging as a Service, and other on going clean energy initiatives. While we are still in the early stages, their role includes:

• Understanding our goals and identifying key challenges in the electrification process.
  
  
• Providing insights and recommendations to shape the scope and direction of potential software tools in these early stages of planning.
  
  
• Helping us think through feasibility, user experience, and best practices before development begins.

As we continue refining our vision, we anticipate The Smyth Group’s expertise will play a key role in shaping future tools and resources. Even at this stage, their strategic approach, clear communication, and deep understanding of our objectives have already made them a valuable partner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While we are still in the planning phase, The Smyth Group has already delivered significant value. Their insights are helping us refine our goals and better understand the challenges ahead in fleet electrification and Charging as a Service. Their expertise has guided early-stage planning, ensuring that future software tools are feasible, user-friendly, and aligned with real-world needs. Their strategic approach is helping us to think critically about scope, user experience, and best practices before committing to development.

As our partnership progresses, we anticipate measurable success in the form of a well-defined roadmap, efficient software development, and impactful clean energy solutions.

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

Even in the early planning stages, The Smyth Group has demonstrated strong project management skills. Their team is highly organized, proactive, and responsive to our needs. They communicate clearly, ensuring that discussions are productive and that next steps are always well-defined.

While we have not yet reached the development phase, their structured approach to planning has helped us refine our vision efficiently. They ask thoughtful questions, provide timely insights, and adapt to our evolving needs, reinforcing our confidence in their expertise and making us feel fully supported in this process.

What was your primary form of communication with The Smyth Group?

Virtual Meeting

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

What has impressed us most about The Smyth Group is their integrity and strategic approach. They don’t just build software, they take the time to understand our goals, think critically about challenges, and provide thoughtful, well-reasoned recommendations. Their consultative approach ensures that every decision is intentional and aligned with our broader vision.

Their proactive communication and commitment to doing things the right way set them apart. Rather than simply executing requests, they challenge assumptions, ask insightful questions, and provide valuable guidance that strengthens our approach. Even in these early stages, their depth of expertise, honesty, and dedication to delivering meaningful solutions have made a lasting impression.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Smyth Group could have done differently?

At this stage, we’ve had a great experience working with The Smyth Group, and their strategic approach, communication, and expertise have been invaluable. As our engagement progresses, we look forward to seeing how their structured approach translates into the execution phase, opening more opportunities for brainstorming and exploratory discussions, as their insights have already proven to be incredibly valuable in shaping our vision.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Snappy Kraken

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Vertical SaaS MarTech for Financial Companies

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Smyth Group to accomplish?

• Audit our software for security purposes

SOLUTION

How did you find The Smyth Group?

Referral

Why did you select The Smyth Group over others?

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

How many teammates from The Smyth Group were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We engaged The Smythe Group (TSG) to conduct a comprehensive security audit covering our cloud infrastructure, configurations, application code, and overall security posture. Their expertise and attention to detail were evident from the start.

The team conducted a meticulous assessment, identifying vulnerabilities and providing clear, actionable recommendations to enhance our security. They demonstrated a deep understanding of best practices across cloud security, infrastructure hardening, and application security, ensuring that our systems were both robust and compliant with industry standards.

What truly set them apart was their structured approach, transparent communication, and ability to break down complex security issues into practical solutions. They not only identified risks but also helped us implement improvements effectively.

If you're looking for a partner with deep technical expertise and a commitment to excellence, TSG is an exceptional choice. We highly recommend their services and would gladly work with them again.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Deliverable of our audit.

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

They delivered on time and in a quality manner.

What was your primary form of communication with The Smyth Group?

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

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

They are exceptional communicators and very easy to work with, being both personable and likable.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Smyth Group could have done differently?

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the IT Manager of City of Brea

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Where a local government agency (City of Brea)

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Smyth Group to accomplish?

Provide continue software development support and development services. After pervious (City employee) Software Developer retired.

SOLUTION

How did you find The Smyth Group?

Referral

Why did you select The Smyth Group over others?

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

How many teammates from The Smyth Group were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

TSG came aboard near the end of the transitioning from an fulltime employee to a contracted support provide, for the City. They've back providing bug fixes, software framework updates and overall software support services ever since.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

TSG has met or exceeded all of our expectations. They have delivered on completing all of our projects being completed on or ahead of completion deadlines, and their work has bee exceptional.

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

They responded back to service request quickly, and pulled together resources needed to address or assess the issue. Always delivered on time.

What was your primary form of communication with The Smyth Group?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Customer Service is still imported to them!! They also do a great job on following up if they are waiting for something from us. They have a talented staff of developers and account managers who are friendly and pleasant to work with. AND ALL U.S BASED!!.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Smyth Group could have done differently?

No, none that I can think of!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Revenue Cycle Analytics Director at Integrity Billing Company. We provide comprehensive Revenue Cycle Management services to clients nationwide in the healthcare space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Smyth Group, and what were your goals?

Our goal was to create an online portal to faciliate HIPAA compliant transfer of correspondance between our clients. Since we didn't have in-house developers to build a solution, we hired the Smyth group to design and develop a solution.

SOLUTION

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

The Smyth group was recommended to us by word of mouth through a client we had a longstanding relationship with. After several meetings we were convinced they were the right choice for our project.

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

We had an initial meeting to discuss our goals and the specifics of what we were hoping to provide to our clients. The team delivered mockups and work began immediately upon approval. We opted for a security focused and intuitive file sharing system built with Javascript, HTML, and CSS.

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

A Project Manager was our main point of contact as well as several full stack developers and designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the launch of our web portal, our clients appreciated the intuitive design and security compliance allowing us to share files.

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

We communicated regularly via Phone, Email, as well as scheduled Zoom Meetings when necessary. The deadlines were clearly communicated and agreed upon, and work was completed on time.

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

We appreciated that despite our basic understandings of the devlopment and design process, we were able to communicate our problems and work together to create comprehensive solutions that exceeded our expectations on more than several occasions.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Training Development Manager for a large OE that works directly with dealership employees and delivers content to them in the form of a yearly curriculum, quarterly continuous learning, and daily additions to a gamified engagement portal.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Smyth Group?

To help us analyze and determine the best strategy going forward, and help put together a big picture when it comes to 3-5 years down the road.

SOLUTION

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

They've always been incredibly attentive, have understood our needs, and have proposed solutions that met both our short- and long-term goals.

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

They audited our content and structure, conducted interviews with both internal and external users to get a more detailed view and feedback, and are currently building a proposal!

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

Probably 4-5 people have been engaged. I can't recall titles, but they've all been incredibly supportive.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Smyth group is a very forward thinking, methodical, results-oriented group that is determined to work with us to find the right solution. They've never been looking to sell us an out-of-the-box answer to our unique situation, and that's not something you see very often!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We've always had great rapport. The zoom calls have been personal, professional, and productive!

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

They're clearly a smart group of hand-picked individuals, focusing on creating custom solutions for custom problems.

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

The only thing I would have like is more constant communication/updates from the project manager.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Product Manager, Marketing Technology at Columbia Sportswear Company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Smyth Group?

We've hired The Smyth Group for years to assist with redesigning key, high traffic areas of our B2B order entry site. Most recently, we leaned on The Smyth Group to design and build a Mobile proof of concept based on requirements/workshops ran with our Sales/Sales Ops stakeholders.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Internal recommendation from leadership that have used The Smyth Group in the past. They came highly recommended.

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

For the mobile proof of concept initiative, The Smyth Group started with scheduling a half-day workshop with consumers and Sales/Sales Ops staff to understand how a mobile app could meet. Smyth Group met with our GIS team to understand what requirements/limitations existed for a proof of concept. Smyth Group assigned staff to collaborate with GIS backend developers to iterate on a mobile solution as GIS hand bandwidth. A finalized PoC was presented to the business and made available for use and the gathering of feedback.

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

1-3 UI/UX Designers, depending on stage of a project 1-3 fullstack engineers, depending on stage of a project

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

N/A

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Smyth Group integrated themselves in our GIS team's preexisting development practices/processes. Workflow was highly effective.

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

How effective the UI/UX Designers were in running workshops and interfacing directly with both our consumers as well as internal staff.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of a software-as-a-service company. We provide a check-in management platform to the health & fitness industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Smyth Group, and what were your goals?

We have our own in house development team, however, they are stretched thin with all of the projects that we are trying to tackle. We were also looking for additional guidance on the latest software technologies to use.

One of the more pressing needs we had was a Reservations application that several of our customers had been asking for. We hired the Smyth group to build this for us and by releasing this, we were able to retain existing customers and attract new customers.

SOLUTION

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

We were familiar with the Smyth Group through a Founders networking group called Founders Network. We had heard very positive feedback from other founders regarding their experience with working with the Smyth Group.

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

We started off with a discovery meeting, in which we shared the current platform that we were using and our thoughts on how to improve it. From that, the team presented mockups for us to review and to provide feedback.

The team then built the application and gave us a chance to test and provide additional feedback. We then released a production version for our end customers to test and gain final feedback.

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

We worked with 1 project manager, 1 full stack developer and 1 UI/UX designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feedback from both our customers, both staff users and member users has been overwhelmingly positive.

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

We had a weekly call with the team to sync up and share progress from the prior week. We primarily used email for ongoing communication. To manage code, we used the Atlassian suite (Bitbucket, JIRA). To review mockups, we used Adobe XD. To manage testing scripts, we used Notion.

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

We were impressed with their design-led approach and their in-depth knowledge of the best technologies to use. We were also impressed with their speed of delivery and the well organized code development which has set us up for scale and further improvements.

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

Nothing to suggest for improvement on the project, as they did a great job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an HR service provider, and I’m the senior director of the IT development process.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Smyth Group?

The Smyth Group is our consultant company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Smyth Group helps us with UX guidance, which is one of their most interesting roles. They’ve acquired not only expertise on our business and products, but they’ve also come in with expertise from the industry standards. Most of our full-time employees have been here forever, and we’ve not necessarily had the time or the bandwidth to keep up with the industry's best practices, especially when it comes to UX and Angular development.

I serve as the Scrum master, project manager, and other roles — I’m a jack of all trades. The Smyth Group is very self-managed and self-governed. They always check with me, but they’re very proactive in telling me when a code needs to be updated.

We have a very complex business model. When an employer sends us an applicant to do a background check on, we need to verify that all of the information that they're giving us is correct. We analyze the information and see what other questions we need to ask them.

If an applicant is from a determined country and is applying for a position, we need to do a complete background check within that country, including criminal records. We have several analysis rules, and The Smyth Group has come up with very elegant ways to handle some of our extreme complexities — no other forms in the world need to do this, but we do.

They’ve also done mobile app development for us. We have another business similar to this one, and they helped us create the app.

What is the team composition?

We work with three people from The Smyth Group, but we’ve worked with up to seven people at some point. We have one person that has been giving us UX guidance for various products and projects for about seven years. Another person helps us with Angular development, and a third person does QA for us. We’ve also worked with various developers and project managers throughout my time on this project.

How did you come to work with The Smyth Group?

I believe that there were outer relationships between my coworkers and their team members, and the relationship started before I joined the project. I brought in other UX people, but my boss told me that The Smyth Group had a UX person, so we gave them a try — it was fantastic, and we’ve not let them go.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $200,000–$1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with The Smyth Group at some point around the year 2014, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of The Smyth Group’s work is fantastic. I’ve wanted to hire 2–3 individuals that work on their team, but they won’t let me. One person left them, but I know that they’ll replace them. I don’t have to worry about it, which is great. They also cover the people that go on vacations, which is really cool.

We try to keep confidential the fact that we use outside consultants, so we don’t have feedback on their work from people outside the company.

How did The Smyth Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate mostly through Slack and Zoom, and InVision is one of the tools that The Smyth Group uses for the UX products. That tool is probably the best one that they’ve helped us with, and it’s my favorite.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Smyth Group’s professionalism is impressive. Additionally, they all seem to have the same sense of humor, which makes work fun. They’re a fun group and get the work done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything that The Smyth Group could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend the time upfront clearly defining what it is that you’re trying to accomplish. The clearer you are with your expectations, the better will be the products that you’ll have developed.