Softonix

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Autobound; we’re a sales automation company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Softonix?

We needed to find good-quality engineers for an affordable rate.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Softonix has supplied us with engineering resources who’ve helped build our core technology. The team has used Node.js and Vue.js to develop custom software from scratch. They’ve built an insights database to store data provided by our vendor partners. This data includes news events and job openings for different companies. 

The Softonix team has also built a chrome extension that connects users to our insights database when they write emails. The Chrome extension helps match company names with their insights so that salespeople can draw from relevant information when emailing companies. 

What is the team composition?

We work with a team of six, including developers, team leads, and two co-founders. 

How did you come to work with Softonix? 

We’d been working with another development firm and needed to staff a new backend engineer, so we posted the job on Upwork. A developer from Softonix responded to the job posting and referred their team to the project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested roughly $1.5 million in the partnership with Softonix. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with Softonix since January 2019, and the partnership is ongoing. 

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

We initially worked with another development partner, but when we onboarded our first engineer from Softonix, they outperformed all their peers. We were so pleased with their work that we engaged more Softonix engineers for a trial period, which we ended up hiring. 

Now, we measure success by assessing sprint goal completion and engineering velocity. Engineering velocity measures how many story points the team completes compared to their initial estimates. Recently, we’ve experienced a boost in velocity, which is great. 

How did Softonix perform from a project management standpoint?

Softonix takes a customer-driven approach. The co-founders are great communicators; they consistently ask for feedback and try to find ways to make us happy. We typically communicate via Slack and manage tasks in Jira. 

Their passion for our product and the problem we’re trying to solve is second to none. They’re very invested in the partnership, which makes working with them all the more enjoyable. Furthermore, they’ve kept the project moving amid the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Softonix has dedicated a group of hardworking, sharp individuals to our project. Instead of coding for the sake of coding, the team is passionate about what they’re building, which is essential. They take great pride in their work. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Softonix could improve by tidying up their Jira status descriptions to make our work crystal clear. They could also level up QA processes to automate more testing and bring in best practices from other partnerships.

This review was published on December 2, 2020.

Co-founder, Sales Automation Company

IT Services

1-10 Employees

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California, United States (26596)

$50,000 to $199,999

Mar 2020 - Ongoing

Project summary

Softonix is developing custom software for a sales automation company. They are building an architect and customer-facing platform. The technologies used are MongoDB, Node.js, and Vue.js.

Feedback summary

As the development is ongoing, the company can't provide measurable data. However, they are very pleased with the outcome of the project. Softonix displays professionalism, commitment, and efficiency in their work. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company automates strategic sales playbooks as it relates to outbound emailing. I'm a co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Softonix, and what were your goals?

Architecting and building version 1.

SOLUTION

How did you select Softonix and what were the deciding factors?

We started working with their lead backend developer before expanding the team. We gave him a difficult coding challenge and he performed very well on it.

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

Architect and build a customer-facing platform. We use Mongo, Node.js. Vue.js

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

Nine.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Absolutely phenomenal. This is a team of professionals that pour their hearts and souls into the work. They have a highly efficient process built out. They communicate, they push back if they have a better way of doing something, and they have integrity. We could not say enough good things about my experience working with every member of the Softonix team.

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

They have a project manager that serves as the middle man between the client (us) and their developers. He is a phenomenal communicator and does a great job organizing and keeping both sides on track and moving efficiently.

They have a back and frontend leader that manages the project as well as does some hands-on development. They are all highly proficient in English, which makes to communicate with any of them.

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

1. Communication style.
2. True experts in their fields.
3. Understanding of proper architecture.

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

Honestly no. This team gets the job done.

Star Ratings

Overall rating: 5

Quality: 5

I rarely find bugs. The end product is almost always 98-100% finished once they push it for review

Cost: 5

In the upper ranges, but I assure you, the time and money saved by going with a high quality team is 100% worth it.

Schedule: 5

Always available to meet.

Willing to refer: 5

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-founders and CEO of Papaya, a plant-based delivery marketplace. We work with 100% plant-based vegan restaurants to deliver their food.

What challenge were you trying to address with Softonix?

We ran a beta of the platform last fall, where we gained a lot of insights. We wanted to build the product marketplace based on those insights, so I looked for frontend support to help develop the marketplace. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the beginning of the project, I talked with the account manager to establish the scope of work, our needs, and the technology we needed to use. That gave Softonix a good idea of our requirements and product specifications. Then, we determined which engineers would best fit the project and quickly onboarded them. During that time, they reviewed our existing code.

Their team has utilized the existing code to develop the frontend of our website marketplace. They've used JavaScript and TypeScipt for the development; we used Vue.js, Tailwinds CSS, and Nuxt.js for the framework. Softonix has developed the designs our UX designer created and implemented them in HTML and CSS. 

The website has several different landing pages. Users can fill in their location on the site using a tool Softonix has built using the Google Places Autocomplete API. Once the location is filled in, users can see the restaurants and menus in that area that are available on our site. Once an item is in the shopping cart, users can alter the quantity or remove it. Once users input their payment information and checkout, they can monitor the status of that order. 

Although the project is done, we're now working with Softonix on additional features and maintenance.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with a senior frontend engineer and a frontend architect. 

How did you come to work with Softonix?

I was looking for a frontend development team and came upon them on Upwork. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested around $44,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in January 2022. 

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

It has been very nice to work with Softonix — their professional team takes their craft seriously. Their excellent engineers communicate well and execute our instructions and designs. They have the skill set, responsibility, and work ethic to make a product succeed. 

I also appreciate that they're enthusiastic about learning new technologies. I've requested they use a newer version of Nuxt.js, and they've been excited to experiment while also making me aware of the downsides of the technology. I appreciate that aspect of working with them. 

How did Softonix perform from a project management standpoint?

Softonix's team is a part of our daily and weekly agile sessions, and we track their work via Google Sheets. Internally, we use Linear to track the project, to which we've also added Softonix; they've done a good job utilizing that software. Generally, they stay within budget and are very communicative about their workload. We use Slack and video conferencing calls for internal communication. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Softonix has a strong grasp of the technologies they work with, making it a pleasure to work with them. They stay up to date on the newest upgrades to the technologies they use, especially when it comes to using Vue.js. It can be hard to find good engineers well-versed in that and Nuxt.js, and those skills give Softonix a competitive advantage. That, combined with their communication and time management skills, makes them easy to work with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything I'd ask Softonix to change.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd advise customers to be as ready for the project as possible, which includes having backend routes and documentation ready. Softonix works quickly, and it's important to enable them to do so. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a software consultancy firm. We build custom software, including mobile, web, and backend components.

What challenge were you trying to address with Softonix?

We had a few big projects coming in and we didn't have enough resources in-house to handle them. We needed a vendor to help us with our web development projects. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Softonix worked on front- and backend development projects for our client. We gave them the wireframes, and they executed them to pixel perfection. They mostly used Python and JavaScript for development. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked with a project manager and about eight developers. 

How did you come to work with Softonix?

We were not satisfied with our previous vendor, so we had to switch to a new provider ad hoc. We found Softonix on Upwork. They did a great job on the first project, so our relationship grew from there. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent just over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We worked with them between August 2017–October 2018.

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

Softonix did high-quality work and helped us create credibility with our client. Our client trusted us and believed we could work at a very fast pace.

How did Softonix perform from a project management standpoint? 

We managed the projects ourselves, and Softonix was very good at executing our requirements. We mostly used Slack and Zoom to keep in touch. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

In software development, you often have to give up quality if you want to have speed. Softonix found a great balance between speed and quality. They worked very fast and delivered a high-quality product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The tracking of hours was a bit questionable. If we had a high-budget project, we'd continue working with them because speed is important. But for medium-budget projects, we were a bit concerned they'd count the number of hours twice. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd recommend using a time-tracking tool.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a software developer at a company that I founded that creates online platforms.

What challenge were you trying to address with Softonix?

We needed the create the main software app for our company. I completely developed the front- and backend of the original version.

Now that time has passed, I wanted to separate the backend from the frontend to help me focus on my expertise. I’m not a frontend expert. They’re in charge of completely rewriting the frontend to be modern and good-looking.

What was the scope of their involvement?

My main goal was to establish a fast, quick UX for consumers. We didn’t want the site to look overloaded and slow. I worked closely with their team to use some of the latest technology to reach the maximum potential for look and feel. We used Nuxt.js, which offers server-side rendering, as the framework for the project. That gave us speed benefits for the frontend of my site.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two development resources from their team.

How did you come to work with Softonix?

I originally found them on Upwork. Their developers stood out, and I got a good feeling about the company from looking at their profile. We were able to do the entire project on Upwork, and I think I made the right choice in working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

On their services contributing to this project, I spent about $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from October–December 2019. 

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

While they weren’t the only developers working on this project, they were the main driving force of the project. When there were problems with the other developers, we knew we could count on them. They handled most of the Javascript programming.  

The solution is fast and light-weight. It was clear that they understood what was most important to me as a developer and executed on our requirements. They took great care in delivering solid code quality, reviewing their work, and establishing a consistent workflow. 

How did Softonix perform from a project management standpoint?

My project was time-sensitive, and I didn’t think we would be able to complete the work on time with just one developer. When I voiced this concern, they were able to locate an onboard another available developer to the effort.

I handled most of the project management from my end. However, we met for a 10–20-minute call each day to discuss progress. We managed the process using a ticketing system. Each participant could view our main to-do list and move tickets toward completion as work was done. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understood my position in the market. I’m not a corporation, but a developer and founder. This is a personal project that means a lot to me, and they really took that to heart. They did everything they could to make the project successful for me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m really happy with how everything went. I was skeptical about our ability to hit our deadline, but we were able to handle it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They liked the project that they were working on with me. Excite them about your project to make sure they’re enthusiastic about the development. I don’t know if we would’ve been as successful without their zeal.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the tech lead of a medium-sized company in Germany that provides software services for dentists.

What challenge were you trying to address with Softonix?

We were trying to fill content positions for highly-professional and self-organized frontend developers, so we hired Softonix for website development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

There is a software lead from Softonix who we work with on all topics — he provides content development according to our specifications with JS programming.

What is the team composition?

We work with a dedicated frontend Javascript developer and a lead architect.

How did you come to work with Softonix?

We met them through Upwork and after doing some initial interviews, we decided to do some small projects together — we’ve worked together continuously since then.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve roughly spent €50,000 (approximately $56,800 USD).

What is the status of the engagement?

We started working together in September 2017, and our partnership is still ongoing.

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

Their work is great and we're happy. I don't have any specific metrics at the moment, but they understand what we want to achieve and they deliver their tasks consistently.

How did Softonix perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform very well. In a partnership that lasts years, sometimes there will be gaps in remote partnerships, but that hasn’t been the case since we decide on quality instead of timelines. 

In addition, they try to understand what’s behind our wishes and ideas, so they can continuously challenge us with questions. They show the full range of their technical skills that are required for the work, including their outstanding communication skills. 

We normally interact with them through either video calls or the ticket system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We like that they’re more relaxed than their competitors. They don’t try to upsell or add more hours into the work that’s given. There’s never any pressure working with them, which helps increase trust over time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve on their response time in urgent situations.

Any advice for potential customers?

You can trust their technical expertise, so I suggest giving them more time if you want to achieve good results.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of an e-learning solutions platform.

For what projects/services did your company hire Softonix?

We needed to develop a web-based learning management system.

What were your goals for this project?

My company wanted to create an MVP to see if our idea worked in practice.

How did you select this vendor?

We searched for companies on Upwork. We selected Softonix based on their proficiency in Vue.js and great client reviews. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

My company provided Softonix with a detailed description of how we wanted the website to appear. They suggested additional technologies and modules suitable for this project. We completed six one-week sprints to create a prototype. Softonix then fixed bugs and improved reliability. They used JavaScript and Vue.js to develop the web app’s frontend and Python to develop the backend.

The team has completed the MVP. They are currently adding more features.

What was the team composition?

My team engages with Sviatoslav (Project Manager, Softonix). We also work with front- and backend developers.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

No, the project is still underway. However, Softonix did such an incredible job developing the MVP that we have re-engaged them to create more features.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Softonix provided clear task descriptions during the first six-week sprints phase. Progress has been steady and reliable. The team is responsive and communicates fluently in English. Tools we use include Skype, Google Docs, Jira, and Bitbucket.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Softonix is dedicated to meeting our expectations, even if this means implementing significant changes late in the project or altering milestones. We have been impressed by the extra work they have done to ensure satisfaction.

Having previously worked with a stubborn developer, Softonix’s amendable and collaborative working style is refreshing. They remain open to feedback and suggestions.  

Are there any areas for improvement?

An internal QA department would have streamlined the bug fixing phase, but I’m pleased to report that Softonix is already working to improve this process.

We would appreciate more communication before feature implementation. However, the team is always prepared to backtrack and fix any problems.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder & CEO of a small development company that works on web and mobile projects.

What challenge were you trying to address with Softonix?

I’ve been looking for a great development partner for many years. I needed someone who had a technical background, and I’ve tried working with about ten different providers within five years and never found one that worked out well.

Some had issues with delivery, and others didn’t understand the technical aspects and skills for a product. Eventually, I found my way to Softonix.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Softonix performs digital product development for us. They do everything from project management to coding the front– and backend. I handle some of the visual design aspects myself in Sketch, and then they take those designs and implement them fully into a working digital product.

What is the team composition?

I work with the CEO and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Softonix?

I believe I found them through Upwork. They had great recommendations from different companies, and it looked like they had successfully completed projects.

How much have you invested with them?

I think we’re right around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We brought Softonix on during July 2019.

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

The impact has been phenomenal. We’ve been able to finally launch this mobile web product that we’ve been working on for years. We’re finally able to bring that to market and bring in revenue.

Softonix managed to fully realize the vision of the project that other providers simply couldn’t do. The team understood what we were trying to make, and then nail it down quickly.

From the beginning, they worked quickly off a prototype, so we could see off the bat that they have the skills to do the job. Over the last year, they’ve done an excellent job at refining and improving the product iteration, adding features and fixing the bugs.

How did Softonix perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicate on Skype. We used to have video meetings every week or two, and then we got into a groove. Now, we just message on Skype to keep things on track.

I’m in touch with the project manager pretty much every day. We also use Trello for the projects to give us visibility on what’s being worked on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s their ability to deliver on the vision. Softonix has become an extension of our company, becoming completely invaluable. They’re able to understand what we want to create, putting the pedal to the metal to make it happen. There’s nothing we’ve been able to throw at them that they haven’t been able to deliver.

Their process is refined. Their team works very well together, making everything work as perfectly as possible once it goes live. Overall, they’re highly skilled in project management and development.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, there’s not much that comes to mind. They’ve nailed everything perfectly since we started.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

What worked for us was coming to them with a clear design in hand—having that design pretty polished already before turning it over to them. Their ability to take it from that point forward is great.

Having a clear idea of what you want is important, along with having the visual design completed is important too. Their strength comes in from that point forward.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO of CloudSight. We provide an image recognition API that provides a true understanding of clients’ digital media.

For what projects/services did your company hire Softonix?

We hired Softonix to address several bugs and add new features to our consumer portal.

What were your goals for this project?

The lack of certain features and the presence of these bugs prevented our consumer site from performing at its best. We wanted to offer the best site that we could.

How did you select this vendor?

I found them through a freelancer portal, and I was very impressed with their honesty and problem-solving abilities. They were transparent if one of my requests was not possible with their staff. Their open approach to communication won me over.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Our engagement has included several small enhancements and bug fixes to our main consumer website. In my attempt to have their team be fully integrated with our staff, Softonix has been entirely responsible for all steps of the design and development process. The only guidelines I gave them were to use the best practices for the frameworks we used and adhere to our existing brand.

What was the team composition?

We have worked with one developer throughout the engagement. The workflow has been relatively steady, so we have not required any other resources.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The most significant impact has yet to come because Softonix is currently redoing a major part of our consumer site, which was riddled with bugs. It is a complex task, but it should hopefully be completed soon. I am very excited about their progress to this point, and I cannot wait to see the final version.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Any delays in the project have been because I have managed the workflow. The developer has worked well with minimal oversight as I have dedicated much of my attention elsewhere in the company as 2018 came to a close. I relied on them to make the appropriate decisions, and they met my expectations every time. When confirmation from me was needed, we communicated quickly through Slack, and all tasks were documented in Asana.

I experienced no trouble communicating with them despite our time zone or language differences. They converse well in English, and we collaborated each day easily when my day was beginning and theirs was ending.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I’ve been impressed by so much, truthfully, but I mostly appreciate that it feels like I’m working with another member of my development team, not a vendor. I’m comfortable working with every member of their staff. Some vendors tend to feel artificial in their communication, but Softonix is thoroughly genuine. It is clear they want to be part of our team, and I really respect that.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They tend to be overly critical of themselves—for example, when they speak English—despite my insistence that they are doing an excellent job.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Vice President at DealerPILOT HR. I lead the Product and Technology department and specifically the management, design, UX, and specification of our new web & mobile application project to be released in Q4 2022.

For what projects/services did your company hire Softonix, and what were your goals?

We required additional Developers to build the front-end of our web application from the ground up. Our current Development team manages the back-end and front-end of our existing product (already in market), but we didn't have the necessary resources to build our new product while maintaining the current application.

Our goals are to build a flexible, feature-rich, and easy-to-navigate application based on the foundations we have learned from the current application. In particular with the front-end, many of the pitfalls we have with the current application revolve around constraints with workflows and how the application presents those workflows to the end user. Our new application addresses all these issues and improves upon the overall UI.

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

We originally contacted Softonix via Upwork and proceeded to navigate an extensive vetting process to determine the proper fit. We required significant knowledge of front-end technologies (gravitating toward Vue.js) and a proven track record of large-scale projects particularly with SaaS companies. We also needed multiple Developers to join our team within a short window of time. Softonix met these criteria.

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

Utilizing the existing application, a design with Figma, and supplementary document specifications, the Softonix team was onboarded and given multiple demonstrations of our company's client deliverables, application functionality, issues, opportunities for improvement, and overall vision.

The specification in Figma consists of over 500 unique screens and thousands of components. The Softonix team was given direction to follow the functionality and specification closely, but also provide input and feedback for improvement.

They achieve this goal on a regular basis. We are consistently receiving suggestions for improvement, standardization, and best practices. These are key elements to the success of the new application's UX.

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

We currently have working on the project: - 1 Project Manager - 1 Development Team Lead (1/2 full-time equivalency) - 3 Front-End Developers (full time) - 1 DevOps Engineer for ad-hoc work when required

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

The application is currently in a working state with several modules at near-completion and ready for testing. The overall timeline budget is still on track for delivery late next year, although we have discovered that adding resources was necessary to keep this deadline.

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

Project management and communication is a strong asset of the Softonix team. They maintain regularly scheduled meetings, constantly keep us informed on what's working and what isn't, and are open about requesting changes. I highly value this level of communication.

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

The most impressive aspect of Softonix is their willingness to take on new challenges and work. I've been told our project is on the larger side of the spectrum and the application itself is very complex. Not only has Softonix educated themselves on the application's capabilities and specification quickly, they are open to implementing complicated UX functionalities without much resistance.

Their work is extremely good and it demonstrates industry best-practice. Moreover, they are also accommodating with respect to requiring additional resources. On more than one occasion we have requested to add more developers to the project. Their management team has been accommodating to these requests.

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

The only area for improvement I can suggest would be initial scope management. This is always a difficult task to accomplish as they need to determine how much time and resources would be required to finish such a large-scale project. This could only be done through a few meetings and brief review of the specification. My only suggestion for improvement would be to estimate on the higher side vs. estimate on the lower side and then be required to add additional resources later.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of platform that will be helping people navigate the private healthcare options in Scandinavia.

For what projects/services did your company hire Softonix, and what were your goals?

We have a team in Denmark, that has expertise in backend development. We needed help with developing our frontend and chose Softonix because they are experts in Vue.js. Our goal was to finish our MVP.

How did you select Softonix and what were the deciding factors?

We searched online for skilled web developers and had interviews with 8 different agencies. We chose Softonix because they were fairly cheap and skilled in Vue.js.

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

We had an initial meeting where we discussed our goals and objectives. We allready had a mockup that the Softonix team succesfully implemented.

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

We worked with a project manager and a frontend developer. The project manager was our main point of contact, but the developer also took part in online meetings.

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

The team succesfully delivered the frontend for our MVP but we are still building out the backend ourselves before we can launch.

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

We had weekly meetings with the project manager and developer. We used Slack and Zoom to communicate.

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

They were quick and made big leaps each week. They have a great understanding of Vue.js and was just what we needed to succeed.

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

No.