Sofyma

Please describe your company and your position there.

We produce luxury surfaces with unique copyrighted patterns & colors. I am Multimedia Design Manager and I am responsible for creating print materials, web support, videos, photography and social media presentation of our surfaces.

For what projects/services did your company hire Sofyma?

In the past couple of years our website needed regular help with implementing a number of new features, improvements and bug fixes. We were looking for an experienced WordPress developer team to help us cope with all these challenges and we got in contact with Sofyma.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to find a tech partner that could help us make our new ideas about the website come true. Initially we had a small request about some website improvements and this is how we started our cooperation with Sofyma. Later on, we needed more and more additions and requests which we were sending to them to analyse and implement.

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking across our networks and this is how we got in contact with them. Among the few options we were considering I think they were preferred as they showed good understanding of WordPress and were quick to propose possible solutions. They also spent time investigating the current state of our website from a tech and content perspective and this is what was important for our decision as well.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We have our official website previously built by a different vendor. We were looking for a new tech partner to support us in all various aspects of maintaining and upgrading our website.

As mentioned above, we started with some small tasks and later on we added more and more features and changes. There were also performance improvements and bug fixes that the guys did over time. Overall, it’s been a general website development project to upgrade and improve our official website.

What was the team composition?

I think it was a manager who was the single point of contact with us and then a few developers behind. They used a ticketing system where you could see the names of people assigned to each task we were creating for them.

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

First of all, we got our desired new features live and working. This is the very central outcome that we wanted to achieve. We also redesigned our home page a few times and Sofyma was implementing all our new ideas.

We haven’t measured the outcome in terms of revenue or customer satisfaction - the main point was to get our website steady and evolving to fit our business needs, and we were very happy with the results.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We were briefing them in a chat session and then were logging in a ticket on their ticketing system. We also had calls when needed. They have a simple yet efficient workflow - we create a task, they work on it and assign back to us when the task is ready.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very responsive and honest about the projects and each task. If something couldn't be done in the way we wanted, they explained why and where possible, proposed alternatives. This created a trusted communication channel and a pleasant workflow, which resulted in well-built and implemented results.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are located in USA and the time difference usually worked in our benefit, but sometimes I wished they have a local team member as well.

Please describe your company and your position there.

The premier culinary school in Eastern Europe HRC Culinary Academy offers a 2-year program in Culinary Arts and a 3-semester program in F&B Management, developed by educational and industry leaders.

Soon to open is the first Chef themed hotel in the world! It will serve as both a very hip and trendy hotel for guests as well as a campus for our students providing accommodation of 80 student-hotel rooms! My position in the company is as a Marketing director.

For what projects/services did your company hire Sofyma?

We were looking to visually redesign and rebuild our existing marketing website to better serve our target audience. The old website had a few issues and it also needed fresh redesign to better represent our identity. We were looking for something trendier, out of the box and eye-catching.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a fresh redesign combined with an improved application process which is our key conversion point. Previously, on the old website we had a very elaborate application form that we wanted to improve and make the application submission more friendly and easy to do.

In the backend, we were looking for a more powerful CMS to manage our content and build various new pages without being dependant on the service provider. Another important feature for us was how responsive the webpage is as our audience is quite young and the main views on our content come from mobile. Now it is more than pleasant to scroll through our new webpage.

How did you select this vendor?

We reviewed proposals by several companies and we chose Sofyma based on the good price quality ratio we could identify in their offer. They were transparent and open about the potential project workflow and we gained confidence that it would be a good choice to go with them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

It was about a full visual redesign rebuild of our marketing website. Sofyma came up with a very granular approach about the design part which we welcomed. Once we approved the overall layout design they identified all content types we would have on the new website and started to design them independently. This way we could have the, what they called, ‘reasonable freedom’ to create various pages keeping the visual guidelines they had provided within their block design.

Once all design elements were approved, they implemented this into a staging website and upon our approval, they did the release to live which replaced our old website. They also took care of Google indexed pages and set up proper redirects so we don’t lose our positions there.

What was the team composition?

We were communicating directly with their account and also with their designer. Behind the scenes they have a development team inhouse who built the website for us.

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

With our previous webpage it was very difficult to get creative with our digital marketing campaigns. Now having this new page designed by Sofyma gives us the freedom that we need. They built a very very solid foundation for us, and now we can build upon that amazing new features.

We get more applicants because of the easy process of filling out the form. We notice that people spend more time reading on content that they couldn't find before, and overall we have way more possibilities for conversion and future automatisation of the entire promotional/sales funnel.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We were provided with access to their ticketing system where we were logging all essential info as well as our feedback. During the design phase we were having online meetings to review design proposals and discuss further steps.

Overall they were very responsive and the communication was very smooth. It was like a piece of cake. We literally had contact with almost everyone from their team not only through tickets but also by phone and skype, so we could save time on some urgent issues that needed to be changed or developed from scratch. I felt like I was included in the whole process as part of Sofyma's team and the whole journey was extremely pleasant, efficient and also very educational for me.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The transparency that they advocate! Sofyma are brutally honest (in a very positive sense) about what they are capable of, what time-windows they have for a certain task and generally about their work-flow. Working on a large project with such transparant company is great as their honesty gave me the possibility to plan the project implementation steps adequately.

They are swift and can easily adapt to rising challenges. At some point during the project turned out that they had to work on a parallel webpage and develop it for a school that we partner with, and they way they reacted to that was so fast, professional and effective that it saved us at least a month of work.

Also their team is very friendly and unlike other software development companies, they are very very open to new ideas. When they get involved with an idea they are looking at it from their clients' perspective, which definitely adds huge value to their services.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not on our end. Keep up the amazing work!

Please describe your company and your position there.

Benefit Systems is a Polish company that supports employers with solutions to effectively motivate their employees and promote personal development, physical activity and healthy lifestyle. The idea behind Benefit Systems’ business concept is to give people options for their work-life balance. In 2015 we decided to enter Bulgaria and revolutionise the way Bulgarian companies are motivating their teams. Our primary product is the MultiSport card. MultiSport is an employee benefit program that grants an access to hundreds of different gyms, studios and swimming pools in whole Bulgaria. It is a card based on monthly subscription that allows users to use any facility in our network. My position is Marketing Manager.

For what projects/services did your company hire Sofyma?

There was a need to redesign and rebuild our existing marketing website for the local market. The design was outdated and some of the features needed a serious upgrade or rework. We have been looking for a provider to redesign, build and support the new website.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to get a modern, updated and functional bilingual and responsive website. As mentioned above, we were looking at a WordPress CMS as a main technical condition for this project. There have been other 3rd parties that we had to integrate like specific lead generation provider, analytics tools and so on. We were hoping to provide better user experience to our existing and new clients and partners, get higher traffic and better SEO positioning in the search engines.

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for vendors online and have shortlisted a few that we contacted and after a brief, we asked them to provide an offer. The two main factors that were used to identify vendors were Wordpress expertise and involvement in project out of Bulgaria.

Sofyma was one of the 4 final candidates who we met personally to discuss further their proposals. The deciding factors that led us to select Sofyma were: - they gave is more than one solution and prices - they provided really detailed description of the pros and cons of different solution - there was a clear structure of the process - the communication went smoothly, they were opened and honest In the selection were involved Business Development Manager and Partners Network Manager.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project consisted of an overall visual redesign of our marketing website for the local market, technical build and ongoing monthly support. We had an explicit requirement to build the website on top of WordPress as it was a system we were familiar with. There was also a specific search feature that was taking a central point in our website - it had to allow end customers (MultiSport cardholders) to easily find sports locations nearby, or filter them by activity, discount and so on. Sofyma provided the end to end solution for our needs - from the UX and the visual design through the technical implementation into WordPress with all custom features that we needed, to the website launch and post-launch technical support. Since the website launch, we have also done a number of new feature requests which have also been delivered by Sofyma. Additionally, they have provided email marketing services for our monthly newsletter - their role has been to design and build a newsletter email template that we use on a monthly basis.

What was the team composition?

The team was composed of an account manager, project manager, designers, developers, QA specialist and a support routines manager.

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

Probably the most meaningful result was the number of generated leads. After the launch of the website in a short period of time the leads increased by almost 30% on a monthly basis. The website was perfectly build for our acquisition goals which led to improved conversion rate.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Sofyma asked us to use a ticketing system to canalize all the project communication there. They have created accounts for our project managers there and we have been using it since day one until today.

For more urgent matters we have been phoning them directly, otherwise, tickets and emails are the main communication methods. They have been transparent with the work progress and generally, we worked very closely together to identify any issues and challenges together.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive about the team behind Sofyma is their approach to every business task and challenge. They manage to understand all aspects of the business therefore they are able to come up with the most practical solution. They are meeting all deadlines. Timely and adequate reaction to any bug, outage or business need. Straightforward communication.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I cannot think of any area of improvement at the moment.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager for digital design at an advertising company. We do digital design, print design, and print creative work, among many other things.

What challenge were you trying to address with Sofyma?

We brought them on board because we needed third-party web development services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sofyma provides a wide array of out-of-house development services. They do email campaigns with HubSpot, construct custom websites, and contribute to WordPress development. If we need any white-label development in the course of our digital work, we bring them in.

What is the team composition?

They have a team that supports me in my position.

How did you come to work with Sofyma?

There were working with us before I came into the position. I handle all direct communication with Sofyma. I’ve worked with them for four years.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around £50,000 GBP ($61,465 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The work began in 2012 and is still ongoing.

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

The quality of their development work is always very good. They come at a good value and tend to over-service us. The clients really appreciate the work. Their team is always ready to fix anything we need.  

How did Sofyma perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really supportive. We’re always plugged in with each other on Slack. Their project management is always really good. Whenever we have something, we get together to organize the timelines and the quote. They stick to those timelines as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sofyma is absolutely fantastic. The people are very likable and they’ll pop into the office if they’re ever in London. Having their third-party input is very helpful.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think they could use more documentation during the QA process. We don’t spend too much time on it, though, so that’s all.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tell them everything they need to succeed. I’d ensure they have everything clearly explained through visuals.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a Marketing Agency that develops some internal products to sell to major companies. I am the CEO and owner of 2conleche and lead tech manager with our clients.

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

I hire Sofyma for any kind of web development. I've worked with them on many types of projects, form a simple Wordpress to a complex web project that requiered cloud, design, UX, prorgraming, scale and live managemnet.

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

The personal side of Juan and Simeon is great. That combined with their great tech knowledge and truthfulness on all their assesment. I always felt very confortable working with them.

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

On quizvideo we had:

• It consulting. How to transform a project in a product.
• Mock-ups and MVP
• Design
• UX consulting
• Development
• Cloud servers infrastructure
• Launch
• Live support

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

8:

• Deisgner
• UX consultant
• 2 Frontend developpers
• 2 Backend developpers
• Project manager
• Cloud expert

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

We sold the project to Mediaser, on of Spain's leader tv network. The project was a huge success and led to new developments.

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

We used a ticketing platform to keep track all the process. We talked via mail and google meet. If needed we have in person meetings. All the phases were delivered on time.

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

The personal side of Juan and Simeon. They were always available. When things got hard, especially in big projects, they were very helpful.

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

Not really. Thay are very scincere. If there's something thet felt thet couldn't do the were open about it.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I´m the partner of a B2B consultory in Spain responsible for the IT developments.

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

We work with Sofyma in the design and devolopment of a very ambitious website for a important financial company in Spain with more than 5000 thousand workers.

It was a internal site for employes for helping them in the digital transition with interactive videos, gaming and content.

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

I had worked with them in another company.

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

The aim of a project is to provide a website where employees of some company may pass some courses. Site will be build using Drupal 8 CMS.

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

A project manager and two senior developers.

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

The user attended sucseffully to all the steps across the website for their digital transformation, More than 5 k users.

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

We had daily meetings with the manager reporting the KPI´s and there were no problem contacting the for urgent issues.

We worked with their internal manager tool for updates, reports and issues. Easy to control changes, times and cost due to follow the planning.

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

Very easy and trustfull company.

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

None. except maybe adopting some urgent changes, but, who does.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Account Manager at Keaton Comunicación, a creative agency located in Madrid.

For what projects/services did your company hire Sofyma?

We have been working with Sofyma for many years as partners in international projects for our clients.

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

We have worked with Sofyma on many occasions and it has always been perfect.

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

We needed the development of an escape room that we had designed for one of our clients in the IT sector.

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

This was a project for an important client that had to be developed in record time, we needed a reliable supplier, Sofyma fulfills what we needed.

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

None.