Springs

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company provides a directory for business aviation suppliers for example maintenance organizations, training organizations etc. I´m the managing director and also responsible for the platform development project.

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

To create an online directory for business aviation that is able to be downloaded like an app from scratch.

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

Dedicated Developers and Project Manager compared with a great cost structure.

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

Initial brainstorming and visualization. Creation of a mindmap and user experience details Development process backend and frontend Testing phase and adjustments Launch Maintenance and updates

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

One Project Manager who I dealt with all the time and held weekly video calls on progress and timelines.

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

All the deliverables were perfectly developed and the communication was very good. All issues were addressed and sorted in a very short time. All costs were clear and no surprises came up.

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

We had the base concept which was broken down in sprints for each week and I had all access to review all steps and processes within gitlab and slack.

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

Springs amazingly merge our ideas and theirs.

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

No

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a web application that allows user to search and review books.

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

I needed an agency that could assist me in developing my idea, from conceptualizing the main features, find development options, suggest best tools and develop them.

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

I had been in contact with several agencies and had introductory meetings with all. The guys at Springs have been very patient in providing explanations and answering all my questions, always available when I was calling a meeting to require more information and very precise and exhausting in providing estimates for the work to be done.

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

We had several meetings to discuss my ideas, I presented a few mockups that helped visualizing the concept of the website. We discussed the technology to be used, we opted for Node.js and Due.js. I have been assigned a manager that was my main contact at the agency and that was supervising the job of the developers, in a very efficient and smooth way.

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

The project manager was my main point of contact, there were 4 to 5 developers and a graphic designer working under his supervision.

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

The web application has been successfully developed.

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

The project manager was my point of contact, my requests and comments and the requests and comments from the developers were communicated through him.

We used slack as main platform for communication and to discuss different features using different channels, and then we used Trello to check on the different tasks and workflow. Both were new to new but I found Springs' communication tools and management style very professional and effective.

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

They showed from the beginning a very professional attitude, were always very supportive and reassuring, which is something that I appreciated being not at all an IT person. I was looking for a reliable agency that could assist me throughout the development process, someone I could trust, and I found this in Springs.

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

Whatever bug was there they were always ready to fix it. I a couple of occasions they were unsure on how to proceed, but they immediately found the right resource in their team to perform the task.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO assistant for management and internationalization at Spectrum AG. We provide a trainee program designed to fill the gap between what today's college graduates learn in universities and job requirements.

For what projects/services did your company hire Springs?

We needed to automate our service, which was being run through Excel sheets. Compiling and presenting our data to management was becoming a serious problem.

What were your goals for this project?

We were aiming to reach specific international expansion goals.

How did you select this vendor?

They contacted us through LinkedIn.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Based on our internal requirements, they designed and developed an ERP. They were also responsible for security and QA.

What was the team composition?

Our primary contacts were their COO and a project manager. I’m not sure who exactly worked on the project or how many people there were.

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

It’s too early to determine the actual impact of the project, but we can say our employees’ productivity has been significantly enhanced. Finding information is much easier than it was when we had to look through countless Excel sheets. Producing reports and presenting data to management is also much simpler than it was before.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They organized the effort into two levels: a project team and a project committee. The committee set the scope while the team implemented its plan.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were highly responsive, deadline-oriented and solution-driven. Whenever we had a question, they responded directly. Their willingness to incorporate functionalities into the requirements after we began was especially noteworthy. Instead of saying no, they looked for ways to integrate new features into existing modules.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Internal communication between the project team and the project committee regarding the scope could have been improved, but we had a very positive experience overall.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the managing director for a software solutions company that specializes in the construction and services industry. We provide bespoke integrations to third-party software as well as a SaaS product for document automation.

For what projects/services did your company hire Springs?

A client approached us about a custom integration to a workflow management system. The project—which relied heavily on Cron API, deciphering large amounts of data, and creating notification letters and emails—needed some specialized guidance. 

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to automate the seamless, accurate creation of notification letters and emails to over 20,000 customers in a timely fashion and with an intuitive interface.

How did you select this vendor?

I read through a number of Clutch reviews and interviewed several companies. I liked the quality of Springs’ portfolio and, after speaking with their management, felt confident that they possessed the technical knowledge necessary to deliver a quality solution within budget. 

Describe the project in detail.

I provided the technical specifications and mockups for my desired design and flow.  Given the technical nature of this project as well as my familiarity with the third-party API, we decided that I would manage the project directly and call on their project manager as needed. The team implemented a DigitalOcean hosting platform and PHP architecture, then answered any questions I had regarding the setup.  

What was the team composition?

In the beginning, several people were involved with establishing the initial graphical user interface (GUI) and API functionality. Later in the project, I communicated with one developer on a daily basis, particularly during the testing and debugging stages.

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

This project has been transformative for my client; they can now quickly and efficiently produce the notifications they need to stay compliant. They are so satisfied that they have requested bolt-on functionality for other areas in their business, such as warehouse reporting.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

My expanded involvement allowed me direct access to the main developer, which I prefer. The Springs team communicated well, remained accessible, and was always available for brainstorming and troubleshooting. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are a team of creative developers who find a way to make things work. Bugs are a necessary evil in software development, but the team took them in stride and always found a solution. I also found their prices to be fair and competitive. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

Design is not their strong point, and they could benefit from an in-house designer to refine their GUI. However, they compensate for this by quickly implementing suggestions and revisions. I would prefer to have a developer with strong coding skills anyway, as opposed to a one with a broader, less specific skill set like design. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of Huxley Digital. We’re a web development and design firm that services small to medium-sized companies in the B2B market.

What challenge were you trying to address with Springs?

Our in-house staff consists of web designers and marketing professionals, but we lack sufficient server-side expertise. Therefore, we needed an external company to act as our development partner.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Springs developed a couple of customer-facing websites using a Laravel PHP framework. They’ve integrated these sites with a sophisticated user access management software and various APIs. They also designed some initial screens through a solid understanding of frontend frameworks like Bootstrap. Their team worked well with our designers to implement CSS elements into two subscription management platforms. More recently, they’ve used Vue.JS to complete the JavaScript work required by our current project. Overall, they’ve demonstrated a lot of skill in applying a frontend finish to the server-side work they’re assigned.

What is the team composition?

They’ve assigned us the same project manager for each project. While they act as our primary point of contact, we’re also granted access to the company’s principals.

How did you come to work with Springs?

We found Springs on Upwork and reached out to them. They handled the initial inquiry professionally and demonstrated an understanding of the complexities involved with our project. They asked the right questions instead of immediately agreeing to our terms. We appreciated that approach and hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost around £40,000 (approximately $52,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2016. There’s been a couple of small gaps in the engagement, but our relationship is ongoing.

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

It’s a bit too soon to gather reliable metrics from the platforms they’ve completed. The marketing around their first project with us failed, so there aren’t many people using that product. They haven’t finalized our current project, but we expect it to be a success. Their development knowledge enables us to confidently accept and sell project s outside of our internal skill set. We’re a long way from investing in additional full-time resources, so their contributions are integral to our success.

How did Springs perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is responsive and capable of providing thorough documentation. We used Jira to track the first project, but the current undertaking is organized by an old-fashioned mix of Trello and Google Docs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their highly skilled team isn’t afraid to step up to a challenge. Also, their ability to communicate is exceptionable. The company directors are always available if needed. We’ve outsourced a total of 4 companies in our history, and Springs is by far the most notable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The language barrier can be frustrating at times. Although they communicate better than any other outsourced firm we’ve worked with, improvements could always be made.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Every outsourced engagement needs a dedicated project manager on both sides. I frequently reach out to Springs and give them feedback on how they’re performing. That prompts them to fill in the gaps regarding project expectations. This level of contact benefits our projects.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am one of two co-founders of UrbanCircle, an online marketplace for child-related services such as academic tutors, sports coaches, music and arts instructors, babysitters, and nannies. By providing access to a large pool of qualified resources, we strive to create a single reliable source for parents needing childcare and development support. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Springs?

We hired them for web design and end-to-end development.

What were your goals for this project?

Our primary goal was a frictionless customer experience on both our web and mobile platforms that allowed families to view detailed profiles of various alternative service providers.

How did you select this vendor?

They responded to our job posting on Upwork and were among 10 of the companies we shortlisted to interview. 

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They designed and developed the marketplace from scratch using a Bootstrap template design, then customized it to fit our requirements.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of one partner, one project manager, and one analyst.

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

Families can now make informed decisions concerning the best care for their children, then book and pay service providers online and on-demand, eliminating the need for bank transfers or time-consuming phone calls.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Although the project leadership changed twice, the third and final manager’s attention to detail was instrumental in meeting deadlines and expectations. They were generally flexible regarding our change requests and did their best to deliver the demos on time. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Rather than confine their problem solving to the initial scope, they found creative ways to resolve issues.  

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Since we were first-time entrepreneurs with little experience, they could have been more proactive in presenting and suggesting best practices to us before we figured it out ourselves.  

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a data management consultant in a small data consultation company. We’re based in Saudi Arabia and serve primarily the public sector across all data-related topics, including data strategy, data management, BI, analytics, and more.

For what projects/services did your company hire Springs?

We had a client who wanted to build a membership portal with basic functions in a very short amount of time to roll out a variety of surveys. The survey results would later be analyzed to extract pertinent findings. We hired Springs to augment our team for the project. The team was extremely helpful and supportive in understanding the problem, analyzing our needs, keep us posted about the progress, provide realistic estimates, finish the project on time, support/maintain it, and continue improving.

What were your goals for this project?

The portal had to support multiple user groups, non-trivial survey question types like customized grids, and high numbers of concurrent users. We were looking to create a simple and user-friendly UI that allowed for registration, activation, and password resetting with email confirmation. The platform also needed to allow users to change survey questions easily, suspend surveys, and republish them. Apart from these requirements, we needed a fast delivery as well.

How did you select this vendor?

I had worked with them before this project, and once after. I found Springs on a freelancing site at the beginning, we then enhanced our collaboration and started to work together directly.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They provided design, wireframing, development, testing, QA, deployment, and improvement services throughout this project. All was agreed upon based on an initial estimate for time, cost, and resources. After they received our documentation and understood the details of the project, they started working and kept us updated on progress.

What was the team composition?

We had a dedicated team that included developers, designers, and testers.

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

The membership portal required an extremely swift and dynamic process to meet tight deadlines, and the Springs team followed through. The client launched the portal at a large event in which the audience was able to participate, and the product now allows them to capture important data for their business.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They had a great approach to project management. We worked with the team directly at points to expedite the development process, but the project manager was always present to keep things organized. We primarily used Whatsapp and Telegram to communicate. Having direct access to the team allowed for properly setting expectations and avoiding miscommunications.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They took time to analyze and understand our requirements carefully. I’ve worked with companies that intentionally ignore requirements and provide unrealistic estimations to resize the project and increase costs down the line. The Springs team emphasized our requirements throughout the process and planned ahead to provide a reasonable quote. We appreciated that they always kept us updated, even when they face challenges. They’re transparent in the problems that they come across, and they work collaboratively to find solutions.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

They provide excellent services in the web development space, but I’d love to see them expand their expertise to cover BI and analytics fields. We would love to work with them on interactive dashboards and other data visualization tools.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder of a marketing technology web application for the hospitality and eCommerce industries.

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

Rebuild our solution from scratch.

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

A creative approach to UI/UX that didn't reinvent the wheel and an agile dev team that delivered quickly.

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

Leveraged React and node js to develop a Web application from scratch.

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

A total of 2 plus a project manager and a QA person.

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

Drastically improved the user experience and allowed us to deliver on our customers' feature request fast.

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

The communication flow is good and they're always available for us on Slack.

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

Honesty, flexibility, creativity and high level of engagement

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

QA could be more detailed.

Please describe your company and your position there.

emplify is a full service HR marketing agency that provides a borad range of services around the topics recruitment, HR marketiing, consulting and creative work.

For what projects/services did your company hire Springs?

The challange was to create a new anayltics dahsboard with a totally new api that was coming from a third party online advertisements provider.

What were your goals for this project?

to make the api work, see what we can do with that api and to get the needed data into a user friendly dashboard

How did you select this vendor?

we previously worked together and therefore we new that everything will work fine

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

• develpoment
• hosting
• design
• project management

What was the team composition?

Springsapps: 1 Projectmanager, 1 Developer, 1

Designer emplify: 1 Projectmanager

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

some crucial processes can be improved by the developed tool

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

it was mostly arranged via slack and it was very effective

What did you find most impressive about this company?

they can understand our requirements much faster than most of the german service providers. Springsapps people have very good skills in empathizing with customers' problems

Are there any areas for improvement?

nope