Symetris

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Greater Houston Partnership is the principal business organization in the Houston region serving 950+ member companies and organizations. I am the Vice President of Communications for the organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our website was created in 2019 and we have been pleased with its performance. However, we weren't getting the kind of support we needed to make ongoing updates to the site. We conducted a search for a new firm and selected Symetris in 2022 due to the company's knowledge in Drupal and our comfort level with their ability to execute robust improvements for us moving forward. We want to ensure our site remains best-in-class among major economic development organizations.

SOLUTION

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

We conducted a large-scale search and we were pleased with the proposal Symetris put together that showcased their knowledge base and expertise in problem-solving for complicated websites like ours.

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

This project is ongoing support but we have engaged with Symetris to develop a comprehensive strategy that will guide our web development efforts in the years to come. Symetris is now engaging with our stakeholders in discovery around the needs of the site now and in the near future.

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

We have roughly a half-dozen folks with Symetris working with us on everything from project management to strategy to development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Symetris has been great about knocking out quick fixes that have improved our site's performance and the user experience. More in-depth work is still to come that will mean more robust improvements to performance.

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

The Symetris team has been fantastic to work with. We communicate with them primarily via Slack and they are super responsive with updates, timelines for requests and generally getting tasks done.

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

The team is easy-going yet diligent. I find it refreshing to be partnered with a firm that is just generally great to work with.

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

Nothing comes to mind!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a digital marketing manager for a high-tech company. Within my role I oversee the website, including the recent migration from a custom in-house site to Drupal.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Symetris?

We needed help with website development and design. We had a custom in-house website and wanted to move to an open-source CMS. We initially signed a contract with another company that worked on developing the site on an e-commerce platform. After months of work and back and forth, we realized that the platform wasn’t a good fit for us — we couldn’t customize much, and it felt like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. We started looking into other options and decided to go with Drupal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Symetris built the Drupal site entirely from scratch. We first had them do an analysis of our internal setup to confirm they would be able to provide the customization we required within Drupal. 

They built a responsive website with multi-language capabilities. The site has some dynamic pages, forms that connect to internal databases, and more. Some functionality that was developed (including e-commerce) was put on hold for internal reasons. The actual design of the site was outsourced to a local firm through them. 

Since launch there have been various bug fixes and some minor changes to the site. We are now working with them to migrate the site from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9.

What is the team composition?

We’ve had four project managers throughout the years, but most of the work was coordinated through the same person. We’ve had several developers work on the project and an analyst that’s been there since the beginning and knows our site well. If there’s a minor bug or change, they have a support team that can quickly take on small changes, even if they haven’t worked on the website before.

How did you come to work with Symetris?

After engaging with the other company, we started to shop around for other web development agencies. We were looking for agencies in Montreal that could build on an open-source platform. We searched online and contacted many different companies, sending them an extensive list of requirements. Only a handful of companies contacted us back saying they could help, and Symetris was the first one to do so. They were super responsive from day one.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first contacted them in early 2015 and have been working with them since then.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new website is a big improvement on the old one – mostly in the overall look, the fact that it’s responsive, and the way the content is better organized (we’ve eliminated a lot of duplication, made certain parts dynamic, etc.)

There have been some bumps along the way, but overall, we’re very satisfied with their work.

How did Symetris perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been fantastic. The team is super responsive and transparent. They communicate well and we always know what’s going on. Most of the delays were on our end, and Symetris would let us know ahead of time if not getting a response or approval by a certain date would affect the timeline further (e.g. if resources would be reallocated).

While the project was in development, we had weekly calls with the project manager. We also emailed and used Slack and could send them a quick message at any time. We had access to their ticket system to see their progress and comment directly on Redmine. Additionally, we had in-person meetings at different times before COVID-19, and we’ve had Zoom or Teams calls since then.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve stood out on the project management side. Also, they have competent developers. If we want something done, they scope it out and get the right people to work on it. Then, they get it rolling on time and budget. It’s easy to get the job done with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When we started working together, they scoped out the project and delivered just that. Afterward, we found various issues that we wish they would have warned us about or recommended we do differently (even if it meant modifying the initial mandate). 

They’ve since changed the way they work. Instead of deciding ahead of time what will be done/delivered, they ask us what the goal is and then figure out and recommend the best way for us to meet that goal while following best practices.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Invest the time and money to do things right up front. Symetris will do the job you ask them to, but you’ll have a better result if you define your goals and let them gather experts from different fields to recommend the best course of action considering best practices for SEO, UX/UI, etc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

InnovMetric is the pioneer of point cloud-based inspection and invented the concept of a universal 3D metrology software platform. We are proud to contribute to the success of the largest industrial manufacturing companies with the support of our 500 professionals working in our various international offices. My position is to manage the website ecosystem infrastructure.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed to have a local web presence for all of our territories. A Audit was made to evaluate the best option for building a web ecosystem and the result was builder in Drupal environment. Symetris was a Drupal solution expert and help us in developing the perfect ecosystem.

SOLUTION

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

We were already involve with Symetris for the maintenance of our old website. After the Audit for building our web ecosystem, they come up with a solid proposal for the long therm and it was matching our marketing goal.

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

After the Audit, confirming the alignment of the solution with our goals, we had a kick-off meeting. After that : create the timeline, create user story, develop the Wireframe, developing, QA, launch, happiness!

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

A project leader, a VP Innovation & Technology, a functional analyst, 3 senior developer and a quality assurance analyst.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We increase the traffic, we are more locally present. Our SEO has also improve.

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

Mainly using Slack for communicating during the development phase and also used after. We used Redmine for the ticket creation and documenting.

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

They deliver a huge project with little change in the schedule time. When crises emerge, it's when Symetris shines. Their team quickly takes care of their situation in due time.

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

A website need maintenance (PHP update, System versioning...), at first we learned of those update a bite late, now we are planning those each year.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote Quebec biofood products. I'm the deputy general manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our current portal generates administrative heaviness for my team, which must be more efficient following the growth we are experiencing. In addition, the current portal limits us in collecting the documentary evidence necessary for our proper functioning and is unstable on several levels. The reliability of our data is essential and sharing it must be easy and adapted to the needs of our partners. In addition, our search tool had to be improved to meet the needs of our consumers. This project will also allow us to adapt our site, aimed at both our consumers and the industry.

SOLUTION

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

We felt from the start that they were positioning themselves as a partner and that our business objectives were their KPIs. They were attentive and always made sure to fully understand our needs and validate them. Their working method gave us confidence, among other things in terms of sharing expertise and knowledge on our issues.

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

Confidential

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

Several team members have been involved at many levels. Project manager, developer, strategist. Symetris makes sure to put the right people in the project and surrounds itself with competent external consultants if necessary.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Confidential

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

Weekly meeting, live chat platform, resource team at all times, measures the weekly happiness rate

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

The quality of the partnership, their solution mode, their listening and their adaptation. They go to the bottom of things to make sure they've properly guided their client.

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

Like any good digital redesign project, deliverables are hard to come by. But over time, they were able to better manage our expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Philly Marketing Labs, a digital marketing agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Symetris?

We needed a Drupal-certified partner to build a series of websites.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were exclusively focused on the development, but they worked closely with our designer to make our vision a reality. It was one Drupal engine feeding into the frontend of about 40 branded websites. They also had to work with multiple third-party vendors to handle the integrations.

After that, they helped us migrate from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8 and now Drupal 9.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with a project manager, and they had several other teammates

How did you come to work with Symetris?

We did a quick Google search. Symetris is Drupal- and Acquia-certified, so they were the best fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $500,000 CAD (approximately $390,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2019 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve retained them for maintenance and expect to have a long-term relationship with them. They offer a quality service for a reasonable price.

How did Symetris perform from a project management standpoint?

By keeping the project on-scope, they kept up with the timeline and delivered in line with what was projected.

Every week we go over how the project was progressing. On top of that, we communicate over a shared Slack channel and via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our project manager is extremely friendly and calm. He does well under pressure and never gets frazzled. As a result, we developed a great relationship with him.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could scale up by building a bigger team. They’re becoming very successful and need to add new team members.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

New clients should be very clear about their expectations when it comes to design. The team is knowledgeable about the technical aspects, but their clients need to have their design and marketing components figured out before they start working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a solutions manager at a software and services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Symetris?

We hired them to partner with our team to deliver a solution for our end customer.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Working under our leadership, Symetris helped us implement a complex marketing and e-commerce site for a telecommunications company. It was developed for the sale of a new product line that was being rolled out by our customer. We primarily worked in Drupal, and there was an integration with the Etiya e-commerce solution.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about six people. We had a project manager, front- and backend developers, and QA leads.

How did you come to work with Symetris?

Upon winning the business with the customer, we identified that we needed some additional capacity to deal with the product. We looked at some partners available in the area, and Symetris came up as a company that had worked with the customer themselves previously. The customer recommended we talk to them, and we ultimately decided they were a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $500,000–$1,000,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place from November 2018–September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work rolled up directly into our work, so we were tracking it at the program level across the entire project. We were pleased with their contributions — their skills and abilities made sure no issues arose around delivery.

How did Symetris perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was excellent. Symetris came to us with a good foundation for software development practices, and they were able to really leverage that and integrate it into our defined processes very well. The strength of their soft skills, like communication, were also very strong.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very flexible and creative in working with us to meet the customer’s needs. They put a high priority on customer success and customer satisfaction.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their team was in high demand, and sometimes their resources were pulled in a couple of directions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To get the most out of any project, be dedicated on your end to having the necessary people and assets available, so that the Symetris project team has everything they need to do their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of IT and digital technology for a telco company. We provide various telco services like Internet and television.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Symetris?

They were originally brought onto the project as a Drupal development partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team handled the Drupal development work for a site component. Later, they took on a complete overhaul of one of our company websites. They completely redesigned that site from us, using a framework from the first project they did with us. However, most of the platform needed to be worked from scratch. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with five individuals, including a Scrum master and developers.  

How did you come to work with Symetris?

They were brought onto a project by another one of our partners that handled a major implementation project for us last year. I continued the relationship with them for various initiatives.

How much have you invested with them?

The first project was $110,000, and the second project cost $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The projects lasted from December 2019–April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was a pleasure to work with them. They’re very knowledgeable about everything relating to Drupal and always delivered quality products. They succeeded in building our site on a new technology. 

How did Symetris perform from a project management standpoint?

This was a high visibility project that they handled fairly easily and with flexibility.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility stood out. When we had issues, they worked to accommodate us to meet requirements in creative ways. They made sure we met timelines and budget needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it was a pleasure working with them.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We had frequent conversations with an executive contact on their side. That helped us address issues early. Build a close relationship with them to pinpoint problems and proactively solve them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

OPAL-RT develops real-time simulation platforms (software and hardware) for power systems, power electronics, aerospace, and automotive sectors. As a digital marketing specialist at OPAL-RT, I'm responsible for the creation and deployment of digital marketing campaigns.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Symetris?

The objective of the project was for Symetris to take over all existing OPAL-RT's website assets as well as to fix bugs and increase our website performance and security.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were looking for a partner to address the technological recovery. Symetris responded quickly to our requests from the beginning. After a few meetings, Symetris proposed an action plan comprised of four measures: creating environments; technical documentation; analysis and writing of test plans; and deployment.

What is the team dynamic?

Our first contact was with Julien Linares, Account Manager, who led the first negotiations and took care of our account, and after we met at our offices with the whole Symetris’ team involved in the project (Project Leader, Developer, QA Specialist). Once the project started, our point of contact was Hubert, Project Leader. We also sometimes interacted with developers and with the QA specialist.

How did you come to work with Symetris?

Our marketing director had already talked with Symetris in 2016. Although he liked the company, the negotiations did not progress at that time. In 2018, we were looking for another web provider and we contacted Symetris again. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted for 2 months, from April–May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Symetris effectively managed the recovery of the website according to our business needs and following the action plan. Thanks to a rigorous and step-by-step methodology, the new technical recommendations, corrections, and improvements were made according to best practices. We’re very satisfied with their work and we rely on Symetris to evolve our digital projects and work in other projects.

How did Symetris perform from a project management standpoint?

Symetris was very professional and transparent about the necessary efforts the project required. We had weekly meetings with Symetris' project manager, we had 100% visibility of all tasks and their progress via their project management tool (Redmine).

What did you find most impressive about them?

Reactiveness; professionalism; ability to understand the client’s needs; transparency.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The company has high-level professionals who make great digital partners.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.      

I’m the multimedia team leader for Garaga. We manufacture garage doors and distribute these products throughout Canada and the Northeast U.S., and we’re developing throughout the Midwest. We additionally offer marketing and communication services to our dealers, which includes websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Symetris?

We had been using the platform Ektron CMS since 2011 for our web services and knew we needed to move to a new platform. We also wanted to make our website and our dealer’s websites responsive at the same time and decided to move to a Drupal platform. We needed a partner to help make all of this happen.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were responsible for the website development. They set-up the Drupal platform server, the template pages, and worked with us on solutions that would increase flexibility for the development of the webpages as we have a good internal team who can do a lot of work on the frontend. They added a responsive element and our in-house team is transferring over content, so they were generally responsible for the backend.

The corporate site has more than 1,200 pages in three languages: French, Canadian English, and U.S. English. They went through the steps with us for each challenge we might encounter of the development, as we didn’t want to perform a full redesign of the website. They kept the design generally similar to our previous platform. Again, we were really looking for flexibility and they were able to work well with in terms of options, support, and alternatives.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked with a number of different team members, including the sales representative, account manager, project coordinator, and the lead programmer.

How did you come to work with Symetris?        

We had been looking for a possible CMS partnership for about a year, and when we decided to go with an open source solution we were thinking of using a much larger company. However, when we were ready to move forward that company couldn’t start for several months and they referred us to Symetris because they’re in the same building. We met with them, and they were a much smaller team allowing them to be more flexible in terms of timeframes. They also have programmers that they can subcontract if need be based on the project, and we decided to move forward with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in 2016, and the engagement is ongoing. We’re hoping to launch the website in January of 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While the website isn’t launched yet, there is a QA system set-up for every time that they deploy corrections or new functionalities through their system. With a project as large as this sometimes things had to be returned but overall the approval rating was high. It’s totally understandable given the size and scope.

We were also following the number of hours invested per functionality, based on the budgeted time set at the beginning of the project. They have a warranty policy so that any new functionalities that aren’t to our satisfaction based on our initial demand, would be corrected free of charge. Overall, we’re very happy with the quality of the work.

How did Symetris perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive to all our needs and timely with all deliverables. Each week, we had a meeting with the project coordinator and lead programmer for updates on the project status, including hours invested and where, and what’s targeted for the next week. We were working in agile mode and the lead programmer was also a question period twice a week to train our in-house team on Drupal.

We were a test client for them, but they added us to their in-house project management system so we could communicate directly. We also used Slack for more immediate questions, and they would get back to us generally quickly or if they didn’t, they would verify the information and get back to us at the next meeting. We had a very close working relationship.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I found their customer service to be exceptional. As I mentioned, they’re really close with us and we’re having a good time working together. They want to stay on top of the project and it’s a good relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We were somewhat a test client, so they’ve already upgraded their deployment standards based on their experiences working with us. Other than that, there’s nothing outstanding.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would suggest going into the project with a clear idea of what you’re looking for because the back and forth is the most complex part.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Manager of an other industry company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We sell damages insurances

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• To have a support team in case of need
• Up date our web site
• Modernise our web site

SOLUTION

How did you find Symetris?

Referral

Why did you select Symetris over others?

Good value for cost

How many teammates from Symetris were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Migrating our website code
• Drupal version update
• Delivery of new features on the new website
• Coworking with our team

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It had a demo that allowed us to measure the progress of the project.

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

The project manager was available and responded quickly enough to our needs. He could have better managed the communication of changes compared to what was established in the call for tenders and raised the technical and financial impacts.

What was your primary form of communication with Symetris?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We were impressed with the partnership! They were available and always in solution mode.

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

Better communication of changes to all stakeholders (at the request of the PO) and the impacts.

UPDATED REVIEW

E-commerce Manager, Insurance Company

Financial Services

1,001-5,000 Employees

Levis, Canada

$200,000 to $999,999

Jan 2021 - Ongoing

Project summary

Symetris has been developing a website for an insurance company in Drupal 9. The new platform is expected to help the client increase their leads.

Feedback summary

Symetris has significantly improved the client's availability rate and loading time. They are transparent with their communication, as well. The team is committed to results and have been using the best follow-up practices in their industry.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the e-commerce manager. Our company is the fourth largest insurer in Quebec, Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Symetris to develop a new website in Druapal 9. Our new website will be ready for new technological standards and will help us to increase our leads

SOLUTION

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

Symetris is recognized as a reference in web development using Drupal technologies in the region. Symetris participated in a selection process with other competitors and presented a competitive proposal with technological advantages

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

We discussed goals and the web architecture to be followed. The new architecture has been implemented, new pages are being developed, and we have received help with static and dynamic content. Symetris actively participates in the identification and creation of dynamic content blocks.

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

The project is jointly developed in a transparent manner. The entire team participates in the meetings and discusses results

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is in progress. For now, we have significantly improved our availability rate and our loading time.

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

The project is jointly developed in a transparent manner. The entire team participates in the meetings and discusses results

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

The team is committed to results and the quality of follow-up follows the best standards in the industry.

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

Adoption of standard tools (like Jira) to integrate with external client tools. It would help integrate with our in-house services

RATINGS

Overall rating: 4.5

Quality: 5

Cost: 4.5

Schedule: 5

Willing to refer: 5