Synapse Team

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of a software company.

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

We had an existing product which was outdated, but still, we have big customers who are using it. We needed to refactor the whole product and make sure that the number of bugs will be decreased, libraries will be updated and optimization will be at a high level. As it is a live product we had a small time frame to make the first corrections and fix the crucial bugs.

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

One of our partners worked with them on another project consisting of React and PHP/Laravel. That project was successfully delivered and deployed and the partnered company was satisfied. So, we decided to have a small iteration (for 2 weeks) to test and oversee the behavior and professionalism of the Synapse Team. After finishing this stage, we decided to continue working with them as the main vendor.

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

It was an existing e-commerce project that provided end-users an opportunity to oversee the whole trading situation, focusing on transactions, business processes, debts, etc. This platform is focused on specific industry companies where the platform needs to be a combination of specific features.

As it was an existing platform, the libraries were outdated, which caused to slow down the whole application. We decided to refactor the whole platform by using React and PHP/Laravel, as some of our main clients suffered a big amount of bugs and crashes. We contacted Synapse Team and brought a bit of existing code so they had a preliminary understanding of what is happening and if there is an option to make it better.

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

We had several iterations of the project refactoring and adding new functionality. As we started on 1st iteration which was a test to see how Synapse Team approached the client, his/her needs, and solve the challenge team consisted of 1 React Js developer, 1 PHP/Laravel developer, and from our side tech lead and project manager. After finishing the iteration and choosing Synapse Team as the main vendor, the team grew to 2 React JS developers, 2 PHP/Laravel developers, their tech lead and 1 tech lead from our side, and the project manager.

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

Before this project, the product was unstable, both from an uptime perspective and regarding the number of bugs noted by our customers. Thanks to Synapse Team’s work, the application is much more stable and users became more satisfied with it. They’ve helped us increase uptime, reduce problems during releases, and decrease the number of complaints from our customers. As from our side UI also changed, Synapse Team developers provided thoughts on how to make this UI friendly and easy for clients.

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

Our communication started from the discovery phase and established the delivery plan. We provided not all the information and documentation, as it was a long time ago. And it had an effect on the Synapse Team's performance, as the communication was not clear from our side. After the first iteration (1 week) we heard the Synapse Team needs clarity of communication and everything was improved. As our project had a rough start from both sides, still our communication and forecasting were great. It took a bit more time as I mentioned due to the lack of information that we provided.

Also, I need to be fair, that from a project management view, the start of the project was rough, as my plan consisted of some of outdated steps and tasks. We asked the Synapse team to provide a custom solution for our project to optimize the development process. As it was additional, but crucial for the early-stage tasks, still it was delivered in a short-term period and with high professionalism. It helped to increase engagement of the project due to the fact, that the whole pace dramatically changed in the priority of the features to be released.

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

I like how the Synapse team and their people behave. They are open to discussion and try to solve complex problems or questions in an easy way. Even if something is not clear or fully explained, they want to be in “your shoes” and provide options to make it easier and optimized.

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

When we started working with Synapse we had a plan for releases and delivery. During the development process, we faced that amount the tasks increasing due to the fact that our main focus was to make the product competitive as it can be. But, as it is a fast-paced project I cannot argue with the team regarding task management or time to delivery the task as we asked developers for our priorities of task deliveries. So I am satisfied with workpace of Synapse Team developers.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of an online direct response travel business, with resorts worldwide, that the company markets via Social and Search Media.

For what projects/services did your company hire Synapse Team?

To create a CRM and database to manage interactions between the guest, hotels and admin to facilitate complex booking requirements customised for each client,

What were your goals for this project?

To integrate an external CRM solution- in this Zoho- to our website for customers/guests to be able to make a reservation via a custom form designed for each hotels requirements, and then manage the workflow from request, amendment, to confirmation and cancellation.

How did you select this vendor?

We hired Synapse via upwork- they were hired because of their professional approach from the start which included a response that demonstrated a clear understanding of the scope of work, and insightful responses which indicated it was understood.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Design and deploy a customised Zoho CRM, integrated with WP /Woo commerce. The task required custom code, API's, JSON, and mailserver

What was the team composition?

Synapse has a good team of business analysts which is a big advantage to dealing directly with a developer. The developers work with the analyst who reports back, and the team is managed by a very capable manager.

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

We have a robust and innovative and bespoke solution to a complex set of requirements which will allow the company to manage large volumes of business globally.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Synapse shows signs of being an emerging development team with a clear understanding of business analysis and workflow management. They are a young and dynamic team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Synapse impressed me with their communication and desire to get the job done. All interactions were professional and to the point.

Are there any areas for improvement?

A really good UX team member would be useful. The client could provide scenarios for testing. This would save some time.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are product company from Europe, my position is product manager of one of the products related Ecommerce

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

Our company has several products to deliver to our clients. We came up with an idea to collect our client's previous experience and deliver a new product that will provide unique functionality even if in the E-commerce field almost everything is provided. After the discovery phase, we saw that there is a need for a team with experience in delivering challenging features still with high quality and in the right time spot

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

it was a referral link from one of our partners with whom we are working for a long time. As it requires a reliable vendor with a strong level of maturity and working experience we contacted the Synapse Team

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

As the product generally was from scratch we started working with Synapse Team as our main vendor. We provided Synapse Team with all needed documentation and discussed with them what frameworks and technologies we need to use to achieve the best result. We decided to use Angular for the front end and PHP/Laravel for the back end. It is crucial to mention as there were several options to consider, but Synapse Team ensured that these technologies will be much more applicable for our product. We provided documentation with all functionality and explantation, also designs to the development team.

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

Synapse Team provided us with 2 Angular front-end developers, and 2 Laravel/PHP back-end. From our side, there was 1 architect, 1 team lead, manual QA, and me as a product manager

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

As it is a product almost from scratch we did not decide in which direction to go with some features. As all project uses custom libraries that we delivered to the vendor team, it was important to be sure everything will be working smoothly, and clean. One of Synapse Team’s Angular developers provided a solution that increased the performance of the first version of the application, by connecting the back-end and front-end by using different libraries, even when our team leads agreed on another path of building the code.

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

Everything was fine. As we came up with some features in the ongoing development process, some timeframes were changed for each iteration and version. Still from our side, there is nothing special that happened regarding it. I need to mention, that we came up with an idea, and then provided designs, so for the first time in 3-4 weeks, we worked based on architecture and technical documentation. Angular developers started later when the designs and architecture were done.

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

What I appreciated about working with Synapse Team is the working environment and how they listen to our needs. They every time ask for insights into our plans for the product to make sure, that it will be up-to-date and end-user will be satisfied. All members of Synapse team who worked on our project had a strong level of English, so communication was not a problem and communication was set up smoothly and easily and really quick.

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

The team should ensure that releases will be in a lower timeframe, we made an estimation, and every time we worked on the middle of the period, nor min or max. Of course, there are some features that we came up with during the development process and that is why the deadlines are a bit postponed. From a company perspective, there’s nothing they need to improve; I’m quite satisfied with them

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO, Software development company

For what projects/services did your company hire Synapse Team?

We've hired Synapse Team in order to speed up and boost our development needs. We had an Edtech platform waiting for the start and faced resource issues. That is why we have decided to hire an external team.

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

We were looking for Ukrainian service providers, and one of our teammates referred them to us since he had good interaction with them in the past. Synapse Team has proven experience in the field of IT Staff Augmentation, which became an advantage for us in choosing their company.

They seemed to be trustworthy and confident and everyone on their team was good at communication. We were in touch with 4 companies, but none of them was such proactive as Synapse Team. We had a feeling that their dynamic execution is something that we really need.

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

Project was divided into milestones & Agile sprints according to our needs.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

Recruitment process was next:

1. Short call with our Product Manager to check compatibility with current team and general soft skills.
2. Tech interview with live coding with our software team leader.

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

We were able to deliver the project on time, it wouldn't have been possible without them.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They respond to our needs within our expected timeframes. In terms of communication, everything’s remote, and we use Google Meet and Slack.

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

The level of personal attention they gave us was really impressive.

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

We had a really good cooperation with their team, I don't recall anything to improve.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of AdvantiSS. AdvantISS is a custom software development company, based in Ukraine. We create software solutions from prototype to launch and technical support for entrepreneurs from the EU countries and US. We develop custom CRM systems, business automation software, legal tech, and fintech platforms.

For what projects/services did your company hire Synapse Team?

Our company aimed to augment one of our development teams with front-end developers.

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

We were looking for Ukraine-based partner that could help us. After we filtered out a list of the best providers to work with our team, we arranged a series of interviews with potential vendors. Synapse Team attracted us with their professionalism and preparation for our meeting. They invited JS technical lead who collected our requirements, and within one working day, we had already scheduled interviews with candidates for our project. After the interviews, we realized that these were the right people.

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

We went through an interviewing process to make sure the person’s personality would be a good fit. Then, our technical team will ensure their skills are compatible with our vision for the application. Next step was onboarding process, their two front-end engineers got acquainted with the whole project team, backend, QA, Product manager. Synapse Team handled front-end development for two platforms, which are focused on React. They delivered responsive and efficient solutions, leading the effort from both a coding and a UX perspective.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

We had two stages of interviewing for developers - soft skills test and technical interview with live coding.

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

We managed to release products with all the planned backlog in time. It was hectic months for the team because backlog was so huge, but we did it!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We found common ground quickly, and engineers easily integrated into our team.

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

They didn't just provide a resource with the necessary skills, they also provided solutions to develop the project. That's how they bring value to business goals.

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

I think that they were great.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company gathers and processes market data overview and research platform. My position is about finding the best solution for improving the user experience of our users.

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

We hired Synapse Team for developing a web application accessible for our users where they can track their data and get personal consultation for their business aims.

How did you select Synapse Team and what were the deciding factors?

We conducted a screening process on Upwork and their approach and proposal seemed to us the most professional and appealing.

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

The app is made as a single page application on Laravel PHP and Vue.js tech stack. Main features: User panel Financial assets dashboards wit many metrics Live chat with a personal consultant Admin panel

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

There were three specialists including one project manager and two full stack developers

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

Synapse Team was able to deliver all the results on time and meet all our requirements. Moreover, they provided us an additional month of post-development support and gave professional documentation. I will consider this company as the main contender in our future projects related to application development.

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

We used instant messages for constant communication and had daily meetings with development teams to track the process and discuss all issues and remove blockers.

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

I would say it was their approach in the clarification of our expectations and compiling docs and diagrams of all business logic and key functionality of our application. All that made the process understandable and predictable.

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

I didn't spot any serious issues during our cooperation. All their questions were relevant and they showed a real interest in delivering the best result according to our expectations.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Owner/Managing Director - Currently a small business with 6 employees

For what projects/services did your company hire Synapse Team?

We need a CRM upgrade to provide some automation and increase communication between the team.

What were your goals for this project?

Create a basic CRM with Additional Features.

How did you select this vendor?

They reached out through Upwork, when reviewing their works and feedback. We decided they were the best people for the job.

Describe the project in detail.

We needed a basic CRM to assist with Automating some key functions and increase our communication between team members and Clients.

What was the team composition?

We had a Business analyst help us refine our goals and the workflow of our business. We then transitioned to the Implementation Manager who assisted with modifying the tool and integrating it with our business.

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

We have had the tool active for 1 week, we have already had positive feedback from the team and the customers that have had our automatic correspondence. This helps them stay more aware of where they are in our process.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Quite good, being from Australia the time difference sometimes makes communication tough. They were very accomodating to ensure we had plenty of time to chat.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their speed and their ability to take an idea into a working product impressed us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not really. Their speed was great and the tool suits our need perfectly.

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO at education platform

For what projects/services did your company hire Synapse Team?

We needed resourcing in an augmented staff model, specifically for resources on a contractual basis. We contracted Synapse Team to help augment our development staff.

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

Synapse Team is a good staff augmentation solution. I got their contact from my friend. We needed outside resources because our developers were working on other projects. They supported the various requests from our business side.

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

We started with one React.js developer and we’ve had up to 6 people from Synapse Team working with us at one point. Currently, I have four front-end engineers and two back-end engineers on my team.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

Synapse Team provided relevant candidates for our request. We interviewed potential candidates(welcome and technical interview). Then we approved them for our project. It was fast and very high quality.

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

We’re pleased to be working with a team that rewards us with fantastic results, a speedy delivery rate, and reliable expertise.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team leverages its technical expertise to provide effective solutions.

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

They have high-quality engineers and fluent English speakers. Their talent pool was really impressive. They are stable.

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

I think that they are great.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Web Design Agency

For what projects/services did your company hire Synapse Team?

To build custom functionality for a WooCommerce shop.

What were your goals for this project?

To get the functionality for the shop right.

How did you select this vendor?

UpWork

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

PHP & jQuery programming

What was the team composition?

I worked with Katerina

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

We finished the job successfully and on time.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Went all good, mostly directly via Skype.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by the quality of their work and how fast they finished the project.  

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not really

Please describe your company and your position there.

Salesperson in Air Travel

For what projects/services did your company hire Synapse Team?

I hired Roman Barbotkin and his Synapse Team to develop a Zoho account (mainly CRM) and create a web-page for my new business project.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goal was to create a CRM for a new business. I created a list of tasks in CRM for Synapse Team to perform. The list included such things as workflow creation, system administration and telephony integration. After completion, it had to be followed with 1 month free trial period and usage video guide.

How did you select this vendor?

I found Synapse Team online. As I am based in Kyiv, Ukraine, I wanted to work with Russian speaking company based in Ukraine. Unfortunately, they are located far from Kyiv, that's why it was almost impossible to meet them live.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

After we discussed the project, they started immediately. They kept in touch on regular basis to get more information and materials (like texts, images, names of fields). The project should have been completed within 4 weeks. However, they delayed it and finished in 3 months. They had to pay a delay penalty, but I ignored it. They collected 50% of the payment in the very beginning, and we agreed that another 50% would be collected once project is finished, however, before 1 month of trial period.

What was the team composition?

I worked with 4 people - Egor (project manager), Katerina (business analyst), Karina (web-designer), and Roman B.

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

After 2 months delay, they finally made their final presentation, and urged me to complete 2nd part (50%) of payment. "Don't worry, you still have 1 month free trial period for us to fix all the bugs", they said. On the final call we didn't have time to go through all the tasks and details of the project, that's why I was not able to notice many bugs that were there.

On the next day when I went on to make a payment, I started noticing bugs. I became worried and mentioned that to Roman. Again, they stated, "Don't worry, you have 1 month trial period, we will fix it.". I sent the money, even with $200 on top. I started checking CRM deeper, and found more and more bugs in a system. I sent a first file of bugs in few days. They started to delay with getting back. They said every developer was busy or not available. In more than 2 weeks they fixed 2/3 of them.

While waiting for them to fix the first file, I was continuously finding new bugs. There were crucial bugs that simply left the whole system with no sense. So I created a second file and sent them (it was still within 1 month (30 days) of trial period). Suddenly, Synapse stuff, who were in our WhatsApp chat, quit the chat with words "If you want any further adjustments, please pay. Good luck :wink:!".

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

As soon as I made a final payment, he and his staff changed completely. They started to pretend they are busy, delayed with replies, became rude and didn't answer the phone calls. It was a complete joke. I received the worst customer experience I have ever had. And so as mentioned earlier, they simply left me with the project FULL OF CRUCIAL bugs in the middle of trial period. The system was working barely on 40%.

Moreover, they didn't do a telephony integration and usage video guide. When I finally reached Roman, what he said was, "Man, I don't know what you are talking about. Your trial period ended a week ago." I tried to explain him that that's not right, but he simply hung up and no longer answered my calls. After several more attempts, I had no luck.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It is a scam. Stay away from them if you want to save your money, time and nerves. I've been in customer service business for the past 9 years, but this one was the worst experience in my life.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The seem nice while they are waiting for money. They completely change and leave you in a hole when you pay them.