Synergo Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a startup tech company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synergo Group?

We needed to change the language of our plug-in. We couldn’t approach a single person because they probably wouldn’t have knowledge of our app’s native environment and knowledge of Ionic.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Synergo moved our plug-in from its native environment to Ionic React 5 because we built the rest of our platform in Ionic. They also helped us with finishing the app. Their team gave pointers for deployment too.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 2–3 members of the Synergo team, which included developers and project managers.

How did you come to work with Synergo Group?

We found them through an Internet search. We vetted a couple of other agencies but chose them based on their location, cost, and knowledge.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $20,00–$25,000 CAD (approximately  $15,800–$19,800 USD) on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in the fall of 2020, and the project took a couple of months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was impressed by their entire team: their knowledge and experience. They did what they set out to do in a timely and organized manner. The project worked exactly as we laid it out at the beginning.

Synergo had knowledge of the app's native environment and Ionic. They had multiple resources with experience on both sides of the equation, so their team was able to do this project. They tackled this specialized project quickly and effectively.

How did Synergo Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a weekly meeting with Cristian (CEO & Founder). My tech person was constantly in touch with their project manager through Slack. They quickly responded and gave us detailed answers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team not only said they could accomplish this project but also accomplished it on time. I had bad experiences with other agencies that overpromised and underdelivered. Synergo delivered, and it was an extremely positive experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing was negative.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Use them because they’re good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a health organization that provides medical information and resources for patients with concussions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synergo Group?

They built a mobile-friendly web application that allows patients to track their concussion symptoms when participating in various activities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I communicated what I wanted the web app to look like and what I wanted it to do. Then Synergo Group designed a UI that met my objectives. They created the code, the functionality, and deployed it on the website.

Patients use the platform by inputting information about their health, what type of activity they’re doing, and how long they plan to participate. Then they can start a timer on their phone and begin an activity.  

Once they start to experience symptoms, they can indicate that the time on the app to record that information. Then once they finish their activity, the app will calculate whether they can increase their intensity level next time they do the activity based on their symptoms.

What is the team composition?

I worked with 4–5 people in total including the director, the UI/UX designers, and coders.

How did you come to work with Synergo Group?

I looked up app developers and was hoping to find a local partner. I contacted a few other app developers, but I had a short timeline and Synergo Group responded very quickly. It was easy to set up a meeting with them and it was clear they understood the project. Once we met, I felt like I could trust them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from January–February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m very happy with how it turned out. They delivered exactly what I wanted. If I have another project in the future, they’ll be the first team I contact.

How did Synergo Group perform from a project management standpoint?

I was very involved in the process and was in contact with them on a daily basis. We used Slack and Jira to communicate and they were very responsive throughout the entire project. They created a schedule

We went through the project one step at a time, and they didn’t move forward until I was satisfied with the work they had done. Whenever I wanted to change something, they implemented it right away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were extremely accommodating. I wanted to see what different options looked like and play around with things, and they were willing to make several changes and change it back if I wanted.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everything went really well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important that you know exactly what you want and plan out each step ahead of time. It will be easier for them to develop a process if they know what you’re expecting. There were a few things that I didn’t know exactly what I wanted, so we went back and forth a bit. Still, I appreciated that they were able to fill in those gaps. Eventually, we ended up with something I was very happy with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the business development manager at Fox 40 International, a sporting goods and marine outdoor safety company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synergo Group?

We make hard sporting goods, but we wanted to venture out into the app and software space. We sell dry erase coaching boards and other coaching accessories to coaches and referees. We see a lot of people using iPads on the sidelines, so we wanted to make a coaching app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Synergo Group created a coaching app for iPad only. It mimics a dry race coaching board where users can draw plays and share with their team. Synergo Group added some other features like animation, where users can draw a play, animate it, and save it for future use to build up playbooks and practice drills. 

We also added a feature that allows coaches to share with their players who can then see the playbook and study it. We did this for multiple sports, including basketball, soccer, football, baseball, and volleyball.

The layout of the courts came from our actual dry race coaching boards, but everything else was from them.

What is the team composition?

I worked with about 3–4 teammates, including an account manager and developers. 

How did you come to work with Synergo Group?

We looked online, and we probably used Clutch as well to find some different companies. We read Synergo Group’s reviews, and they gave us a good quote, so we went with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000 CAD (approximately $39,300 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them at the beginning of 2020, and the app was published in November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is really good. We were satisfied with the end result.

How did Synergo Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Synergo Group was great at communicating and staying on top of things. We used Skype and group chats. I also had a separate chat with the project manager. Whenever I needed an answer, I always had one within an hour.

If there was a delay on our end, they were very persistent and easy to work with. The team was very good with their deadlines — they met and exceeded all of them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their commitment was very impressive. It seemed like we were the only client they were working with. They were fully dedicated to us. There wasn't a time where I was looking for an answer. We got their full attention.

Their work was really good, and I was very happy with it. For somebody who's not very well-versed in technology, Synergo Group did a good job of explaining everything to me and walking me through every step. I didn't feel like I was in over my head with this, which was nice. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have all the details mapped out of what you're looking for before pursuing a project because things will come up that you hadn’t really thought of that could slow down the project. Make sure you have all your ducks in a row before the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of our advisory services. Our company is a real estate focused company with two major functions. The main business, at this point, is commercial bridge lending. We do short term, two or three-year loans on properties that can’t get long-term financing.

On the advisory side, we do everything from asset management, to receivership, to providing expert witnesses for court cases, and anything real estate from an advisory standpoint.

I run the advisory side of our business. I'm also in charge of the tech, but I am not a trained computer science specialist by any means.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synergo Group?

There were two big-picture things we were trying to accomplish. We were using Salesforce in a very customized way.

We had an asset management and flash loan servicing platform on Salesforce. Our team was ready to move on and get our application off Salesforce. Combined with that, we wanted to expand our services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We just cut the cord with Salesforce recently, so they're responsible for creating a replacement platform for our services. Replacing the loan servicing asset management component of Salesforce was the first major undertaking. The other part was to create a web-based portal so investors could have some transparency into the activities. They would be able to see their investment performance at a high level, the status of their committed funds, and outstanding potential funding requirements. This would serve as an asset management portal, filled with detailed information about their investments. Those were the two goals for the app they're building.

We are dedicated to a long-term roll-out of additional functions and features. We don’t have the resources internally for us to manage a huge development project, so we have a longer-term, slow-paced development horizon, especially at this point.

Our frontend is a Vue.js-based, and the backend was created with Laravel Nova, PHP, and MySQL. From a hosting standpoint, we use Netlify and AWS for the majority of the data storage.

What is the team composition?

Right now, I have two main resources at Synergo Group. When we were starting up the project, there were about four people tasked with getting our initial ideas on the board. They were responsible for structure, planning, and early design.

At this point, they bring in additional workers if we need to make a significant push toward a deadline, but it's mostly just two developers.

How did you come to work with Synergo Group?

One of our partners was really a champion of this thing initially. He felt we needed comfortable base functionality, and searched them out. Once we got to a comfortable stage and were confident about replacing our Salesforce platform, I got involved. They'd been working with our team 6–12 months before that. 

How much have you invested in them?

We are probably at $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the first phase of development in January 2019, and we are constantly rolling things out.

Since the start of 2020, we have had three or four significant pushes forward. We are in a regulated industry, and that's part of the methodical approach. There have been meaningful chunks of advancement by design every two months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With Synergo, there is no doubt that it is a process I would repeat. Our different timezones and communication have been nonissues. They are really talented, responsible, responsive, and adaptable.

Our teams exchange feedback comfortably, and they aren't afraid to raise their hand to make suggestions on improvements. They've always been honest, never taking advantage of our lack of development knowledge. They could turn a four-hour project into 40 hours, but they're committed to helping us find quick, effective solutions. 

Their custom app has helped us accomplish things we've been wanted to do in Saleforce for years. Team satisfaction is our greatest metric, and our staff is very pleased with their work. Even our investors are thrilled with the final product.

How did Synergo Group perform from a project management standpoint?

I'm happy with their ability to meet deadlines. They are very good at communicating and following through on promises. Additionally, they're quick to fix any bugs or hiccups that we find. Mistakes in their work are few and far between, as well. We appreciate them raising their hands when it looks like there is going to be some variance on delivery dates. I couldn’t ask for more.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm a big fan of theirs and have no complaints. They're looking out for us and have our best interests at heart when making development decisions. My contacts with them are very intelligent and provide excellent customer service. 

They truly are looking at providing us with the best service and value combination. In our collaboration, they've suggested ways to make development cheaper without lowering quality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could move to the United States so that I could call them in the afternoon. Truly, I have no complaints.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a development manager of data analytics products for a platform software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synergo Group?

We started a lot of projects and tried to build new products quickly. We wanted to deliver a few products faster and decided to contract a few people while we hired permanent teammates.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At this point, we've had several engagements with Synergo. Our partnership started with a trial run during which they had to accomplish a specific task.

For the trial run, we worked with one Angular developer and one Java developer who both worked with our team. They understood our system and created a proof of concept. Their team also provided an estimate even before they produced the proof of concept.

We then had design sessions when their team produced diagrams and documentation. After we gave our feedback, their team implemented a web socket engine into our stack, which was by no means simple.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two developers.

How did you come to work with Synergo Group?

One of my colleagues previously worked with Synergo and had success with their team. He had positive feedback, so in lieu of spending the time to vet other agencies, I brought them on board.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent more than $50,000 (approximately $37,400 USD) on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work started in April 2020, and we’re still working together. When we need them, they’re available.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? Their estimates were accurate.

They’re highly predictable, and I definitely consider them a partner in our success. They understood our goals and accomplished the project well.

Their team focuses on the tactical features and tickets that provide value to our customers. My in-house team is able to focus on deep innovation. That’s one of the biggest values I’ve gotten from Synergo so far.

How did Synergo Group perform from a project management standpoint?

For this project, we had bi-weekly stand-ups with them. Their developers accommodated our schedule and worked early mornings with us, which was nice. They were in tune with our team and able to execute the work. On the management side, it was low touch.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their predictability was noteworthy. They focus on getting the job done well. Synergo asks questions about what we want to build in order to understand and solve for the broader problem. That’s really valuable. You don’t get that from a lot of contractors.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing’s perfect, and we’ve gone through hard times. However, it’s hard to identify if we had controls in place that made the situation difficult or if there were areas for them to improve. I’ve provided them with feedback. For example, we needed some of the developers to have a breadth of system knowledge.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Outline exactly what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of an organization that’s building an iOS application. It’s a game.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synergo Group?

I worked with another development team but found the quality of their work to be poor. I brought Synergo Group on board to essentially save the project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

While we had different parts of the platform, it didn't work. Synergo fixed our app’s problems including those related to the server. Their team continues to develop the front- and backend of the platform. We have specific requirements, but they also work autonomously.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with around 10 people from Synergo.

How did you come to work with Synergo Group?

I searched a few keywords and found them on Clutch.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the partnership in December 2018, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've done a great job bringing the application forward. We have a realistic launch date because their team brought the platform to a place where it’s ready for the market. Overall, their team’s good. When a teammate didn’t work out, it was easy to shift resources.

How did Synergo Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We didn’t have real deadlines, but their team performs well. They fit with our team well. All projects have constraints. For our budget, their team spends the appropriate amount of time on tasks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re happy with their ability to understand the complexity of our platform and deliver a quality product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing stands out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important that you understand your own requirements, which can be unbelievably complicated. If you don’t understand them, you can’t expect anyone else to.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My position is in sales and marketing at Gemterra Developments Corporation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synergo Group?

We hired them to help us with an app for a new business venture which is condo renovations. We didn’t know where to start because there was no app on the market that met all of our criteria.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We told them the concept that we wanted, and Synergo Group took that and put it together for us. They developed a web-based app that allows the client or homeowner to track the progress of the job and allows us to track the progress and details for the client. 

The team also included information about the jobs that needed to be done, the dates, and deadlines. They also implemented it through the web, which was one of our requirements. They pointed out issues that we hadn’t thought of. 

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Cristian (CEO & Founder).

How did you come to work with Synergo Group?

We initially found them online, and we worked with them for a subsidiary app for our organization, so we brought them onto this one at the same time. We noticed that Crisitan was very honest and upfront. 

He also knew what he was talking about and was able to provide us with a lot of information in that initial meeting, which is why we decided to work with him and his team for the new app. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $60,000 CAD (approximately $44,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from June 2019–March 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t implemented the program, but Synergo Group was able to put together all of our requirements for the client, the administrator, and the worker. 

How did Synergo Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Cristian was amazing and patient throughout the process, which was great because we had a concept but we didn’t know the right direction. He helped us a lot. Synergo Group was able to address any of the concerns that we had, so I have nothing bad to say about them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their experience and how quickly they were able to implement change requests were noteworthy. Synergo Group thought of issues with the program that we hadn’t considered which made the app run that much more smoothly.

There were times when this project was on the backburner for us because it wasn’t our top priority, but Synergo Group brought it back to our attention and reminded us what needed to be done. That also pushed our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know exactly what you want in your program and a concept of what you want it to do. Synergo Group will be able to plug in the holes because they were great at giving us a direction of how our program could function and what the best platforms were. The team was also very honest and transparent with pricing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the broker of record for a real estate brokerage.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synergo Group?

We were trying to build an app for a referral platform for clients to meet an agent

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had an idea for an app, but I am not a tech person, so I knew I needed help from a tech engineer to design the platform and do the programming.

They did the front- and backend; they took care of it from start to finish. It was developed for both iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Cristian (CEO & Founder) who was our main contact. He has a UI designer, programmer, and API person on the team. In the beginning, I worked with the UI/UX designer, but then when we moved onto the development of the app, I started working with two other people. After that, I was introduced to a marketing manager.

How did you come to work with Synergo Group?

I found them through Clutch. I had searched online for an app builder in Toronto because that is where I am. I was introduced to two or three people through Clutch. Two of them were in Toronto and I asked them to come into our office for a personal face to face interview. Synergo was one of them. After two interviews and four phone interviews, I felt comfortable with Cristian and I decided to hire them. Thanks to Clutch, they were a really good match for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think I met them in October 2019, and we signed the contract a couple of weeks later. We started in November and we are just about to put the app in the stores in the next couple of days. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had an app launch preview. It was a video that was 30 seconds and I posted it on my LinkedIn profile. We got some good initial feedback from my friends. We are still waiting for more numbers once we launch the app. It is a free app and hopefully, people will download and try it. The agent doesn’t have to go into the office on duty anymore. They only have to download the app and hit a button to say they are available and on duty and a buyer within 30 kilometers of where the agent is can call them.

As an agent myself for 20 years, this has been what we were waiting for. People don’t realize without an agent, there are no listings out there. This app really puts the agent on the map first. We also have properties so we can access all the listings from each board where you are. The agent can put their own listings in their account, and whoever is close to that home can see the listing. It is a very smart app behind the scenes. I have to let other people review the app.

How did Synergo Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They surpassed my expectations, and they almost served as a consultant. Although they don’t understand the real estate aspect of it, every time I ask them to do something, Cristian understood what I need. He would let me know what they can do from a technology point of view. Sometimes the things I wanted them to do made it look like a dummy app, but he had a much easier way to do it. They were able to translate my business idea and make it very easy and accessible through an app form. I am very thankful. I really don’t mind that there was a delay because when I changed my mind, it took a long time for them to absorb the idea and figure out a better way to do it. Cristian would get my feedback daily or if I had any questions, he would create a ticket for his team. It was very well organized.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The other person I interviewed was a genius as well, but he was constantly talking about agriculture which is how he lost his business with me.

You get the sense that Cristian is very reliable and understands you and listens to you. I didn’t pick them because they were cheap. They were the same price as all the other teams I interviewed and actually were more expensive than two that I interviewed, but I just felt more comfortable with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing is that it was delayed but I cannot say it is their fault. Because of the pandemic, I didn’t push them. I changed the design towards the end.

I realized I couldn’t get data from Zillow and another real estate board and we started to build our own mini listing database. We added a big feature in there and that led to a delay of almost three months. During that time, it did take a little bit longer than I expected but other than that, I was very happy with the result.

We are currently waiting for a couple of things to be fixed so we can get the green light to release the app.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend not changing your design easily. Ask Cristian first and have the whole plan laid out. He is very good and wrote everything down.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Mixed Martial Media, Inc. We publish health and fitness experts online, helping create exercise and sports-related programs.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synergo Group?

We wanted to develop a custom app to help people assess themselves and then get recommended exercises and routines in an easy-to-do fashion. I was using tools on the web trying to put some stuff together, but I wanted a refined custom solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had a bunch of drawing of all the screen, features, navigation, and basic UX. Using that, they created mockups and wireframes. The platform was in React Native, so it was for both iOS and Android.

They were able to deliver all the features that I requested, and they came up with the initial graphics for the UI.

The initial engagement was just the UI, but once that was completed, we decided to work with them for development.

What is the team composition?

I had two points of contact—Cristi (Founder) and a project manager who I met with weekly.

How did you come to work with Synergo Group?

I searched for a bunch of different companies. I contact about 10 different companies, had interview calls with them, and boiled it down to a couple. In the end, we chose Synergo Group.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $70,000–$80,000 CAD (approximately $50,000–$60,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in July 2019 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is in review, but we’re ready to go. They’ve delivered all the features we requested. Development has been great. They take feedback really well and were able to make the changes I wanted.

How did Synergo Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a good job with it. They delivered the features at each weekly meeting. We were a little delayed from the initial estimate because of the changes I made to the scope. Overall, I’m happy with how it has gone though. I expected delays anyway, because that’s how projects tend to go.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I chose them because they provide a good. Balance of getting into the details of the app and coming up with an estimate. Other companies didn’t ask me as much about the app and quoted me $100,000. They understood enough about the app that I felt confident in their estimate. They were very transparent about that. From my perspective, the final result looks exactly how I wanted it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We ran into one challenge, and we handled it. As we were going through the project and I was putting in change requests, I received an estimate for the changes, but we weren’t tracking the hours in total, so we went over budget. I wasn’t upset about it because all the changes were necessary, but we could have done a better job tracking it.

I really appreciate for Cristi handled it when we did have a conversation about the budget. They were able to meet me part of the way.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In general, start with a simple MVP and you can build from there. Otherwise, if you ask for something, they’ll deliver. Also, keep track of your budget and scope.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Sheri-Anne Danner - Our company is Danner Time LLC. The project we’re working on now, “Why Barter, Just Borrow,” is an online, interactive, community-based borrowing system. It connects borrowers to lenders within a community, allowing individuals to connect with their neighbors while trading the items they need.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synergo Group?

SD - We needed support developing the technical side of our project. We were looking for a partner who could help us create an app and landing page and then launch and market those appropriately.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SD - At first, we discussed with Synergo Group what we were hoping to accomplish in terms of final deliverables. From there, they set to work on the app, and our teams collaborated on the UI/UX components through several iterations. 

The team then transitioned into the actual development of the app, which is compatible with both Android and iOS. When Synergo Group wraps up this phase, we’ll move into implementation and launch.

We’ve had several conversations with the company regarding the direction we’d like to move into in terms of marketing. The team has offered advice on focus, strategy, and plans we’d like to integrate once we do launch the app.

What is the team composition?

SD - We have worked with six or seven people from their team. In the initial design phase, there were two or three team members. 

Cristi (Founder, Synergo Group) is our main point of contact and acts as our project manager. 

How did you come to work with Synergo Group?

SD - There were a few companies on our list, both national and international, with whom we conducted interviews. Synergo Group specializes in exactly the services we needed, so we reached out to them. 

Cristi actually created some potential designs for our app. Ultimately, based on the quality of his work, his past experience, and his understanding of our project, we decided to partner with Synergo Group.

How much have you invested in them?

SD - So far, we’ve invested around $25,000, though we plan to spend $40,000 by the end of the project.

John Danner - That total doesn’t include marketing costs. 

What is the status of this engagement?

JD - We began the project in June 2018, and we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

SD - Since we haven’t reached completion on the project, it’s difficult to provide any specific metrics. We’re measuring their performance by their deliverables and consistency in meeting deadlines, which they’ve done well with so far despite our milestones constantly changing and evolving due to the nature of the project. 

One of the things we’ve been really pleased with is the ability to brainstorm through ideas and processes with Cristi. That input has been really helpful to the project. 

How did Synergo Group perform from a project management standpoint?

SD - We’re all in different time zones; Cristi is in Canada, much of his team is in Europe, and we’re in the US. However, everyone at Synergo Group has made themselves available whenever we need them. Most of our communication takes place over email, Skype and conference calls, and other electronic resources. 

JD - Initially, email was sufficient, but now that the project is more complicated the conference calls and Skype meetings have been helpful in providing a space for interactive dialogue, to ensure everyone’s on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about them?

SD - Cristi has been a fantastic resource throughout the project. His availability to brainstorm with us has really advanced our product, and we find his marketing insight valuable. One of the key components of his company is the referral channel they offer to other companies, organizations, or individuals that can provide services outside of Synergo Group’s realm of expertise. 

He’s dedicated to helping us get to the finish line, even if that means outsourcing to his resources so that we can all combine forces. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

SD - One of the things that's slowed our project down is issues with communication. At times, there can be a bit of a language barrier, but one of the biggest causes of delay has been written communication. 

We’re working to be more clear in our direction, and we’ve switched to providing visual aids to refer to our goals for the final product. We’re conducting a lot more calls to speak directly with the team, as well as opportunities to screen share, which have all been helpful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

SD - Take advantage of Cristi’s willingness to sit down and think through the project. Make sure you clearly articulate your goals, and even rely on examples from other organizations if you can, as they’ll strengthen the Synergo Group team’s understanding of what you want to accomplish.

JD - If you can provide the team explicit references to what you’re referring to when you communicate with them, the whole process will be more efficient.