Syntech Software

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and founder of Ugo. We are a finance company that does unsecured, nonconforming finance. I am based out of NYC, but we have offices in Australia as well.

What challenge were you trying to address with Syntech Software?

We’d developed a web app, but it needed more development.  We were looking to lower the cost of our web development. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team integrated the frontend of a web app with the financial database that we use. The JavaScript React web app processes loan applications.

They took over the web app development from another developer. There were a lot of APIs to create and integrate, and the project required a lot of changes to the UI.

In the beginning, we provided a one-or two-page description of the technical details about how to install the machine and set up the operating environment.

Inside the app, the client fills in their personal details and uploads documents. After they fill in their banking details, the app connects through a third-party to their bank account data. The app analyzes it and then feeds it into our financial database.

Then, the financial database sends back a response and processes the loan application. In the end, it will display the client’s account details. 

There is a secure area where they can log in and see certain information about their accounts. Using the web app, they can communicate with us as well as upload documents.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with the account manager. 

How did you come to work with Syntech Software?

I was trying to find a company that would match our needs in terms of quality and budget. Eventually, I came across Syntech and they seemed like a nice size for us. (I don’t know how many developers they have exactly, but it might be under 20.) 

We had a relatively small project. So, we needed the stability of a company at least their size. 

Also, they had experience doing technical work, and they’d done some good work with visual identities. Technically there was no question as they have very strong technical skills.

Their rates were significantly less than what I had been paying other companies, so it made sense to hire them.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent about $30,000 to $40,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in October of 2018, and the work took about six months. We spent another three months on updates, but in the last three months, we’ve only worked on the server administrator side.

We have been scoping out the second phase, and we will probably start new work with them in the next few months.

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

The solution they built is extremely successful. Since we launched the app, we are at capacity. While they didn’t design it or market it, they did build it. They deserve quite a bit of credit for that.

Since launching the app, our business is growing at about 15% per month. (This is an existing business that had been declining by 5% per month for five years.) So, this is a substantial increase.

After the launch, we discovered that 90% of users were accessing the solution through a mobile device, and we thought it would be more like 30%. Syntech was very good at adapting to that and quickly making the changes that we needed.

How did Syntech Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was good enough — it wasn’t a problem. I’m happy with their English.

The account manager I work with isn’t a technical guy, but for an account manager, he is very, very good. He’s better than most account managers I have dealt with.

He takes a lot of interest in the project and coordinates very well with the developers. I talk with him when things are a little more complicated. In return, he talks with me to get a sense of the volume of upcoming work so their team can plan resources accordingly.

We used Skype and zipBoard (a task management website for developers). I post my tasks there along with screenshots and instructions. Through that interface, I can ask questions and send messages back-and-forth.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very communicative. In particular, they’re very straightforward and open about the project’s progress. We can contact them anytime and they will tell us exactly what they’re working on. They’re very good communicators — this gave me a lot of confidence about working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the beginning, Syntech jumped in and started working. There wasn’t a lot of scoping of the project and mapping it out.

I think they could have documented a lot more of the work so that it could be taken over by another developer if needed. (However, the documentation and planning might have been an additional cost that I might not have wanted to spend.)

It was a little bit haphazard in the beginning, but we got into a good process flow. Since then, it has been very efficient. I think they do what they promise and do it very well.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

NAV-TV Corp is located in Coral Springs, South Florida. We're the largest automotive aftermarket accessory manufacturer and developer.

What challenge were you trying to address with Syntech?

We decided to upgrade our online presence in 2013. We started collaborating with Syntech then.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I came up with a set of requirements at the technical level. It's a completely custom platform. Everything was written from scratch, based on our requirements. The process was multistage, starting with a basic product catalog for our company. They implemented that, which eventually became our web shop. After that, they implemented custom support for ticketing and return merchandise authorization (RMA). We added another level of functionality beyond that.

My initial requirements included using Python Django, Java, and Ajax for the core of the website and other functionalities. We integrated it with a QuickBooks database through a plug-in, and used Node.js for the mobile application. They also implemented a couple of projects based on C#.

What is the team composition?

They were quite transparent in this regard. We're an ISO-9001 company and require a lot of information about partners’ processes, in order to ensure that they are fully integrated with ours.

We have a project manager on their side and worked with 3–5 developers from their team. At its peak, we had close to three developers working on the project.

How did you come to work with Syntech?

I found them on Freelancer.com while looking for a proper web developer to satisfy my strict requirements. I spent almost two weeks going through all the proposals until I came across Syntech. We’ve been partners ever since.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2013. The bulk of our initial project has been done—the core website and web shop functionality. We're now working on a second aspect of this, namely remote technical support.

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

We’ve been working together for close to five years and I have nothing but positive things to say about Syntech. We currently have a very strong web presence. We're the end-user of the website and have received a lot of positive feedback.

There was a lot of thought put into the specifications regarding fraud prevention. Unfortunately, we’ve been the victim of numerous fraudulent transactions on the previous website, which led to us stopping web orders in 2012. We resumed web that service on the new website in 2013, and since then, 15-20% of our orders have come from it.

How did Syntech perform from a project management standpoint?

We're using Slack, Skype, Facetime, and phone text messaging for communication. I have direct contact with them and am able to get hold of the team at any point during day or night if there are issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our previous partners didn’t last for very long. They didn’t manage to deliver on time or per the specifications. The great thing about Syntech is that they deliver on time and per the specifications. For us, this is the main goal—it’s the indication of a successful partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their conversational and documentation English skills. Being from Ukraine, I know there’s been a learning curve for them, but they're getting better with time. I now need to do fewer and fewer spellchecks on their work, but there's still room for improvement.