Twistellar

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Co-founder of an international PR agency based in Warsaw

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Twistellar?

Our company works with a large number of clients and we needed to optimise and automate our marketing system for capturing leads on the site, tracking lead activity, scoring and grading, audience segmentation for email newsletters and launching advertising campaigns

SOLUTION

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

We did a lot of market research and were looking for a company that could approach our request personally and create a non-basic and tailored solution for us. We also chose a company that could provide us with first-class customer service.

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

To get started, they held several discovery sessions to clarify what tools we use now, how our processes are built, and what expectations we have from the new system. Further, they provided a package of proposals for process optimization and began the implementation of Pardot. After the implementation, we started data migration, which was successful. All processes were built as transparently and comfortably as possible for us. The Twistellar team was always ready to answer any questions and go beyond what was expected of them.

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

Our main contact was the Lead Consultant (Pardot Practice Lead) and he also worked with one business analyst and 2 developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The introduction of automation and adjustment of processes made it possible to speed up the preparation of marketing initiatives several times and to qualify leads better, so that our sales can sell our services in a more personalised way

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication and workflow was built superbly, without disruption of deadlines and with transparent reporting on everything that was done, as well as indicating all possible nuances. If we had a question, we got an answer immediately.

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

Even knowing from the reviews of acquaintances and the industry about the level of service in the company, we were amazed at the attitude towards us and the details of the project, the knowledge about our industry that they studied in order to better understand our needs. We also received a solution that fully complies with, and, in some details, exceeds our expectations.

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

Everything was done perfectly

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

A Japanese multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company is the largest pharmaceutical company in Asia and one of the top 20 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world by revenue.

The company has about 50,000 employees worldwide and in January 2012, Fortune Magazine ranked the company as one of the 100 best companies to work for in the United States.

My position is Multichannel Engagement Manager and I responsible for the Digital communication with key customers

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Twistellar?

Twistellar was requested to analyze the existing HCP loyalty system based on Salesforce Marketing Cloud integrated with Service Cloud, to optimize the performance and fix some emailing issues caused by faulty custom integration tokenization. A migration of Marketing Cloud from one instance to another was also in scope.

What were your goals for this project?

The main project goal was to increase HCP satisfaction of Digital communication with the company

SOLUTION

How did you select Twistellar?

It was internal procurement process with selection between several possible providers. Twistellar had to pass through the procedure of official tender, and won all the competitors to establish long lasting agreement with the company.

Describe the project in detail.

Review and migration of Marketing Cloud implementation to the new instance Optimization of the existing integrations, increasing their stability Implementation of several customer journeys Clearing of the customer database, helping the company to fit into the license limits, without any loss of interactions Improvement of Data Extensions and filters, used by company's contractor advertising agencies.

What was the team composition?

Two main contacts were involved - CTO for all technical questions and

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The first and the most urgent request was to resolve the emailing issue - due to the faulty custom tokenization service built on Java (not our specialty by the way), the Marketing Cloud journeys just didn't work.

And the company couldn't get the matter resolved for months. Twistellar CTO took an hour and a half on a call (!) to understand what was the problem and fix it in real time (!).

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

All requests were fully resolved in the shortest shortest time possible. Twistellar had to work in a multi-vendor environment, cooperating not only with the company, but also with the demands of the contractor advertising agencies, and the third party applications used for additional data analysis, in integration with Marketing Cloud.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Twistellar got a working solution within a few hours.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything is fine. We look forward to further fruitful cooperation.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a marketing agency. We help small and medium-sized companies implement effective marketing programs through our technology solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Twistellar?

We hired Twistellar to be our support team in addressing the Salesforce needs of our clients regarding business planning, project management, and execution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Twistellar mostly helps us with Salesforce customization. Out of the box, Salesforce does a few fundamental things, but it’s capable of so much more — that’s what we’re trying to get at with Twistellar. We customize workflows and mirror timely business practices for our clients, making sure that the system supports those.

Additionally, their team is in charge of scoping the project. Once it starts, they help us manage it to ensure our clients' satisfaction. Twistellar attends to their questions and follows up on everything that needs to be done. They help resolve any issues or training needs that we encounter once we turnover the projects to our clients. Finally, they provide documentation of their work for the purpose of transparency.

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with Dmitri (CEO).

How did you come to work with Twistellar?

I found out about their company through LinkedIn.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent more than $100,000 on our projects with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement started in July 2017, and we have ongoing projects to date.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Generally, our clients directly tell us what outcomes they want to achieve from a project. They mainly care about results and whether we meet their timelines and budgets. We’ve been successful in all those areas. With Twistellar’s help, we deliver good quality work on time and within budget.

How did Twistellar perform from a project management standpoint?

They use Jira internally, and we communicate with them through Slack, email, and shared drives on Google or Dropbox. We have a very integrated relationship with Twistellar, so it’s easy for them to check our systems for the tasks we assign them with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve been working with Twistellar for several years now, and they’re just so reliable. We really found a good partner in their team. Their responsiveness and attention to detail always stand out. They’re a very confident and honest team that knows what they’re doing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think they are a solid partner, and I have nothing to complain about.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I strongly recommend Twistellar. They are a reliable and cost-effective company that can do the work for you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing business lead of a product IT company. I am in charge of marketing and attracting new users.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Twistellar?

We were looking to organize a unified flow with our partners and affiliate team regarding connection invoicing, compliance procedures, and more.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Twistellar helped with the implementation of Salesforce and the integration of various systems and platforms to unify flow. They optimized the onboarding of our partners, using forms that were sent via email.

Their team created marketing performance for our partners to automatically track in our platform. Their team also unified invoices, helped solve audit issues, and automated our compliance procedures. Twistellar developed the core of our system, and they currently provide ongoing support.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Maxim (QA Lead), Dmitri (CEO), the product owner, project manager, one QA, and a developer.

How did you come to work with Twistellar?

We were connected with a company by a Salesforce sales manager, but they were expensive and kept increasing their price. We were then connected with Twistellar. They provided thorough documentation of the step-by-step process for the project, as well as a much more reasonable price, so we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around February 2019, and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We kept track that the work was staying within the timeline and that the final features would match the expectation of our end-users. Feedback from users was that they are satisfied. We have shortened our compliance procedures from one month to one week.

The Twistellar team works quickly and produces extremely high-quality work. We are satisfied with their work and are happy to continue the engagement.

How did Twistellar perform from a project management standpoint?

Twistellar met all of our expectations. The project manager does a great job. We communicate via Telegram, email, and have weekly or bi-weekly phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They implement Agile techniques into their work, and the team works together as one organism. Each person knows which tasks are theirs, when and how to respond, and they deliver quality work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be detailed in your business description. They will dive in and propose the best solution for you.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a Salesforce SI that delivers a variety of projects across a range of clients and industries. I am the Managing Director and am responsible for GTM and delivery activities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We build a number of accelerators to help our clients deliver faster. They are value-add components that solve specific uses cases. Twistellar helped us collaborate on the UI work for a specific Public Sector use case.

SOLUTION

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

We work quite closely with them and they have always delivered quality work.

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

We had a solution session upfront to discuss the use case and various options for coding the solution. Twistellar came back with suggestions and wireframes. We then finalised the solution and work collaboratively to bring it to life.

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

We worked with a number of people, but most notably Dmitri Leichik the CEO and Sergiusz Koczanowski the CTO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design has been great, both easy to maintain and evolve over time. We are very happy with the quality of the solution.

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

They are always good communicators and we always know where they are in the process. We keep in touch on a regular basis, leveraging a number of collaboration tools.

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

They are always professional, transparent and easy to work with. They can quickly solution and deliver complex use cases.

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

No. We would not have changed anything about the process and will continue to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Head of Digital Transformation at a London-based Investment Firm. I am responsible for optimizing systems and implementing processes to drive the company forward and be more efficient.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Twistellar Ltd.?

We had transitioned our CRM system over to Salesforce and had a lot of issues with it. We needed a new agency to make it run better.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started with small projects and maintenance and worked up to larger projects.

Within the core capability of the system, they’ve been doing a complete rebuild for efficiency and accuracy. They then conduct a business analysis to ensure it’s done completely, without gaps. 

They're able to resolve broken automation processes. They built a customer-facing portal, and are currently building a new one for us.

What is the team composition?

There are 4-6 people we interact with. We work with Maria (Lead Project Manager) daily, but have some interaction with upper management as well as developers.

How did you come to work with Twistellar Ltd.?

We were looking for a new partner, and a previous partner of ours recommended them. We visited them, liked what we saw, and were confident they would be a good partner for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in April 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They work diligently to complete tasks while creating permanent solutions. With previous agencies, there were a lot of temporary fixes. This team, however, explains why things break, and that helps the problem not reoccur. Much of the work they’ve done enables us to automate rather than rely on human effort.

How did Twistellar Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Jira, and it is quite effective. They’re transparent and open in communication, which establishes trust. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They work quickly without compromising quality. They’re good at seeing things that were missed, noting them, and reducing gaps. They also ask the right questions, use common sense, and make suggestions when necessary.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re very experienced with everything Salesforce and can offer a lot of insight.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a Salesforce consultancy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Twistellar Ltd.?

We needed to scale up with people who had Salesforce expertise. It’s hard to find someone with those skills. Our company needed to deliver fast prototypes and MVP products for one of our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were working on a mobile application that needed specific lightning web components and Salesforce functionalities. The engagement began with the development and coding of the solution. On our side, we did consultancy and designed some of the solution, while their team did the coding.

A senior developer reviewed their proposed solution, giving feedback before their team delivered the prototypes and then the final solution. It was a web application that ended up being translated into iOS and Android that was handled by Salesforce. There were 6-8 screens, and at the end of each process, there was a reusable aspect for the platforms because of the Salesforce component.

What is the team composition?

We had an assigned developer that was supervised by a senior technical lead. He was mainly involved in their internal process.

How did you come to work with Twistellar Ltd.?

I knew them from previous jobs and only had excellent references from my old colleagues. I was in touch with other companies in the area, but they had the best recommendations.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Twistellar Ltd. from April–May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was satisfied with the code and technical quality. It was better than expected. I plan on engaging with them again at the end of this year or the beginning of next. The team at Twistellar Ltd. will always be my first choice.  

How did Twistellar Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

My expectations were extremely high. I would supervise the project and hand the work to their developer. It took about a week to manage communication between the team and our client, as well. After the first week, we got used to each other, and after that, it was seamless. We had two daily scrums and immediate escalations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by their technical maturity. The lightning web components and publishing process were a bit of an unknown territory. I appreciated their team’s creativity, as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it was a smooth engagement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be specific about your technology needs, and they’ll be honest. Their team picked the right developer because of this. Two weeks ago, I inquired about another technology. They let me know that they had a junior developer available, but it wouldn’t be the quality I’d come to expect.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is a leading Russian IT integrator and cloud provider. I work as a program manager in the cloud technology department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Twistellar Ltd.?

Twistellar, we hired SalesForce to upgrade our CRM SalesForce

What were your goals for this project?

We need to automate the process of selling services using the CRM.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have been looking for a certified SalesForce partner for a long time, have tried several companies. As a result, SalesForce headquarters recommended Twistellar to us.

Describe the project in detail.

SalesForce is the leader in the world of CRM systems, but not all of the functions out of the box are suitable for us. In order for the system to fully cover our process of selling services, we need to refine our process. Including through the refinement of the system, we automate a large number of manual tasks and the formation of documents on the basis.

What was the team composition?

On the Twistellar side it works:

1. One architect
2. Three developers
3. One tester
4. One project manager

On our side works:

1. One project manager
2. One system owner
3. One business analyst

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Using Twistellar, we developed a complete sales cycle in the system with the participation of users with different roles, at each stage according to the process, users are assigned calls, documents are generated automatically.

The user can only accept the task, download the document and sign it on paper with the customer. In addition, ma have set up marketing, templates, and workflow newsletters through Pardot

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Maximum effective, I would designate it as exemplary effective

What did you find most impressive about this company?

High competence. High speed of work. High quality work. They use a flexible approach when collaborating or implementing tasks. High availability.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I did not notice such

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide easy tools for ordering packaging materials. I'm a co-founder and the CEO. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Twistellar Ltd.?

We wanted to build an online solution that connected customers and suppliers in the package industry. We spent six months building the system from scratch. Since we weren’t happy with our progress, we started considering Salesforce. We heard that it could provide out-of-the box solutions for similar cases. That's why we reached out to Twistellar Ltd.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to go to market as soon as possible at a reasonable cost. We also wanted to determine whether Salesforce could fully comply with our expectations.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our co-founders knew their CEO and heard that he was connected to Salesforce. We didn’t expect to decide after just one hour of discussion, but they understood our needs quickly and demonstrated enough competence to reassure us of their skill.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They listened to our expectations for system functionality, then transformed them into the first version of our technical specifications. They helped us define the first MVP version of our product, revising our budget and preventing us from spending too much.

After we agreed to the scope, they built our solution. It took just two months to create the first version, after which we discussed upgrades and expansions. They not only implemented everything quickly but also helped us study Salesforce principles. 

What was the team composition?

The CEO and CTO were involved. Developers and QA engineers also worked behind the scenes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a startup, it’s important for us to to test ideas in a short time. Twistellar Ltd. implemented our upgrades without delay and helped us quickly demonstrate our MVP to potential customers.  We know that we can rely on them to scale our system.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Everything was arranged in an agile, flexible manner. We constantly discussed our needs, and they translated our business language into technical specifications. They were always in touch and quick to react to our inquiries, even during the evenings and weekends.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their quick turnarounds and reactions. We’ve never seen a company that was so focused on meeting our expectations. They never tried to squeeze anything out of us, and they always taught us how to save costs.

They said that our project was an interesting example of how startups can leverage Salesforce instead of a custom development solution. Our relationship was unique. From the start, they felt like our true technical partner. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wouldn't note anything in particular. Since we’re not technical, we had to ask for details about the implementation of some features. However, they always patiently collected and supplied the details. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the delivery director for a Salesforce consulting division.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Twistellar Ltd.?

We created a CRM platform for a luxury retailer. We needed to outsource some of the development needs to ensure we complete the project to the end-client’s standards.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We are running an agile project and Twistellar acts as our scrum team. They were involved in the initial development process of the solution’s requirements. Their team provided coding for the configuration of Salesforce in APEX and Visualforce. They also integrated multiple additional products within the original application programming interface (API). They created a custom functionality to temporarily support our end-client’s loyalty program until the final launch of the platform in a later phase of the project. The functionality effectively manages the high-value customers as we work to transition the sales force from its legacy systems.

What is the team composition?

We started working with just the two developers but as the project went on, we had 2 technical architects, 5 developers, and 2 QA resources.

How did you come to work with Twistellar Ltd.?

We were looking to replace the development team we had initially partnered with for the project. Our company’s European branch had experience working with Twistellar and recommended their services. We set up a parallel test between their team and our current partners and Twistellar outperformed in terms of the speed and quality of their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent $500,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

This is a three-year engagement. We partnered with Twistellar in September 2017, six months into the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They skillfully kept up with the demands of our agile project structure. Our previous development team was delivering an average of 10 – 12 story points per sprint, while Twistellar currently delivers an average of 40 – 60 points. The improved development efforts put us back on track to finish the project by the end-client’s deadline.

How did Twistellar Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

The partnership has been accommodating, thorough, and timely. Twistellar is flexible in their work hours and willing to make impromptu trips when necessary. We use Slack channels for communication between both our teams and the end-client. Twistellar also adopted the client's confluence platform on Jira to track the story points and other major documentation.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Twistellar team is aware and understanding of our relationship with the end-client. They adjust their workflow and hours to accommodate scheduling needs. Additionally, they take ownership of their work and the project’s outcome. The team guides us through each task and provides valuable recommendations and suggestions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The level of their QA testing could be improved. They do not always understand the rigor of our client's expectations. This also could be a result of the language barrier. Because our internal team, the Twistellar team, and our end-client, each speak a different native language and not everyone is comfortable with English, communication can be tricky.

Any advice for potential customers?

Clients should understand their desired outcome before entering into the partnership. I would also recommend they determine the level of feedback they want from the Twistellar team. They are happy to provide alternative solutions and improvements on the original scope if requested by the client. We have found their input to be extremely valuable. Finally, clients should hold themselves to the agreed upon work limits. Because Twistellar is extremely dedicated to their work and willing to go above and beyond to meet expectations, they could overwork themselves and experience burnout when working on a project.