Unagi

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm one of the engineers of a civil construction company. The company has +30 years of experience and a vast experience in civil engineering projects in oil refineries / plants. Together with another team of engineers, I am in charge of projects from tender to execution.

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

When we hired Unagi we had 3 big projects and +180 employees. We had grow really fast and needed someone/something to organize our work the right way. We had tried a couple of canned software solutions paying a monthly subscription, but none of them was solving our problems.

Each project should manage all its resources independently (hhrr, equipment, clothes, invoices, payments, providers, deliveries, etc.). But also the managers should be able to have access to a high level picture of the entire company for decision making.

So, everything should be kept separate but also combined in reports. We were doing a lot of things manually and it was a mess. That could work when you are 10-25 people, but it doesn't work when you are almost 200 employees. So, we wanted a provider that could help us build a custom solution. The problem was that we didn't know exactly how to do it. Luckily, the team from Unagi is fantastic and not only built what we needed, but also helped us created internal processes that we were missing.

What I think is great from their job is that their software, based on how it was done, make us follow procedures that are necessary for our work. Finally, working in power plants requires us to comply with a lot of quality and safety controls. Thanks to the Unagi system, we were able to comply with all of them and quickly, keep track of information and detect the changes to be made to pass the inspections.

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

We found them through a referral who was pleased with their service. It was a similar company that had worked with them before. We were considering other providers too but with Unagi we got a good feeling since the very first moment because, during our initial meeting, they made more questions than we asked them. We had not seen that with the other providers.

With the other providers, we were the ones asking questions to them, but none took the time to ask about our problems. Unagi quickly made us realize they were truly committed to our project, despite they didn't know if we were going to work with them.

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

They designed, planned, and developed a custom software solution to manage our company resources. We first started with meetings where we went through some exercises driven by them to define our needs and problems. We quickly understood that there were many tasks we were successfully solving, but could definitely be improved. There were many processes that were relying only on a person, which was a serious risk for an industry where people rotates constantly.

During these exercises, they made clear that their software was going to be the means to an end, that was organizing our tasks and creating internal procedures. Then, they built a lot of sketches that helped us understand what they were suggesting to do. What I loved about them is that they took the time to explain why things should be done one way or another, or to suggest improvements. Their team is one of the most empathetic people I have ever worked with. Some of the modules they built:

• HHRR - to manage employees, hours tracking, payroll, clothes that are given to each employee, etc.
• Stock -> to manage stock of materials and keep track of when things are delivered and who received each truck -
• Financial -> to manage invoices, providers, clients and make and collect payments. Something amazing here was an option to do bank reconciliation and a report with future obligations to be paid.
• Equipment -> to manage vehicles, backhoes, forklifts, hydraulic cranes
• Internal messaging system - to communicate effectively with the different employees within projects
• Calendar -> to track deadlines (really important when you manage a lot of people, vehicles, equipment and each item needs to go through an inspection) And everything is customizable by project. Once we were all aligned, they helped us define our priorities and create a roadmap.

What we were building was huge, so we knew it was going to take a long time. However, they split the app into different modules that allowed us to use the system without waiting for the entire project to be finished. Every week or two we had a demo where they presented the new features and received feedback from us. Another thing I liked about them is that they were really transparent with their work. We had access to their check-ins and weekly they shared docs with all the progress. Although it was new for us, the communication was great and we even learned that there were things that are better when done asynchronously. That saved us many headaches.

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

It has changed since we started, but I would say there were 3/4 people involved most of the time.

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

The most impressive outcome for me was that we didn't hire more executives/managers. We were able to manage almost 200 hundred people only with 6 engineers and 1 administrative. The bank reconciliation module frees up our employees' time, which allows them to focus on other tasks. The internal message module allowed us to keep track of decisions, but also work asynchronously, reducing the number of meetings. The reports they created allowed us to save dozens of thousands of $ as we were able to compare providers before choosing where to buy and have more data to negotiate better prices. It also helped us do better estimates for future projects. By keeping deadlines in a centralized calendar, we were able to reduce failed inspections or missing deadlines.

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

The project management and communication were excellent. We learned the benefits of writing things down, they included in their internal management tool (Basecamp) since the beginning and kept up to date with the progress. They used Basecamp mostly.

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

That they were really commited to our project. They quickly got a sense of our needs. They also took the time to explain better ways of doing things and suggest solutions. I always say to them that what they do is more than software. They helped us organize ourselves and create internal processes that we needed.

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

Honestly, I can't think of anything. Just to mention something, they should have insisted more about including a UX expert early, although I think this is more our fault than theirs.

Introduce your business and what you do there

I’m the co-founder of an immigration consulting firm. 

What challenges were you trying to address with Unagi?

Looking to escalate our business, we needed a more solid technology team to help grow our website. At the time, we were working with one developer. We hired Unagi to grow our team.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Unagi took over our existing website and codebase. Their team expanded our website, coding mostly in Ruby on Rails. They built new features and refactored existing functions.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 3–5 members of Unagi’s team.

How did you come to work with Unagi?

We found Unagi on Upwork in addition to three other companies that we also contacted for an interview. We chose Unagi based on their team’s bilingual skills and experience.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent more than $25,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our collaboration in late 2018 and the project lasted about one year.

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

Before partnering with Unagi, it took our clients a very long time to fill out forms. As a result, we had a high bounce rate. Unagi optimized our code and made our load speed a lot faster, which translated into more clients. Thanks to this project, our site’s conversions increased a lot.

How did Unagi Perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Jira to communicate, and their communication skills were great. Despite being highly technical, they used direct, simple language with our team. All members of our team fully understood Unagi’s processes even though we didn’t have technical knowledge. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

When we reached out to Unagi, we didn’t know how to move forward. Their team made it clear what we needed to do. They helped us focus on improvements that would bring us value. Thanks to their expertise, we were able to refine our project. Their communication was great too. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We talked about this with them too. It would be great if they expanded to more locations. For example, they could open a branch office in Peru. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Working with them is a great decision. It will definitely be a good investment.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Pinta Libre, a food and beverages company. We have the fastest growing platform for restaurants, pubs, etc. The platform allows restaurants to fill empty tables by offering up to one free pint per day when they dine out. We’re helping fight empty tables and sedentary lifestyles through a subscription beer app that invites our users to socialize and have fun as much as possible.

What challenge were you trying to address with Unagi?

We needed someone to develop our mobile app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Unagi developed the platform from scratch. It’s a mobile app for iOS and Android. The app has registration forms and users can find screens that explain how to use the service. They can subscribe through a payment gateway like Stripe. Unagi helped us in doing the integration with payment processors. Users can find an image or a review of the beer bars. They can see if they’re open or closed. The system has a referral system that allows users to invite friends and earn points.

There’s a front- and backend system to the app. My team and I work with the backend. The app offers our beer pubs and restaurants a web portal so they can handle administrative tasks from their computers. The system is quite complicated, it’s a hybrid software.

What is the team composition?

We work with four people from their team. There are two full-stack developers, one UX designer, and the CEO helped by being a project manager until the time we hired one.

How did you come to work with Unagi?

They’re based in our same city. We did some research and found them to be the best choice in our city.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

The system is working really well. We have metrics that say the app is supporting our traffic. We’ve had more than 100,000 downloads. Our conversion rate is 18 per year. It seems the app works well. We’re not having a lot of trouble with the checkout process. It’s great because we’re working with a subscription-based business model so the checkout must be excellent.

We’re very happy with Unagi. We’ve never had a single problem with them. Their team is young and phenomenal. They support the idea of validating before programming.

How did Unagi perform from a project management standpoint?

They formerly used Trello for project management. Right now, they’re using Basecamp and we have a team chat to communicate with them. We’re so happy with the communication, and they’re transparent. We don’t have a CTO in our company. They’re basically our CTO and it’s great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Unagi works on the project as if it were their own. Their team does an excellent job. It’s wonderful working with them. They’re a good fit for us culturally. They’re super-fast. Not only do they strive to do a good job but they also ask us about the next roadmap and the why in order to understand us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I’d have them improve. We’re so happy with them. I strongly recommend working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their methodology. It will turn out great.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Platform to make a match between freelance consultants and temporary concrete projects. My position is that of founder and director.

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

Perform an integration of the STRIPE payment platform in our platform and create an application for a better experience for our two types of users.

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

The proposal we requested from UNAGI was consistent and professional and adjusted to our objectives.

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

UNAGI conducted a survey with us to collect information on our needs. They then sent a proposal in good detail of what their job would be. Some requirements were adjusted. The proposal was approved.

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

We are a small team of five people. We work remotely. Our suppliers are selected for their quality and alignment with our needs.

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

The work done by UNAGI was excellent. Simply adjusted to what we wanted without unnecessary details. His availability was excellent.

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

The UNAGI proposal was on a website and communication was by telephone and email. The execution deadlines were adjusted to those foreseen with little margin of difference.

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

Reliability.

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

Everything can be improved in principle, but it was not too big a project and both the technical work and the communication were adjusted to our expectations.

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO of a technology company

For what projects/services did your company hire Unagi?

For staff augmentation software development services

What were your goals for this project?

To provide ongoing software development services on a new web application/platform

How did you select Unagi?

The founders of Unagi had been personally recommended by a mutual contact

Describe the project in detail.

Unagi engineers were involved in planning, scoping, and implementing new features

What was the team composition?

Several software engineers ranging in experience level

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

The project is on-going, however the quality of service has been high and feedback very positive

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication has been frequent and fluid, making for an efficient workflow

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Clear communication of capabilities/timeframes allows for a working relationship that you can depend on plan on.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Overall, they display high-quality work with continual iterative improvement. Any challenges were typical of other vendors and not an indication of significant weakness.