VentureDevs

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder of Cascade, an app for iOS and Android devices that allows you to manage your television streaming subscriptions and consumption content.

What challenge were you trying to address with VentureDevs?

We were looking to build a beta of our platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

VentureDevs developed a mobile app platform for our beta. After a discovery call, they came back with a series of designs. We went back and forth on these for a little bit until we narrowed down what we were looking for.

Then, the team created a backend technology that allows users to link their existing streaming services and download content. They also built the frontend of our iOS and Android apps. Their team built out 80–90% of the technology that is currently involved in the app. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with about three members of the VentureDevs team, including a project manager, a front-end developer, and a back-end developer. Other individuals rotated in and out depending on what point of the project we were at but we were mostly in contact with those three.

How did you come to work with VentureDevs?

We met with a few companies based on connections I had made in the startup space. I chose to work with VentureDevs because they were able to work on a relatively short-term contract.

As we made progress, we were able to extend it out as we raised more money from our investors or downscale when necessary. This was especially valuable to a startup. They also had a reasonable price point and understood the nature of the product.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested around $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with VentureDevs began in November 2019.

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

We went from an idea of a product to a tangible product that is able to successfully integrate with a large variety of different backend systems, including 6 iPhone models and at least 10 models of Android phones. We accommodate over 500 users and over 1,000 linked accounts. They have been able to scale up my user base from zero to 500.

How did VentureDevs perform from a project management standpoint?

We had meetings at least once or twice a week. The team keeps us informed of what is going on on a weekly basis. Once a month we go over our progress and review what’s been accomplished so far.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have never had any language or communication issues with VentureDevs. Everything has gone perfectly. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’ve been happy with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you put in the necessary time to ensure both teams are on the same page. Dn;t worry about overloading them with information, they’re very experienced and competent. They understand the problems you may be facing and can help you come up with the best solutions to achieve results.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Pando, a financial services company, as the Chief Product Officer.

What challenge were you trying to address with VentureDevs?

We were going through a very manual process of helping people find income pooling groups. Everything was done by hand, and we were taking our customers through a number of steps and it was putting a lot of work on the backend. We wanted to design a system that would help us automate that and make it easier for our customers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with VentureDevs on the visual design side and the development. We told them our idea and built out the entire platform. They use a Python framework, AWS, and React.

What is the team composition?

We worked between 5-7 people in various roles.

How did you come to work with VentureDevs?

Our CEO is friends with their CEO, which made things easy. They do really high-quality work at a less expensive price. We also really liked the model of having a team that was dedicated to Pando, as opposed to paying per project, particularly when we knew the project scope might change over the course of our engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in December 2019, and it is still ongoing.

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

We are getting ready for launch. The work has been excellent. They came in as thought partners and they made sure to understand our objectives and design a tool as opposed to just executing on a pre-established product division. They were able to design a better system than we had initially envisioned. We also really like what we see for the end project and their professionalism.

How did VentureDevs perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m most impressed by Justyna (Product Lead), who’s the project manager and played a key part in making the remote teamwork to coordinate with our developers. It turned out, and the team in Poland managed the project and everything came through on pace.

We regularly talk with their team, and they communicate the trade-offs very clearly. They understand the decisions we are making. Because of that, we don’t have clear deadlines, but they have been able to come through with things they have promised to deliver. It is really mutual from my perspective because the constant feedback allows me to figure out what to include and what not to.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are willing to be a thought partner and have great communication and project management.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have been quite happy with them. I think they are doing a very good job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take the time upfront to really communicate what you want to get out of the project. Come in with clear and measurable objectives that you want to achieve over the long run, and then make sure they are also in good communication with your development team and all the product updates that you are getting go through to them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

When I worked with VentureDevs, I was the VP of engineering at a company called Lyric here in San Francisco.

What challenge were you trying to address with VentureDevs?

We worked with VentureDevs to help augment our team with a number of technical roles on top of our existing engineering organization.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They essentially helped us to be capable of rapid, flexible scale-up in our work by bringing in developers from their organization and integrating them into our engineering teams. We produced a pricing product for the short-term rental market and needed Ruby, Python, and React Native developers to assist with that team’s development needs.

We knew from the start that we wanted to integrate them into the team on a long-term augmentation basis rather than just one-off use. The majority of what they built was core functionality around the integrated tools that we have in our system for rental operators to use to manage their inventory.

What is the team composition?

I believe there were three members of their team contributing to our project. All of them were developers whom we managed internally through our existing systems.

How did you come to work with VentureDevs?

Their CEO was introduced to me a few years ago and came to him when we were searching for quality partners to help us with the project. One of the main reasons we ended up with them was because they were able and willing to really become part of the team as opposed to just throwing finished projects over the wall.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the course of the year with them, we spent around $100,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started around January 2019 and ended in March 2020 when our business unfortunately had to close down due to Covid-19.

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

Since we had their developers working closely with our team, the success metrics of the project were a little less important than they would be if they were working completely independently. For us, however, the success of the project was measured in how well the developers integrated into the organization and contributed work from there.

Their commitment to working closely with us and meeting our needs allowed us to have a much stronger continuity between the work that they did and the long-term sustainment that our internal team was then able to provide. It was very important that they came up to speed effectively and they delivered that on a very quick basis.

How did VentureDevs perform from a project management standpoint?

Since we handled the management of the project it’s a little bit hard to evaluate their skill in that area. However, on an individual basis, their developers did very well in building relationships and meeting our expectations in terms of timelines.

We worked hard to set expectations upfront so that it was clear they were really a part of the team, and they had no problems reaching an understanding with us. They used email and slack to communicate with us and we had no major issues there.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the challenges you often face is that many shops have a very prescriptive approach to how they like to develop and operate. That’s fine if you’re developing entirely separate products, but if you’re looking to work more closely with your partner, it’s critical for the work model to be the same on both sides.

Their willingness to cooperate with our work style really sets them apart from a lot of outsourcing agencies. They worked with us to seamlessly integrate our teams, and that really isn’t something you find often.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing that could have benefited the engagement is potentially adding more developers, but that is not something I would blame them for at all. Developers being hard to come by is just the truth of the situation everywhere.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to talk with their leadership. Their CTO is excellent and is a great bridge into that world. If you have your conversation with their leadership group first, you will be able to establish a very clear understanding of everyone’s expectations upfront.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of Engineering at a business software company.

What challenge were you trying to address with VentureDevs? 

We partnered with them for development services. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve embedded their developers into our organization so they work on a number of projects. They do front- and backend development using C# and JavaScript. They’re assigned work based on objectives we set for sprints. Their team is proactively participating in the delivery of our solution. 

What is the team composition? 

I have one main point of contact, Voychek (co-founder and CTO). My directors work closely with Julian. There are nine developers working in different squads with our team. We’ve also had some contact with teammates that handle contracts, billing, and invoices. 

How did you come to work with VentureDevs?

I was referred to them by a friend of mine. They gave us a presentation on their services and collaboration style. Their partnership style worked for us, so we decided to move forward with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested several hundred thousand dollars. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our ongoing relationship in August 2018.

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

We measure their success by using the same evaluation system we use for our in-house team. The most important metrics we track are daily output, quality of code, and the ability to meet deliverables. They’ve met our expectations, which is a testament to their success. If they weren’t providing quality or value, we would have disengaged.  

How did VentureDevs perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is great. We talk frequently, using Slack, email, Zoom, and Google Hangouts. They’ve been very accomodating to our schedules, despite the time difference. We also use Jira for task management. They actively participate in the planning process as members of the team. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re proactive about ensuring that they’re providing quality work and meeting our expectations. They’re vocal and candid about what they can do, and what our team can do to keep improving. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

Not really. Finding talent is hard, and they should continue to be proactive in their search for high-quality team members. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just be honest and open about what you want and treat them like a partner. Focus on building a relationship with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and president of a mobile technology company that combines social media and gaming.

What challenge were you trying to address with VentureDevs?

We were building a free social media app for iOS. We had an idea and some wireframes and partnered with VentureDevs to put our idea into reality

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we just wanted to build out a beta with VentureDevs, but it turned into a long-term partnership as they became a one-stop-shop for our development needs. The contract became a co-managed UI/UX project where they’ve helped us with designs, thesis generation, and the actual coding.

VentureDevs provided practical solutions and recommendations for how to best implement our ideas. They introduced new APIs and improved the functionalities within the app. 

What is the team composition?

VentureDevs supplies nine members of their team to work with us. We have a project manager who is the point person for everything under the product umbrella. There are also front- and backend designers and developers and a team accountant. Joe (CEO, VentureDevs) is very involved in introducing us to investors and fundraisers.

How did you come to work with VentureDevs?

We engaged with between 3–4 other development shops in the search process. One of our advisors said we should reach out to VentureDevs. I’d known Joe for about 15 years so I reached out to him informally and we did an in-depth scope of work. They offered the best of what we came across.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve had an ongoing project since April 2019.

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

We’ve been able to begin beta testing and we’re happy with their work.

How did VentureDevs perform from a project management standpoint?

As far as project management and investing in the success of our platform, they have been super strong. The team is small, they but didn’t treat us like just another project like some bigger companies might. For example, a few of the developers call us to share cool ideas.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The top-to-bottom involvement is my favorite part of the work they did. Everyone on their team shares opinions, which shows they want to be involved and help the product take off. The CEO is willing to introduce us to investors and risk his reputation, which is great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since I’m new to this type of work, I can’t think of anything. We’re pleased and will continue to work with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d recommend forming a relationship with some of the management of the company. Having an emotional or financial investment with the management department goes a long way. It gives you, from a client perspective, a little leverage that you wouldn’t normally have.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of an online financial services platform that provides car loans.

What challenge were you trying to address with VentureDevs?

We needed a website with a fully digital process for our customers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

VentureDevs developed our WordPress website from scratch using our initial designs. The application process is integrated into the site so that customers can go through the application process, get an instant credit decision, and have the financing transferred directly. The site also has a calculator so that customers can find the right loan amount for them.

The website took about three months to complete. As a startup, we continue to have new features and tweaks that we need so will likely ask them for additional support.  

What is the team composition?

I worked with three to four people, including the project manager.

How did you come to work with VentureDevs?

Someone recommended them to me. I had some initial calls with them and found their entire team to be excellent.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2017 to February 2018.

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

They did everything to my satisfaction. Anything that I still wanted to change at the end, they did all of that, too. They're an amazing team from both the technical and project management sides. I couldn't be happier with them.

How did VentureDevs perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Slack and Trello. We also had weekly calls for status updates with the project manager and other team members as needed. The project manager took notes at any meeting and sent those to me with clear tasks outlined for both their and my sides. There was also an engagement manager that I could reach out to if I needed to.

Their project management is focused, structured, and methodical. The project manager always supported me and was completely on top of everything. They were thorough and adhered to all of the timelines. The team was great. They work hard to make sure that you’re happy and that everything goes as smoothly as possible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have great technical people who are highly competent, but they go above and beyond with their project management. They’re client-focused. The engagement manager checks in to make sure you’re happy with everything. The whole team is fantastic.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would definitely say that you're in good hands with VentureDevs. Their main focus is that the client is happy, and the project is completed to a standard of excellence. I would absolutely recommend them without any hesitation—and have done so already.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

For this project, I was the product manager for an online entertainment archive.

What challenge were you trying to address with VentureDevs?

We needed a full stack team that could develop both backend infrastructure and UI/UX.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had them create a more curated user experience for our web platform. Our staff provided the product requirements and goals from the story map. Everything was broken down based on our goals for the MVP and several versions beyond that, which helped their team know what to prioritize in terms of development. Once they came on board, we did some discovery exercises and they provided multiple design iterations. After we settled on one, we moved on to development using Amazon Web Services. They provided our backend architecture as well as the UI design.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a product owner, project manager, a DevOps person, a designer, a QA person, and a handful of backend engineers.

How did you come to work with VentureDevs?

I met their co-founders during a tech conference. They seemed professional and I got along well with them, so we began discussing the project. We appeared to be a good fit, so we had a couple more calls with the rest of our staff, who agreed that they would mesh well with our team. Based on that, we chose to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–October 2018.

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

We had a very firm deadline and the timeline was pretty tight. They successfully delivered our MVP before November 1st, enabling us to move on to fundraising for the product using that as a demo.

How did VentureDevs perform from a project management standpoint?

This was one of their biggest strengths. The project manager and product owner stood out for their responsiveness and highly detailed communication. They constantly asked questions and followed up with us, whether it was during our video conferences or via Slack and email. Our sprint planning sessions and demos were always clear and organized. We tracked all of the development with Jira and they maintained excellent documentation throughout the process.

Thanks to their project leadership, our team remained well-aligned with theirs and we stayed on track to hit our deadlines. They coordinated well between all of our stakeholders.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They adapted very well to the scope adjustments we made along the way and didn’t lose their focus. They were also incredibly open to feedback and took direction well throughout the entire process. We felt very comfortable voicing questions, concerns, and new ideas. When it came to meeting for video conferences, they never spoke over us—they definitely knew how to listen and communicate clearly. I also found that their grasp of English was excellent for an overseas team, which hasn’t been the case with other teams we’ve hired in the past.

On top of that, they were very transparent regarding challenges or roadblocks during the process and were willing to speak up during meetings if they felt like they had better solutions for one of our product needs. Their team felt more like a family than a company. They had a sense of cohesive magic and it was great to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For being halfway across the world, they aligned well with our goals. We had to go through several design iterations early on, but that’s not uncommon. I think they did a great job overall, but I’d suggest maybe placing more focus on ensuring that designs are as on-brand as possible from the start. They presented us with a lot of options, but it would’ve been nice if that process had gone a bit faster.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I can’t think of anything.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product manager at a software company.

What challenge were you trying to address with VentureDevs?

For one of our client’s products, we needed development assistance with the backend infrastructure, planned feature and interface updates, and bug-fixing efforts. We looked for an outside vendor to accelerate the process.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we outlined our requirements, goals, and expectations. They did a couple of discovery exercises to determine the best approach. After quickly learning our code base, they started the actual development process, primarily working with AWS technology. The VentureDevs team fixed several backend bugs and implemented a collection of new frontend features. They transformed the software’s basic LAMP architecture into a docker system, making it more accessible for users. They continue to support our development efforts.

What is the team composition?

We started with about five people, but we’ve since narrowed it down to two. Throughout the partnership, we’ve worked with a product manager, a product owner, and senior developers for the front- and backend. Our current team is two developers.

How did you come to work with VentureDevs?

I inherited the project after my previous CTO chose them based on a referral.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent around $320,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2018, and the relationship is ongoing.

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

Our senior management is amazed by the results of their work.

How did VentureDevs perform from a project management standpoint?

The beginning of the engagement was a bit rocky, but they have great customer support. Within a few weeks, we were on the right track. We assigned a point person between our two teams, which corrected most of the disconnects.

Overall, they’re great. The team is communicative, proactive, and smart. If they find a problem, they don’t wait for our instructions. Instead, they handle it on their own and send us a report that details what they fixed and how.

Additionally, the developers are highly efficient in managing their work. For the bulk of the project, we used a variety of tools to track the project, including GitHub, GitLab, Jira, and Confluence. They’re very well-versed across all of those management channels.

What did you find most impressive about them?

If they didn’t get something right the first time, they were quick to make the adjustments. Their customer service is fantastic. With a flexible invoicing system, they’re able to address and solve any problems quickly. The team understands that every project is different, so they’re willing to make accommodations for each of their clients as long as communication is clear.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I honestly can’t think of anything.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of development at LifeCents, an independent provider of financial educational services and technology solutions. Our primary product is an e-learning web app that empowers consumers to improve their financial health through an engaging, personalized experience.

What challenge were you trying to address with VentureDevs?

We’d developed a sophisticated product with a robust backend that contained features designed to enhance the frontend user experience. However, the interface did not reflect many of these features, so our goal was to engage with VentureDevs in order to improve the overall UX. After diving in, it was apparent that a full frontend redesign was necessary. We expanded VentureDevs’ scope over time to include backend development as well as automated testing and other supporting roles.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we engaged VentureDevs purely for frontend development. But as we got into the project, we realized that we also needed to expand the backend based on our new business requirements and the enhancements that we wanted to make. Because the front- and backend were so tightly coupled, it was difficult to develop both layers simultaneously and even harder for our backend to support multiple clients. Furthermore, we wouldn’t be able to easily create a native app in the future with the existing technology stack.

We ended up working with VentureDevs to decouple the front- and backend. They kept .NET as the primary technology for the backend, but we switched from ASP.NET to ReactJS on the frontend. Currently, they’re supporting a migration as we transition from Rackspace to AWS. They’re also improving the general configuration of the environment and are working on the final phase of the redesign.

What is the team composition?

We began work with three frontend developers in the beginning and then added two more over time. They also assigned a .NET developer, product owner, QA tester, and an automated scripting developer. We’ve also engaged their DevOps engineers for other projects to enhance our application hosting environment.

How did you come to work with VentureDevs?

We’d partnered with an organization that had engaged with VentureDevs in the past for a couple static landing pages. It was a good experience, so they referred them to us. We worked with them in a smaller capacity to test the waters, but, over time, they consistently delivered and worked well with our team. It was only natural to expand the scope of our projects.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $300,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work started in May 2017 and is ongoing.

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

Although we’re still working on the final phase of the redesign, our internal team has responded positively, and all user testing has been excellent. They’re still working to improve features of the interface, but we’ve yet to receive any negative feedback.

How did VentureDevsperform from a project management standpoint?

One of the places where they excel is in their project management. Every team has a product owner who oversees all communication with developers, making sure that they have all the resources necessary and understand our business needs within that context. This also allows the team to smoothly scale up or down, which is fantastic. They keep us updated and inform us of any concerns they may have.

As for their responsiveness, they always address our inquiries. If I have any issues, I can talk directly to the co-founder or the product owner to assign a resource and resolve the problem. We coordinate with them through phone, Slack for instant messaging, and email for longer communications or if other stakeholders are involved.

They also work well with project management solutions such as Jira and Confluence, and are well versed in agile development methodologies. We have multiple meetings per week, and the whole team gets together for sprint planning and demos. I also meet individually with various developers if they’re working on a specific feature and want to discuss things in more detail.

Furthermore, as a remote development firm, it’s critical that they’re able to communicate effectively. Not only do they have strong English skills, they’re able to push back on certain ideas and suggest alternatives if they think there’s a better way to solve a problem. This is a crucial part of any developer’s job because we may find that a solution we’d expected to work isn’t going to be the best fit for the end user.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In general, they work extremely well together as a team; I can tell from afar that they communicate and don’t have any internal issues. They’re also very engaged with the project itself. They seem to enjoy working on the app as much as we do. We couldn’t have hoped for anything more, especially from developers who are working remotely and have no direct connection to our company. They’re motivated and personally invested in their work’s output, which is not something we take for granted.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In terms of development, nothing specific comes to mind. There were some challenges at the beginning with regard to some design work they performed, but it has been resolved with the new version.

This review was updated by the client on March 23, 2020. The original star ratings were: Overall - 4.5, Quality - 4.5, Schedule - 4.5, Cost - 4.5, NPS - 5. New content is below:

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our business revolves around our financial wellness platform, LifeCents. I am in charge of all product development for LifeCents and am supporting applications and services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VentureDevs?

Initially, we engaged with VentureDevs to redesign our web application UI. Over time, we slowly built out our entire development team through VentureDevs, including supporting roles such as quality assurance, scrum master, etc.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

VentureDevs took over all development of the LifeCents ecosystem — backend, frontend, automated testing, DevOps, etc.

What is the team dynamic?

The team dynamic is/was fantastic. Excellent communication among all team members, constant support when needed, and developers don’t dislike code reviews (in fact, they insist on it). The atmosphere is casual, yet professional. Each developer takes pride in their own work, as well as the overall project. 

How did you come to work with VentureDevs?

Our investor had a previous relationship with VentureDevs and referred us.

How much have you invested with them?

Close to $1,000,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We just completed our final week with VentureDevs. Our product is in a strong place, and we are now planning to grow a small development team internally. We left on very good terms, and will likely work with them again in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

We worked with VentureDevs over a period of 3 years. At first, the team operated on more of a ‘project’ basis, and we planned to end our contract much sooner. Over time, however, we recognized that they were doing excellent work, so we expanded the team to become our primary developers over a longer term.

At LifeCents, we began to recognize them as “our own” team rather than an external service provider. I believe they felt (and still feel) the same way. 

How did VentureDevs address the challenges that arose?

Both the individual team members and VentureDevs management stepped up anytime an issue arose, especially as we grew our relationship with them. In particular, we had a significant financial crisis internally for a period of about 6 months.

VentureDevs took every possible step to help us resolve the issue without reducing or terminating our service. This very possibly saved our business, and the crisis was averted thanks to their willingness to work with us rather than cut us off.

Note: This is one of the biggest reasons why VentureDevs deserves to have a five-star rating. 

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

VentureDevs is the most important vendor LifeCents has had. They allowed us to mature our product from entry to enterprise-level, allowing us to similarly grow our business.

How was project management handled?

Very well. At the top level, we were in direct contact with the CEO from the beginning of the engagement. Anytime we started a new project, they provided a solutions architect to work with us (in depth) free of charge. I had a dedicated relationship manager (“head of customer success”) who sent frequent updates and stayed in constant communication with VentureDevs leadership and our development team.

Finally and most importantly, we were assigned a dedicated Product Owner, who coordinated everything between the two teams (LifeCents product and VentureDevs developers). She alone allowed us to work more successfully with a remote development team than any in the past.

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

I could create a long list, but one of their biggest strengths, aside from performing exceptionally well as developers, was their desire to build a long-lasting partnership. At every turn, their goal was to make us successful, and they would bring on anyone from their team (free of charge) that they thought could help – whether it was the CEO or an extra developer to help with a specific issue. 

In what specific areas can they improve?

Honestly, I can’t think of any worth mentioning.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

Make sure you take the relationship with your development team seriously. You can’t expect them to take a set of requirements and work without any additional contact. I worked with our team almost every day for three years, and it was a complete success. I’ve worked with other remote teams in the past who were not as communicative, and it was much more challenging to complete projects on time, and as expected.