VeriQual

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I work for an IT [information technology] firm. We develop custom applications.

What is your position?

I’m one of the co-founders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you first approached VeriQual?

Design, build, and maintain a custom Web and Salesforce application that lets you digitally send Starbucks gift cards.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work in greater detail?

We conceptualized the custom app, but they actually built it. They handled the design, development, testing, and enhancement. We collaborated closely with them throughout the process, from a strategic and project management stance.

How did you select VeriQual as your solution partner?

A year and a half ago, I looked through Elance and oDesk for 20 or 30 applicants, and rounded them down to the top five. They had some great experience. We were really in search of a vendor with a lot of Salesforce experience. We also wanted a competitive quote. We evaluated their past experience and their management styles before making the final decision. We were the most impressed with VeriQual.

What technologies were utilized during this project?

Ruby on Rails and JavaScript were the major ones. They also had experience with Salesforce. A separate project required native iOS development for an iPhone app we’re building.

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this project?

To date, close to $10,000.

When was this project completed?

We launched six months ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

My app was approved, so that was a fairly big win. I’ve gotten some customers that have generated more than $1,000 of revenue for me, which, for an average sale of $7, is quite a bit of customer usage. We also receive minimal support requests for defects and bugs, which is great. Their deliverables are consistently polished. They’re also great at incorporating user feedback into their workflows and deliverables.

When working with VeriQual, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach that distinguishes them from other vendors?

Their location has been very helpful, because they’re in a different time zone, so they’re able to work while I’m asleep. They have a diverse team that can cover multiple subject areas. I’m not simply giving them instructions; they’re actively contributing valuable insights and recommendations. That’s a very different kind of dynamic than I’m used to, at least with other IT vendors. That’s definitely something different.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

I work for a very small boutique software development firm. Our business model involves finding clients here and outsourcing their development. At the moment, all of our client development initiatives are delegated to VeriQual. We’ve been doing this for the last couple of years. They’ve done three e-commerce sites and one content-focused site.

What is your position?

I am the director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you initiated the relationship with VeriQual?

The challenge was data migration between two separate websites. They provided us with templates and the technical support we needed. We collected data from our users to populate the Excel templates, and then we’d go about organizing, tabulating, and migrating the data we needed. The process wasn’t overly complicated, but it was certainly time consuming and required considerable attention to detail.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of this project?

Their role almost exclusively revolved around custom development on the Magento platform. We provided only the basic requirements, and they were responsible for the deployment.

How did you select VeriQual as your solution partner for this endeavor?

I’ve known VeriQual for a very long time. I’ve known Samir Feroze [the CEO of VeriQual] for a number of years. When we determined that outsourcing our development initiatives was the way to go, I decided at that point to approach VeriQual with our work. I knew that had a great reputation for delivering quality work, so it seemed natural to go to them with our challenges.  

Could you provide a sense of the size of this project in monetary terms?

The total cost between £6,500 and £10,000 [$11,000 and $17,000].

When was this project completed?

We finished up early this year; probably by the end of January or the beginning of February [of 2014].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

That’s difficult to pinpoint because the end users are ultimately unaware that the application’s development was outsourced. I can, however, tell you that the client has been very impressed with the quality of the application and its performance. They’ve been quite content with the way that the development process has moved forward. We’ve run into minimal issues along the way, and some of them were on the client-side. Overall, both our team and the stakeholder have been very satisfied with the application.

When working with VeriQual, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguishes them from other vendors?

Basically, they deliver what they say they’re going to. That may sound somewhat cliche, but I’ve worked with a lot of outsourcing vendors, and my experience has been somewhat negative when it comes to their ability to deliver. Particularly in circumstances with more traditional Indian outsourcing companies, I’ve been in numerous situations where they’ve promised a certain solution and were completely incapable of fulfilling it. This can happen due to poor project management, incorrect or insufficient experience, or an inability to communicate with their clients effectively. Honestly, there could be a whole host of reasons why they’ve been unable to meet our needs, but the point has been that the majority of vendors I’ve worked with have left more to be desired. Software Developers India doesn’t fall into that category. I’ve been consistently impressed with their ability to deliver our assignments and tasks on time, within budget, and of exceptional quality. That’s all we can ask of our outsourced developers.

In retrospect, are there any areas you think they could improve on as a service provider?

I haven’t experienced any disappointments working with them, at least so far. As a result, it’s hard for me to offer any kind of recommendations for improvement. I’m sure there are areas that they could improve, but I’m not personally familiar with what those areas are.