VixSpace

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I take care of IT on behalf of a charitable organization, overseeing the website, internal communication software, and other programs.

What challenge were you trying to address with VixSpace?

We had an outdated website that had been developed back in 2011–2012 and needed some custom solutions that weren’t possible to do in the PHP Yii 2 framework. VixSpace developed a custom solution for our end users.

What was the scope of their involvement?

VixSpace is developing our website and our grant management system based on a mutually agreed-upon Scope and a requirement document we shared. Their work is custom and includes the full design.

We have a front-facing portal and dashboards that are not available to users outside the organization, including a ticketing system. They system has multiple stakeholders, and one of the most important features is profile management for awardees, as well as a custom login for the team that takes care of communication and outreach. We manage all posts and articles through the site

Apart from that, the site has information related to fellowships, and a lot of other things.

It. has a backend based on Node.js, which was VixSpace’s suggestion. We wanted to use PHP, but they told us that it wasn’t right for our kinds of functionalities. The frontend is built on AngularJS, and we’re using AWS for hosting.

VixSpace also developed an API as part of our collaboration with a cancer center. We’ve shared that API with other associates as well.

In short, they take care of all our IT, practically, as well as our SEO. They’ve done 3–4 websites for us in total, including a government-funded biotech program that we’re running.

What is the team composition?

I’m not sure how large their team is at the moment, but we’ve interacted with more than 20 people from VixSpace. We have regular meetings with 4–5 of them, including Meraj (CEO) and Krishna (COO).

How did you come to work with VixSpace?

Our COO invited them to our office, and we continued from there. I’m not sure how he got the lead.

We received around six recommendations for them, including one from a UK cancer research program with a presence in India.

How much have you invested with them?

A ballpark figure of the cost so far would be $70,000–$90,000. We paid $14,000–$16,000 just for the first website.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first project with VixSpace started in April 2019. We started with our main site, and they’re taking care of 5–6 of our programs now.

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

Our website is in place and working, and we’ve referred 5–6 clients to VixSpace, which are currently working with them.

How did VixSpace perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good. They didn’t get much support from our old vendor during the website handover, and it was difficult to synchronize things initially, but VixSpace handled the situation professionally.

Both of our teams generally use Microsoft Teams, as well as email. We have regular meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the things I appreciate most about them is their patience. They listen to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were some improvement points initially. We asked them to send a couple of people to work from our office, which they declined to do. There are also a few people that have come and gone during our two-year collaboration, but we understand that this is unavoidable.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

People and organizations are different from one another. In our case, we were very clear about our requirements, and we gave them the freedom to do whatever they wanted to do within them. We hire professionals because we don’t have that expertise, so we had to give them the freedom they needed to work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Village Reconstruction Organization (shortly known as VRO) an NGO providing philanthropy services in India since 1964. I'm the IT manager of the company, in charge of everything related to the website, the app, and other digital needs.

What challenge were you trying to address with VixSpace?

We needed help with website development and Google Ads.

What was the scope of their involvement?

VixSpace designed and developed our new website using WordPress and PHP. We’ve made some changes to the site since launch, and they’ve continued to take care of our entire digital presence and queries. We call it brand management. They also provide dedicated photography teams for any philanthropy work we’re doing and they upload the pictures to our website.

What is the team composition?

They assigned us a main point of contact, along with two designers, three developers, two content writers, and one photographer. I’ve visited their office a couple of times.

How did you come to work with VixSpace?

We’d never contracted with an IT firm before, so we started doing research and contacted multiple vendors. VixSpace had the best presentation of all, and they’d worked with the Indian government. I contacted a few of their previous clients and received positive references.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January–June 2019.

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

Their involvement has had an even greater impact than we were expecting. The website is helping a lot with our outreach program, and they’ve also gotten our content approved on Wikipedia. That’s all because of the quality of the website and its content.

We have numerous users on the website, and no one’s reported any significant issues so far. There were some bugs during development, but they were fixed right away. I’d say the average rating for the site is 8/10.

How did VixSpace perform from a project management standpoint?

Our team coordination was excellent from the start. We’ve never had any complaints, and that’s why we have ongoing projects and run maintenance exclusively through VixSpace. We communicated through phone and email, with occasional video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They listen to what we want. This was the first thing we noticed about them. There are very few teams that will really give us their time and we found that quality in VixSpace.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could increase their number of employees. We had a few issues when it came to video editing and app design. They assured us they’re working on it and they have. Their services have improved in that field as well.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I’m not involved in their team and activities, so I don’t have any specific advice. VixSpace is a startup and they’re a couple of years old, and I’ve noticed that they give equal opportunities to everyone within their company.