Web Bespokers

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the VP of Technology at a marketing firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Web Bespokers?

We wanted Web Bespokers to help us manage our marketing activities. We had the desire to see real-time reporting of the company’s revenue streams that we were receiving from 120 affiliates. The team’s task was to build out an API with 120 different specifications. Their support would double the size of our engineering team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team created an extranet and intranet application. It wasn’t available on the public internet, but it served as our company’s dashboard. Since our business deals with lead generation, we were the clearinghouse for multiple sites.

To give context, 500 websites would usually have a contact form and users would submit their details through those platforms. We also collect information about where we received our leads from. For every affiliate lead that would click and transact on our promoted products, we would get paid $1–$2 for each one of those.

In order to understand our revenue, it took a massive amount of programming and several API calls, and highly orchestrated cron jobs that would run overnight. That way, we would find where we found our leads from. The system would also show reports and break the information down for us.

What is the team composition?

Towards the height of the relationship, we worked with Web Bespokers’ project management team, accounting team, and engineering team. There were 4–5 people we interacted with including their CFO.

How did you come to work with Web Bespokers?

Since we were undertaking a complex project, I pitched to the company if I could go out and find help from a service provider. Once approved, I wrote the initial scope of work on Upwork. It was a smaller portion of the project, and I requested a project scope document. Web Bespokers was one of the companies that applied. We agreed that if the first project went well, we’d continue working with them so we ended up expanding our relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We collaborated from March 2018–December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They had a track record of bringing helpful ideas. Some of the ideas they shared were even beyond the scope of our engagement. We also appreciated that they helped us made use of technology we were not familiar with. They had incredible engineers, and with their support, we were able to leapfrog our initial goals.

We based their success on their ability to deliver software on time and implement improvements to our system in an ongoing fashion. They were effectively our extended team, and they were judged just like our internal engineers as we evaluated them every quarter. Overall, Web Bespokers’ performance was exceptional, and we relied on their expertise. That was the reason why we utilized their service repeatedly; we ended up having a relationship with them for several years.

How did Web Bespokers perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicated through Skype and Google Hangouts. We didn’t really focus on any project management process — we just knew what projects we were giving them. Web Bespokers managed the HR aspect of our projects; if one of their engineers resigned, they’d replace them and inform us after. We didn’t really have any lapse in service as we were using them. Overall, they made sure that we were staffed well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team’s skills were top-notch, and the solutions they provided allowed us to move faster than possible. It was also a win-win scenario because we were paying a little bit less for their engineering team than we’d have paid for an onsite American-based resource.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We struggled with scheduling, and it would’ve been better if they worked in the same timezone. That was the only downside because if we needed things, they were sound asleep. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Rather than treating them as engineers, consider them as a trusted resource. Web Bespokers’ engineers are very capable of understanding your business, and they can provide you with high-level support. Most importantly, they can help drive the technology decision-making of the strategic implementation you need to carry out.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I project manage the online marketing and development projects for various global clients, helping to grow their businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Web Bespokers?

We needed help to further develop and modify a custom built education platform for a client.

What were your goals for this project?

We want to further enhance the capabilities and usability of the platform for both administrative and frontend users.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them on an online job marketplace. Web Bespokers had the right qualifications, credentials, and positive reviews from numerous past projects.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We approach Web Bespokers as needed with requests to add or modify a function on the existing platform. They provide a breakdown of suggested steps they will take. In some cases they’ll suggest a different course of action (i.e., a change to our request or a reason why what we are asking doesn't make sense) based on their experience and knowledge. Once we’ve agreed on the path forward, they code up the task so that we can test it in a dev environment. They push the function to production once the dev version is approved.

What was the team composition?

We deal with the team lead, who then allocates tasks to the developer(s). The number of assigned developers depends on the size and urgency of the task.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results have been immense. Usability in the course area has gone up by multiples, while improving load times has made a clear difference to users. The improvements have increased user satisfaction and retention, which is reflected in a higher review rating. Although there is no simple way to see a correlation in increase in sales, a better rating will likely result in a long-term positive benefit. More importantly, it has helped prepare the company for bigger upgrades that are in the pipeline.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Web Bespokers primarily uses Trello for task-tracking and Slack to discuss queries or elements not yet tasked. All communication goes through our team lead, making communication extremely easy once we developed a rapport. There’s no issue with language barriers as they’re proficient in English.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re very fast during development. When we ask for an element to be coded up, they often have it ready for testing (on the dev server) by the following day. Granted a lot of these requests were fairly simple, but we’re impressed by the team’s competence and time-management skills.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No major areas needed for improvement. Recently some dev work has been slower than in the past, but this could be attributed to the slow down of task assignments from our side. Web Bespokers had already re-allocated resources elsewhere, making it troublesome to reallocate those resources back to us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO of Super SARL, which provides a platform for researching and purchasing cognac, a French brandy produced only in the region around Cognac, France.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Web Bespokers?

Our needs for customization, handling Git, and server development were becoming too great for our previous platforms on Prestashop and Symphony. We needed a new provider to handle these tasks so that our business could move forward.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to set up and maintain a CI environment, implement custom functions and requirements, improve and test new UX approaches, and maintain a Linux system with Docker containers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We reviewed code examples, a test implementation, references, and other projects among more than five companies and individuals. Web Bespokers were the clear choice because of their impressive level of service and communication. We felt comfortable with the knowledge of their team.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Our company uses Agile techniques across all teams, including the IT. Our requirements were detailed for short-term goals, while rather broad for the mid- and long-term. Our requirements were broken down into user stories and smaller groups.

What was the team composition?

We were initially in touch with a project manager, who is also one of the founders, and one full-stack developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our revenue has doubled, and we have increased our team size since the beginning of the partnership. Web Bespoker’s flexibility and understanding helped reach these results.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Over time, we developed a strong relationship with the developer, which allowed us to work directly within Slack, Trello, Git, and Skype. Given the complexity of our product, it was valuable to be in touch with just one developer during the whole project. There were no translation issues, and communication was effective. Deadlines were not a primary concern, as we know that development is taxing and difficult to estimate. Typically, estimates were relatively accurate, and we were flattered by the speed of delivery.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We appreciated the transparency in regard to their knowledge and skills. Further, the way they managed Agile projects corresponded perfectly with our organization.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

As every customer is different, I would recommend detailing requirements or terms with the client for early validation of expectations.