Xfive

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Director of Design at Ironclad, a digital contracting platform software company in the legal tech space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xfive?

Our marketing website runs on Wordpress, and had been developed by a subcontractor from a different agency. We needed skilled, fast development on new features and pages that our marketing team was requesting. Additionally, we had a backlog of bugs and maintenance to be completed on our site.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to better optimize for SEO, expand our global navigation bar to fit content expansion, add search functionality to our blog, reskin the wordpress editing experience to be more usable, and a few new content templates.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

XFive was an recommendation from a member on our team that had dealt with them in the past.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

XFive provided project management and web development to complete our list of goals around SEO, content expansion, search capability, and maintenance.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and development on the vendor side, and a team of designers and marketers on our side.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

XFive's work helped us increase our search ranking on key content pages, provided a way for visitors to our site to find content that was relevant to them, and made the editing experience in Wordpress much easier for our marketing team to be self-serve.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was flexible and easy. They worked with our systems or organization in place and kept us on-track. Our project manager made sure we were informed of exactly what the XFive team's status on various tickets were and where we were at for hours so we could budget accordingly. Even though our time zones were 9 hours apart, our PM made sure we were all able to meet at times that worked for everyone.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their professionalism, availability, speed, and quality of work is unrivaled by any other Wordpress developer we've worked with.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Overall, XFive is excellent. One minor area for improvement is for us to be able to have a bit more visibility and status updates for the QA process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a conservation scientist at the California chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xfive?

We needed to redesign and relaunch our existing website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Xfive redesigned our website and ported information onto the new platform. Their team provided a complete redesign including the site’s architecture. Their team provided wireframes and a key visual to the website. They made the design responsive too. Their team also migrated the site to WordPress from a previous proprietary CMS system. They provided a custom WordPress site that enabled us to have an easy to use CMS. Now, we’re in the maintenance phase of the project.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people from Xfive including a project manager, a web designer, and a UX/UI lead.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $17,600 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in July 2019 and our relationship's for maintenance purposes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re happy with their work as are our partners who are impressed with the designs. The website’s modern and loads fast, so we’re pleased with the backend. Their team developed a system that’s easy for us to maintain, which is important because our organization will maintain the project and update content annually. We’ll launch the website once our team completes additional work.

How did Xfive perform from a project management standpoint?

We have regular communication. Their team was responsive and held meetings during their evening, which we appreciated. In the beginning, there was a slight delay. Once we got on track with consistent meetings, we’ve been consistently happy with the management. They’ve done an excellent job.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re extremely impressed with the designs that Xfive created. The look and feel of the website exceeded our expectations. Their team was responsive to our requests for modifications and professionally suggested better designs to achieve our goals. We were happy with our interactions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Before we held regular calls, there was a delay in communication. That’s a fault of us both.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have constant communication. They’re extremely responsive so a client will feel satisfied if they’re making sure to continually express themselves. Xfive will then iterate to a satisfactory conclusion. Be prepared for the time difference.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO for Boston Software Corporation, which provides software for independent insurance agencies in Massachusetts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xfive?

Our flagship product was a Windows-based desktop application, but we’d been moving our services and functions to online- or cloud-based platforms. We decided we wanted to take our entire application online, backed by Cloud services. We engaged Xfive to develop the frontend of that online software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Using Angular, CSS, Zone.js, Node.js, and Karma, they took our specifications to develop the frontend of our online software. We had already built out the backend.

They first accommodated our expedited beta release which only required minimal functionalities. They then executed our integration—which included coding for some special features—with Massachusetts’ Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV). We decided that Internet Explorer 11 would be the oldest version we’d support, and their team provided support on this front.

Lastly, we did an upgrade mid-project where we updated our Angular versions. We saw a major increase in performance after that implementation.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, three developers, and a QA tester.

How did you come to work with Xfive?

We were working with another designer who recommended Xfive. We had some calls with them to gain some understanding of who they were, which led us to eventually hiring them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent more than $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in November of 2016 and the main development wrapped up in January of 2018. They provided ongoing support and minor implementations until August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We considered our initial beta release a success; although there were some slight delays, they did a great job of executing that deliverable. All in all, they tackled a huge project, and we credit them for being able to get it done.

After our larger launch, our users have expressed their satisfaction with the platform. They’ve communicated that the new software showcases a night-and-day difference; the solution has a much better look and feel.

How did Xfive perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was always responsive and willing to go over any developments or issues. They were consistently engaged and always ready to help, which really stood out. The team is very hands-on, and there’s a lot of communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re willing to work extremely closely with you to iron out all the details of requirements and specifications. The team is diligent in figuring out what’s necessary for executing the project correctly.

On top of being friendly and easy to work with, they really felt like part of our own team. Despite being a remote engagement, their responsiveness made our teams truly connected.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the beginning, they struggled to appreciate the complexity of our product. We tried to convey that it was a big project, but they underestimated that in the initial stages of our engagement. They realized the true size of the task after launching into development, which necessitated that they familiarize themselves with some insurance knowledge.

One other thing is that they sometimes didn’t ask enough questions about our requirements, which led them astray. They were super responsive about that, though, and were willing to talk about how to move forward.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re doing a really large project, make sure that both parties understand the project scope and how it’ll affect the timing of deliverables.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

As Head of Digital for a boutique creative agency, I was looking for a development partner to help us with our website development projects. These included Wordpress and Drupal custom themes, eCommerce and Learning Management Systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xfive?

Xfive have been a development partner for over 5 years, they worked on website development and ongoing management of our websites as collaborative partners

What were your goals for this project?

Develop websites using best practice within time and budget

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Xfive were recommended to us

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

• Project Management
• High-level estimation and scoping
• Recommending and researching solutions
• UX recommendations
• WordPress theme development and customisation
• Drupal theme development and customisation

What was the team composition?

The team has a project manager and developer/s depending on the size of the project. This makes communication really easy. We use Basecamp to communicate as well and stay on track with tasks which works wonders for different timezones.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Bartek and the team are incredibly professional, responsive, and a pleasure to work with. There was a stage where we used multiple partners for various development projects – and we kept coming back to Xfive as they were the best to work with!

Due to the high quality of their work, the great value and our working relationship, they have been our long standing development partner for over 5 years.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The team has a project manager and developer/s depending on the size of the project. This makes communication really easy. We use Basecamp to communicate as well and stay on track with tasks which works wonders for different timezones.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their level of responsiveness, their professionalism, and the quality of their work are all such rare finds! They also ensured they understood requirements and what we were trying to do before undertaking development work, which always led to a better output.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No they're great

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a startup called 249Labs Inc based in Tampa, Florida. We run an enterprise SaaS platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xfive?

We needed a development team that could program our idea into a functioning platform. The platform is designed to be business-friendly so that companies can use a drag-and-drop system to build a technology ecosystem. We wanted large companies to understand whether their spend was aligned with their C-Suite. We also wanted the platform to be usable by business users, not just technology staff.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They do all kinds of coding work and IT management for us. Whether that’s writing code, working on the Ruby platform, database management, or server management, they perform IT tasks for our startup. I directly with people that don’t do infrastructure work, but Xfive works with their internal team to maintain server certificates and other aspects of the platform. They’re starting to do API work as well.  

Xfive worked to take our designs and bring in various assets to create the drag-and-drop capability we wanted. Over time, we added more and more components and features covering integration, reporting, and other functionalities. The frontend is built with Ruby on Rails.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Pawel (Senior Project Manager, Xfive). He puts me in contact with our head developer, Agnieszka (Senior Developer, Xfive). Two or three others will rotate in and out depending on our needs.

How did you come to work with Xfive?

We searched all over the United States and abroad to find a development team. After a series of interviews, we decided they’d be the best candidate for us. I received a recommendation from a company that we had worked with. About five minutes into the interview process, it clicked. They got what I was trying to say—that’s a tough thing for startup founders—and they were able to build what we wanted. Within that half-hour, they had come back with ideas on how the project would work, and I brought them on board

How much have you invested with them?

It’s between $100,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in summer 2015 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been a good partnership; we’re tremendously happy with everything they’ve done for us. We’ve had other people come and try to underbid them, but I won’t consider it. Their ability to be in sync mentally with our team is invaluable. I don’t need to stress about work not being done. I’ve never had to worry about data integrity and security with them. To me, the code works and nothing ever breaks.

If I ever have an issue with session management, I give it to them and they have a fix within days. They’ve been responsive to everything that we’ve asked them to do. They have a good sense of our business on a macro-level—they’ve built an architecture that enables us to scale the business. There’s no issues or complaints with any of that.

When the platform was released in March 2016, we got positive user feedback. Users found the platform easy to use and intuitive. They implemented a bright and energetic design that engaged users with our complex platform. Any improvements our clients give us, Xfive executes flawlessly.

How did Xfive perform from a project management standpoint?

They are fantastic. We use Basecamp and other Atlassian tools. There are Skype calls twice a month, but otherwise, it’s all email and Basecamp. Pawel has been incredibly good at ensuring I don’t need to worry about project management. I give them minimal input; they take control of the projects and run with it. If they have questions, they come back to me to get clarification. They adjust their timetables to make the schedule work for me.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They get me. I don’t need to spend time explaining what’s in my head to them. I’ve worked with enough developers to know the complexities of miscommunication, but I’ve never had that problem with Xfive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve discussed whether they want to add resources in the United States. They work in Poland, but I’ve asked if they can accommodate a staffer working in the United States. However, they’ve said they would accommodate that in a heartbeat if I asked for it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their ability to understand what I’m thinking is the biggest differentiator between them and a generic vendor. To build that, there needs to be a high level of comfort in the interview process. Just make sure they’re on the same page as you are during that section.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a startup called IMPIRCA Health Analytics. We primarily serve large, self-insured employer groups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xfive?

We needed a platform to publish our analytics product, which is a healthcare performance score. It required custom views that were tailored to the location of the user, showing them both hospital systems and providers. This was to be overlaid with insurance information, like out-of-pocket allowances.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Xfive did all of the web development work for the product. They created the entire infrastructure, with parts using ElasticSearch, JSON, and various APIs. Our customers can log in and access their scores via the interface they delivered.

What is the team composition?

The size fluctuates depending on the project. We’ve had as many as five developers at one time, but we’ve also had the team ratchet down to one to match our needs. I have one primary point of contact, and I also communicate with Milosz (CEO, Xfive).

How did you come to work with Xfive?

I was soliciting UI design services from various sites and stumbled upon Xfive. They gave us a proof of concept, and we moved forward with a test project. They cranked out a simple prototype very quickly.

I was pleased with the quality and their use of Jira ticketing. They would respond to items by within 24 hours while also taking the initiative when necessary. It was an iterative process, and we were never bogged down with small details.

Their execution was unlike other firms I’d worked with before, and the time zone difference worked to our advantage. It became clear pretty quickly that they would be the right fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere between $750,000–$1 million. We’ve tapered down the annual cost from this year to last, but the average has been around $100,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in March 2014, and we’re continuing to collaborate with them. It’s been a continuous relationship for five years now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Xfive has provided all of the surrounding infrastructure that allows us to publish our analytics online. They designed every interaction to be high-performing. This is a national database with hundreds of thousands of legally protected individual records, and it functions in a way that is as user-friendly as an e-commerce site.

We haven’t had any complaints about the ease of use or the stability of the products. I can’t remember a single day when the site has been done inexplicably, or something went completely wrong.

When bugs inevitably occur, they’re fixed promptly, and it never feels like an issue. We’ve decided to keep the UI/UX simple, which means we aren’t in a leader in our space in that regard, but that’s not on Xfive. The core of the product is distributing healthcare analytics, and they’ve created an optimal experience for that.

How did Xfive perform from a project management standpoint?

We follow a structured approach, mainly centered around Jira. It’s an iterative process where we’ll share technical specifications, wireframes, storyboards, use cases, etc. The project management is excellent because of their prompt communication. Xfive accurately translates our descriptions into requirements, and they have the right skill set to implement features within reasonable timelines.

Our project manager runs interference between the developers and us. They handle estimates and allocation, and she’ll let us know what they need. She is the key reason for our satisfaction with the partnership.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This is easily one of the best vendor relationships that we’ve had as a company. I can point to several areas where they stand out. The communication, for example, is excellent. If you send in a question, you’re guaranteed to have a response in the morning. They also know how to execute consistently. Everything is done on time and within the budget.

Interpersonally, they are also outstanding. The team camaraderie between our firms is higher than you might expect. They are sincere, high-integrity individuals, and we enjoy working with them. From an outsider’s perspective, they’d probably look more like full-time team members than an external team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d like to see them expand their UI/UX offering. That’s been a bit of a differentiator in terms of the consumer side of our site. It’s not a deal-breaker for me, but I would love to have them take over every part of the product. That’s the only thing that comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re looking at a more long term project, Xfive can get the job done.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a digital marketing specialist at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) and Club Oenologique, a fine wine & spirits luxury lifestyle magazine and events company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xfive?

We just launched our company and hired them to build our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

A design agency designed our website, and then Xfive carried out the development work. The site reflects our brand, sharing our magazine features and news. Our goal moving forward is to sell magazines on the platform. We’re currently setting up an e-commerce section on the website.

Xfive completed design work for us as well. For the elements they designed, we brief them on the ideas of what we wanted, and then their team would come back with mockups.

What is the team composition?

I was in contact with around five people most of the time.

How did you come to work with Xfive?

The design agency that designed our website recommended them. They had worked with Xfive multiple times.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $20,000 on the website. For maintenance and support, we spent around $15,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Xfive started in October 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website was launched in November of last year. Since then, we’ve started a maintenance deal with them. Their team does several web updates for us each month. The team at Xfive delivers high-quality work. I’ve worked with other agencies, and they’re probably my favorite. Everyone says that the platform is clean, user-friendly, and works well.

How did Xfive perform from a project management standpoint?

The team at Xfive is easy to work with. Their team always does work for us as soon as we ask or as quickly as possible. They come up with solutions to any of the problems we face.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with their work speed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything at the moment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go for it. They’re really good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a manager at TorontoJourney.com, an online advertising platform for hotels. We review hotels, attractions, neighborhoods and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xfive?

We were looking for a partner to help with our websites.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Xfive coded and built both static websites and blogs on WordPress, sometimes creating sites from scratch and other times revamping old ones. 

Additionally, their team added features such as star ratings, CSS adjustments and basic website development. Years ago when websites started going mobile, they made our websites fully responsive, fitting the screen no matter what device you view them on. Lately, they’ve been revamping older more established sites of ours and ensuring our sites load quickly.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is Pawel (Senior Project Manager, Xfive) and we also work with Ewa (Senior Project Managers, Xfive), Rafal (WordPress Developer, Xfive) along with Aleks, Michel and Ada. They help us go through everything and answer any questions we may have.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested over $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Xfive began in 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Xfive’s team is always friendly and polite, no matter who we work with. They’ve been working with us for so long that they know what to expect. Our websites load very quickly and look beautiful.

How did Xfive perform from a project management standpoint?

Xfive is fantastic at project management. Everything is always on time. In fact, they usually complete things ahead of when they said they would. Their team anticipated everything before we can even think of it. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Whenever we start a new project, they always are at the forefront of what is happening in the web design industry. They make sure to apply the latest trends to our website. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. There is no need for us to go looking elsewhere because they do such a great job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I absolutely recommend working with Xfive.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Crowdfund Mainstreet, a crowdfunding platform for US-based companies. Companies build out campaigns to raise money from investors. Investors visit the site to run through various investment opportunities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xfive?

We hired them to build our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After we had a disastrous experience with another developer, we had a limited time to get the MVP launched. Their outsourced team built the product from scratch. The business runs on this platform—that includes the onboarding for companies and investors. We used Heroku. They haven’t provided much design work for us; everything we’ve sent them needed to be figured out beforehand. They continue to provide maintenance and development on the product.

What is the team composition?

The main point of contact has been the project manager. On the development side, we dealt with Patrick (Developer, Xfive) and another developer.

How did you come to work with Xfive?

I found them through a colleague that had worked with Xfive previously. I was able to contact them and interview them. They had a lot of experience, so I decided to take a chance on that.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They came on board after June 2018. We launched an MVP in August 2018 and have continued to build out features that weren’t included at launch. It’s not full-time since we’re a small company, but we still have them engaged.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve provided excellent, quality work. They only had two months to build the MVP, but they completed it on time despite the pressure. They did an amazing job with that. We have some minor bugs, but we’re definitely pleased with their attentiveness and customer service.

The feedback has been extremely positive. It’s a highly-regulated space, which limits our creativity, but the site does work very well. Sometimes you hire developers for design and engineering, but that’s not what happened.

How did Xfive perform from a project management standpoint?

They were really good. We have not been the easiest client because we’re developing a tech company without having technical backgrounds. They’re patient, but we don’t speak the language. They use Basecamp.

Their team also consists of non-native English speakers, which was a challenge for them. However, they were really good at coming back to us and asking detailed, specific questions to get the information that they need. We’d have phone calls with 3–5 people for the whole team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by their willingness to walk through the project with us. With our last developer, communication was disastrous. However, now we know exactly what everybody’s doing. It’s very easy to go back and view the history of the product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d like to have more access to the design portion. That’s a weakness for them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should engage with them. I’d highly recommend them. You should also have your design in place as it will save money.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior interaction designer at a design consultancy called Forpeople.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xfive?

As a design consultancy, we don’t have any in-house development support so we wanted to expand our skills for our clients by finding a web development partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They implement the designs we create for our clients. Whether we’re creating a static website or a larger project that requires a CMS, they’re able to build the platform we need. We’ve worked on several projects including custom WordPress themes and apps that are built with PHP and Ruby on Rails.

We've also built static Web sites using some interesting JavaScript libraries, which have enabled us to add animations that would trigger certain scroll events and implement cool ways of rendering scalable vector graphics (SVGs) on the page. We also have a library of plug-ins that they hadn't actually used before, but they were able to apply them to our projects quickly and efficiently when we wanted to. They recommend different technology stacks as well.

They usually go through a briefing with us and our client to understand their needs. Our team provides sketches and wireframes, and they develop the rest. Then, we hand over the final product to our clients who can implement it into their servers.

What is the team composition?

It has depended on the project—from one full stack developer to five people including a project manager, frontend developer, and backend developer for larger projects. It’s nice that we can scale our project based on the resources we need.

How did you come to work with Xfive?

One of my former colleagues recommended them to us. We thought they were a good fit for our team and liked that they could work remotely.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000 to $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our clients are always happy with the quality of their work and the speed of their output. They always deliver a solid product. During the design and prototype phases, they’re able to raise questions or address issues before they arise. In this sense, they have a lot of valuable insight.

Initially, we planned to work on a single project with them, but then added another. Since our partnership was strong and we worked together well, we bought packaged hours at a discounted rate. This allows us to have multiple ongoing projects and they’re able to provide the development support we need. As the timeline for different projects increases, they’re able to bring on additional developers and improve our efficiency. They always provide the right resources to fit project needs.

How did Xfive perform from a project management standpoint?

They always make sure that we’re progressing and completing each stage of the project before moving on. By checking in regularly with us, they make sure that we pass on the necessary assets that we promised.

We like that they can work remotely and we can communicate via Slack and Basecamp. Their efficiency is exactly what we needed. They’re like members of our own team. Overall, it’s a pleasure working with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide a wide skillset and a pool of talent we can draw from. We’ve worked with freelancers in the past, but they’re more expensive, more difficult to track down, and often can’t cover everything we need. In comparison, Xfive is very easy to work with.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re very good at creating safe and solid deliverables, but I think they could push themselves to be more experimental and think more outside the box.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s crucial to know project requirements, estimates, and timelines before projects start. The more information you can provide, the more feedback they can give, which means you get more out of the partnership. This is part of the reason why we often have them sit in on client meetings.