Xicom Technologies Ltd.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We sell computer parts, specifically for laptops. I'm the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xicom Technologies?

We wanted to upgrade our backend and use a new platform. Our old platform was outdated, and we needed something new.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They transferred us from a PHP platform to a WooCommerce and WordPress site. The majority of the project focused on e-commerce. They did everything from beginning to end, from the graphic design, to the database development, to customizations of new plugins.

They built a customized shipping system that included multiple layers of features. They took all our work from the past ten years and replicated it in the new WooCommerce platform.

What is the team composition?

I communicate directly with a project manager, and he coordinates with the rest of his team.

How did you come to work with Xicom Technologies?

I reached out to a number of companies, but Xicom's work and portfolio really impressed me. Everything they offered checked out, and I felt they'd be the right fit for my needs.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent somewhere near $30,000 on their services so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started around September 2017. The core of the work is complete, but we're always adding new features and concepts. Their involvement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They fixed all the issues we had, and we have a lot more time to focus on development efforts on features that will increase our sales. The new website is mobile-friendly, which makes using the site much easier for our clients. The development process is smooth, and everything works well after releases.

How did Xicom Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They're willing to work with me to make things right. Projects like mine are always subject to change, and they always complete their work in a reasonable amount of time. They're customer-friendly, and they deal well with scope creep. The project manager is very accessible, and communication is good. We use WhatsApp as our main mode of communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their quality and flexibility really stand out, and I’m happy with everything they’ve done for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There's always room for improvement, but I don't have anything specific they could work on. They deliver everything I want.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them good information. I usually send video presentations of what we want, which usually helps clarify things more than just writing everything out. Build a good relationship with your project manager, and reach out to them whenever you face issues.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a young Emirati establishment which works on E-commerce business and I'm a co-founder

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xicom Technologies?

Upick is an online food ordering service for self-pickup. Upick platform will connect takeaway order costumers with a large range of restaurants and cafés where the user can filter the restaurants by cuisine

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to see our mobile downloads double by the end of the year, and we want to increase the number of orders through our app

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

My team and I searched online for app developers in our area. we contacted around 5 companies, we had meetings with all and end up with Xicom

Describe the project in detail.

We had a long meeting to finalize the scope, we add and remove some features in the app. We had wireframes first to check the flow of the app then we start working with the designs Xicom was very helpful in consultation and developing the app. The app has been developed for iPhone and android

What was the team composition?

Initially, 1 project manager was assigned to support us in our project, then an emergency situation happened with him, but Xicom Technologies assigned another project manager immediately

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Within 4 months after launching our app, we had +1000 downloads, new competitors hit the market so we updated the app design. We had positive feedback from the users

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager was very easy to communicate with and provided and frequent updates, I was contacting him over the phone. All in all the workflow was perfect

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was blown away by the knowledge that Xicom Technologies had about app development and UX. We learned much more than we thought possible. We appreciated that they were patient and thoughtful while we came up to speed

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything can always be done faster but we were very satisfied with their work every step of the way

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president of a web development and marketing agency. We also have our own proprietary content management system and we work with e-commerce websites, SEO, and social media marketing, among other things.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xicom Technologies?

Our in-house programmers had an overload of work, so we were looking to outsource some of our development. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I use them when we have excessive development work for various different sites that my programmers can’t handle. They’ve built a WordPress site, but they mostly work on our CMS, where clients are able to update their own website. If we need a server update or updates to the CMS, they can do it at night, when it is less impactful on the client’s website. 

I give Xicom Technologies tasks as well as access to our servers and CMS. They coded the server in PHP and it uses a MySQL database. They have developed a couple of websites with it as well as fixes, updates, or whatever else our clients have requested.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Neelima (Project Manager, Xicom Technologies) and one developer who knows our system.

How did you come to work with Xicom Technologies?

I did a lot of research online. I tried an Indian company several years ago that worked well, and then I tried another company recently that wasn’t very good. I started Xicom Technologies with a small task and they did it properly. Their turnaround time was good and I really appreciate their pricing structure, so I decided to keep working with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in August 2018 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I am very happy with their services so far. Their developers pick up any of my overload and extra work I send to them. Everything is done on time and within budget and their pricing has been cost-effective. They’ve worked out very well and are a great partner.

How did Xicom Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication has been excellent. The project manager is very conscientious and has done a good job of keeping tasks on track. We use email and occasionally have a Skype call.

Our relationship works out well because of the time difference. I will send them the work in the evening our time, and by the time I am back in the office the next morning, those tasks are completed. They will usually follow up with me first thing in the morning to make sure the tasks have been done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very affordable and have very skilled developers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They probably should use a project management tool like Basecamp. I use it with several of my clients as it keeps tasks in order. I’ve had a few frustrations with the emails I receive in the morning because the email thread isn’t there, so I am constantly having to refer to separate tasks to make sure it is all done.

They could also make sure the project has been fully tested before saying they are complete, but having worked in the industry, I know that is more of a trait of all developers.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder and CEO of a company that facilitates connections through convenient business cards.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xicom Technologies?

We hired Xicom to develop our iOS, Android, and web apps.

What were your goals for this project?

To have a fully developed app from scratch. I wanted to work with someone who understood my creative and aesthetic goals, as well as the logical and functional dimensions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I consulted with my CTO and talked to several developers at various price points. Xicom offered an incredibly competitive price and when we saw their level of professionalism, their clear and simple contract, and their U.S. location, we knew we wanted to work with them.

Describe the project in detail.

We began with a meeting to discuss in detail how we wanted the app to look and function. They sent us pictures and mockups of logos and app designs based on what we told them. We refined the display and UI of the app, then they got to work developing it.

After a few weeks, they sent us the first version, which we downloaded and gave feedback on. They made the relevant edits we requested, then sent us the next version, which was an incredibly efficient process.

What was the team composition?

We were assigned a project manager who communicated with a team of developers and designers. Having one point of contact was awesome, as they made sure everything ran efficiently and smoothly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Despite having no advertising yet, we've received over 400 downloads for the app. We have several paying subscribers who give it amazing reviews, and we have a 4.5 rating on the App Store. Our users seem to really love the product. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager we've been working with has excellent communication and always made sure our vision was communicated to the developers and designers.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was amazed by how efficient they are, especially in terms of communication. When I have a query, it gets addressed immediately, which allows me to focus on building my company very efficiently.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Every project can always be completed quicker, but we're very happy with the app and wouldn't want to sacrifice quality.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Terraboost Media is advertising company focuses on health and wellness where we have sposors of wellness kiosks with cart wipes or hand sanitizer in supermarkets, drugstores, malls, airports and more. I'm the director of sales operations here.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xicom Technologies?

We hired Xicom to create 2 apps: a sales rep version and an operations/service provider version.

What were your goals for this project?

Automate a lot of manual work through the app, track/store data, streamline processes.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The owners of my company did the selection and paired us to work together

Describe the project in detail.

The first app is for our sales reps to use. It helps them track appointments, submit daily sales reports, submit prospecting leads, track mileage, track hours worked, block time off, and more. They are also developing an app for our service providers/operations department to use that allows them to automate the creation/sending over of work orders, results of service visits, photos of ads posted, pulling data back into our database based on their form submissions, etc.

What was the team composition?

I worked with a head project manager who coordinated all of my project specs with his team

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The sales app is 99% complete and working great! They've helped with any bugs or adjustments we've needed. The service provider app is coming along nicely!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were able to take my project specs and coordinate everything on their end with close precision so that very few tweaks were needed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a medical service firm with multiple business models operating in four states. We recently introduced a medical virtual visit platform on both the consumer side and the small business side to serve better the healthcare needs of the communities in which we operate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xicom Technologies?

We contracted with Xicom Technologies to build an app-based platform to host our medical virtual visit product offering.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal is to add at least 1,000 users this year on the consumer side. We want to create at least 100 small business relationships this year that are enrolled in our small business platform. This app is the lifeline to our business prospects.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After an extensive search for custom app builders, we selected Xicom Technologies because of their cost estimates and their proven success in developing applications.

Describe the project in detail.

Xicom Technologies created our application on multiple platforms. The platform required the creation and integration of a web-based tool for both front- and backend access. Further, they supported the integration of a small business platform that enables us to reach out to a large customer base.

What was the team composition?

We have worked with three project managers since the engagement began. We also work with a team of front- and backend developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have only recently presented the application to our marketing team, so we do not yet have consumer or business results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Overall, we worked very well together. However, with each change of a project manager, it seemed like we had to take a couple of steps back before we could continue moving forward.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their team was always available.

Are there any areas for improvement?

My only frustration is the high rate of project manager turnover.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Swell Marketing. We’re a Facebook marketing agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xicom Technologies?

There’s a massive gap in the Australian market for a software solution that automates lead generation and outreach. I was looking for a vendor to develop a tool that resembles the ones found in the US, but hosted in Australia and followed our compliance regulations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided their team with the initial scope of the project, and we finalized it over a Skype call. They submitted a full proposal for the project, and I gave my approval. The Xicom Technologies team was responsible for the entire project—design, wireframes, development, project management, and testing. They sent updates about once a week.

Xicom Technologies used a variety of technology to build the solution. They used Twillo for SMS integrations, voice integrations, and call integrations. They used SendGrid to like the tool to our email. The entire system is based on AWS with a Windows ASP server.

What is the team composition?

I interacted with a project manager who delegated tasks to the rest of his team.

How did you come to work with Xicom Technologies?

I found them on Upwork. We offered the project to about three people and interviewed each of them multiple times, looked at their reviews, and analyzed their past work. In the end, Xicom Technologies was the best fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $5,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this tool from October 2018–January 2019, but we’re working on other projects now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Xicom Technologies’ assistance made this a very easy experience.

How did Xicom Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They were outstanding. Having one point of contact was extremely beneficial. I was routinely updated on their progress via Skype and Upwork, sharing any delays, issues, or concerns. There were no surprises. The team stayed on schedule throughout the engagement. Overall, it was an enjoyable collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their project management skills were great. I didn’t have to ask questions about their work because I was always up to date.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Testing is very important in software development, and they could place more emphasis on that phase of the project. I can’t really fault them though because any bugs were fixed within two days.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of an online database that documents modern and contemporary art exhibitions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xicom Technologies?

The exhibition information we offer is the result of extensive research in archives and libraries. To support and further extend our services, we required additional funding. We contracted with Xicom Technologies to develop a paywall to access the complete exhibition timeline of artists, exhibition venues, and curators.

What were your goals for this project?

It was important to us that the developer adopt the project to our existing code—PHP that we established about six years ago. The already existing free and paid services we offer also had to remain untouched. To facilitate this new feature, we needed to implement a hassle-free login and payment process.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We scoured Upwork for experienced and talented website developers. Xicom Technologies exhibited a competence and cutting-edge approach that resonated with us, we selected them for the project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Xicom Technologies implemented a paywall for the exhibition timeline so that users now must sign in as a specific type of user or purchase a service plan with PayPal. They also developed user dashboards to display invoices and an admin backend that could adjust service plans and other vital details.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and a team of programmers assigned to the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although it is difficult to retain users when offering paid digital content, we didn’t experience any slowdown of key Google Analytics figures after the payment structure was implemented. We designed the project to mirror our existing and proven web layout, but we expected advice and improvement options based on their experience, and their suggestions helped to streamline development and promote the feature to our users.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

During our four-month development period, the project manager had to take several leaves to tend to family matters, but the vice president of operations seamlessly took control of the workflow and helped complete the project with the programmers. They proved that they’re able to be flexible and respond to unforeseeable hurdles.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It may have been easier to start from scratch and work with the latest industry standards, but Xicom Technologies did a masterful job of working with our dated code and solving our problems.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Because it was our first project with Xicom Technologies, we inevitably had some growing pains in how we communicated and exchanged ideas. Overall, though, patience on both sides established a productive workflow.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an ecommerce company formerly involved in online entertainment and now specializing in financial product services. Founded in 1999, we have offices across North America. I am the President.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xicom Technologies?

We hired Xicom to upgrade one of our former site's live interactive chat room features. Competitor companies that launched years after we did were gaining ground and we needed to stay ahead by offering more of what our market segment demanded. PHP and Flash were the primary technologies used for these upgrades.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to stabilize our website to allow for further growth and to add features that would stave off losses to competitors.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected this vendor from Elance (now called Upwork) due to their listed development specialties matching our needs and customer feedback. When we contacted Xicom, they assured us of their qualifications, support, and committment to the project.

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

The project was an ongoing development that lasted several years. Xicom started out by taking a year to debug large components of our site. We were told it would take 3 months.

The new site launched and had bugs of its own, and from that point on we would spend the remainder of our business relationship ironing out bugs while simultaneously launching new features.

We used third party software called Springloops to detail tasks, create mockups, and iron out questions before production and launching each upgrade.

What was the team composition?

The project consisted of a project manager and two or more developers at any given time. The original line-up had Chitvan at the helm as the project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project launch was a disaster that caused a 30% decline in traffic that we ultimately were unable to regain in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Other malfunctions such as 25% of users being unable to register an account on our site for months due to a bulk mailing issue, and Xicom's inability to upgrade Flash components of our chat rooms left us cutting business ties as the only viable financial option.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

In the first year of re-development of our site under Chitvan as Project Manager, communication was effective, and although the launch was delayed by 9 months, we had high hopes for our partnership. Once management changed, communication and production qualify dropped.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were great at marketing themselves to potential customers and had the audacity to request we give them 5-star ratings for each sub-project completed on Elance. Being that they were our sole developers, the requests were a form of coercion than a reflection of reality.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

They could adhere to the basics of honesty, integrity, and high quality standards when dealing with clients.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a producer at a full-service creative agency called Iberfilm Partners SL. We focus on developing feature and documentary projects for international audiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xicom Technologies?

We regularly work with Xicom Technologies to enhance and expand our capabilities in delivering creative, excellent, and technologically robust solutions to our clients. For this particular project, we needed them to develop a WordPress site for one of our more demanding clients.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted them to work with our design team to provide a fast turnaround on a project that required close attention to detail.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We’ve collaborated with them on a number of projects over the years, and they’ve always delivered on time, even when faced with tight deadlines. Our relationship with Xicom has developed in such a way that they’re now our first call when our in-house resources need external help.

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

As per usual, our in-house team handled the design exclusively. Xicom Technologies then provided additional coding and implementation resources.

What was the team composition?

We’ve developed great working relationships with several of their project managers. In particular, Rishi Malhotra (Project Manager, Xicom Technologies) has always been highly responsive and provides an excellent channel of communications to his team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Working with their team has efficiently and cost-effectively extended our capabilities without requiring further investment or long-term commitments to additional in-house resources.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was smooth and easy. Regular contact via email and Skype enabled us to effectively monitor progress and provide feedback when necessary.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

There are many other companies that offer the skills we require. However, all too often, the day-to-day management effort required to ensure project delivery renders the engagement uneconomical. In contrast, we keep coming back to Xicom Technologies because they’ve proven to be highly responsive and extremely reliable.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I have no serious complaints about Xicom, especially when working with Rishi. We’ve found him to be extremely accommodating and helpful with advice when needed.