Zeppelin Labs

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a yarn design and hand dyeing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Zeppelin Labs?

We had already worked with Zeppelin on a smaller project for the production plant and I was very satisfied.

What were your goals for this project?

We had an outdated and complex to handle website and we wanted to upgrade giving more comfort to the users

SOLUTION

How did you select Zeppelin Labs?

After a few meetings I was satisfied with their proposals and solutions to my problems and decided to launch into the development of the website.

Describe the project in detail.

We interacted and discussed the general goals as well as the details. In this case we started from the existing web to various websites that we liked. Aspects that were carefully analyzed are: design, functionality and user experience. We used Trello as communication tool between work teams.

What was the team composition?

The process was long and some came and went along the way but there was always at least two and the developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Traffic seems to have gone up a bit, specially, people stay on the site longer and there are a lot less rebounds. We have also received a lot of feedback from customers and reps that are very happy with the new portal.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication between our team and a Zeppelin responsible was made via Trello. There were a few delays but we never lost pace and information was always fluent.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The simple usability for the admins and the great user experience (UE) of the website have no precedents in our company. Making changes on the website has also turned out very simple. Very responsible and analytical of the problem one could present and they master various different techniques to approach the issues.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Budgeting and time management could be polished if perfection wants to be reached.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a digital marketing manager at Life Cinemas. We’re a cinema chain located in five different cities in Uruguay.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address Zeppelin Labs?

We were looking to create a campaign to bring more people to the cinema during the holidays in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We came up with the idea to create a web app for the campaign. Zeppelin Labs developed a gaming application that’s distributed through paid ads on social networking platforms. The app allows people to play an interactive game about movies and cinematic trivia. This is all in efforts to win prizes. Then in order to collect their prizes, users have to come to our cinema in-person. This motivates them to come to the movies more.

What is the team composition?

I had direct contact with at least four people, but I don’t know if there were more involved.

How did you come to work with Zeppelin Labs?

I don’t remember exactly how we found them because multiple people were involved in the hiring process. They might have developed something for our company in the past. Regardless, we decided to work with them this time around because of their impressive proposal. It featured apps similar to the one we wanted to build. We liked their portfolio, and the proposal worked very well for us.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The gaming app project started in November 2019 and has since wrapped up. However, we’re currently working on two new projects with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a result of the successful app, people started coming to our cinema more and the platform's traffic increased. Users did exactly what we wanted to accomplish from the campaign. Zeppelin Labs helped us achieve our goal, and we’re very happy with their work.

How did Zeppelin Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They met all the deadlines and maintained good communication throughout the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their UX designs were most impressive. They’re really up-to-date with the latest technologies, expertise, and skills.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are no areas for improvement. The results were satisfactory.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the partner & founder at a yarn producing and sales company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zeppelin Labs?

We hired Zeppelin Labs to develop two websites.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team built two wholesale e-commerce platforms, one for the US and the other for Europe. The platforms sync with QuickBooks.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people.

How did you come to work with Zeppelin Labs?

One of our partners had already worked with them and referred us. After contacting them, they showed us samples of how the website would look. We liked those, so we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost between $60,000–$70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results were excellent. We had a great reaction from our users. The platforms sync well with QuickBooks, which was extremely important for us. Everything was more than we expected.

How did Zeppelin Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They stressed about keeping updated, sending reports frequently. Our approach was more relaxed, but we continued receiving detailed reports from them. As for the timeline, it was flexible as we had our old site running.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What surprised me was how well they managed the integration with QuickBooks. Besides that, they also managed to deliver a beautiful design. Our clients love the design & functionality of the tool. The team at Zeppelin Labs is exceptionally knowledgeable.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work as a communicator, in a boutique hotel formed by 21 rooms. I manage social media, and everything related with the company's image. Also I also manage another hotel's (52 rooms) social media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Zeppelin Labs?

We wanted to create a new web page to unify the two hotels, using their own identity and esthetic.

What were your goals for this project?

The design was an important detail to call the attention, and the quality of the photos essential to reflect reality and differentiate from others. Also, we wanted to express clearly all the info to foment direct reservations.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We already knew them because of their good work with other companies.

Describe the project in detail.

I worked all along with the designers, always offering help when needed, and reviewing changes. Every step they made, they always looked for our approval. They suggested us good changes. It was a great team work. Zeppelin Labs always wanted us to be happy with the product and continually sought feedback.

What was the team composition?

They were 4 people involved, and each of one had a role. If they needed some information to continue working, they asked us for the person in charge and they communicate with the responsible.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Great impact. We had more reservations from the webpage, guests loved the design and pictures. Its simple.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication was perfect and fast. I always communicated with the vendor, for changes, feedback, etc. They were always available whenever needed. Great Job.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Every role is defined. And every worker knows about your project, it is clearly a great communication, which is essential. They appreciate very much the feedback and they want to satisfy the clients needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

In my opinion was everything perfect. Such a great work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an IT manager of a financial group in Uruguay.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zeppelin Labs?

Our company is going through a digitalizing transformation process. We used to have 60 branches, but we’ve closed physical branches and transformed them into a centralized call center.

The goal is to transform our company into a FinTech, so we got in touch with Zeppelin Lab to help us with our development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

This aim of the site is to allow our clients to apply for our loan services. They helped us to diagram our landing page and our first digital image. We used Mongo as a database, as well as graphic design tools, as the aesthetics of the site were very important for us.

What is the team composition?

Initially, there were three people in the team, with a fourth joining by the end.

How did you come to work with Zeppelin Labs?

They were referred to us, so we met up and they made a proposal. We evaluated them along with another five companies and felt that their methodology was the best fit for us.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent $90,000–$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November or December 2018–May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In general, we were very happy with the results. Everything was delivered on quite short notice since our deadlines were very strict, so it was a big challenge. Before the launch, we had other digital suppliers that would find clients for us, but we no longer need to outsource that. In that sense, the work was pretty successful.

How did Zeppelin Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We did have some issues, but they were mostly from our side—we wanted to launch a brand-new project and weren’t completely clear on how to do it at first. They helped us define our ideas and translated them into the project. Generally, the deadlines were met but we had to adjust our requirements in the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their adaptability, productivity, and communication were key to this project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We did encounter some issues regarding changes in the project and its costs, but we were able to solve them successfully.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive director at Virtualway SRL. We’re developing a digital tool that aims to accurately diagnose learning disabilities. Ultimately, our goal is to provide an efficient and agile evaluation system that recognizes cognitive disorders, but we’re still working on other rehabilitation and learning solutions. Our company has two main departments. The first handles project management and administrative needs and the other is a clinical team working on the actual product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zeppelin Labs?

When we first started we didn’t have much funding, so we applied to a program for support. They awarded us the necessary resources, and we started looking for a development partner to help us built out our product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Zeppelin Labs is working on an iOS and Android app that evaluates all cognitive disorders on a dynamic and accessible platform. This generation of children find paper tests to be boring, so we designed the interface to resemble a game–something kids are familiar with. The system offers two-hours’ worth of tests, but professionals can choose which tests to administer based on their patient. The doctors can access test results immediately, which is a unique benefit to digitizing this process. Processing times for traditional paper tests could take days.

What is the team composition?

We interact primarily with three representatives, but I think there are two more in the background.

How did you come to work with Zeppelin Labs?

Our funding agency recommended their services and another company we’d already been working with was familiar with their portfolio. We liked that they were a new company and could dedicate a lot of resources to our project. Ultimately, we chose to work with them because we felt that they were capable, they offered a reasonable price and promised to complete the project before our deadline.

How much have you invested with them?

Currently, we’ve spent about $80,000, but we expect that number to grow to $100,000 by the end of the engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in late 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, they’ve done an excellent job—I’d give them an A-plus. Aside from high-quality development they’ve added value to our company. We’re now able to use specific tools to organize our information more effectively. They consistently propose alternative suggestions to improve our functionalities. We know about the market, but Zeppelin Labs has the technical insight to make our designs and features more attractive.

How did Zeppelin Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate constantly and clearly, remaining available at all times of the day. They’ve met each of our deadlines, and if they’re ever late, it’s because of changes or delays on our end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re not just a professional partner, but a part of our internal team. Their contributions are highly valuable. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to bring our idea to life.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Motociclo is one of Uruguay’s biggest retailers, with more than 30 shops all over the country and over 80 years of experience. At the time, my role was logistics manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Zeppelin Labs?

We needed a custom software solution to optimize special use cases that our main WMS (warehouse management service) couldn’t perform. We needed a user-friendly program for everyday operations and users from all backgrounds. Our provider had long development cycles and took too long to meet our needs. Daily operations were sometimes delayed because our tools took too long to operate.

What were your goals for this project?

Our requirement was printing multiple label types and sizes from every device on our network, including PCs, tablets, and handheld devices. A user-friendly design that all personnel could operate was important, and importing spreadsheets from Excel was a requirement.

The system needed to run on all the printers distributed in our shops and warehouses, to be accessible from browsers, and to pull information from our WMS. We expected this system to speed up our in- and outbound package processing. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We used personal references and contacted Zeppelin Labs after a referral. We also considered our current provider, but time was key. Myself, the head of our IT department, and our supplies purchasing manager made the decision.

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

We invited them to our warehouse to explain our problems, and they made an initial proposal. After one or two iterations, they presented a final proposal for the software solution. They delivered the first version with basic functionalities after two weeks, after which we started giving constant feedback. This continued until the program was finished to our satisfaction.

Then they came to our office, did capacitation for our personnel, and gave us user manuals for future reference. They provided requirements definitions, software development, deployment on our servers, and technical support.

What was the team composition?

Zeppelin Labs assembled the team. We were only in contact with their lead software developer and salesperson.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product met our expectations and overcame the problem. Our users were happy, since the product transformed a tedious task into a simple, two-step procedure. Months after the software was in production, we saw the potential to expand its use without any further development.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Mail and phone communications were effective and constant. Since they provided an outside view of our process, collaboration was key to succes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their availability and willingness to help. We operate six days a week and 24 hours a day, so we had issues on weekends. They had no problem working outside regular work hours.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Their price estimates were a slight issue. A specific feature deviated from the standard, took more time, and added costs.