Zimalab

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the vCIO for the Shoe Hospital Corporation, the largest shoe repair business located in North America with over 25 locations in Texas and an online division with a presence in over 600 locations nationwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Zimalab, and what were your goals?

The Shoe Hospital hired Zimalab to replace the antiquated and aging repair tracking system that was in-place. It was a basic notification system that let customers know when to pick up their items.

The new version was intended to drive business value by tracking customer history/trends, repair distribution types, and employee performance.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Multiple vendors were considered for the project, with over 30+ referrals or applicants. The list was quickly narrowed down based on past project performance and early discussions which highlighted vendors who strongly understood the goals.

Zimalab was one of four final vendors interviewed for selection and came well prepared with previous work and an understanding of our requirements and how to best implement them.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The project required that the site be deployed on a scalable framework that could be used on both PCs and Tablets. The key milestones included: - Ticket details tracking w/ notifications to customers - Dashboard for employees to view daily and weekly progress - Inventory Management - CMS integration

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

There were multiple people involved from Zimalab, but all coordination was handled through an outstanding project manager who was the primary point of contact throughout the project. The single point of contact was great as it helped ensure that she and I were always on the same page together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The initial launch immediately improved the workflow experience for employees and has increased data quality across all locations by better tracking of ticket costs and managing details via an audit log. Accountability has improved as has the ability for company leadership to coach and train employees on better sales opportunities.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

As previously mentioned, Sonya, our project manager was outstanding and regularly communicated with me via Slack multiple times a week. Work was also trackable via YouTrack from a feature perspective, however, as the customer, I was not expected to work within the tool.

When projects on our side were busy, Zimalab understood and gave us time to address, but maintained enough pressure to ensure we maintained our schedule. The team did a great job communicating their holidays, their work deliverables, and upcoming plans.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

There is always a concern that someone internationally may not fully understand your business or processes, however, Zimalab did an outstanding job from Day 1 understanding our business and learning about the unique aspects of our company to build a system that accounted for all the special use cases that may not exist in traditional retail facilities.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Overall, Zimalab has exceeded my expectations and continues to be an outstanding partner. Operational support and/or a transfer of operations is still taking place, but even during the transition, Zimalab has been very responsive to taking care of any production issues that have come up and handled them quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of TradeRadius, a fintech business based in the UK. We provide algorithmic quantitative-based trading strategies and offer quantitative signal service to our subscribers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zimalab?

We wanted to develop our platform and knew we needed a dedicated developer because we wouldn’t be able to do this on our own by buying software. This project required more sophistication, so we needed to find a specialist in the area. We hired Zimalab for the complete design and development of the platform we operate from.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Zimalab's primary role was to design and build our platform — a website — according to my requirements. Although the site isn't formatted as a web app, it serves similar functions because it's not just a simple website. The team built tailormade features for every subscriber. The site is also intensive regarding database usage; elements are required to come in and out of the platform. 

The platform's main feature is providing subscribers with personalized trading recommendations — called trading signals in the industry. These signals are based on algorithms that we had already built. Users can see these signals on their individual subscriber page when they sign up for our service, depending on their chosen plan.

The Zimalab team also built several utility functions on the platform, some of which are simple. For example, they created a section that educates subscribers on how to trade and a news page with updates and posts from analysts. The team also built a chat function that allows users to speak to one another or an assigned mentor that we provide for them. Currently, they provide maintenance services.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with 6–10 teammates from Zimalab throughout the engagement. 

How did you come to work with Zimalab?

I originally found Zimalab on Upwork, a service whereby you can look for experts in certain fields. The platform handles all the steps and logistics of how you go about doing a project. I had shortlisted around 10 one-stop-shop businesses, all dedicated web developers. We narrowed down our list to four, I requested some quotes, and we had detailed discussions with each organization to understand what language they felt was a good fit for the build. From there, we selected Zimalab.

How much have you invested in them?

We've spent between $30,000–$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in May 2021 and launched the platform in May 2022. Our relationship with Zimalab is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our measure for success has been feedback on the reliability and functionality of the platform from myself, my partners, and users. So far, we've hardly required maintenance services from Zimalab, which is a testament to the quality of the build. We haven't had many problems, and any issues we've encountered since the project handover have been minor.

How did Zimalab perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very good at project management; they're excellent in terms of performance and on-time delivery. I've had some experience with other organizations, and in comparison, Zimalab is very strong in this area. Their initial planning proposal was detailed enough without being fussy or complex. The timeline was pretty strict, and they adhered to it pretty well. Any time they deviated from the timeline during development was due to changes from our side. 

Moreover, their communication is very good. They introduced me to Slack, which I hadn't used before. We also use Trello to communicate. Although we have a time zone difference, it never causes issues because of the team's willingness to adjust and their excellent response speed. Their communication tools are really effective, so I never have to wait for an answer, which can happen when vendors communicate through email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm most impressed with Zimalab's honesty and transparency. I've used external businesses a lot in the last few years, and we've encountered hidden problems where, even though everything might seem fine initially, questions arise further down the road about why things cost a certain amount. This lack of transparency causes a working relationship to sour. Meanwhile, we've never felt like that at any point with Zimalab. 

They tell us things upfront and show great integrity. Moreover, they don't deviate much from the budget, which sets them apart. They've only increased the cost a little when we've added additional work for them. By and large, they accommodate small adjustments or amendments to what I want, which are very common in a project of this nature. Overall, Zimalab has been exceptional, and I trust them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There have been two occasions when new staff has been introduced to the process, including a project manager being replaced. However, this is a minor issue because the transition was seamless, with a month-long handover period from one excellent resource to another. The project has been long, so we could expect people to come and go. Moreover, we can't fault Zimalab because when a person wants to leave the team, they have to accept that. Additionally, there have been some occasions where a couple of developers haven't been available. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of an online educational marketplace. We connect students with tutors for online or local learning.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Zimalab, and what were your goals?

I hired Zimalab to renovate the platform. This involved changing the business model, implementing new account features and a complete redesign of the site.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I used Upwork to shortlist web development companies. I selected Zimalab primarily based on their reviews and experience with the Symfony framework. I was also happy with their hourly rate.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Initially they implemented a complete redesign of the branding colours. Once I was happy with this, we then proceeded to implement new features as outlined in multiple PDF documents.

These changes involved removing the old business model and redesigning the messaging process, implementing a video gallery for tutors, allowing teacher and organisation registration, designing profile bages, integrating social links, redesigning the layout of profile pages and all account pages etc. Front-end and back-end development was done on the Symfony platform.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Throughout the two years, my main point of contact was with two project managers. There were two developers who worked on the project throughout this time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

I was very happy with the end result. All requested changes were implemented successfully as per my designs and notes.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Zimalab was incredibly responsive and my project manager responded within 1 hour on average - most times within minutes. We used Skype chat as our main channel of communication.

I requested that we use Bugherd to report feedback, new tasks and bugs. This tool allowed me to provide valuable feedback on their work with screenshots and attachments. It also allowed us to prioritise tasks and sort tasks into todo, in progress, ready to check, done etc. which was helpful. Overall, I was very happy with how the project was managed and communication was excellent.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The most impressive element was their excellent response rate. As mentioned previously, most times messages were replied to within minutes.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

A few times I didn’t fully understand a few of their messages due to the language barrier, but they were quick to rephrase their message and explain what they meant. Apart from this, I was very happy with everything and would highly recommend.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Vice President of a merchandising and marketing company. We help brands merchandise their brand, with both tangible products and online services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Zimalab, and what were your goals?

We hired Zimalab to help build a custom platform for a fitness client. This platform would need to be available for customers behind a paywall and need to connect to Shopify platform on the main website. The goal was to create a subscription based platform for video and written content, that was also flexible for new content to be added.

SOLUTION

How did you select Zimalab and what were the deciding factors?

After interviewing many companies, we decided to work with Zimalab due to their portfolio and our conversations with them. They understood the project, were very well versed in the space, and came to us with suggestions to reach our goals efficiently and effectively.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Users are able to purchase various subscriptions on our current Shopify site. After checkout, they receive a Welcome email to access the plan they purchased and create a username/password to access their account.

In this paid platform, depending on subscription purchased, they would have access to video and written content. Zimalab was able to create this platform and connect it to our existing Shopify site for optimal userflow.

Zimalab set up an amazing framework for us to create new subscriptions and manage access to specific content throughout the site. This was also done in record timing of 3 months, even in the middle of a holiday season!

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with one project manager throughout the entire project (Kate is the best!). She was fully engrained in our website, worked with us hand in hand on every task, was knowledgeable and was always available when we needed her. Working on very different time zones was never an issue for us, as Zimalab provided the flexibility we needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our client was very happy with the outcome and timing of this project.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Their project management was excellent. They were able to work through our preferred channel (Slack) for daily communication and kept all tasks organized in YouTrack. We also would have a weekly check in in which updates were provided, and timing was discussed.

They also provided us with the necessary training we needed to manage our platform and have always been available for questions or concerns along the way.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The project management and timing needed to execute this massive project was most impressive and put Zimalab above the rest of their competitors.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Absolutely nothing. We cannot wait to work with Zimalab again on another project

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an archive footage agency that licenses studio clips into TV productions and feature films globally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zimalab?

We wanted to build a website that was a searchable portal of our content. We have short-form video clips that needed to be viewable on a website that clients can research and use metadata to find the clips.

The clips needed to be downloadable with a watermark on them, so that clients can use them in their edits for their TV programs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our website initially with part of the code we had, but then they created it from scratch. We have a post-production house we work with as well.

They upload the videos onto our website. They manage the bugs on the website. Now and again, we make amendments to it. We design with them still on an ad hoc basis.

What is the team composition?

We had a team of 3-4 that worked on the website's initial design and build. We also hired a project manager at the time who managed their team.

How did you come to work with Zimalab?

Our outside project manager had worked with them previously. They suggested them as a strong company to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent £15,000 (approximately $21,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Zimalab started in June 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s an easy website for us. It’s searchable, and we’re happy with it.

How did Zimalab perform from a project management standpoint?

Zimalab’s team is quite quick on turning around delivery. It took 3-4 months to build the initial website. Now when we design, it takes them a couple of works. They message us on Wrike but also send us messages through Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re good value for money.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The language barrier can make the process slower at times. Maybe they should use something other than Skype. But they’re quick to respond. If I wrote them now, I’d get a response by tomorrow.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you’re very clear on what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an online music teaching platform. This field is becoming more popular now because of COVID-19. We work in the Israeli and German markets, offering video courses and instructions for people who’ve never used an instrument before. We help them start playing and, eventually, they can play really well. We offer piano, guitar, ukulele, and voice lessons.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zimalab?

We’re always developing new products and features on our website to improve the UI/UX and sales funnels. We already had two full-time developers working for us, but they weren’t performing that well. We wanted some fresh people for the ongoing development and maintenance of the website.

We were using Symfony PHP 1.4, which is a pretty old framework that almost nobody knows how to work with. The framework doesn't provide updates, so we had to fix every security hole by ourselves. It was hard to find people able to work with this framework and do it well, but Zimalab was able to execute.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Zimalab provided ongoing full-stack development for our website, initially on Symfony PHP 1.4. We were working with Zimalab on an ongoing basis then, doing various maintenance tasks.

We eventually decided to rebuild the site from scratch using modern technologies. 

What is the team composition?

The team changed, but we always had a project manager with really good English skills, with whom we could discuss everything. We’ve spoken with the developers directly on occasion, because that can save time when answering specific questions.

How did you come to work with Zimalab?

I first encountered them on Upwork or Freelancer. I interviewed them a few years before this collaboration, and I decided to go with another company at the time. I decided to give them a try after our second encounter, and we’ve been working together since then. Zimalab was referred to me the second time.

Even though we worked with them on maintenance, I wasn’t sure how good they’d be at building a project from scratch. They would have to think of everything and not just join an ongoing project. I eventually decided to go with them, and they built an awesome site.

How much have you invested with them?

The ongoing development costs $3,000–$5,000 per month (approximately $90,000– $150,000 in total), depending on the number of changes we want to do. The refactoring project cost around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Zimalab around two and a half years ago, and the collaboration has no end date.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw an increase in traffic and revenue after launching the new site. It loaded much faster, and it had an improved design that made it easier to use. We haven’t gotten any complaints about bugs or things that aren’t working.

We have thousands of users and tens of thousands of visitors per month. If we get any major bugs, we’ll get a ton of phone calls from complaining customers, so we know that the site is working fine.

How did Zimalab perform from a project management standpoint?

For the refactoring project, they gave us a complete description of what they were going to do, detailing tasks and who was appointed to them, milestones, concrete schedules, and steps that we could QA along the way.

I explicitly asked them to break down the project into steps we could check and measure, but I’m pretty sure they would’ve had a similar approach anyway. 

We had almost no delays, which was amazing considering that it was a one-year project. The project management was transparent, and we knew what to expect in terms of deadlines and deliverables.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When hiring people remotely, we can’t go to their desks to answer whatever questions they may have. Many times, developers at other companies forget something or build something different than what we were expecting.

90% of the time, Zimalab delivers exactly what we wanted without asking too many questions during the process. They discuss everything upfront, and, when they say a task is done, we know that it’s done. Not all other development companies are as transparent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re in Russia, and we’re in the Middle East, so it’s noon on their time when I come to the office. That’s caused some delays with communication, but we can’t do anything about that. This is my only problem with Zimalab, but I just go to the office earlier when there’s an important matter.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The client has to be very clear about what they want, and have the patience to answer Zimalab’s initial questions. They work in a very organized way, and they’re very accurate with what they do. It can become frustrating for some customers, myself included, but it means that we eventually get the product we wanted. The best way to work with Zimalab is to let them ask the questions and write the planning documents they want to write. Their method is a bit slow in the beginning, but it leads to very smooth development down the road.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a boutique consulting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zimalab?

We needed a new security solution for one of our clients. Zimalab was hired to create a web model for the software. They built a portal around the software service.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a working software solution and they helped us make the web-managed version. I had some notes on paper and they helped me map those out in mockups and workflows. Their team went through the process in excruciating detail and mapped out the entire process.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a couple of people, but Evgeny supervised the whole projet as the project manager.

How did you come to work with Zimalab?

I found them on UpWork.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial project was about $16,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in March of 2019 and it’s still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In the end, the work was spot on and within budget. The management interface is critical to improving our business efficiency.

How did Zimalab perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent and always delivered on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were good at talking in a very tactful and informative way. Their technical skills and ability to manage different people were excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything to complain about.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Sit back and follow the path that you create together.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We started as a small project matching language school students with high quality, ‘hidden’ Spanish language schools. This has evolved into one of the leading networks of high-quality Spanish language schools in Spain and Latin America. Over this time we have never compromised on our initial philosophy: to offer an unforgettable experience by providing high quality Spanish courses in a unique cultural context. We have our own schools, as well as working with partner schools who share our philosophy and high standards. I am one of the founders of the school.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Zimalab?

Development of a CMS system where the front-end matches the created design perfectly (pixel perfect) and where the backend provides a user-friendly system wherein we can easily add and edit content.

What were your goals for this project?

Main requirements CMS system / website; - multilingual - possibility to import / synch content from our wordpress blog(s) - possibility to import / synch content from our scial media channels - fast performance - responsive design suitable for all devices - pixel perfect design - user friendly - SEO friendly - different user roles back-end (admin, editor)

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We opened the job to several vendors and received various proposals. We decided to select Zimalab because of the professional communication and the way they managed our expectations. They also were very clear in selecting the right platform to build our new application in. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We created the design for the new application in Zeplin with an external graphic designer and Zimalab took it from there. We've went together through every step of the development process. 

Our project was creating a new website. Design was a very important issue for us so we started working on the design and would take that as the leading point to build the website from there. Our designer created a brand-new design, and we created the requirements for the new website. Based on the design and the requirements Zimalab proposed to build the new application in Symfony and explained us the advantages of this platform. We agreed. Zimalab setup a new environment at host provider Digital Ocean. From there Zimalab started with working on the front-end part of the website, they basically implemented our design in the front-end. We had to agree upon every page before continuing so we had a lot of interaction at that point. When the front-end was ready, Zimalab started working at the back-end system. Both the front-end and the back-end CMS system were built from scratch by Zimalab. When the CMS was ready, we were able to start filling the content in the Demo environment and then it turned out some things had to be modified. After modifying we were ready to go live. The website is multilingual and we were able to go live in phases, so first the English part of the website, then the German part, then French, etc.

Zimalab also helped with pointing the domain names to the new host, creating SSL certificates and gave us full support and bug-fixing for a month after development.

What was the team composition?

I've been in touch with 2 persons, the managing director and the project manager. The project manager was my contact person for all the day-to-day operations related to the development. The project was manager was in between me an the development team. I don't know how many developers were in the team, but that was not of my concern. For contractual matters I've been in touch with the company owner. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received positive feedback on our new system from our partners, colleagues and clients from the moment we went live with the new website. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was done in the Wrike application. There was a clear development schedule and a section where we were able to share and safe all the relevant information e.g. account details from connected applications (Google Maps, Juicer, Hosting details, etc.) Also modifications to the initial plan would be published there and for me as a client there was a section where I could ask questions. The project manager did a very good job to keep all the information accurate and up-to-date and responded to my questions quickly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It was very impressive how they were able to transform the design into the front-end of the web application. It was really pixel perfect.

Are there any areas for improvement?

In the beginning the web application was performing slower than expected while fast performance was one of the main requirements. Especially the mobile version was performing slower than it should have been. There were quite some fixes necessary after the end date of the project to improve performance. This is something which should have been take into account better during development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We manufacture transformer rectifiers for the cathartic protection industry. Our industry is dedicated to preventing steel structures from corroding. I’m an engineer for the company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zimalab?

We had a remote monitoring and control web interface that was designed a couple of years ago. We wanted to start from scratch and build a new system that would be more capable of doing what we needed to do. So, we brought them on board.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project was very customized with a lot of details. It’s a remote monitoring system for the equipment that we build. It’s primarily used by our customers. We can put a bit of hardware in the equipment we build. The hardware communicates data to our web server, and then that data is accessed and manipulated by the interface that Zimalab has built.

Writing the specifications was a two-way street. They helped me clarify what was possible throughout the project, and I submitted mock-ups along the way. I designed a lot of the database structures, and they also had some input on that.

The project extended beyond what was initially expected because our requirements changed along the way. We added quite a few new features as the project progressed.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 people from their team. In the beginning, it was just one point of contact. He helped me form the specifications. Then, we worked with a couple of developers and a couple of different project managers throughout the project.

How did you come to work with Zimalab?

I came across them on a freelancing website. The reviews people were leaving about their work quality and their adhesion to timelines attracted me toward them.

How much have you invested with them?

I think we started working with them in August of 2019, and we wrapped it up in January of 2020.

What is the status of this engagement?

We invested about $20,500.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The solution is up-and-running now, and we’re really happy with it. I wasn’t exactly sure what we wanted when we began the project. I’m not a web developer, so I was relying on a company being able to feed me ideas about what would be possible. So, we kept up continual feedback throughout the engagement.

How did Zimalab perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication was great, and I was very happy with the project management overall. I gave them space to work on the backend because I didn’t want to get in their way with constant calls. But when it all came together, they demonstrated how the frontend worked with the backend, and there was a lot of communication back-and-forth.

They had a system that we could log into, and I could pose questions to the team. Their platform for communicating with everyone on the team was very good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were great about turning around results as our requirements changed. They rarely said, “We can’t do that.” Their capability to accomplish a variety of tasks was one of the greatest things about working with them. At the beginning of the project, our point of contact always checked with developers to make sure that what we were asking was a capability. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m happy with most aspects of their operation. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should know what you want from the get-go. Zimalab is capable of doing many, many things. My only regret is that I didn’t have enough information for them to go off of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a web architect for Geiger, a family-owned, promotional products distributor. We provide expert advice, support, and services to our clients, solving their marketing, promotional, and motivation challenges.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Zimalab?

Our existing API didn’t follow common REST principles and contained fragmented data based on business-logic conventions, which confused both internal and external developers. As a result, it took several hours to update our entire product catalog. We brought Zimalab on to develop a well-structured RESTful API.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a new API to improve the agility and time-to-market of various e-commerce and sales initiatives and update our product inventory faster. It had to be as fast as the previous one and be easy for developers to understand and use.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We posted a job on Upwork and Zimalab responded. They were interested in the work and had the necessary technical experience, work history, and ratings. After meeting with them on Skype, I felt like I could trust them as a development partner. I also chose to pay hourly to reduce the cost of terminating the agreement early if they ended up not being a good fit.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We provided them with everything they needed including the existing application, API specification, ERD diagrams, and a data mapping document. This gave them a good understanding of our requirements, constraints, and overall objective. Before starting development, they went through a Q&A session with our product team to fill in any blanks.

We needed to de-normalize the structure of our PIM system's proprietary data export, parse the business rules, create a valid and structured product model, and deliver a range of features for developers to utilize. Zimalab helped us understand the use cases, prioritize features, and deliver a working application that met specifications.

What was the team composition?

The project kicked off with myself and their CEO discussing requirements. I was assigned a project manager who worked with a dedicated developer, and their CTO was brought on briefly to communicate architectural strategy and database modeling.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have only recently started to integrate the new API, but developer feedback has been very positive. The new application has positioned us to not only survive a PIM system replacement but also to develop this product further as a replacement for our current PIM. Finally, Zimalab sped up our catalog update by more than five times our target goal.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Once a project manager was assigned, we worked through a project management web application to post messages. At first, I had to repeat myself or remind the project manager about what was discussed, but things improved over a couple of weeks. We eventually moved over to a Skype group and communication became a lot easier. Throughout, Zimalab has been great about communicating the status of the project.

I was also able to work and communicate directly with the developer halfway through the project. The transition of people entering and leaving the project was fluid; the right people were talking to each other at the right time without anyone wasting time or waiting on anything.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I’ve worked with three other vendors on similar projects, and Zimalab has shown the greatest initiative and understanding of our business conventions of any of them. They’re highly analytical and competent.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything Zimalab could do to improve. They’re adaptable, receptive, and extremely capable. If something isn't working well for us, they respond. If they think something isn't working well for us, they adapt anyway to make it better.