Zoocha

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm head of web development at Dialog Semiconductor. Dialog develops integrated circuits for consumer and industrial products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Dialog Semiconductor has grown very rapidly over the last decade, acquiring a number of other companies. The website needed a refresh, and we wanted to integrate various different web properties into a single site to give the end user a better and more integrated experience.

SOLUTION

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

I started selecting a vendor by researching quite a number of them, which I narrowed down to a list of seven. I contacted them via email with various questions, and narrowed the number down to five. We then invited those five to interview.

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

Initially we just wanted to integrate a product and IR focused website and a ecommerce site, but the project went so well we decided to integrate a support forum and secure document repository as well (which we were initially going to move to a different platform).

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

I worked with an excellent project manager, a designer, a front-end specialist and a couple of back-end techies.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project went very smoothly and we are generally very pleased with the result. Zoocha were very flexible working to a complex brief, and were good with modifying focus and budget as we the project progressed.

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

The team was excellent and very responsive, making sure all our requirements were noted. We used a Jira board to keep track of the project. Team members were responsive and communicative, and we dealt directly with the team. Deadlines were kept.

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

They were very friendly and lovely to work with. They have some very good techies. They are not greedy. They delivered a complex site on time, without any major issues, and to budget.

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

They are strong on back-end development work. They are perhaps a little weak on visual design. Their project management is excellent. They really suit large, complex projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Countryside Ski and Climb. We’re a highly specialized outdoor and snow sports retailer, with both brick and mortar and online operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zoocha Ltd?

Originally, we were looking for an agency to produce a website that would be more in keeping with how we presented ourselves as a retailer. We also to stand out from our competitors, so we needed some functionalities that weren’t available out of the box, so to speak. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took the initial brief and came back with the usual framework and design suggestions for how to work with our existing logo and theming. But, other than that, we gave them fairly free rein. They're very good at suggesting quick-win solutions and identifying where you can apply what I call an 80-20 rule to gain better conversions. They're particularly active on the technical end, and they've been extremely helpful in raising our return on advertising spend, as well as keeping a handle on daily costs.

We have a contract with them for maintenance now so they monitor our up-time. Last summer, they changed all of our background stuff – databases and Drupal modules. We've also had a couple of people do backend database work, integrating a legacy stock management system. The guys at Zoocha picked up comma-separated values (CSV's), which were produced by a separate, freelance developer I work with, from a designated server.

At the moment, the site looks more long in the tooth, but that’s because it's due for a big update, which they’re working on at the moment. Currently, we're using Drupal 7.5 and Commerce, and we're moving to Drupal 8 and Commerce 2. The modules they were using back in 2011 are now built into the latest releases of Drupal Commerce, so now they're using toolkits that are out of the box.

What is the team composition?

We only worked with one person on our original project - the website redesign - but we’ve hooked in two or three others since then to work on various projects. I’ve had two project managers since we’ve started, and both have been excellent. I’ve also talked and had meetings with various senior staff members.

How did you come to work with Zoocha Ltd.?

A consultant shortlisted them and five other agencies, and we ended up interviewing three of them. Zoocha spoke the right language they seemed honest and straightforward, and they had experience with Drupal’s CMS. They came across favorably and showed much more interest in our company and our project than other’s did. They came up with some really cool design ideas - similar functionalities to a couple of other firms, but with more pizazz.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000–$200,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since April 2011.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our online business is three times the size it was in 2011. Their account handler is very vigilant on our return on advertising spend and has suggested alternative acquisition channels, like Bing, because we want to get away from our reliance, in terms of acquired business, on Google, which is a big risk.

How did Zoocha Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

They hit their deadlines and keep you informed along the way. During the development phase, I would generally connect, face to face, with my project manager, but not necessarily with the developers or the actual front- or backend coders. I wouldn't need to do that. This way, they manage client expectations and it prevents the developers from being getting down with silly client questions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They look at how they can work with you - because we're an e-commerce retailer, they're looking to make sure that we win as a retailer. They're not out to charge the maximum for whatever you ask for. Instead, they deliver truly exciting ideas.

They always address code, bug, and crash issues. Everything they code goes onto a staging website and is thoroughly tested before it’s released. They're very particular about that, and they don’t work on a live site, which I think is the best way to do it. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They're a very busy agency, so, sometimes, trying to get projects done when you want them to be done doesn't necessarily fit - their business is very successful and very busy, which is a good thing, but frustrating if you're an end-client and you need something really quickly. They're very responsive in an emergency, but for second- and third-tier items, they can be quite slow. But what I will say is: in an emergency, it's all hands on deck.

Any advice for potential customers?

I think everyone should talk to more than one agency and make their own judgments. I can't do anything other than recommend them based on the other agencies we've interviewed and used. I've found Zoocha to be very straight-shooting and honest. I do think you have to be prepared to pay a realistic market price for what you're asking them to do. Most people have unrealistic expectations and don’t realize that they’ll have to pay for ongoing maintenance on the site, but, that's how the world works. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Mydex Data Services CIC, a digital trust platform for identity and personal data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zoocha?

We had a “community prototype” of a platform–with wireframes and experience examples –that equips individuals with a portable digital identity and personal data storage for any aspect of their life e.g. financial, behavioral, energy. We wanted a long-term partner to build a minimum viable product (MVP) for launching the platform. The MVP would be the foundation of the production-scale trust platform. We also wanted a test platform for ongoing security testing and automation. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the start of the project, we had several working practices preferences including an agile approach, sprints, and independent ISO 27001 certification for security as well implementing automated deployment testing. We also wanted to use a combination of PHP and JavaScript. Zoocha has followed this methodology to push sprints forward as they built the MVP using a range of open source components. They’ve adopted our design principles and have used open-source components–such as Drupal, Slim PHP framework along with open standards OpenID Connect, and simpleSAMLphp for identity. Zoocha worked with our systems administration team to implement and automated deployment and testing solution for releasing into our sandbox and live platforms. They provide ongoing backend support and manages a user help feature. The team continues to develop and extend our API services, new developments, and feature enhancement as well.

What is the team composition?

We have a core team that has with between 25–30 in total. I’ve worked directly with the two founders. Although we have project managers for specific sprints, their CTO does decomposition work and allocates it tasks. We can also send specific stories to them.

How did you come to work with Zoocha?

We codified the criteria and researched U.K.-based vendors. Our team found about five potential agencies and proceeded to interview them before selecting Zoocha. They made a great impression and successfully conveyed their commitment to quality. Furthermore, their team had years of experience with both internal and external software developers. We knew they weren’t over-promising results.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent more than £2 million ($2,678,182 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2012 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, Zoocha delivers high-caliber results. We have B2B customers that serve 30 million people in total, but most are under NDAs. The platform secured post-launch independent security certification and we’ve successfully entered into procurement frameworks for the British government.

The automated deployment environment has reduced operating costs and friction while increasing code quality. Given Zoocha’s investment in onboarding to maximize skill sets, we’re very happy with the pricing. Their technical director has been an instrumental contact between teams during those processes.

How did Zoocha perform from a project management standpoint?

In the early days, when we were first getting to know Zoocha’s team, they were effective in keeping us informed and up-to-date. We now use dashboards, reviews, and a set of processes that make project management straightforward and transparent. We use various collaboration tools for sprint management as well as Google Hangouts, Skype, Slack, and G Suite. Our team shares documents, libraries, and induction plans on DevNet for new Zoocha resources.

Both sides have a good relationship. Zoocha’s staff has minimal turnover because they train employees for long-term collaborations. They have motivated team members with high levels of integrity. Their excellent management skills allow us to focus on the project’s security and safety fundamentals. Although we’ve had to pivot slightly when things didn’t go as planned, Zoocha has addressed those issues in a proactive manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team has a positive attitude and wants to make the collaboration successful. They’re always committed to quality and have never been defensive when a mistake occurs. The founders give our mission purpose and continue to be supportive of our goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I recommend them to other businesses and those firms also have positive feedback about the engagements. I’m proud of their performance and growth.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

New clients should be honest about their mission and goals. Zoocha is knowledgeable and good at running through procurement, but it’s still important to have that conversation with them. Then let them explain their workflows and offerings. They have fantastic analysis tools and innovative ideas, so ask then team how to optimize the approach. Listen to their ideas because they know how to deliver value.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Engerati Ltd. We provide market insights and intelligence for the clean energy sector.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Zoocha Ltd?

We were looking at building a new web app from the ground up.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked quite intimately with me to design the data architecture and building the web app. Our in-house dev team worked closely with Zoocha Ltd to deliver the web app. It’s a very interactive app. It allows people to customize their own experiences. Users can archive and reuse content. It was done on PHP using the Drupal framework. We had a single sign-on requirement with Simple Funnel PHP library. They helped with the polish and frontend design of it.They also helped us with integration with our mobile app.

We finished the main project, but they’re still an ongoing partner for us. They now deal with the uptime and continual support of the website. When there are new releases to the modules and functionality, they deal with the upgrades. They’re also the people who get the alerts in case the website goes down.

What is the team composition?

We had two developers all the time, and sometimes, we had three.

How did you come to work with Zoocha Ltd?

Before I set up this business, I was leading a digital platform initiative and was working with Zoocha Ltd. putting about 400 websites onto one platform.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent £120,000 ($159,773 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We managed to do it all in four weeks. We started working together in July 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The web app is live. The refresh that we did with Zoocha Ltd has increased business value by three times, and in some areas, it’s about six times. We haven’t had any bugs or crashes.

How did Zoocha Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?

I managed the project. We had in-person meetings monthly in the beginning. We had weekly scrums and logged everything in Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re real people. It was very nice to have someone who views us as a partner and not just a client. We don’t have a typical buyer/seller relationship. They’ve got a great partnership-based philosophy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their main area of improvement is the direct result of growing pains. They’ve taken on so many clients. There was an occasion when we didn’t know that a specific developer was spending less time on our project for very legitimate reasons. There’s a bit of work that needs to be done with the transparency of communication.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re building a sophisticated app, it’s important to have a strong technical lead at your end as well. It helped us immensely that I have fairly detailed technical skills and am able to communicate with them in that way.