VTS Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of an automotive data company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VTS Software?

It was a critical point in our company. We had previously developed a software system with a highly-qualified engineer being in charge. Since he was retiring, we needed to find somebody to take over the maintenance and further development of the system. We needed someone who was able to build in and accept what had been written to that point.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It’s an ongoing involvement. They continued working on the already built product. When requirements arose, we’d write up a spec, and they’d carry on the work.

We work on multiple projects at the same time. Their team is entirely responsible for any development work involved. They do backend work as well as design.

What is the team composition?

On an ongoing basis, there are four people. The relationship started with their top-tier engineers spending time with our own software designers and developers to understand the system.

Once they had a total grasp of it, a project manager came in as our main point of contact. If any escalations need to be achieved internally, their top two helps out.

How did you come to work with VTS Software?

We ran it past about six different companies. In terms of cost, flexibility, and willingness to adhere to our guidelines, VTS Software came on top by a long shot.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested £100,000 (approximately $124,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with VTS Software started in March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to successfully and quickly launch an in-house web development system for the largest tire distributor in France. It’s online retail, and therefore, it needs to be available 24/7. Their team has a great grasp of the intricacies and idiosyncrasies we ask of them. They appreciate the critical nature of our work.

How did VTS Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Since they’re capable of delivering on all fronts, they have teams with different specialties. Any bugs are fixed pretty much instantaneously. Rarely, it takes longer than an hour for them to address anything. Their team is pretty reactive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with their ability to work with our code.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes when we have required work, we have to plan quite significantly because of their availability demands. It’s different than working with an internal team in that aspect.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure scopes are well-written, and that testing is fully deployed before launching.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a media company that works specifically in the culture and heritage sector. I'm the Managing Director and Technical Director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VTS Software?

We needed to update the CMS in the devices we use in museums. We wanted one that was more appropriate, modern, and based around multimedia rather than just audio.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave VTS Software the specifications, and they started building it. I wanted something robust and portable, and they gave us the solution. We needed a database with features that we can access through our API. We’ll be loading content like images, HTML pages, audio files, etc., and we want an app on the device that we can use in the museum or gallery or wherever. They’re basically writing the backend from scratch, using an SQL database.

What is the team dynamic?

They have an office in the U.K., and their main director is there. They also have a team in Poland, but it’s very simple to work with them. If we have any issues, we can work directly with the UK team. It’s a pretty seamless experience.

How did you come to work with VTS Software?

We found them online, and it was between them and two other companies. I checked VTS Software’s references, and they were good, so we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

Approximately $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2016, and it's still going.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t finished the project yet, so it’s a bit difficult to give evidence. We’ve been building it in phases, and we’ve liked every part so far. We haven’t glued it all together, though, and we don’t have feedback from clients since they’re not using it yet. It’s still in the testing phase, but I’m really pleased with their progress.

How did VTS Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Skype, telephone calls, and emails. If any issues pop up, they immediately deal with them. They’ll come back with a proposal of how to fix it, and then they fix it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're not caught up in a big company organization, so I can get to the right people very quickly. I can talk to who I need to talk to without much difficulty at all.

Advice for potential customers?

They’re good at brainstorming at the front end, so give them very clear specifications right away.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the managing director and founder of Agility. We provide B2B performance management services, mainly to manufacturing clients.  If you’re making a food product or a vehicle or whatever it may be, we record data about machines and employee performance and produce a suite of KPIs. This allows the company to measure efficiency, productivity, equipment effectiveness, and record issues and losses such as waste of materials, down time, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VTS Software?

We needed a company that could build our main software platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

VTS is our technology partner. The application is written using a number of different languages including HTML5, LESS, JavaScript, C#,  and T-SQL. Everything is built on a Microsoft platform. VTS is a silver-level Microsoft partner. They predominantly use Telarik components. 

What is the team dynamic? 

We had a lot to accomplish. We were working with four developers plus a tester: backend, frontend, a UI consultant, and we also had full-stack senior developer doing a lot of the coding. We communicated directly with the developers when necessary or via our designated project manager. The dynamic was positive and worked well. 

I've worked with at least eight if not nine of the VTS team and each of them has been professional, hard working and provided good quality software. 

How did you come to work with VTS Software?

I had experience with near-shoring, and I found that working with companies on the continent provided both cost benefits, and increased productivity. That was a big pull. I put the original job out to 10 companies. I was really impressed at the amount of effort that VTS went through before they’d even won the work. They prepared models and dug deep into trying to understand the root cause of the problem. They weren’t the cheapest option. However, they gave me confidence in what they could deliver and they challenged my assumptions to the point that I had the trust to actually move forward with them. I don’t regret the decision.

How much have you invested with them?

The project has been over £150,000. We’ve just signed off a new piece of work with a client today, which will be another £40k of development going into the software.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2015 and the work is on-going. We plan to work with VTS for many more years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of our clients provides wet canned pet food to 30% of the market in the UK. They turn over about 100 million pounds and have 300 employees using the software that VTS built. It works without fault. We haven't had any serious crashes, downtimes, or outages. If you go on www.agilitybi.com, you can see what we do and there are screenshots and videos of the software. 

How did VTS Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Things weren’t always completed on time, but I think that is the case with all software built in an Agile way. The scope was shifting based on what clients needed and priorities changed. Since the initial build, the last piece of work that we did was a warehouse performance management system. That was delivered on time and in full. Having a clear scope is important.

We communicate via screen sharing and even if we need them at 2:00 in the morning, they’ve been there every single time. I can’t describe how hard the team works.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I found their commitment to deliver most impressive. Nothing was ever too much trouble and they have a can-do attitude. We asked some really technical things of them and they found solutions, which isn’t always the case. I’ve been pleased with how they put things together. The quality of the software has always been good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There have been times when costs have been a little more than I was expecting. Things overran without informing me. That’s my biggest critique of them.

BACKGROUND

I am the VP of Technology for Speakr, which is based in Hollywood. Speakr is one of the leaders and founding companies within the influencer marketing space and has been marrying technology and social psychographic data with highly creative content for the biggest brands, agencies, and publishers since 2010.

With a full suite of products, Speakr is the only platform housing over five years of actionable influencer and campaign data that allows us to predict campaign performance at a near crystal ball level of accuracy. This grants advertisers the same control, scalability, and predictability of traditional media buying. With unmatched innovation and award-winning campaign creation, 90% of all Speakr campaigns over-deliver to surpass client goals and KPI expectations and empowers brands to ignite global conversations with the best content creators and most trusted voices online today.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

We required a platform to manage, invite, publish, and monitor influencers and their content across multiple platforms. The platform needed to provide real-time analytics, payments, and integration with major social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. 

SOLUTION

VTS was responsible for building the original Speakr, Inc. software platform that managed hundreds of thousands of influencer profiles, content submissions, analytics, and payments.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

VTS Software's work was extraordinary. The cost-to-reward ratio was incredible. They built an initial product that they maintained for the better part of 5 years.

The initial build was finished ahead of schedule and the team at VTS Software implemented a beautiful build that worked in conjunction with multiple social networks (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) to enable some of the worlds largest publishers to conduct influencer marketing in a scalable manner.