Nortal

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm tech manager for two teams at NLTG (Nordic Leisure Travel Group - former Thomas Cook Northern Europe) in the Travel Industry. Both teams are focused on developing and maintaining systems to support yielding and handling prices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Skelia?

Quickly scale up teams. We have several project that are of high priority that we want to develop and this was one solution to manage that.

What were your goals for this project?

Development of a system for yielding flights and hotels. The system allows the business to adjust prices and also automatically adjust flight prices depending on different rules.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our owner in UK had already worked with Skelia for several years and the connection had already been made. We needed to scale up and suggestions was to involve Skelia in that part.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Develop system for yielding prices for hotel and flights. The solution was developed in AngularJS, C#, SQL and RabbitMQ.

What was the team composition?

Three senior full stack developer and one QA. The Skelia team was also responsible for the scrum master role in that team. The team worked tightly together with business analyst and application architect from our employees at NLTG.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Skelia team has been part of our team since December 2016 and delivered one big project and some minor projects. Deliveries has been on time and the quality has been good.

They adapted to our ways of working without any problem and has also through the years given us suggestions of improvements. It's been a two way communication which we appreciate. Skelia takes good care of our relationship.

Besides the usual contact there's a yearly performance review together with each member. When we needed new members in the team during the years due to parental leave or when a member was changing to another of our Skelia teams the recruitment of new members went very smooth. Good pre check of skills and we never had to turn any of the suggested candidates down.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Self-going but asks questions when in need. Working agile and are quick to adopt changes. We communicated via email, teams/skype, Azure Devops, daily stand ups on teams/skype and weekly planning on teams/skype.

We also visited Skelia in Ukraine as well as Skelia visited us. All communication was in English and we have had no problems in our communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very professional and are always interested in understanding the problem that we are solving. Asks good questions to understand the small and big picture. Also making suggestions of improvements or alternative solutions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, there’s nothing that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the operations manager for the nearshore operations at RealDolmen, an ICT provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We needed help with the managed IT services that we offer to our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their people are part of the teams that serviced our customers, providing the same managed IT services as our engineers in Belgium, but from the nearshore location. They do server patching, install new services, upgrade services, work on virtualization, and do everything in the cloud-like Azure. They do networking, security, and a whole range of IT related services, also setting up our wireless network.

What is the team composition?

The governance was conducted by Olivia (Chief Human Resources Officer, Skelia) while Maria (Team Leader, Skelia) was responsible for the day-to-day operations. There was a client partner who addressed any issues, a recruitment department,. We also had a resource coordinator that made sure that people were assigned to the different tasks and a process coordinator.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

We were working with them prior to my start on the project. They had the capabilities and had already visited the locations, as well as good experience.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2014 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did about 2,000 tasks a month and more than 99.5% of those were on time. I consider that a success. They measured the number of tickets that were handled in the nearshore location and sent to the Belgium location. 70% of those tickets never came back to the Belgium location, which was very good.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is very good. If we had scope changes or updates, they were always very quick in making a new proposal and handling the decision. We communicate via email, with a ticketing system to track trainings and visits.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very direct and we can talk to them 24/7. When we send an email, we receive an answer very quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing they need to improve. The reason we’re ending our work with them in November is because we’re integrating those services within the group. If we hadn’t become part of a bigger group, we would have stayed working with Skelia.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the engineering program director for Showpad, a sales enablement tool that’s typically a SaaS solution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

Our company needed QA testing services. It is hard to find the right talent here in Belgium or even in the US and Poland, where we also have sites.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skelia deploys QA engineers for manual and automated testing. They originally started only as manual testers, but over time, their services expanded. We wanted our engineers to focus on operations, not testing.

What is the team composition?

Generally, we work with around ten people, but that depends on the workload. Since there a team of remote employees, we work directly with the engineers because there is no management overhead.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

When I started at Showpad, Skelia was already on board as a partner.

How much have you invested in them?

In total, we’ve spent between $50,000–$199,999. We agreed to review the currency rate between Euros and dollars yearly, and based on that, the rate is modified based on the current currency we have. There’s a daily fee per QA engineer, depending on skill and experience.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Skelia began in July 2011.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We work with Skelia because they provide great QA profile candidates and engineers we can’t find in the local market. The selection of those candidates is made in a similar way we do internally. Our team is involved in that discussion and integrate them as if they’re remote employees of Showpad. They’ve become valuable team members to us. The QA testers have their own dedicated email address and have access to all the systems that all of our engineers have, which is highly appreciated by them.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

Skelia’s team is part of our daily stand up meetings. I can’t remember any performance issues with any of the candidates. The team at Skelia is proactive in asking for feedback, visiting every six to nine months for a performance review. They also check to see what our needs are to help us all better align. If there’s a need for extra people, we try to give as much insight as possible so that they can find the right candidates on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The main motivation of working with Skelia wasn’t the cost, but having the right people on board to do the projects we wanted. After several years, they’ve proven that they deliver quality work in the context that we use them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They ask me that question every six months, and to be honest, we’ve been satisfied with their services. The fact that I can’t come up with anything is significant.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a small publishing company that exclusively distributes print and visual media created by a public figure. As a contracted project manager, I oversee the company’s ongoing website and mobile app development. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

The development company that we originally hired to build our mobile app were making careless mistakes on the backend, so we needed to find a reliable developer to fix their errors. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skelia initiated the process by scanning for problems on the backend. Within a few days, they discovered issues that our other web vendor overlooked for five months. After completing the analysis, they began developing an API to support one of the mobile app’s new features. Two of their .Net developers developed the infrastructure, while another developer scripted the container system to enhance scalability. A junior developer worked on the APIs frontend data integration.  

What is the team composition? 

They assigned two alternating project managers and four developers. 

How did you come to work with Skelia?

Our business manager was familiar with their owner, so we interviewed them to see if they would be a good fit. Impressed by their transparent business model and technical acuity, we decided to bring them on board. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $40,000 to build the API.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working with us in 2018. The API is complete, but we’re in negotiations for an ongoing contract with Skelia. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While the API that they implemented on the app isn’t the most complex feature, it is the most reliable. Their work is easily scalable, their code is well-documented, and their repositories are clean. 

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

We only gave them a small amount of time to build the API, so they leveraged their external resources to expand their team. When one project manager was absent, the alternate was able to step in without disrupting the workflow. In addition to holding weekly meetings, they produced deliverables every two weeks to meet the final deadline. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Skelia is comprised of an incredible team of architects, but their greatest strength lies in their transparent business model. They understand the importance of a harmonious business relationship. Their philosophies aligned perfectly with our business goals. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was an issue with conflicting invoices, but they We had a problem with conflicting invoices, but they cleared it up quickly. The project was too small to notice any other difficulties. 

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated by the client on Month DAY, YEAR. The original star ratings were: Overall - 4, Quality - 4, Schedule - 5 Cost - 4, NPS - 5. New content is below:

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

TimelessToday LLC provides a video subscription service. I am the I.T. Manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

To replace very badly written software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Firstly to replace existing payment system, then add features such as Apple in-app purchase, Chromecast, Google in-app purchase and finally rewrite the application from the ground up.

What is the team dynamic?

The I.T. team in TimelessToday works directly with the Skelia developers (3) to specify, test, and deploy application features

How did you come to work with Skelia?

Recommendation from the TimelessToday CEO

How much have you invested with them?

$220k

What is the status of this engagement?

Current

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

From an initial contract with one Skelia developer to do remedial work, the project expanded to 3 developers. 

How did Skelia address the challenges that arose?

Skelia spent time with the original development company to understand the applications and architecture. From there they worked with the TimelessToday team to analyze and resolve issues.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

The software is more stable, outcomes more predictable. 

How was project management handled?

TimelessToday I.T. team were the project managers.

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

Clear thinking and innovative solutions to problems. Also they were not put off by the  bad quality of the original code. They addressed the issues head on.

In what specific areas can they improve?

Better documentation.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

1.    Make sure you have someone  on your team with deep technical knowledge
 2.    Work as closely as possible with the developers so that misunderstandings can be avoided early.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and product management for ETwater, a cloud-based irrigation system. It takes environmental data from multiple sources and adjusts landscape watering schedules based on weather changes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

Our legacy system was reaching maturity, and we needed a partner to help us reengineer our core technology to incorporate advances in programming.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skelia did a complete architectural overhaul of our system, using Java. They transitioned us from a standard architecture to a microservices architecture. They enhanced our scheduling engine and improved our algorithm; our platform can now change both the frequency and duration of watering based on changes in the weather. The new platform is in beta, and Skelia manages maintenance and updates.

What is the team composition?

They provide a project manager, four backend developers, and two engineers for the frontend and UI.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

We found them through LinkedIn.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in October 2014, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Two of our major enterprise accounts have transitioned their water management to our new platform and are excited for the enhanced functionality and cost savings.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly meetings with the project manager and have direct access to their engineering staff. We frequently Skype, too.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re extremely educated, comparable to Silicon Valley engineering and experience. They’re much better than the past companies we’ve worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The should have more post-release availability and be more proactive in fixing bugs once the product goes live.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Thoroughly explain your business and programming goals so that they understand what your product will be used for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Delaware is an international company, providing everything from strategy to 24/7 support. We’re primarily SAP and Microsoft vendors, and we provide customer experience solutions, from CRM and marketing applications to B2B and B2C e-commerce applications. I’m responsible for the SAP customer engagement and commerce solution. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We’re looking for a company that could provide us with nearshore resources, and we needed the ability to train those resources. They had to be the same quality level as local ones. Skelia also offered testing for customers, with a dedicated testing team and a lab, which we didn’t have at all, which was another interesting aspect.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re using them on two main aspects: Hybris SAP e-commerce development and pure Java development. For the Hybris part, their resources were added as an extension to our development team. We handle the project management, while they take care of the implementation, as part of the bigger team. 

What is the team composition? 

We have two developers for one customer, and five for another. We’re working closely with a couple of other people from their team, one of whom is a liaison who coordinates the entire administration. She enters our tasks into the timesheets and facilitates interviews with new candidates. We’ve also been in contact with their HR manager for the yearly reviews of our resources.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

When I met Patrik (CEO, Skelia), he was already in contact with one of our partners. We had a meeting and started our first project.

We’re located in Belgium, and they’re primarily in Poland and Ukraine, with only a one-hour difference. It’s easy to work with them and they have cheaper resources, which was an important requirement for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $400,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Skelia in April 2017, and it’s an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of our top five customers is working with two people from Skelia, who’ve provided us with really good quality. They got in-line with our procedures quickly, and they were able to immediately add value to the project.

For our second customer, we started out with two developers as well. The customer told us that those two people were providing the same amount of work as 10 others from elsewhere. We’ve increased the team for that customer to five people as our clients are very satisfied with the quality of the work.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication between the teams is very positive. They adapted to our own communications standards, they’re proactive, and they’re quick to provide responses to our questions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The thing that really amazed me is the speed with which they find new resources. In one case, we only had one or two days to provide a new resource to a customer, and they were able to deliver extremely fast. I haven’t seen that with another company yet. They also have a very qualitative profile, which isn’t easy in this market.

Are there any areas they could improve?

More transparency on their salaries would be an improvement. We discuss this at the beginning of contracts, but they could make a better overview of all the people working for us. That would take care of some of the administration, and it would help other clients.

Something else they could do is every three months or so, provide us some sample résumés from the market to see if we’d be interested in them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Find.me, a digital platform that aggregates all available data about a specific product then provides recommendations to users based on their profiles. Personal frustration drove me to start this company. I would input my information and preferences on multiple websites and platforms, and I wasn’t always happy with the results. Find.me streamlines the registration process and provides a complete overview of all of the products the market offers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We needed a vendor to help us develop the digital platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a trial phase, where Skelia put together several mockups. They recommended which technology we should use to program the platform. Based on those initial plans, the team designed the interface and started building out the solution. They used a combination of Elasticsearch, Microsoft Azure, MongoDB, and Python.

The basic platform is complete, and we’re currently working on the virtual assist. The feature is available, but we’re fleshing out its performance.

What is the team composition?

They provided four developers to augment our internal team of a PHP senior developer, a full-stack developer for the backend, and a data engineer.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

I’m not a developer myself; my background is in marketing and economics. To get a better idea of the e-commerce and IT space, I spoke with an advisory board. We considered a variety of possibilities, even looking at the options offered by the Belgian Chamber of Commerce in the US. Because most vendors in Belgium focus on AI and big data, the prices are rather high. So, I started looking for nearshore development companies that offered a wide range of skills.

I put together a shortlist and met with the senior management of each candidate. We assessed my expectations and the short-term and long-term goals of the project. The selected vendor would also have to collaborate with our team’s PhD developer and data scientist located in Belgium, as well as our Ukraine team and CTO in Panama. With all of those factors in mind, Skelia was the best choice.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent €173,000 ($196,709 USD) on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Skelia in May 2017, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re a startup, so we had some cash flow challenges at the beginning of the project. Skelia was flexible regarding invoicing and payments, which helped us get our business up and running. Currently, the platform supports only the automotive industry, and we’re working to expand across more verticals like the real estate and job markets.

So far, we haven’t run into a single bug. Their work has been extremely high-quality. Our CTO enjoys working with them, and we’ve received only positive feedback on the basic platform. We’ve interacted with notable brands in the automotive industry to get their products in our system, and their representatives also praise the platform.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

We started with two-week sprints. We had weekly standups, which we soon changed to biweekly. To avoid micromanaging them, we provide user storyboards, and they handle the design and development process. They work remotely from Ukraine, but it feels like they’re sitting in the same room as us. If there are any scheduling conflicts, they’ll let us know right away.

We communicate with several members of their team, but there is a point person who handles the management of our account. The representative provides feedback on meetings, information about their processes, and plans for the future. It’s not always very detailed. Over a few weeks, they replaced the original account manager, but nothing changed.

With that said, meeting with them is always very productive. Their team is well-prepared with presentations of their most recent work. We go over business insights, marketing updates, and sales information every six weeks. It keeps everyone on the same page. Overall, we can tell they’re committed to our project. They’ve even worked overtime to make sure they complete a specific task.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like to know the team that I’m working with, and it’s crucial that they have a very collaborative attitude. We have one-on-one meetings with their staff, and it’s always enjoyable. It’s clear that the Skelia team likes working with their colleagues, which sets the foundations for strong communication. They’re a good fit for this project, not only in terms of skill but also culture.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t. The combination of the tools that they’re using is working perfectly. They’re a well-organized company, even providing their staff with team-building days.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the former Head of Digital of a consulting company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company helps people to move more and better. We want to motivate everyone to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire pwrteams to accomplish?

• Maintain and further develop corporate platforms
• Testing

SOLUTION

How did you find pwrteams?

Referral

Why did you select pwrteams over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

What was the size of pwrteams’s team?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Maintenance and development of backend (Node.js) / frontend (React)
• Devops (Kubernetes, Cloudamqp, ...)
• Testing of deliverables

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Sprint Deliverables
• Delivering new platforms
• Continuity of day-to-day active users

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

• Very positive about the project management
• Always available when necessary
• Think pro-actively
• Great person skills

What was your primary form of communication with pwrteams?

Virtual Meeting

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

• Even though the team works remotely, it feels like a very close team with a great connection to our company.
• Communciation is going very smoothly

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Engineering manager of Besix Unitec

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Automation of infrastructure projects

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire pwrteams to accomplish?

• easy to find people
• cheaper wages

SOLUTION

How did you find pwrteams?

Online Search

Why did you select pwrteams over others?

Referred to me

What was the size of pwrteams’s team?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Electrical design, mechanical design, BIM design, PLC programming, Scada programming, safety calculations, lightning calculations, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, software engineering, software testing

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• project deliverables on time

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes they did. We have daily / weekly meetings to discuss progress.

What was your primary form of communication with pwrteams?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The ease to find new people.

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

The team is working independently (pretty much), we're providing IT equipment and support, we provide an HR platform for personal development and goals, ... Yet the overhead fee we pay to pwrteams stays the same.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the operations manager of a robot manufacturing startup. We develop worker robots that can do many tasks for humans.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Skelia?

We hired Skelia to expand our web and mobile app development team.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to find an experienced software developer that could help with our web and mobile app development.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected this vendor based on previous collaborations at another company.

Describe the project in detail.

We prefer not to share this information.

What was the team composition?

We prefer not to share this information.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We prefer not to share this information.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

There was a very good collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The speed of finding the right person for us and the structured workflow were pluses.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No