Surf

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the CEO of a restaurant chain.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a fast-developing chain of urban modern restaurants offering Georgian cuisine to customers both in the restaurants and through delivery service

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Assist us in developing our delivery service and building a modern and fast mobile application and website for our customers.
• Integrate our website, mobile application and internal management service (IIKO) in one efficient system, where an order easily transfer from a cusomer's device to restaurant’s frontend.
• Manage and improve the purchasing procedure to facilitate quicker online payments and the addition of promo codes.

SOLUTION

How did you find Surf?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Surf over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Profound background in mobile application and web development for major brands.

How many teammates from Surf were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Surf commenced by conducting extensive research in order to comprehend our business niche; this included analyzing competitors, outlining the user journey, and searching for potential service integration decisions. Surf consolidated all of the data and presented it to us.

Our website and mobile application were upgraded and redesigned during the second phase. They completed the process in a few iterations: founded on market research, they developed an app prototype and provided a Flutter framework for the joint development of the application and website. Flutter was a convenient platform for us because our IT department could easily learn how to use it in the future, and we could make any necessary modifications to the mobile app and website with a single click. 

Apart from transferring our old application to the new framework, Surf has improved the backend through APIs and integrated frontend design prototypes.

Surf concurrently implemented our order management system (IIKO) across our website and mobile application. Their knowledge of various restaurant services was utilized to achieve the primary objective of accelerating everything. 

The Surf team conducted thorough testing of websites and applications at each stage, providing us with results to ensure that everything was functioning properly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Surf facilitated the integration of our business and IT systems, resulting in a twofold acceleration of business processes. The order system is now fully integrated into our work, and we have access to a modern, quick application and website: we receive all orders within minutes, have a streamlined inner workflow, get payments more quickly, and can see the precise outcomes of our reports. Every franchisee partner now receives a vital service from the organization thanks to the system.

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

Each member of the Surf team provides us with candid and expert feedback throughout our collaboration. They not only comprehend our objectives but also possess the capability to approximate time constraints and produce a flawless project that is simple to execute.

What was your primary form of communication with Surf?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We are very grateful to the Surf team for their keen insight into how important it is to meet our objectives by delivering exceptional outcomes; this insight was essential to the success of our project. The Surf team has proved to be an essential part of the project from the beginning to the end, adding a significant amount to its worth.

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

It was a pleasure working with the Surf team, and we can only hope that they continue to develop and support the same caliber of work and passion for what they do.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Project Manager

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

An American healthcare startup helps people live with diabetes by tracking their vital signs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Develop a diabetes management application for CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) device users.

SOLUTION

How did you find Surf?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select Surf over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Surf were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Before the project started, together with Surf, we conducted deep audience and competitor analysis. We read numerous stories of people living with diabetes to see what issues they meet every day, summarized the benefits of modern diabetes apps, and discussed how to offer to the people more with our new app. 

One more challenge for us was to make the app work without loss of performance. Since the program operates with a very large amount of data, this affects the smoothness of its work. To solve this problem, the Surf team used a database, isolates, and data caching. The Flutter framework was chosen to provide excellent UI and use a single codebase for Android and iOS apps.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Today, the app can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play. Osand users tried it for the first months afterver 5 thou release and positively described their experience

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

The project manager was easy to communicate with and provided frequent updates. We had both in-person meetings and phone calls, but most of the feedback was through email. Everything idelivered on time and we received ample warning if a deadline wasn't going to be met.

What was your primary form of communication with Surf?

Virtual Meeting

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

Most impressed by the proactiveness of the Surf team and their interest in the success of our product. Surf prepared recommendations for us to improve the features.

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

No, it was great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Delivery manager of Shaverno

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

This is a chain of fast food restaurants located in urban areas, with a focus on the preparation of shawarma. Each of the 40 cafes is committed to upholding a consistent level of service: fast preparation, reasonable pricing, and the provision of high-quality dishes. The restaurants boast a diverse menu, featuring both traditional and innovative shawarma recipes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• We approached Surf even though we already had our own pre-packaged application.
• However, it did not meet our requirements: it was outdated, had performance problems, and was inconvenient to use.
• In addition, it was not always stable when faced with a large number of orders.
• Consequently, we collaborated with the Surf team to develop a new, industry-specific application that would be user-friendly and capable of handling a significant number of orders during peak hours.

SOLUTION

How did you find Surf?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Surf over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Surf were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

The initial phase of the project involved analyzing competitors and mapping out the user journey based on successful solutions in the market. In the subsequent stage, we compiled a list of features necessary for the first phase. We then proceeded to design the application and admin panel while simultaneously studying the iiko restaurant system. Our Surf analysts verified that all required features were supported by iiko. In the fourth stage, we created a design that included black-and-white layouts of the future application. Once branding was completed, we added colors to the app. Finally, the Surf team drafted the terms of reference for all features and Swagger.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Our company placed great significance on this project, seeking a contractor who met all our requirements and collaborated with as a one team to create the application. We contributed our concepts and inquired about the Surf team's proficiency and knowledge. The CJM phase was particularly significant, as it documented all of our app ideas, resulting in a substantial backlog of tasks.

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

During our collaboration, we engaged in open and honest discussions about potential risks, challenges, issues, and errors. These conversations occurred on both ends. It is noteworthy that the Surf team demonstrated a willingness to not only hear our concerns, but also adjust their methods as needed.

What was your primary form of communication with Surf?

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

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

The Surf team is focused on achieving results and invested in the project's success. They actively engage in brainstorming sessions, contributing their ideas, which differs them from other firms. Additionally, the team informed us of potential risks. For instance, we had intended to incorporate all the features on our list into the application. However, the Surf team advised that, in our situation, it would be wiser to develop a minimum viable product (MVP) initially.

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

Everything was good and on time

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Bussiness director of Love Republic (MELON FASHION GROUP)

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

LOVE REPUBLIC is a part of MELON FASHION GROUP BRAND and manufacturer of women's clothing. Love Republic retail chain is represented in 4 countries and has more than 150 stores.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Implement a more convenient logic of user interaction with the application.
• Avoid critical bugs in the old application.
• Implement the most necessary and convenient functionality that covers all needs

SOLUTION

How did you find Surf?

Online Search, Referral, Other

Why did you select Surf over others?

High ratings, Close to my geographic location, Good value for cost, Referred to me, Company values aligned

What was the size of Surf’s team?

2-5 Employees

What was your primary form of communication with Surf?

Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

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

The Surf team, using their experience in market research, made a number of adjustments to the logic of the app, thanks to which they were able to make user interaction with the app more flexible and logical. They tried to take into account all of the possible cases that users encounter in the app.

Despite the fact that integrating analytics into the app wasn't part of our initial plans, the Surf team managed to finish the task in a shorter period of time and released it.

The Surf team has always tried to help our backend team members from Love Republic, so that everyone involved in the development process moves in the same direction and meets the deadlines.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• In six months, the Surf team developed an updated app for Love Republic.
• We were able to keep business goals in mind and release an app for the all-important Black Friday for any e-commerce app, saving about 40% of the budget through the Flutter cross-platform.

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

The team was fully available to us, on a daily basis, with open and clear communication.They often organized intermediate demos and meetings as issues arose.

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

I appreciate their professionalism. By the way, they worked in a very organized way taking into account all our business needs. We completed the project on time thanks to quality services and management.

Are there any areas for improvement or something {provider_name} could have done differently?

It’s a great pleasure to collaborate with Surf. It’s been very efficient, and we can only wish the team to keep up the good work!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is one of the largest Financial startups. I working as top manager in this company and responsible for business and product development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We would like to create our own payment instrument for cross-border transfers with payment in cash. Surf has expertise in working with it. Therefore, we turned to Surf.

SOLUTION

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

Surf was ready to engage developers with the necessary skills and experience we needed. The key factors influenced our decision to collaborate with Surf was professionalism and quick estimation of the proposed project. The team was able to engage the project extremely quickly.

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

At the start of the project, we had several meetings with the Surf Team to detail all the business requirements, identify the nuances, and fix the development approaches. They launched several Agile processes in parallel. Established the process of identifying business requirements, preparing the terms of reference and layouts. They developed a float for authorization, and the customer deployed an additional two-factor authentication system.

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

My team worked directly with the project manager. Additionally, we mostly interacted with two lead front- and backend developers and analyst.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got a ready solution (web-service) for partners' interaction with the money transfer system. Simple and clear functionality allows you to send, pay out money transfers and administer the functionality of the web-client for end users. The project envisages further scaling - expanding the functionality, increasing the number of sending directions and customizing the interfaces.

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

The project manager was easy to communicate with and provided frequent updates. We had both in-person meetings and phone calls, but most of the feedback was through email. Everything was delivered on time and we received ample warning if a deadline wasn't going to be met.

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

Surf is a pleasure to work with. They had a high level of expertise in different areas and offered many solutions and ideas to improve some functions. We also liked the fact that the team was proactive and showed high interest in the results of the project.

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

Nothing

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CPO of Burger King Russia. Burger King is the second largest fast-food restaurant chain in the world. Every day more than eleven million visitors come to BURGER KING restaurants around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We decided to update the design of our mobile app, improve its fault tolerance, as well as systematize the work with conversion and user experience. With these tasks we turned to Surf.

SOLUTION

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

The decisive factors for choosing Surf were:

• Extensive experience in developing mobile apps for major brands
• Readiness to allocate a sufficient number of high-qualified specialists to our project
• Price, timing and quality of development

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

Together with the Surf team, we implemented a new brand design concept in the mobile app. Now the Burger King sales channel has a much more modern and stylish design that reflects the current brand values. The Surf team solved several important tasks simultaneously: stabilized the app, developed features in the old version, implemented the redesign, and systematized work on conversion and user experience

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

My team worked directly with their iOS, Android developers, QA specialists, and the Project Manager as the key contact person

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Today, 85% of the company's sales are made on digital channels and during 2022, Burger King's mobile app ranked first in the food and beverage category on the App Store and Google Play with user ratings of 4.8 and 4.3, respectively.

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

In the work with Surf we would like to highlight a good understanding of the features of Android and iOS mobile platforms and excellent knowledge of the requirements for publishing mobile applications. Throughout the project all team members were available and promptly responded to business correspondence.

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

Surf showed a very good level of technical competence - they were able to implement the solution at a high technical level. The company's specialists showed the ability to be part of a team and to flexibly adjust to the needs of the project in a short time frame

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

We continue to cooperate with Surf and we really like the level of their professional competence and well-organized communication.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The company is engaged in the construction of shopping centers. We also have district centers with stores, places for entertainment and services for the population. I plated the role of IT Business partner for Marketing team

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

The main goal was to develop the app as a full-fledged digital-communication channel, allowing us not only to attract customers, but also to connect all users for ex. register for upcoming events and stay up-to-date on what's going on in the community center, as well as reaching out to others in the community

SOLUTION

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

We searched online for the best mobile developers in our area and shortlisted 10. After interviewing them, we chose this vendor based on their requirements, experience of the agency and cost estimate.

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

We collaborate with the team in the preparatory stages of our projects. The team has proved to be highly professional and reliable in developing mobile applications. In this stage we clearly define the business metrics that the application will be focused on, and form a development budget for the project from investors. Surf also conducted a technical study and worked through the architecture of the project, taking into account loads and integrations with third-party services.

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

Project Manager, Art Director, Designer, System Analyst, Flutter Developer for consulting puproses

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a result of Design phase we received: MVP Vision; a design concept; Integration and Functional Architecture; Back end architecture; a detailed cost and time estimation; backlog We were fully happy with the result. Many thanks to the team!

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

The team proactively shared new ideas and asked appropriate questions to clarify all the details. We regularly hold online meetings to synchronize and discuss current issues. Communication within the team was really well organized with chats and project management tools

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

I would like to mention their mobile app development skills and the ability to foresee potential risks to avoid delays in the project progress. The way they designed the App was great.

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

Fully happy, nothing to add

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the business project manager in charge of the development of a bank’s new mobile application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Initially, we wanted to improve the native app we already had. Besides, we intended to implement test automation in the app and infrastructure for the tests as it reduces testing time and allows developers to fix bugs quickly.

During the detailed discussion of the project, we understood that it would be easier and less expensive to create a new Flutter application from scratch and lay the foundation for its further scaling than modify the existing one.

SOLUTION

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

Surf has a wealth of expertise in banking projects. In addition, we appreciate the level of their Flutter skills. Important was the fact that the company has a fully functional team covering all the roles we need: designers, PM, developers, analysts, and QA.

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

Within nine months of collaboration with Surf, we have developed a Flutter application with automated tests and infrastructure for them. The app is available for smartphones and tablets.

The first release covered a large set of features:

• 4 methods of authorization
• 2 ways to register
• Product review and management
• Setting up products: cards, accounts, deposits
• My Finances module allows you to understand your financial situation in terms of all banking products
• Payments and transfers
• Automatic payments
• Favorite payments
• Operations and activities history
• Expenses analytics
• Chat for customer support
• ATM and branches review
• Personal data management

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

1 designer,1 PM, 2 analysts, 4 Flutter developers, 2 QAs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We successfully launched the first version of the app. Users like it and rate it highly. We have done a lot of work to update the design for the bank’s app:

• We brought the design up to date and adapted it to Flutter development.
• We improved UX: all solutions suggested by the bank were analyzed, taking into account Surf experience with banking apps.
• Some options were suggested, to make the app more user-friendly.

For example, improvement of the interface variant for small screens: to arrange the elements in a way that allows avoiding unnecessary scrolls. Now the app development continues, new features are released every month.

One more significant point is that based on the code of this app, Surf is currently developing an app for another bank, which is also a part of our group. It has a different design and set of features, but reusing the code will reduce the time and cost of the project to 70%.

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

Surf has efficient communication processes. They consider all wishes and comments, the stages are transparent, and it is clear what result is to achieve at each stage. The team is easy and ready to communicate, offers efficient solutions based on their experience, and proves them with reason. In general, I believe, in a short time, we have implemented a great scope of tasks.

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

I am impressed with Surf's expertise in developing solutions, both for banks and other industries. I like that the team strives to dive deep into the product, go thoroughly through each stage, and offer the best possible solutions. Surf's commitment to constantly improve the product is impressive: now we continue to work together on the app and improve it.

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

We continue to develop the project with Surf and we are satisfied with the level of expertise, proactivity, and well-organized processes in the team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We develop financial applications for retail and institutional brokerages, wealth-management firms, investment funds, exchanges, and insurance companies. As a Head of Department, I am responsible for the Outsourcing department processes, which coordinates collaborations and relationships with our partners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We specialize in developing highly complex solutions for the financial industry. We needed a professional and reliable team with the relevant background to engage them in our projects when it is necessary

SOLUTION

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

Surf was ready to engage developers with the necessary skills and experience we needed. After several successful projects, our collaboration has grown into a long-term partnership. The key factors influenced our decision to collaborate with Surf was a recommendation from our partners, professional and quick estimation of the proposed project, and high professionalism of their manager. The team was able to engage the project extremely quickly.

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

We collaborate with the team in the development and testing stages of our projects. The team has proved to be highly professional and reliable in developing native mobile applications. One of the major tasks delegated to the team was a complex refactoring, the result of which significantly improved our project.

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

Typically, the team includes several iOS\Android developers with a Team Lead, QA specialists, and the Project Manager as the key contact person.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In the context of our partnership, the most significant outcome is that the Surf team has become a part of our team and we can delegate them any tasks.

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

The team is proactive with sharing new ideas and setting relevant questions to clarify all the details. We hold regular online meetings for sync and discussion of current issues. The team communication is well organized by chats and project management tools.

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

I like to commend their mobile app development skills and ability to foresee potential risks to avoid any delays.

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

Up to now, we have nothing to complain about.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Yotolab is a web & mobile app development company working with startups in the fields of robotics, neurotechnology, augmented reality, retail, foodtech, social media, and others. I am the CEO for Yotolab.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed an application for managing company personnel. We wanted to create a digital profile for each employee, where all information about them is collected. Based on this data, the manager or HR department can evaluate the employee, analyze their involvement and efficiency, and draw up development plans. And the employees themselves - to evaluate the possible directions of development, to undergo training, to present themselves from the best side.

SOLUTION

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

To speed up development, we wanted to create a cross-platform application on Flutter, and Surf has a lot of expertise in working with it. Therefore, we turned to Surf.

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

Each employee of the company has a digital profile: all information about their skills, role in the company, achievements, completed training is entered into it. HR can assess the level of each of the employees, offer them training, see when a person has already “grown up” to move to the next step in the career ladder. For the employees themselves, such a profile is also useful: they see the trainings that take place in the company and can sign up for something of interest. They can also declare their achievements by entering them in their profile. This data helps HR make the right career decisions, and helps employees develop in areas of interest to them.

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

1 analyst 1 designer 1 PM 2 Flutter developers 1 QA

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have just launched the application, so there are no quantitative indicators. But we expect that our turnover rate will decrease, the level of employee satisfaction with their development in the company will increase.

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

The process was fine-tuned. We had one entry point - PM, he perfectly translated “from technical to human”, so there were no complaints or misunderstandings during the interaction.

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

Surf is a pleasure to work with. They have a high level of expertise, they offer many solutions themselves. We also liked the fact that the team was proactive and showed high interest in the results of the project.

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

Everything was great, keep the same level.