CONTUS TECH

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

World Textile Information Network (WTiN) is an information provider, delivering unmatched intelligence and insight into the global textile manufacturing industry. Steve Ayres is the Head of Content & Technology at WTiN.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To fill growing holes in the 2020 physical event space within the textile manufacturing industry WTiN took the decision to run a virtual trade show event, and to build the platform from scratch. Our goal was to bring exhibitors and potential customers together in the virtual environment.

SOLUTION

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

Part of the development was to build in real-time text chat and video calling capabilities. Contus were initially selected on the strength of their previous work and customer base, followed by impressive product demonstration and project proposal.

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

To assist with setup, deployment and customisation of the Contus/Mirror-Fly chat platform into our own infrastructure, following be integration within our own virtual trade show platform.

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

6-7 representative from the vendors team. Initially on the business side, then onto the support (technician and project management) sides.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Many of our virtual event exhibitors had never taken part in such an event. Many reported good lead generation and good levels of visitor/exhibitor engagement (beyond expectations).

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

Using Basecamp and Skype teams were in constant contact and all parties were always very quick and responsive where required. Vendor communication was always clear and detailed, to the point of outlining holidays, absence and alternative contacts where required, etc.

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

Their level of support and responsiveness was unparalleled with any company we have worked with previously.

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

The vendor team performed exceptionally throughout the project, always responsive and going the extra mile where needed. The development was done quickly in order to meet a specific requirement. In these circumstances there was very little that the vendor team could have done to differently (better).

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Bobbie is developing the construction material industry’s first online pure play digital store with a unique hybrid dealer/marketplace approach. This market features high commercial and physical transaction volumes, and the goods tend to be very heavy. Our vision is to digitally revolutionize the building materials trade.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Contus?

We were a young startup and could not afford to hire expensive permanent contract developers, but we also needed significant Magento development experience. Contus satisfied both of these needs and was an ideal choice for us.

What were your goals for this project?

To differentiate us from the competition and enable construction material training, we needed to integrate a marketplace Magento extension and add new functionalities. Those features included an Ajax update of all product information, such as price and amount calculation rules for configurable products; transparency in the sellers’ terms and conditions; price and individual product requests; online tender capabilities; real time freight calculation; and a Lookbook-inspired style.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We filtered out a lot of potential suppliers by first benchmarking available marketplace extensions and then requesting further development quotes. We conducted some additional smaller-scale development tests before hiring.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

We managed the project following an agile approach with several Contus developers and designers on multiple parallel development streams. Contus was responsible for end-to-end development and the associated web design while we handled specifications and testing for the benefit of immediate feedback on new features. Communication was primarily conducted via Basecamp, FogBugz, and Slack.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of between one and three Contus developers and one designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are not yet live, but we will certainly share that when the website launches.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We did not have deadlines—code is done when it is done, not when a deadline passes—but we closely monitored development progress and spot-checked every line of code via Git (version control software). Communication was responsive, as would be expected with hiring full-time developers. Neither the language nor time zone differences were issues, but we did experience some cultural challenges, such as explaining the complex German Value Added Tax system.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The staff was very flexible in scaling to project needs.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Although we had to replace one developer for inadequate skills, the Contus team management handled the situation quickly and professionally.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of FLASHA, an e-commerce platform for the advertising, events, and sponsorship industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Contus?

We needed to create a functional e-commerce minimum viable product (MVP) for the market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We did some research and found that Contus fit all our requirements for the development of our MVP and the tools for our next generation platform. Their staff really made an effort to understand our goals.

Describe the project in detail.

The project consisted of creating a unique MVP for our e-commerce site, connecting complex variables in order to make the checkout journey as simple as possible. They also configured the backend to accommodate our needs.

What was the team composition?

I handled the project management and there were three people from Contus involved the whole time. They even made a plan to keep the same team in place for the extra work we had after the first job was completed. They made our life easier.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

They understood every discussion we had and to back that up, every conversation was recorded to confirm tasks before executing them. They were always going forward.

How effective was the project management?

Their team was great. They kept to their timelines, occasionally finishing the work sooner which allowed them to complete smaller details that I had overlooked. They were very helpful, even when things weren’t in the original scope.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We appreciated their communication and willingness to help us find solutions.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

The team I worked with, and will continue to work with, had it all under control.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of FloorFindr and we display tiles from recognized manufacturers, receive quotation requests for the products, and send these out to our retail stores. The stores provide unique quotes for our customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Contus?

We were having difficulty finding a web builder that could build our website in the right amount of time and for the right price. The website required a lot of customization, so it wasn’t really a straightforward build. This meant that it was vital for us to work alongside a team of developers that had the ability to completely follow our requirements for the build of the product.

What were your goals for this project?

The website had to be able to receive quote requests and automatically send these out without us having to manually handle them. The design had to be beautiful and not just on the frontend for customers, but also in the backend for the stores and manufacturers.

We wanted to build a website that was yet to be seen in the industry. A seamless user experience was a focal point for us in order to achieve success through the website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We stumbled across Contus whilst searching online for different website developers. I ran through multiple options, considering hiring a single developer or buying a UK website and editing its existing code to suit our needs (which we couldn't do).

There were a couple of different companies we considered, but Contus’ team was professional and reliable in their approach. They sent a project plan within days of the request and were very keen to get started. Agraj Sethi (Senior Business Development Consultant, Contus) was the main person we dealt with during the selection process. His enthusiasm was fantastic and a massive factor in our decision to run with Contus.

Describe the project in detail.

Contus designed and developed the full website from beginning to end. We threw in our ideas and expectations, which they exceeded at times. We began the process by outlining our needs and listening to their suggestions. This was followed by mock-ups, testing, improvements, and constant feedback. The whole development was extremely thorough, with no task proving too much for their team. Every member was more than willing to help.

What was the team composition?

We mainly stayed in contact with the project manager and Agraj Sethi. Contus used different teams for different parts of the project; they had a design team, a development team, and a server team. I also stayed in contact with one of the developers for support after the project was completed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

The feedback on our website has been amazing. They more than exceeded expectations with the overall cost of the work. Our new website has a real purpose.

How effective was the project management?

This aspect was really good. We are based in the U.K., so the time differences are quite large, but it worked out much better than we could've expected. The team put in late shifts and were always available whenever we needed to discuss the project. Some of the tools we used were Skype, Google Docs, and Gmail.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their work rate is admirable and they have a very personable approach. Their desire to complete the project to the highest standard is what separates them from others. We keep in touch constantly even though the project is complete.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

There's very little we can think of for them to improve on at this time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the head of software at Gerege Systems LLC of Mongolia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Contus?

We hired them to build the GeChat mobile application.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to help people across Mongolia communicate through our mobile app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through a consultation. 

Describe the project in detail.

They developed many of the basic and advanced functions of our mobile chat and user management systems.

What was the team composition?

We had a project manager, customer service engineers, and developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our project with Contus concluded successfully. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was highly effective. Their communication was especially perfect.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Our cooperation was outstanding. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

Their 24-hour customer service was good since they have customers all over the world.