Oshyn

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a consultant for CourtAvenue, a networking company. I act as a project manager on their projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oshyn?

Oshyn is one of the development teams associated with CourtAvenue’s projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Oshyn has worked for CourtAvenue on several development projects I’ve been involved in. For one of our projects, they finished the development of a CMS platform based on Sitecore. Since then, they’ve continued to provide maintenance services.

Oshyn has also helped us kickstart a new development project for a client, rebuilding their current system under Sitecore’s CMS platform. Currently, we’re working on a development project for another client. I recently joined the project, but they have, very diligently, helped me catch up, communicated the issues, and showed me the progress they’ve made so far.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with various teams from Oshyn on various projects. Their team members have included Sitecore architects, developers, QA specialists, and project managers.

How did you come to work with Oshyn?

CourtAvenue had a prior relationship with Oshyn through the company they used to work with, so they gave them the opportunity to work on other projects.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around March 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a project management consultant, I measure the success of our engagement with four aspects: Oshyn’s overall knowledge, their contribution to projects, the execution of the tasks involved in completing the solution in a timely manner, and their problem-solving skills. So far, Oshyn has tremendously succeeded on all those KPIs.

How did Oshyn perform from a project management standpoint?

Oshyn’s project management has been very good. Their ability to work and collaborate to meet a deadline has been more than exceptional. They know how to work through budgets as a team, as well as how to modify them through clear communication when needed.

We use Jira to manage the project and GitHub for code management. We also communicate via Slack, phone calls, and email, and Oshyn is always very responsive through any channel.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with multiple teams throughout my career, and I used to be a developer in the same languages that Oshyn domains. One of the best qualities that I’ve noticed about them is that they’re very consistent and thorough. Their communication and knowledge stream through their entire company, from their leadership to their developers, which is a very important quality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would only advise them to keep gaining knowledge and become versatile in the different technologies that exist.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust in their team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Audio Digest publishes audio formats of medical lectures as well as accompanying continuing medical education material. I was the company’s VP of technology from 2012-2018.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Oshyn?

We first engaged Oshyn to help us move our e-commerce site to the Sitecore CMS. The success of that project led us to partner with them for all of our development projects for the next five years, from more e-commerce work and web design to web and app development.

What were your goals for this project?

The overarching goal was to replace our legacy site and rebuild our entire web presence on Sitecore. Although many facets had to be reconstructed piece by piece, we wanted to create a seamless user transition from the old platform to the new. Our e-commerce and product entitlements also needed to be integrated with our subscription fulfillment system. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our Sitecore representative recommended them. One of three or four potential partners that I interviewed, Oshyn immediately impressed me with their combination of technical skill, knowledge, and client acumen. They displayed an innate ability to listen, understand our business issues, and contribute ideas that would help us move forward.

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

Oshyn was a full-service development partner. For each new project, they developed both the graphic and technical designs, managed all Sitecore development and QA testing, and released the product into our infrastructure, which they also maintained.

What was the team composition?

The team composition fluctuated over time as the projects on evolved. Based on the work and timeline at hand, anywhere from two to six additional developers would augment the core team of a technical architect, business analyst, project manager, and a UX designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very satisfied with Oshyn’s results, as was apparent with our continued partnership. The new product platform they helped us create hosted roughly 30,000 paying subscribers, multiple Android and iOS apps, and an e-commerce site that enabled us to sell our products in various ways. The highest subscription product on the legacy site sold for $400 a year; we were able to sell the on-demand subscription products available on the new platform for up to $2000 a year.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Oshyn has always been very efficient and responsive. We communicated constantly using Skype, Jira, and Confluence for project management, and regular status calls helped both sides stay synchronized. Their mix of on-shore and offshore resources was hardly noticeable; there were no language issues and their Ecuador location was in our time zone. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Oshyn was able to meet all of our needs, even as those needs evolved. They not only provided the in-depth development expertise necessary for technically complex projects, but they also contributed greatly to design-specific projects, offering pinpointed suggestions for best practices and potential pitfalls. They pride themselves on their service and treated our business as their own. 

Are there any areas where they can improve?

The relationship grew over the years to the benefit of both parties. We immediately rectified the occasional lapse in communication or misunderstanding regarding product specifics and were able to refine our processes so that we did not repeat the same mistakes. Oshyn is committed to continual improvement, which is paramount to a long-term partnership. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Chief Strategy Officer for the Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS). For more than 50 years, TCDRS has been a model for providing reliable retirement benefits. Benefits are responsibly funded, which means costs are not pushed to future generations. We are one of the best-funded retirement plans in the nation. We do not receive state funding; rather, each plan is funded by investment earnings, the employer and its employees. We also work with more than 760 county and district employers, providing benefits to over 294,000 Texans, including 64,000 retirees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oshyn?

We needed a partner to assist our organization in continually improving the customer service we provide on our website, building new tools for our members and employers and helping us increase usability from mobile devices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our initial project involved Oshyn developing a tool called the Plan Customizer that allows our employers to run various scenarios so that they can make informed decisions about their plan. Every year, our employers can use the Plan Customizer to review their plan, run different plan option scenarios to see potential changes in cost, and submit changes if needed. This tool was very well received, and employers could use it at their convenience.

In 2015, Oshyn helped us redesign our website with a focus on improving the information and usability of our Investments section, refreshing the design of all public and customer-facing pages and adding new features. The site was built using Sharepoint and .NET.

And most recently, Oshyn assisted us in delivering a redesigned member portal. Changes centered on making the portal mobile friendly, adding multi-factor authentication and other security enhancements, and integrating new features like document upload. A second phase is currently underway that provides additional online services to our members.

What is the team composition?

It depends on the effort, but typically the team has 8-10 people covering development, QA, and project management.

How did you come to work with Oshyn?

Our previous design partner recommended Oshyn. They did so well on the initial project that we’ve continued to partner with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $1 million over the years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been partners since 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We continually receive great feedback from our members and employers regarding the work we have partnered with Oshyn to deliver.

How did Oshyn perform from a project management standpoint?

The financial and reporting side is always accurate, and they do a good job communicating with the project team. We mainly communicate via email, phone, and status reports.

Equally important, they are flexible. So, as the project evolves or we encounter challenges, they are easy to work with to adjust scope, resources, and schedules.

​​​​​​What did you find most impressive about them?

They do great work, but they also take the time to understand what we are trying to do as a business and how they might help, which makes them a good partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. There isn’t anything major I’d change about them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Maintain excellent communication to optimize the partnership.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a developer at Wolters Kluwer, a medical education company for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oshyn?

Our legacy environment was outdated. We wanted to completely revamp our system with .NET and C# development. The platform we came up with is called Platinum. The previous environment had no place for community members to access all of their content and listen to it on mobile devices, and we needed a tool that allowed for that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed the new environment for our customers. We had the whole project scoped out, but we quickly discovered that our projected timeline wasn’t possible. We started with the e-commerce component first, so we could concentrate on marketing and sales while the next phase was in development.

It was difficult to meet our initial goals, so when the membership platform released, it was separate from the e-commerce platform. We decommissioned our legacy environment in April 2018, merged both new domains, and attached them to our existing URL. They were instrumental in making all of this happen.

What is the team composition?

We had between 10–15 team members at any given time. Christian (Software Consultant, Oshyn) is our lead, and Vicki (Director of Delivery Services, Oshyn) was our design consultant. There were two business analysts, and the rest were either web IT developers or mobile developers.

How did you come to work with Oshyn?

We wanted to use Sitecore as our development platform and CMS. We interviewed several companies, but Oshyn was at the top of the list of recommended Sitecore developers. Our panel looked over customer testimonials and asked them about their ideas for our project. After comparing them to the other possible vendors, they were the most appropriate fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $5 million on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in 2013 and work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There is no comparison to our legacy environment. Online sales have increased by 1,000% or more. Previously, 80% of orders were processed through the phone, but most of those transactions now come almost exclusively through the new environment.

How did Oshyn perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re phenomenal and always available. A lot of their developers work in Ecuador, which is three hours ahead of us, but all of their business analysts, designers, and support staff are in the Los Angeles area.

We worked in sprints and could view the entire process, from planning to QA testing and production. There were daily status call updates at the beginning, which have since changed to two calls each week. We provided feedback and they gave us information about any changes. We used Confluence and Jira to store documentation and submit tickets.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have an almost familial relationship with them. They’re very involved and feel like friends. They took ownership of the product and are very knowledgeable about our process. The partnership with them is very special.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No; it all worked so well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them all the pertinent data, copy, environment, customer scenarios, and user case studies, and make sure they have a complete picture of your company, your process, and your customers. If you don’t give them what they need, you may not get what you want. That said, they were interested and reached out to get all the information that they needed to complete our project.