iteo

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of a consulting company that services data centers and backend systems for U.S. Fortune 200 companies.
 
I had an idea for an app, which I wanted to develop as a separate engagement. The app would help connect local communities to complete tasks. Many people need help, and many others want to make some extra money. The platform could connect them. While many “gig economy” apps offer similar services, I wanted something unique.

What challenges were you trying to address with iteo?

I had to come up with a business plan for the app. The main challenges I had to overcome revolved around its design and development.

What was the scope of their involvement?
I had a few conversations with iteo, and we designed something that was similar to other applications but also had a unique flow. In essence, we created a new market strategy for handling all those unique features.
 
I put together a document describing the app’s flow and connectivity, and iteo took care of design, development, and project management. They offered feedback about functionalities that could take too long to develop or weren’t detailed enough. We discussed the scope and, once we had everything on paper, they started the development.
 
I initially wanted to bring an MVP to the market to see how the idea worked. We were going to only build an iOS version, but after a few conversations with the development teams, we decided to develop an Android version as well.

What is the team composition?

I worked with the same project manager throughout the collaboration. The developers varied depending on the project stage—frontend, backend, Android and iOS development. There were multiple engineers I worked with, but dealing with a single project manager made the process easier.

How did you come to work with iteo?
I am originally from Poland, so I researched a few companies from the country online. I contacted three of them, explaining my idea and the project. Based on the initial conversations, I chose iteo to turn my app idea into a reality.
 
How much have you invested with them?
The total cost has been almost $100,000.
 
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with iteo in January 2017. I will be traveling to Poland soon in order to finalize the app.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We have tested a beta version among friends. Everyone has loved the design, including the icons, theme, and colors. I did create some ideas, but iteo brought them to life, so I can’t take credit.
 
Bringing an app from one platform to another is not a seamless process, but iteo helped me close the gap. I didn’t see any major differences in the development process for each version. Everything was straightforward, and the app works identically on Android and iOS.
 
How did iteo perform from a project management standpoint?
My project manager was responsive, and I could always reach her.
The final cost of implementing an idea will always be more than expected. This was not iteo’s fault; it had to do with the challenges I faced because I had never developed an app before. I made constant changes to early versions, but my project manager stayed on top of things and helped me organize the process. I didn’t receive any unexpected bills. Next to design, project management was one of the strongest skills they brought to the table.

What did you find most impressive about them?
Once we engaged with them, iteo made us feel like a part of the team. Many of our marketing and design discussions were like conversations between a group of people in the same room. We agreed and disagreed, and got the best ideas from it. Working with their team has been a great experience, and it’s what made the app work. Collectively, I have nothing bad to say about iteo.
 
Are there any areas they could improve?
As a U.S. client, not having to deal with time changes would be an improvement. Having to be up at six o’clock in the morning was the hardest part of the project. I told iteo that they need a U.S. presence, but I have no other negative things to say about them.
 
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?
I know that online engagements are commonplace, but it’s important to travel to the developer’s location and meet them face-to-face.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of LUDMO. We’re a sports startup focused on evaluating the movement of soccer players on the field.

What challenges were you trying to address with iteo?

We had technical issues with our existing mobile application, so we needed developers to build a professional and improved version. We wanted to complete the project in a timely manner and expand our service to Apple users.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The existing app created by our in-house developers lacked stability. We provided iteo with our requirements, the functionalities we expected, and they wrote new code from scratch. They used a cross-platform tool to create Android and iOS versions.

They assisted with the design elements, improving user experience, and they also created an improved logo for our company.

What is the team composition?

I worked with four people directly, including a project manager, two developers, and one designer. I also know the owner personally.

How did you come to work with iteo?

We are both part of a local startup community. As both local companies, we were able to meet in person to discuss the project and I determined that their technical skills were sufficient for our needs. They were the right vendor for the job, so we didn’t need to consider any other options.

How much have you invested with them?

Around €15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017 and the project is ongoing. We are in the final stages and would have finished sooner had we not made changes to the initial scope.

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

Working with iteo saved us a lot of time in development. We are happy with the results and hope to begin testing with our customers in the upcoming days.

How did iteo perform from a project management standpoint?

My background is in logistics, so I know that every project faces issues of some kind. That said, working with iteo has been one of the best experiences of my career. We had only minor miscommunication issues, often caused by a failure to clearly articulate goals on our end. They addressed any concerns immediately.

If we needed any small updates, they accomplished these within 24 hours. They are productive and reliable, making them an excellent company to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve seen their past work, so I know that they’ve provided me with a unique solution. I'm happy overall and plan to work with them in the future as our company grows.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As a small vendor, they have plenty of room for growth. Possessing more resources would allow them to take on more work, but they’re well-positioned to reach their full potential. They’re highly organized and employ a capable team, so I see them expanding in a positive direction.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can trust their team to accomplish any task. They don’t rush through a job, and while this may cause small delays, it ensures a quality end result. As a customer, I continually pushed for results and they were consistently able to adjust and meet my expectations.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Kia Motors Poland is a subsidiary of Kia, selling cars on the Polish market. I am a CRM specialist dealing with systems from the business side.

What challenge were you trying to address with iteo?

We wanted to create an iPad application that would serve as a car configurator so that sales advisors could show different models, and, at the end of the configuration, prepare ad hoc estimates for customers in the showroom. The app would generate a PDF and send it to the customer.

What was the scope of their involvement?

iteo was responsible for developing the app from start to finish. They also set up our accounts in the App Store. The app couldn’t be accessible for a wide audience, so we left it in test mode. We invited accounts to take part via TestFlight. That way, we could distribute the app to the showrooms. The app was only made for iOS since we distributed iPads to the showrooms.

They made a back office where our product team set up vehicles. After the configuration was done in the background, the dealer staff would choose vehicles, engines, models, specifications, and options, giving full specs with all the options chosen by the customer along with the sales advisor.

iteo was responsible for design, but, because the company is Korean, the way vehicles are configured in our systems is different from what the Western customer is accustomed to. Looking at vehicles like BMW or Volkswagen, customers have wide opportunities for options. For Kia, there are four or five preset options. The customer chooses from trim levels and has some options to add to those. This basically means that we had to set the options beforehand.

What is the team dynamic?

I’m not sure how many people worked on their side. We didn’t have an agreement on a resource basis, but rather on a deadline and cost. We communicated with a main contact. I don’t know if he was a project manager or someone in IT. In Kia, there is a Request For Approval (RFA) for everything.

How did you come to work with iteo?

I believe my boss received a referral.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with iteo in September 2013. The official handover date was November 15^th.

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

We have a central application for the purpose developed by our European headquarters, so we are no longer using the tool created by iteo. We started introducing iPads to the showrooms in order to give customers a more modern feel around the sales process. It impacted us greatly, and we started using other applications developed centrally, but this was the first app we’d used.

How did iteo perform from a project management standpoint?

I don’t have any negative memories about the process. As far as I recall, the project management was satisfactory.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I liked dealing with iteo more than with our in-house IT developers. They were flexible, allowing us multiple opportunities to make the product suitable for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m not sure. It was a standard process, and everything we agreed upon was delivered.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Andersen Steel is a manufacturer of innovative components for agricultural and horticultural machines. Andersen Stålvarefabrikl is a brand trading on the market for over 40 years and has its origin in Denmark.We are now located in Kutno, in the geographical center of Poland. It’s one of the most modern companies in Europe in our industry.

AS has exclusive rights to the use of unique technologies, which ensure the production of high-efficient and high-quality products. Andersen Steel products are known for their durability, functionality, and aesthetics, at the same time meeting the individual needs of our customers.

My responsibilities are marketing, administration, and sales support.

What challenge were you trying to address with Iteo?

We wanted a new website for the company, with the goal of building our image, presenting our products, and creating an informative and interactive place for the company to interact with our visitors. We wanted the site to be accessible on both computers and smartphones. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Iteo created a new home page for the company based on content (both text and photos) that we provided. Their work was designing and implementing the page. They also gave our team instructions on how to manage the page once they were done.

How did you come to work with Iteo?

I do not know. It was done before I took over the project.

How much have you invested with Iteo?

I think this is confidential information between Andersen Steel and Iteo.

What is the status of this arrangement?

It began in the middle of November 2016 and ended in February 2017.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

As a result of our collaboration, we gained a new home page for the company in Polish, English, and Russian.

How did Iteo perform from a project management standpoint?

Iteo performed well and was very engaged. Iteo worked via phone and Skype, without meeting personally with the customer. However, it was quite efficient.

Are there any areas Iteo could improve?

Maybe meeting with us personally would have optimized the mutual understanding at the beginning of the project.

Please describe your organization.

Our company is a tour operator travel company leading on the Polish market. Our income is about €400 million [approximately $443 million], and we have a very strong online presence. Our business was established 27 years ago. As I said before, to date it is the leading tour operator on the Polish market and the most popular leisure travel e-commerce on the Polish market.

What is your position?

I am the chief information officer.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Iteo?

A growing need for custom applications development and system integrations has put a pressure on our internal IT department to deliver more in a shorter time. We partnered with Iteo to be able to answer this need without compromising the quality of our work. We have worked with Iteo on several projects. We have worked with Iteo on various dedicated application projects. From the idea to the implementation of the solution, they were very involved in software development processes.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Iteo developed 6 applications for us within 4 months (2 projects are still ongoing). We cooperated with three teams from Iteo, a total of 13 people involved on their end, and 10 from ours. The solutions built by Iteo met the requirements and are now used by over 120 internal users. 

One of them was a CRM [customer relationship management] solution for our sales department, which is being used by more than 150 people at the moment. This project took about two months and was done on time and according to the scope and budget. We are very happy with the quality of their service and predictability of their work.

How did you come to work with Iteo?

They reached out to us asking if we have any projects to work together on. 

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was $50,000 to $100,000 but, in the next one or two months [late summer 2016], it will be more.

What is the status of this engagement?

It is ongoing.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The biggest benefit for me as an IT [information technology] director is that I help others with reliable and quality services. One of the most important things in an IT project is to build a solution in the scope and budget and meeting the user requirements. Building solutions that meet the requirements is one of the biggest problems in IT. Most IT projects fail because of the lack of understanding of the users' business requirements. I'm glad I have a partner in Iteo that is able to complete the project seamlessly from concept, through development, to product launch. They do great quality work, and it's always on time.

How did Iteo perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very professional, and manage projects very well. Iteo has good quality software development processes in place and what differentiate them from others is good understanding of business needs. Their communication skills are also well above the average. 

What distinguishes Iteo from other providers?

Iteo is very flexible. They are open to accept a change in the projects that we do together. I think this is a big issue if you work with outsourcing companies. Usually, outsourcing companies are not happy when businesses want to implement a change during the project. We all know that change is the only constant. Iteo teams are experienced in using agile methodologies which allow us to focus more on business goals and less on the initial project scope and change requests processing.

Is there anything Iteo could have improved or done differently?

I think it would be difficult now to say if there is anything they could improve. Of course, there are minor things but I think they are not worth mentioning.

Please describe your organization.

Our company built an app that pays users for referrals. What I mean by that is that we have a share extension that you can install into your share menu in Safari that when you go to share a link with friends via text or email, this button will copy the link and add a tracking component to it. When you send that link to a friend, if they end up making a purchase off it, you can both get paid a referral bonus, sort of like Uber allows you to do if you refer Uber to a friend, except this works with retail sites.

What is your position?

I am the founder and CEO.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Iteo?

I went to Iteo with a version one prototype, and they helped take me turn that into an app that was far more detailed and professional. They helped me do all of that for a very reasonable price and for a reasonable price.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Iteo did design and the back-end development of our iOS app. They also helped manage the project by helping me record the progress of the team, in terms of hours spent per stage, keeping up with the to-do list, and making sure all the items got delivered on time and in budget.

How did you come to work with Iteo?

My app is all about referrals and, honestly, I found them through a referral. One thing I really liked Iteo right off the bat was that they bought into the idea of the app. They said they would've been interested in paying a commission, giving me a discount and paying a commission to the person who referred me to them. At present, there isn't a great way to do that, so I liked that they thought it was a good idea and would be interested themselves in having a referral program.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It cost between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It's ongoing work.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

No. We haven't tried to get a single user yet.

How did Iteo perform from a project management standpoint?

Iteo performed very well. They were very responsive and met all of our deadlines. They even kept me in check. It was great.

What distinguishes Iteo from other providers?

The Iteo team is very talented and demonstrated a lot of care to make sure things were done right. They seemed to have a vested interest in making this product great, even though they don't have any equity in the company. Even as contract employees, they still demonstrated a pretty high level of care and respect for the project.

Is there anything Iteo could have improved or done differently?

I would say the only thing that might've made it easier is if we were in the same time zone, but we knew that going in.

Please describe your organization.

We are a car dealership. We sell about 5,000 cars per year from the Volkswagen Group: Porsche, Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda, and Seat. We're based in Poland.

What is your position?

I'm the CEO.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Iteo?

We wanted to build a communication platform between our company and customers. This platform helped us keep tabs on potential customers.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They developed a mobile app for advertising our cars, providing contact information, special offers, and allowing customers to enter details about their cars. We are now working on a 2.0 version with even more functionality.

They designed some parts of our website, together with the company that developed the CMS [content management system] for it. We are quite involved in the development process, and they're our only mobile supplier.

How did you come to work with Iteo?

They were friends of my business friends. We had a meeting, they showed what they could do, and what their objective is. We made the first project, with the mobile app, which worked well and fast. The first contact was accidental, so to say. It was also at the time when Iteo was starting out, about four years ago. We were one of their first customers.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The average per project was less than $10,000. We've done three projects so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We're working on a project for a used car platform where the customers can get a price for their cars automatically in a few seconds. This has been in discussions for two weeks and it's evolving.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Anyone who uses the app agrees by design to be contacted for marketing purposes. The resulted database is growing, and the app itself is not a sales portal. If you want to make a purchase, you have to contact us. Obviously, nobody buys a car through the Internet.

We can only check leads coming from the app. Those are usually for car maintenance. It's easier for a customer to contact us via the app than through phone or email.

How did Iteo perform from a project management standpoint?

I'm fully satisfied with Iteo. They've completed all the tasks we appointed them. Iteo is fast and reliable. The website project was more complex as there were several companies involved, but everything went right, and I have no complaints.

What distinguishes Iteo from other providers?

They work in a good price range and offer good quality for it.

We developed a pilot app together, functionality-wise, and sold the app to other dealers. We collaborated nicely, and I could get the app cheaper than other dealers could because I was involved in the development. They are very open-minded. Also, their support is fast and reliable.

Is there anything Iteo could have improved or done differently?

I can't think of anything. They did everything well and for a good price.

Please describe your organization.

My company is called Caliber. We provide the easiest way to find what you need, for anything professional. If you're looking to hire a marketer, for example. It's a mobile app, on which you can make a search and find profiles of relevant people.

What is your position?

I'm the cofounder and CEO.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Iteo?

Because we're a consumer startup, the most important thing is our product. We've been involved in two projects with Iteo. The first one was developing a mobile infrastructure for our product.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They worked on the whole project for our iPhone app, so they pretty much made our flagship product. They did a pretty good job on being organized and asking questions, so they also did some product management, but we did most of it. We have a strong product management team here.

We released the Android version six months later as we didn't have the resources for it in the beginning, and they were involved in that as well. They did a fantastic job and got us off the ground.

How did you come to work with Iteo?

They came recommended from a friend who worked with them on his startup, which was also in the mobile space.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was in the range of $10,000 to $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Everything was completed four months ago [July 2015].

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

It's a successful business app. We have a four and a half star rating in the App Store, and we've been downloaded more than 200,000 times. We have great retention: more than 30 percent of our users come back after six months. It's pretty good.

How did Iteo perform from a project management standpoint?

We're very satisfied. We were in charge of the design, and they delivered exactly what we wanted. They were also very communicative and responsive the whole way. Again, to transfer a technology from us to them was super easy as they had worked on the project originally.

What distinguishes Iteo from other providers?

It's their ability to integrate easily within a team. Communicating and delivering within their promised timeframe, which is rare. I would definitely work with them again.

Is there anything Iteo could have improved or done differently?

No. Not really. It was a semi-complex project, which they delivered really well without hiccups.

Please describe your organization.

Cluball is an all-in-one mobile solution for club owners to manage their sport clubs, connect with their members, and organize activities. 

What is your position?

I'm a cofounder of the startup.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Iteo?

I observed that there were no good solutions available to manage a sports club or interact with members. My cofounder was still using Excel and phone calls. For example, when a class is canceled, he has to go to meeting lists and call the people one by one.

The two of us got together and had the idea of creating an elegant, simple, and mobilized tool both for club owners to interact with their members and for members to interact with each other. 

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They did the development for our Android app and a major part of our IOS app. Both applications are live now.

How did you come to work with Iteo?

I looked through LinkedIn for developers in Poland, but it was actually another backend developer who referred me to Iteo as being good mobile developers.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was around $170,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work is completed. Iteo is now doing bug fixing, updating, and maintenance on top of plans for developing the next features of the project.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Right now we're only launching the application and getting tickets for every issue. We're running the live pilot in a large club in Brussels with about 10,000 members. There are live users signing up every day

How did Iteo perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very capable. We're now in the middle of the real test. We're starting to see real usage, so there are bugs that we haven't forecast. Globally speaking, they are good developers and are professional.

What distinguishes Iteo from other providers?

They have both good iOS and Android skills. There are companies that, for example, do only iOS. That's a good characteristic for sure.

Is there anything Iteo could have improved or done differently?

As the project manager and in retrospect, I would've micromanaged the team more around installing processes. I'm working with different companies: some for frontend and some for backend. They're in charge of mobile. This means that I need to put in place processes for them to work together right.

Sometimes, they could have been more proactive in suggesting these processes. For example, I recently put 15-minute daily sync sessions in place between our backend and mobile team. On the other hand, I have a good example of where they did give good advice on how to manage a project.

This review was updated on February 21, 2018 by the client. New content is below.

UPDATED REVIEW

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re improving the app in many aspects in terms of performance optimization and condition. We haven’t increased the scope of the app’s functionality, but we have increased the depth of each of the features. The aim was not a scope increase specifically, but rather making general improvements.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $2,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together again in September 2017 and the work is ongoing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very responsive. We get a response within the hour anytime we have a problem, bug, or things to fix within the app. They’re professional and ask for details. They put in the extra effort to understand who they can help to fix the bug quickly. They’re reliable and I can count on them to improve the app’s performance to ensure that it works correctly. I know that features will be implemented promptly when I set deadlines. I can almost close my eyes on the IT part of the project. Working with them is very positive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t see ways they can improve. I’m totally satisfied.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to cut the project in pieces and really leverage their expertise into understanding the level of complexity and cost associated with the features you want to include. Leverage their general understanding of the startup industry. They work with many startups on what strategy works and what doesn’t work.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Head of Product

For what projects/services did your company hire iteo?

To develop our new state of the art casino frontend

What were your goals for this project?

Give our clients much better UX. From tech perspective we wanted to have capable platform which will allow us to introduce new features as soon as possible to stay ahead of competition

How did you select this vendor?

We did some extensive research on Polish market to find good supplier for native apps. Eventually we've decided to start from web first

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

as wrote above we've selected Iteo mostly because they really good in native apps development and UX sills. So far we haven't check these skill in the practice but I can definitely recommend web development services :)

What was the team composition?

From STS, PO, UX and QA, Iteo provided devs, PM and QA

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

so far everything works very well

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We do have Product Owner who works very closely with the developers team and this setup works great

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very open. All problems we had were sorted very fast.

Are there any areas for improvement?

at the moment everything is OK