What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We have 700 active users, and we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback. Most feedback will focus on teaching quality, but it’s the system that allows teachers and students to do what they want to do. People can organize small Chinese classes 24/7 without having to follow rigid schedules.
CoderPush set things up for us keeping our future needs in mind. They could’ve done things faster or easier, but that would’ve led to problems for us down the line. I couldn’t have blamed them if they didn’t take this approach because they would’ve just done what we asked them to.
We were under enormous time pressure due to COVID, but CoderPush put a team together very fast. We started literally two days after signing the contract, and the project was finished on time and within budget. I spoke to friends about this project, who were more experienced than me in the field, and they all expected the work to take twice as long. We set an ambitious schedule, and it was fulfilled.
The system is an enabler for selling classes, not the product itself, but we have commented about its innovation. Some of our customers are software programmers, and they’re the ones we’ve gotten the most praise from.
How did CoderPush perform from a project management standpoint?
CoderPush set up a really good reporting system for us, through which we can get data out of the system. We have a lot of control over the platform through the admin panel CoderPush implemented.
CoderPush worked very hard to finish this, and they were always available. We had plenty of calls and discussions on evenings and weekends. When I found a bug or issue, I told them about it, and it got fixed straight away. They gave us honest feedback on our ideas and sometimes stopped us from making certain mistakes.
I was very much kept in the loop and involved with the team. I knew exactly what was going on. They’d produce test versions for us to check, and we’d make comments on how to improve things. The communication was always very good.
CoderPush was incredibly good at adapting as we found out things during the project, and our requirements evolved. Harley and his team felt like a part of our company. Their main aim was to give us a great product. Once we signed the contract, they were really on our side.
Their team is excellent at documentation. We have a GitHub project where we can create issue tickets. They have a structured approach to creating tasks and making updates. We have several updates per week, which are usually small at this point. We also have a Skype chat group, where I can reach them for anything urgent, and I can call them.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The team takes ownership of the problem, and they try to resolve it. They come up with good ideas and communicate them well. They’re also a really happy team, and I enjoy working with them.
There’s a great work atmosphere there. The pandemic hasn’t been a very positive time for my team, but it’s been a joy to work with CoderPush. They criticize each other when needed, but it’s always done with a positive attitude. I can see that they enjoy building things, and they get enthusiastic when something works.
Are there any areas they could improve?
There are parts I would’ve designed differently, given what I know now, but that’s on us. We gave them the requirements.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Clients should trust them. I’ve come to trust them blindly now.
If they make a suggestion, it should be taken seriously. From my experience, they really try to help. Some clients may be more tech-savvy, so they’ll be talking at a different level. I wasn’t particularly tech-savvy in the beginning.
