Marketing manager
"The services provided by the Integral Vision team were always excellent. Their holistic approach ensured that the deliverables were arranged in the most effective way, offering a new, mobile-friendly alternative. They were communicative, punctual, and above all, knowledgeable partners."
Integral Vision provided Drupal development services, migrating a platform to an updated version. They worked on unifying the branding of several different versions and then redeveloped them in Drupal.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
Farmit is a Finnish company with an agriculture website. It’s a service platform for farmers and forest owners in the area. Our main job is updating them with the information they need to fulfill their work: news, market-price data, and advertising for machinery.
We also have an agriculture portal in Hungary, and we used to have a Russian version as well. I’ve been working for the company for the last 11 years.
We also have an agriculture portal in Hungary, and we used to have a Russian version as well. I’ve been working for the company for the last 11 years.
What challenge were you trying to address with Integral Vision?
We were migrating to a new Drupal version, and our old service team hadn’t performed as well as we hoped. We started looking for a dedicated team that could provide the level of quality we were looking for.
What was the scope of their involvement?
"We had three portals that needed updating to the latest version of Drupal at the time. The work involved migrating the data from another database and conducting a brand renewal for the Finnish service. We had a different brand on the market in Hungary, so we wanted to unify it.
The project involved the branding process, then a development process for the new site. They then migrated the user data and website content and redeveloped all our services based on Drupal. The aim was to redo the whole site, while keeping all user data and the content that we’d published over the years.
When we wanted to develop something new, we let Integral Vision get into it, understand our needs, and come up with ideas. The results they came up with were really exceptional.
"
The project involved the branding process, then a development process for the new site. They then migrated the user data and website content and redeveloped all our services based on Drupal. The aim was to redo the whole site, while keeping all user data and the content that we’d published over the years.
When we wanted to develop something new, we let Integral Vision get into it, understand our needs, and come up with ideas. The results they came up with were really exceptional.
"
Team composition/dynamic team?
We’ve worked with quite a few of their resources over the years, but we always had one Drupal team at our disposal. Their managing director was our primary contact, but they also had an account manager for us and 4–5 professionals under her, depending on the task. They also had a graphic designer during the branding process, and UI/UX designers for small interface components on the site. It was extremely handy that the same developers are still working in the company, and we’ve had only two account managers over the last six years.
How did you come to work with Integral Vision?
"I’d been working for them for some time, so when I raised the idea that we should move away from our old system, they were an option. We also looked at many other companies, including a large international firm that we found had too many different clients.
In the end, Integral Vision had the most diverse client structure, with both international and Hungarian customers, none of which were too large. It seemed safe to move to them because of that. They also had really interesting projects in their international lane."
In the end, Integral Vision had the most diverse client structure, with both international and Hungarian customers, none of which were too large. It seemed safe to move to them because of that. They also had really interesting projects in their international lane."
How much have you invested in them?
The total cost over the years has been at least $100,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked with them on the site from August 2013–April 2014. They’ve updated our site regularly since then, and we’ve developed some smaller items with them.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
"The whole user experience is completely different now. Our approach to the website had been more-or-less technical, but Integral Vision brought in a new point of view; a user experience that hadn’t been considered previously.
Their biggest contribution was in determining how our services should be accessed, and how we approached this whole question. It was a completely new field for us, and it changed our organization as well. We became mobile-first, adopting the notion that information should be easily-accessible for users. This is something that they’re really an expert in."
Their biggest contribution was in determining how our services should be accessed, and how we approached this whole question. It was a completely new field for us, and it changed our organization as well. We became mobile-first, adopting the notion that information should be easily-accessible for users. This is something that they’re really an expert in."
How did Integral Vision perform from a project management standpoint?
"We had constant communication with their team, mainly through their account manager. They used an online platform to follow tickets and tasks, whether those were one-off items, site updates, or new developments. We also had a demo—usually a videoconference—every second week, where they showed us everything they’d done, and where we could also discuss our plans. It’s a nice way of working together, and it’s quite fluid, with the developers always accessible. We communicate via email between those demos.
They’re always punctual with their estimates and delivered what we wanted; it was never difficult for them to handle anything more than we asked for. All in all, I’ve been really satisfied with them and I always enjoyed working with them—they were the first company where I encountered a two-week agile method. It’s great to have an account manager who knows the technical details, and through whom we can approach the whole company through them."
They’re always punctual with their estimates and delivered what we wanted; it was never difficult for them to handle anything more than we asked for. All in all, I’ve been really satisfied with them and I always enjoyed working with them—they were the first company where I encountered a two-week agile method. It’s great to have an account manager who knows the technical details, and through whom we can approach the whole company through them."
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re able to retain team members because of their company culture. We’ve spoken with their managing director a lot and on occasion, the Finnish team flew over. We had a chance to really talk, not only about the work itself, but about business. They have real trust between their management and employees, and everybody delivers as a result. Their whole operating culture works brilliantly, including the account managers; the projects we bring to them feel like their own.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They have to break through in international work, and I believe they deserve to. Their developers are in their element working on interesting projects, and they can tackle bigger things than what the average Hungarian client can bring them. They speak English and they have the desire to work on international projects. They’re really good at finding solutions for things that haven’t been done before. Opening up more would bring advantages to their existing clients as well.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Integral Vision isn’t really a company to use for isolated tasks. Their results get better when they’re able to become more involved with the customer’s mindset and projects.
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