Proprietary custom software replaces costly vendors and manual processes

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Client Review

Background

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of operations for a travel management company. We specialize in finding lodging for members of hardhat industries—like construction crews and oilfield workers.

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Opportunity / Challenge

What challenge were you trying to address with Praxent?

In addition to belonging to a niche market, our company is in a unique position because the majority of our reservations don’t go as planned. We needed a flexible reservation system that could handle everything booking to billing while being receptive to last-minute changes and variations.

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Solution

What was the scope of their involvement?

Praxent developed a booking platform from scratch. The website allows permissions for not only our employees but our clients and vendor partners, so they can access the site to manage reservations. It’s a dynamic platform that provides CRM, account management, and a billing system, all in one.

They utilized Python, Flask, and SQL Alchemy on the backend. Other technologies they used included Heroku, AWS, and PostgrSWL.

What is the team composition?

We initially interfaced with a project manager who managed a team. There were quite a few working on the platform at any given time, but as we became more fluid in our communication, we eventually worked primarily with one developer and a QA analyst.

How did you come to work with Praxent?

We were working for a local provider, because we anticipated that it would be a very interactive project. Our initial impressions of their website and their professional presentation had a large impact on our decision to work with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first started working with them in July of 2017, and we’re wrapping up the project soon.

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Results & Feedback

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

We’re now able to run a much leaner team because the platform has automated many of our administrative processes. While we don’t have hard numbers at hand, the amount of user errors that people experience has been drastically reduced.

How did Praxent perform from a project management standpoint?

We somewhat struggled with the communication in the beginning, and after working together for some time, both of our teams realized that our collaboration was lacking. We then implemented in-person meetings, which significantly improved our engagement.

After everyone was on the same page, we were able to increase velocity and reduce the number of team members on their end. Their methods of communication and use of project management tools, like JIRA, were very streamlined. We’ve taken note of their communication processes and successfully implemented them in our own team, which was a major takeaway.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We stood to learn a lot from them, beyond the product that we were paying for. How their company is structured—and in particular, their sense of community—was imbued with positivity. They were well-organized and well-spoken. Interacting with such a company really made for a positive engagement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would encourage them to improve their onboarding processing for new clients. They could work to achieve effective communication before jumping into the logistical or technical side of the project. They should ensure that the project manager they choose is a good fit, both in terms of personality and communication, for that specific customer.

I’d also urge them to properly introduce JIRA to their clients. While Praxent might be used to the tool, a newcomer might not be familiar with it. It was a big learning curve for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d encourage prospective clients to gain an extremely clear understanding of the project at hand. Don’t be afraid to ask questions along the way. If you’re a prospective client, make sure to do some research and get caught up on some of the language that you’ll be using.