A provider of corporate marketing automation solutions for real estate agencies in the United States.
Business Information Services
Internet & Direct Marketing Retail
CREELiT’s online platform is used by more than 17,000 real estate agents in the United States to automate their marketing activities. With its ‘web-to-print’ functionality, real estate agents can significantly reduce their marketing efforts: an agent chooses a design template directly from the dashboard for anything from a business card to a billboard, and then easily customizes it, with their own details. Subsequent printing and scheduled door-to-door shipment happens automatically and effortlessly. CREELiT allows real estate agents to focus on their core business activity. Wayne Creel, CTO and founder of CREELiT, had an ambition to grow user numbers from 17,000 to 500,000. Mr. Creel invited Computools to spearhead the necessary digital transformation, identify bottlenecks and enable growth. To meet his goals we conducted a thorough business analysis of the company’s current processes and identified both strengths to build on and weaknesses that had to be eliminated.
Non-integrated, conflicting business processes resulting in the loss of effectiveness
Slow interface response due to outdated architecture and mix of technologies
Poor user experience and interface design
Poor system and data security
Non-scalability of the system
Lack of important metric and data for building KPI and KRI
Well-known brand with strong demand and target audience loyalty
Excellent quality of printed advertisement
Deep knowledge of customers’ needs and behaviour
Well-honed logistics and delivery processes
Open and efficient two-way communication is crucial to the success of a digital transformation project. Following consultation with the client, we agreed upon a clear and unambiguous communication framework with scheduled regular face-to-face and online meetings and regular reports by email. Our communication ecosystem also incorporated a structured documents environment and client access to Computools' internal task managing platform. This made both the general project roadmap as well as specific processes transparent and clear for all parties.
We held a strategic session with the client where we described the company’s current workflow using the Business Process Mapping approach. We identified the bottlenecks and process conflicts, redundant and inefficient processes and concepts. We also highlighted well-functioning and efficient parts of the processes in order to preserve and build on them.
Our team developed and proposed a new workflow model visualized in a business workflow diagram. In the new model, we sought to eliminate the shortcomings while maintaining the successful practices of the legacy system. Our proposed model provided for improved efficiency, quality and security.
We devised a step-by-step transformation roadmap for a gradual replacement of the current system with a new one. This roadmap enabled us to commence the Digital Transformation process for CREELiT.
Once the new workflow was agreed upon, the next step was to model the whole system in operation in real life. Interactive Prototype, a Computools’ innovative tool, allowed us to visualize and experience the future digital product before creating it. We made sure that our planned system is clear, convenient to use and fit for the client’s purpose.
To build a state-of-the-art platform, we have carefully chosen a set of technologies with exceptional performance and security characteristics. Our chosen technologies were also highly efficient in terms of total cost of ownership and support.
A minimal and flexible Node.js web application framework that provides a robust set of features for web and mobile applications. Excellent performance and energy efficiency.
A front-end JavaScript framework. Developed and supported by engineers at Google, it allows to scale the team efficiently and quickly, providing engineers with a comfortable work environment in one style within the same system.
Perfect for work on the app server level and for storing user data, this database system has the ease of changing the structure and shading. Perfectly compatible with Node.js.
A powerful, open source object-relational database system with over 30 years of active development, it has earned a strong reputation for reliability, feature robustness and performance.
We created detailed specifications for tasks and processes with User Stories using the Behavior-Driven Development approach. It was based on the previously created CREELiT’s Business Process Map. At this stage we also produced a detailed and precise estimation of costs.
To make the project a success, we have chosen 11 specific, named engineers with most appropriate expertise and experience from Computools’ talent pool:
There is a lot more activity behind the scenes at Computools than meets the eye. Each kind of meeting serves its own purpose, but all of them work towards a common goal - successful Digital Transformation of the client’s business.
To support an efficient internal communication within the project team we have chosen Email for sharing reports and tasks; Skype, Zoom and Slack were perfect for addressing urgent issues, as well as for scheduling and conducting audio/video conferences. Redmine and Jira Project Management Platforms were used to for role assignment and progress control.
We followed Agile methodology to ensure delivery in time and on budget whilst maintaining flexibility to address any emerging challenges. Our project management approach was based on Scrum with 2-week sprints.
A User Experience Designer and a User Interface Designer, working in tandem, developed the Style Guide guided by the Target Audience perception of CREELiT brand. User Interface Design, based on Interactive Prototype, had to be easily understood by the users unfamiliar with the system. The team's collaboration outcome was a state-of-the-art application design.
We implemented the Continuous Integration and Delivery System and established a Version Control System Flow in the development stage. Automated Integration Testing was conducted with the help of Use Cases based on User Stories from Specification. During this process the Team Lead constantly reviewed and refactored the Code until the team achieved the point of Stable Release. This approach allowed the team to achieve stable and predictable outcome on time and on spec.
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https://github.com/computools/Dependency-InjectionWe set up server environment at CREELiT’s site, installed the application and set up accounts and roles.
We gathered all existing user data and migrated this data to the new platform.
We trained administrators of the platform and prepared an intro for new users.
Computools applied state-of-the-art technologies, innovative approach and specialist expertise to execute rapid Digital Transformation for the client. The client noted positive changes in the operation of the online platform.
«The team has rapidly improved my product extensively. We are now about to exit private beta and on board over 500,000 users. I highly recommend Computools, they have been an exceptional partner and we will definitely continue to cooperate with them for the foreseeable future.»
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