Symbyte

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a car wash group. We own about 30 car wash locations in South Africa.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Symbyte?

We needed help with custom software development. Specifically, we wanted to build a custom POS system to track the time that cars take at the site and let customers know when their cars are ready.

We also needed a data analytics tool on the backend. We already had something built on no/code software, but it wasn't scaling well, so we needed external assistance.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Symbyte has built our custom POS software from scratch. To jumpstart the project, we gave them a blueprint of what we wanted.

The POS system has a few functionalities. Each of our locations has a different manager, who logs into the software. Then, they start checking in customers as they come to wash their cars. The system automatically sends a customer a WhatsApp message as they check-in. The WhatsApp message has a chatbot that links to different features, goes to our website, and contacts the regional managers and price lists.

After that, the customer comes to the frontend. It’s in a sequence. The customer checks in when they start washing the car. When it goes down, they click a button, and another WhatsApp goes out to the customer, saying their car is ready. There’s also a loyalty system, so they get a loyalty point every time they finish a car wash. A wash is free after a certain amount of points. This is the system's basic overview.

On the backend, the team has built some data analytics stuff we wanted to track, such as specific customer data and the time customers use our sites. We have them on retainer, and they constantly upgrade and maintain the software.

What is the team composition?

We have worked with around four people: Henk, one of the founders; Alexander, the co-founder and CEO; Gabby, the junior developer; and a senior developer.

How did you come to work with Symbyte?

It was difficult to decide which software companies to engage in. However, someone in my network spoke about Henk and told me about Symbyte. I reached out to them and asked if they could build something like this.

I gave them the blueprint of what I wanted, and after discussing it with them, they showed me some of the stuff they built. I decided I liked and trusted Symbyte to build it for me, so I engaged them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $56,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2024, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Symbyte has successfully delivered the project. In fact, thanks to them, we’ve put through around 300,000–400,000 clients over the last few months. There have been some bugs, but nothing massive. The team has sorted them out quite quickly. Moreover, the system has been running extremely smoothly, and we’re super happy with their work, maintenance, and support.

It's worth noting that we started off with one site, and have grown from 20 to 30 over three months. They’ve been able to scale the system with us very efficiently. Overall, it has been a great success.

How did Symbyte perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Asana to check the project's progress. We communicate through emails, Google Meet, and a WhatsApp chat group. They don't work seven days a week, but every time we've had trouble on weekends or public holidays, Symbyte has been there.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Symbyte's technical capabilities are impressive. They've been able to sort out everything we’ve asked them to do quite quickly. They've honestly been fantastic. I have been delighted with their work, especially with their availability. Their customer service has been amazing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a slight lack of communication at the beginning. There were a couple of occasions when we were unsure what the quote included and what tasks were at hand. However, they have stepped up and managed our expectations. Symbyte's communication has been excellent since then.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The initial stats are extremely important. Make sure you scope out the project with Symbyte and go through every detail you need on the system. It’s a lot easier when everything is set upfront, and all the features you want are agreed upon. This approach will be better from a project management standpoint.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Manager of KPMG

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Consulting

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Symbyte to accomplish?

Calculation time of the model was reduced from several hours to 30 seconds using Python.

SOLUTION

How did you find Symbyte?

Referral

Why did you select Symbyte over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Symbyte were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

This project was to assist a client build a hedge accounting solution in Python.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The client was very happy with our work and the project was a success.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They were easy to work with and delivered great work within the required timeframe.

What was your primary form of communication with Symbyte?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Symbyte was adapdable and able to easily meet the additional client requests that were made throughout the project.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Symbyte could have done differently?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of Turfsport

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

eGaming Software Development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Symbyte to accomplish?

• Collate data from operational databases into a customer-centric data lake

SOLUTION

How did you find Symbyte?

Referral

Why did you select Symbyte over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Intense drive to succeed

How many teammates from Symbyte were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Continuous data collation and migration from 20+ PostgreSQL operational schemas into RedShift
• Establishing of checksums and healt-checks for data parity 
• Migration and adjustment of flows with every upstream system upgrade
• Cost optimisation

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Simplicity
• Scalability
• Cost
• % coverage of operational data in RedShift 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Mostly on-time. Where necessary, sprints were extended, but always communicated and where larger delays occurred, it was raised in advance.

What was your primary form of communication with Symbyte?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

• Symbyte strove for perfection in all their work.
• Professional conduct at all times
• Attention to detail
• Excellent communication
• Pushing engineering without over-engineering

Are there any areas for improvement or something Symbyte could have done differently?

Nothing in my opinion