Clients
Testimonials
- Starlit excels at getting projects off the ground. They take full accountability for the work and I can always count on them to deliver. They are experts at all aspects of the software development cycle.
- They have a wonderful ability to see the big picture and mitigate risk by forecasting potential problems earlier in the lifecycle of the initiative.
- They were very helpful in assisting our software development planning process and were adept at highlighting how some of our potential choices would impact our overall business strategy.
- When called upon to provide candidates for new projects, Starlit located and presented candidates with excellent credentials that were well matched to the project needs.
- I'd recommend them to anyone looking for reliable resources who can deliver results.
- I was always able to count on their technical abilities. They work hard and, more importantly, work smart. I could count on their assignments being completed without issue.
- I've used several contractors from Starlit over the past several years. I have found them to be strong developers.
- They had a unique combination of incredible technical ability combined with good business sense and communication skills. This project was a resounding success in the company.
Case Studies
Problem
Our client was a large, global corporation that provides diagnostic testing and technology products to veterinarians. They needed a Customer Relationship Management system capable of integrating their many lines of business across all customer-facing interactions. Customer service representatives had to learn 6 different, complex systems just to handle inbound phone calls for this business. The sales team had a fragmented view of the customer and would often arrive for a sales call only to be surprised by issues they should have known about in advance.
Causality
Our client researched many of the off-the-shelf CRM tools, but determined that none of these were well-suited to their unique business processes. In addition, they had sophisticated integration requirements for this system. It would have to work with several lab systems, SAP, an existing customer service module and their phone system. They decided to consider the strategic investment of building a custom solution that was designed to meet their specific business demands.
Solution
Starlit Software designed and implemented a Proof of Concept (POC) application to demonstrate the value of developing this custom, world-class CRM application. We delivered the POC in 6 weeks, including the user interface concept design and integration with 8 different back-end systems and the phone system. The POC was a quick win for the stakeholders and clearly demonstrated that we could succeed in implementing the custom CRM.
Starlit was retained to lead the design and development of the full system. We developed the application using a service-oriented back-end, Oracle middleware and a rich Java front-end. We also included a mobile web application that provided sales staff access to the system on the road. Our agile development approach allowed us to provide both the team leadership and development resources that were required to make this project a success.
Return
The custom CRM system has delivered tremendous results for our client. Training time for new customer service representatives has been reduced from 6 weeks to just 1 week, which resulted in substantial savings in a call center with high rates of staff turnover. In addition, the solution reduced average call handle time for lab request calls from 5 minutes to 15 seconds while also improving efficiency and accuracy of all inbound call handling. The global sales force has also leveraged the system to enhance their sales process, learn more about their customers, and improve their close ratios.
At this time, nearly 2,000 employees use this Starlit Solution to do their jobs better and more enjoyably.Problem
Our client was a startup in the petcare industry. Industry insiders launched this venture to integrate rich editorial content, commerce and community in a website and catalog business specifically designed for animal lovers. The startup team contacted Starlit Software to access the team’s technology expertise. They needed Starlit to help refine the vision, set the strategy and execute on the technology plan.
Causality
The founders had deep business and industry experience, but lacked the technology skills required to develop a robust business plan, build an ecommerce site and launch this venture.
Solution
Starlit Software completed a detailed competitive analysis and studied similar business models from different industries in order to develop a strategy for the new site. We looked at hundreds of websites to refine our recommendations and prioritize functionality and features for this site. Starlit was retained as “Acting CTO” to provide technical leadership, oversee the development of the site and build the company’s technical team. We selected an ecommerce vendor, negotiated the licensing and software development deals and directed the creation of the site. We also set up data integration with the fulfillment center and set up the phone systems, office network, and servers.
Return
We created a beautiful and functional site that incorporated many social and community aspects with robust ecommerce functionality. The site utilized a sophisticated pet selection tool that created lifecycle promotion opportunities for the company. In addition, we built a relevance engine to thoughtfully integrate product recommendations into site content. Under our direction, the development was completed on time and under budget and our client was left with a scalable technology infrastructure and in-house technical team. The site was used to attract $4 million in funding for this startup venture and eventually the business was sold to a strategic buyer.Problem
Our client was a company that specializes in delivering custom, integrated communication services to its customers. The client’s business was heavily dependent on custom software development to manage sophisticated processing and data integration with its many customers. This custom software development was expensive, and the long integration period was restraining company growth and alienating new customers.
Causality
The company was in the middle of a growth spurt. It had grown from 5 to 50 staff in a short period of time. The in-house technology team was using the same development platform and processes but could not keep up with the demand for new customers. The company was operating with a 9-12 month backlog in integrating new customers. The sales team was frustrated that they could not accurately communicate the real lead times to new customers.
Solution
We analyzed the business requirements and provided a comprehensive plan to improve the development process. We recommended changes to both processes and staffing and highlighted the ongoing morale problem as a key concern. We designed a new platform to fundamentally change the customer integration process and reduce the development time required for each new customer.
Return
The company made a few strategic hires to implement our recommendations. A new General Manager and a new Development Manager were hired to address the morale issues and make sure the development team was focused on the right goals and delivering results for customers. The backlog in new customer integrations was quickly reduced to 3 months. The lead developer was tasked with building the strategic platform to facilitate faster customer setup. Employee morale has improved and new customers are no longer subjected to long and unpredictable integration lead times. The sales team can now give realistic estimates and the relationship between sales and technology team is much more productive.