IMG is an international talent agency and production company. Softwire support a web-based loyalty system for the Consulting division of IMG, which advises corporations on marketing and sponsorship programs. This system, Decathlon, is used by companies to motivate their internal teams.
Decathlon is typically used to manage incentivisation schemes for employees, in which employees compete in job-related challenges for prizes. It can be very easily customised to reflect the branding of the company running the scheme.
Decathlon is LAMP-based (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), using the Symfony framework and the Propel object-relational mapping toolkit. Although the code and server that Softwire took on were in many places quite obscure, we were able to start providing effective support for the Decathlon system within 2 hours of the contract being agreed.
This was achieved due to the rigorous handover process put in place by Softwire. We ensured that extensive meetings took place with IMG’s previous developers prior to final contractual agreement in order to acquire a thorough understanding of the Decathlon system as quickly as possible. This meant that during initial meetings with the Decathlon system’s main end user we were able to provide on the spot estimates for the issues they raised, allowing IMG to prioritise requirements effectively.
Starting from this initial handover period, Softwire has created detailed internal documentation which is updated regularly. This documentation, together with Softwire’s extremely high staff retention rate (>90%), has minimised the time spent on developer ramp-up and hence the cost incurred by IMG.
Softwire has coped well with the fluctuating levels of support resource required by IMG and has always been able to respond to support requests in good time and within estimates. The service level agreement of 0.5 hours for critical fault diagnosis, 1 hour for a plan for resolution and 4 hours for full resolution or escalation has always been met.
As well as fixing faults, Softwire has also performed larger enhancements, adding substantial new features to the Decathlon system. IMG’s confidence in Softwire’s expertise has resulted in their asking us to oversee the migration of their websites to a new server host recommended by us. We anticipate a long and successful relationship between Softwire and IMG and look forward to helping IMG develop and improve Decathlon.
Customer testimonial
“Softwire has delivered for us from day one. They have been instrumental in delivering a robust and stable offering, which has given us the confidence to sell to our global client base. They are responsive, provide proactive service and are very cost effective. We look forward to continuing our partnership and developing our system throughout 2010 and beyond.”
Charles Jefferson, VP, IMG Consulting
