Raccoon Gang

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a technical assistance advisor for Opportunity EduFinance, a small NGO based in Chicago and operating in 27 countries. Our focus is on linking education with finances, so we try to engage with a broader sector to convince them to lend to schools and improve the education quality of developing countries.

What challenge were you trying to address with Raccoon Gang?

One of our programs includes staff training. Before COVID-19, we did in-person staff training, but with the mobility restrictions and the quarantine that the pandemic brought, we had to think of a way to digitalize our training. Thus, we needed to create a platform that allowed us to track metrics, measure participation, create different training dynamics, and integrate the financial institution we would be onboarding.

In my role, I act as project manager of these initiatives. However, given that I didn’t have technical experience developing these types of platforms, I decided to look for a partner.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Raccoon Gang helped us design and build an LMS for our staff training program. We used an open-source framework to build our platform called Open edX, which they customized for us according to our needs. Additionally, they used Azure as the database system. As per our requirement, they also helped us translate the platform into six languages, including Bahasa and Hindi.

Along the way, we realized that a lot of people in remote areas also needed our platform, so Raccoon Gang built an offline resource within it. Additionally, they developed a mobile app version of the platform for iOS and Android devices.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with a project manager from Raccoon Gang. Still, there were IT, mobile app development, and content development teams working behind this person.

How did you come to work with Raccoon Gang?

When we were scoping the project, we were undecided between two different frameworks to build the platform — Moodle and Open edX. Ultimately, we decided to go with Open edX to lower the cost, but we needed someone to help us customize our platform using that framework. Looking into Open edX’s website, we found Raccoon Gang.

Still, I interviewed 2–3 other Open edX partners, but I was impressed by Raccoon Gang’s level of experience and the simplicity with which they explained everything to me. When I was discussing my idea with their CEO, he asked me very crucial questions regarding aspects I hadn’t considered, which made me realize that they had great knowledge of what they were offering. Thus, we got on this journey together.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $10,000 on developing the platform. Now, we pay Raccoon Gang a $3,000 yearly agreement for ongoing assistance.

What is the status of this engagement?

We hired Raccoon Gang in March 2020, and they finished the web platform in August 2020. After that, we started the mobile app development project in January 2021, and we finished it in April 2021. However, they still provide ongoing support.

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

The platform that Raccoon Gang developed is very easy to use, and people without connectivity can still use it, although they need wifi to download the content first. Given that this platform has helped us deliver our training more efficiently, we’ve ended up reducing our delivery cost.

How did Raccoon Gang perform from a project management standpoint?

During development, we requested a lot of changes, and Raccoon Gang was very accommodating — we really liked their flexibility. They sent us monthly reports on the progress, and we always knew what they were doing. Whenever we had problems, we could reach out to them, and they sorted them quickly.

The project manager coordinated with her team and managed the entire communication, which was great because nothing got lost in translation. For example, if we needed to talk about something we found during testing, we would hop on a call with the communication manager, and she would invite the person that had designed that part of the platform. This way, we could ask any question directly to this person, and the project manager would still be aware of what was going on.

The feedback process that Raccoon Gang implemented throughout the project was excellent; they truly cared about our needs. We had a shared Slack channel where we would check in on the project’s status, get reports, and provide feedback. Still, whenever we needed a more formal way to communicate, we used email.

Up until now, Raccoon Gang’s response time has been impressive. We’re in their most basic support contract, but they still answer in less than 24 hours. Whenever they can’t solve a problem within those 24 hours, they still communicate very quickly and let us know how much it will take.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Raccoon Gang went above and beyond the line of duty to provide us with an excellent product. For example, we wanted to have the database in AWS, but we then made the strategic decision to use Azure instead. The change wasn’t part of the scope, but they were more than happy to do it. Additionally, I really liked their promptness in solving problems. If I ever need to coordinate another technology project like this one, I would definitely hire them again.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any constructive feedback for them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Senior Sales Engineer for Flybits and oversee our training academy program.

For what projects/services did your company hire Raccoon Gang?

Our company required a solution for an online training program. Raccoon Gang provided a hosted openEDX solution and provided detailed and attentive consulting and customer service continuously

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Through a recommendation of a consulting group we were working with to build out our training academy

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

Raccoon Gang full manages our openEDX solution in the cloud. They provide stellar customer service and have great response times to our questions about openEDX. They have helpful videos that help explain aspects of how to use the openEDX solution. They helped us understand best practices of using the framework and were always positive and quick with there support.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

IT team and he customer / client success team.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Clear communication, quick response, helpful videos and detailed instructions, RG not only helped implement the solution we need, but were very helpful with training us on how to use the solution.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective, we primarily communicated over email, we had a time zone difference as we are located in Canada, but I always had a response waiting for me the next morning if not within the same working day

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

Their customer service was stellar, and they were always friendly. always had a solution or a fix, and were often willing to implement a fix or solution on our behalf in quick order. Highly recommend working with RG just for there customer service alone

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

No they are great!