Packaly is an on-demand delivery service that delivers parcels within 60 minutes or at the most convenient time possible. They operate in 35+ cities in multiple European countries with more than 1200+ delivery drivers. Packaly has a website and mobile application available on Google Play and App Store. What makes Packaly special is that they provide this piece completely CO2 neutral. They deliver only by bicycle and via electric cars and vans.

The inspiration to disrupt the on-demand delivery market for retailers came from the long and hard road Axel, the CEO, had to take with delivery companies during his previous companies in e-commerce.

BUSINESS CHALLENGES

“First of all, as a startup, it’s important to consider all budgets, but invest mostly in technology. Therefore, it’s been a simple but also fast choice to work with an external development team. It is hard to find talent in The Netherlands, as big tech companies have a lot more to offer right now. We started looking into different countries, which gave us the power to expand our team way faster. ”

Cultural fit

Packaly is a business with a bold set of values. They value sustainability in all their services, believe in tech that fits all and drives change, and work hard and smart to get the job done. The company has a real focus on preserving transparency, as well as their collaborative, optimistic and positive culture. Packaly is always aiming to change the world. Their initial request was not just for technical skills; it was about finding a balance between experience, personality, and cultural similarities. Good English, fast communication and trust were the factors that influenced Packaly‘s decision in extending their team to Moldova.

The assignment

The initial search was for an experienced web developer. They needed a forward-thinking individual who could develop the product while ensuring that each task is fully completed. A strong knowledge of the PHP programming language and Node.js was required.

Process

Over the course of the search, BackstageIT mapped the Moldavian market in search of the suitable candidates. The recruitment team focused their efforts on providing Packaly a shortlist of pre-screened candidates. The selection process included two-stage interviews, starting with the technical specialist and people coordinator from BackstageIT and culminating in a thorough final interview directly with Packaly.

Result

BackstageIT helped Packaly find the requested candidate, on time and on budget, for an ideal first foray into their collaboration. As a result of the success of the partnership and the quality of fit for the developer, in a short time, Packaly decided to expand their extended team with one more developer. For two and a half years of collaboration with BackstageIT, the extended team of Packaly was slowly but constantly growing. Now, the team in Moldova consists of three developers working with PHP (Laravel), Node.js and Golang. Besides, they have a project manager to better coordinate the project, and a QA Engineer to identify all the software issues on time. The diversity of the team and the power of having remote working gives Packaly flexibility and power to focus on what is needed and finish the sprints very detailed.

“The Moldavian developers are fast, highly skilled, and know what they are talking about. They got the knowledge you need in an early-stage company, but also when you are scaling up and growing your team. This is powerful to scale fast and get answers from your development team constantly.”

Axel Dekker

CEO of Packaly

FEEDBACK

Here are just a few features of our model that Packaly has appreciated over the course of our partnership to date.

Cultural fit

Packaly appreciated BackstageIT’s level of focus in providing the right fit both technically and culturally, which they saw in all candidates proposed for the interview.

Speed

In a fast-paced market, Packaly needed to hire the developers in weeks rather than months to drive forward their innovative ideas. BackstageIT’s competence to balance the quality and speed of the process was the key to a successful collaboration.

Collaboration and alignment

Packaly appreciated the constructive assessment of the candidates provided by BackstageIT. They were also pleased that BackstageIT made sure that everyone was both comfortable and engaged throughout the hiring practice, which made the onboarding process for the successful candidates run smoothly.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

We are sure that the Moldavian team will grow. Packaly frequently travels to Moldova to check on their colleagues and work some time together from BackstageIT’s office in Chisinau. This ensures team bonding and culture transfer. It also strengthens team relationships for even better performance and productivity.