CONNECTS is an online Business Matchmaking Platform that allows entrepreneurs to initiate trustworthy business opportunities worldwide. Tiao, the company behind the platform, believes strong business relationships can only be developed through trusted networks.
CONNECTS provides access to online leads, suppliers, partnerships, skills and business communities that its users can trust. The platform is a Business and Chamber Directory, developed to support Chambers of Commerce, SMEs and start-ups. It is unique, simple, and effective for business development. The services are completely free for members of participating Chambers of Commerce.
Supporting sustainable development
To create more networking opportunities for the users of this unique platform, CONNECTS approached Future Processing with a twofold challenge.
Firstly, the company needed to migrate the platform to a newer version of the Symphony framework and PHP, to ensure secure and sustainable development of the service as the previous framework was no longer to be supported.
Secondly, it needed to extend the functionality of the platform to deliver new modules to its clients within the agreed timescale.
A new CONNECTS module
Future Processing developed the Communities module, which enables users to join online communities to connect, do business, and exchange information and ideas with other entrepreneurs. The module was based on the code of an existing functionality enhanced with additional features. In addition to development work, Future Processing helped CONNECTS automate quality testing and part of the deployment process.
“Collaboration and teamwork are words and concepts on the rise these days, buzzwords if you like. We are encouraged to work together, to share ideas, to communicate and improve our communication and that all of these are so important. I think that only when you really find a true business partner, that you can trust, you realise how valuable this type of relationship is and the kind of new opportunities it can bring. With Future Processing, we managed to build on this relationship together, to find understanding, transparency, that helped us solve all emerging issues. The key to us successfully building cooperation is that we set it on a new basis, and not just as a tool for achieving business goals. This basis was set upon support, understanding, sharing and learning from one another,” said Leila Lunguleac Bardaşuc, Head of Partnerships at CONNECTS.
Supporting business vision
Despite some initial challenges in the cooperation between Future Processing and CONNECTS’ development teams, they communicated very well on the management level. As a result, together, the teams managed to turn things around and deliver a fully functioning Communities module within the agreed timescale.
Through the cooperation, CONNECTS achieved its business goal of being able to offer its clients a new opportunity to develop relationships, cooperate and share expertise.
The new module has also proven crucial during the global pandemic, as being a part of an online business network means new business, sales, and investment possibilities for CONNECTS clients.
The platform is constantly evolving to bring its users even more opportunities to grow their contacts and businesses in new markets.
