Ottia Drives Handshake Finland's Continuous Expansion

Handshake Finland Oy is an import and export organization specializing in top-quality light sources and  car care products. Its objective is to expand through the acquisition of niche online stores. These online  stores are built on customized platforms, ensuring seamless operation and a smooth customer  experience.

OBJECTIVE

Handshake Finland maintains and develops all 13 online stores with a centralized development team of four people. However, the in-house development team lacked the time for automation testing, impacting customer experience and revenue. Upon discovering Ottia's convenient outsourcing service,  which seemed more appealing than recruitment or consultancy options, they decided to give it a try.

"We came across Ottia, a company that simplifies resourcing by selling development work hours. I hadn't  encountered a service quite like it, so I was initially skeptical. However, it turned out to be a very good fit  for our outsourcing needs,” says Mika Friman, CTO at Handshake Finland.

Ottia proved to be a cost-effective and user-friendly solution for Handshake Finland's automation testing  requirements, allowing for systematic maintenance and early detection of issues before they could  impact sales.  

"We opted for the 40-hour-per-month package, which is more cost-effective than hiring a traditional consultant. Buying only half a consultant's time is uncommon. Plus, with a consultant, there's a delay as  they require our input before they can begin work. This can be inefficient and costly if we don't always  have enough tasks to keep them busy,” explains Friman.

Ongoing automation testing for 13 online stores

Communication occurs via Google Chat and GitLab with Ottia's team lead, who then coordinates the tasks further. Meetings can be arranged flexibly if adjustments or enhancements to the cooperation model are necessary.

Responses always come on the same day. "If we assign a task on Monday morning, we receive time estimates the same day, and by Tuesday, we may already see completed code," says Friman.

Handshake Finland recognizes the importance of the team lead and appreciates Ottia's turn-key service, which includes quality control. With Ottia's provided correct structure, code reviews are conducted much faster.

Ottia not only conducted testing but also presented a solution for tracking issues across 13 online stores. Friman acknowledges, "We faced the challenge of systematically monitoring issues across all our stores, and react to them appropriately. Ottia made this more convenient by proposing a tool and successfully implementing the solution."

Next, the collaboration will expand. Instead of itemizing tasks, Handshake Finland will simply list the sites and entrust Ottia with more responsibility, overseeing the entire testing process. Furthermore, they will implement changes based on the needs identified during the testing phase.

RESULTS