What led Kentico to outsource its development work to ARTIN?

In the current job market, it is a challenge to recruit full-stack senior developers, and the lack of staff could have negatively impacted our product. That’s when ARTIN became the perfect fit for us. Internally, it takes us months to hire a new developer, but ARTIN can provide a professional in about a month.

After several years of working together, how would you describe the collaboration with ARTIN?

In the beginning, we invested time in setting clear expectations on both sides. Whenever there was a hitch, ARTIN responded quickly. For instance, they didn't hesitate to replace someone who wasn’t the best fit for the project. They take customer feedback seriously and proactively find the best solutions for us. What stands out is that ARTIN delivers what the client needs, every time.

Currently, we’re working with six developers from ARTIN, and we’ve also had great experiences with their QA engineers.

How do ARTIN developers integrate into Kentico’s development processes and culture?

The culture at ARTIN is very similar to ours—both companies prioritize exceptional customer care. When someone from ARTIN joins us, they learn and follow our processes really quickly. They take responsibility and look for the best way to get things done.

Unlike internal newbies, Artinians know what they need, how to ask, and what to do to get up to speed. The onboarding is a two-way process—they ask the right questions and are fully operational within two weeks. That’s much shorter than internal hires.   ARTIN supports their employees’ professional growth, and it shows. Their HR and managers frequently check in on them, making sure they’re happy and progressing in their careers. ARTIN’s flexibility is impressive too—they can find talent globally.

Can you describe the cooperation model you use with ARTIN?

ARTIN provides team members who fully blend into our teams, working side by side with our developers. They’re paid by ARTIN, have their hardware, and receive full support from ARTIN’s managers and HR. Yet, they’re completely integrated with us—they have their desks at Kentico, join us for team-building activities, and are dedicated solely to our projects.

Why does this hybrid approach work so well for Kentico?

We don’t just want an external consultant who lacks product context. It’s essential for us that they’re fully integrated into our team and understand the nuances of Kentico’s product.

ARTIN developers don’t just do their job; they bring in new ideas and offer alternative solutions when appropriate. They contribute without pushing, always respecting our choices.

Some of the ARTIN developers have been with us for years, and that says a lot. We see them as part of the team.

What kind of projects are Artinians involved in at Kentico?

Two developers are working on our Kentico SaaS platform, while another three focused on automation steps and workflow—essentially, online marketing features. Another Artinian works on content management systems. Even though they’re outsourced, they collaborate with us seamlessly.

How does working with outsourced ARTIN developers complement your in-house teams?

If you’re open to a fresh perspective, Artinians can bring in a lot of new ideas. They’ve made many small improvements that have helped us enhance the product in the long run.

How is the regular communication between Kentico and ARTIN managed?

I’m the point of contact for Kentico, and Lucie Vaculová handles things on the ARTIN side. We communicate extremely well, even having each other’s personal phone numbers. Lucie is proactive—her goal is to ensure we’re satisfied with both the people and services ARTIN provides.  When challenges arise, ARTIN’s focus is on finding solutions—not assigning blame. We don’t have to jump through hoops to prove something’s not working—they just help.

Lucie excels at this. It’s clear ARTIN wants to build long-term relationships with their clients, not just make money. We can always find a middle ground, and within 20–30 minutes, we usually reach an agreement.

We also discuss future opportunities, ensuring both sides stay up-to-date and ready to scale the cooperation as needed.

Is there any room for improvement in your cooperation?

On our side, we can utilize ARTIN senior developers more to mentor our team and share their expertise, not just develop the code. Oh, and it would be great to organize a joint social event sometime! 🙂

If you had to highlight one area where ARTIN consistently adds value, what would it be?

ARTIN delivers what we need, quickly. They find the right people in the shortest possible time, and their customer-centric approach is consistently top-notch.