Estimated learn time: 13 minutes, 27 seconds
When TestDome was created, CEO and co-founder Mario Zivic knew the pre-employment testing software program firm wouldn’t have the ability to depend on home gross sales to succeed.
“As a startup with solely two or three individuals, it will be completely not possible to go worldwide with out this sort of platform.”
Since selecting FastSpring as their service provider of report supplier, TestDome has seen rather a lot — together with regular development round 30-40% per 12 months pre-pandemic, hiring market fluctuations in the previous few years, and in 2023, launching a brand new reside interviews characteristic and reassessing their take a look at questions to assist them keep forward of the AI curve (extra on that under).
Now as a profitable worldwide enterprise, TestDome has been with FastSpring by all of it, and even when different fee platforms launched intriguing new merchandise, Mario by no means noticed a very good motive to depart FastSpring.
Right here’s why.
Are you searching for a service provider of report that can associate with you to develop your online business internationally? FastSpring gives an all-in-one fee platform for SaaS, software program, and digital items companies, together with VAT and gross sales tax administration, fee localization, and shopper help. Arrange a demo or strive it out for your self.
Promoting Software program Internationally With FastSpring
Croatia is a comparatively small nation with a inhabitants of solely 4 million individuals. “We do lower than 1% of our enterprise in Croatia, so it’s not likely a giant marketplace for us,” added TestDome’s head of buyer success and gross sales Igor Novosel. Promoting internationally is essential to their enterprise mannequin.
The Croatia-based firm was began across the time Croatia joined the European Union, however the nation additionally wouldn’t begin utilizing the euro till 2023. Mario defined that “having a checking account in Croatia and explaining to somebody within the US to ship cash to Croatia was not possible.”
Plus, as a result of transactions to buy TestDome on the time have been just a few hundred {dollars}, that was typically too little for worldwide wire transfers.
As Mario additionally identified, TestDome is within the data enterprise, which may be valued in a different way in numerous nations. They needed to be out there in as many nations as potential the place their product could be extremely valued — particularly within the US, UK, Australia, and different English-speaking nations.
It was paramount for TestDome to have a associate to assist them simply scale throughout borders and take many sorts of funds from many various locations, however there weren’t many choices out there to them on the time.
“Now, Stripe affords it. Braintree affords it. Paddle affords it. There are 10 native opponents that supply a service provider of report. However 10 years in the past, there have been like zero! So for us at the moment, we have been truly fairly joyful that you simply existed — it wasn’t about selecting; it was like, ‘Nice, at the least there’s one!”
And with so many service provider of report choices out there in the marketplace immediately, why has TestDome stayed with FastSpring all these years?
Mario and Igor cite FastSpring’s complete service provider of report mannequin, our dedication to growing our product to maintain up with enterprise’s wants, and our excellent help as the reason why they’re so pleased with FastSpring.
TestDome’s Lengthy Standing Partnership With FastSpring
FastSpring appeared like the one possibility even out there to TestDome at one time, however the relationship has confirmed to be an actual partnership that has withstood the take a look at of time — and opponents.
There have been solely two cases when TestDome was tempted to have a look at different choices apart from FastSpring, and in each instances, FastSpring was the clear and simple winner.
This was bolstered by the superb service and help FastSpring has supplied all through the years, each to TestDome and to their customers.
FastSpring Help Goes All of the Technique to the High
Igor has been with TestDome for seven years and has been working with FastSpring for many of his tenure there. A lot of what he does entails buyer help, together with dealing with requests for refunds, prospects contacting them as a result of they used the mistaken bank card, and related points.
“Working with FastSpring help, these points have been very straightforward to resolve. Our prospects have been fairly pleased with the service.”
When points get extra complicated, comparable to a buyer making a refund request to TestDome whereas additionally submitting a chargeback with their card issuer, FastSpring’s help group actually steps up. “I’m fairly pleased with the cooperation and all totally different sorts of help — not solely when a buyer wants help, however when we want help,” Igor defined. “We are able to at all times depend on somebody to offer an answer to us.”
Igor stated they haven’t had any main points utilizing the FastSpring platform. The one non-minor platform difficulty he may consider in all his time at FastSpring — involving an API change — he was solely keen to explain as “non-minor,” not “main,” and it was solved comparatively rapidly.
“They’re at all times there,” Mario added. “There are at all times issues we are able to recommend to enhance, however that’s regular. That’s not one thing I can ‘complain’ about.”
In reality, fairly the other — Mario has personally skilled the dedication FastSpring group members must serving to companies that use FastSpring.
“Once we just lately had an government enterprise assessment assembly with our buyer success supervisor Gareth, your CEO David Nachman was current.”
Mario stated David stunned them with the quantity of ideas and thought he put into their interactions, past simply data associated on to FastSpring.
“After that decision, he despatched me an e mail providing his assist and recommendation, as a result of earlier than FastSpring, he had labored at an organization much like TestDome. We had a complete name the place he gave us a particularly helpful piece of recommendation. The willingness to assist and help was not restricted to Help — it went all the best way as much as the CEO.”
FastSpring vs. Stripe
When Stripe was first made out there in Croatia, TestDome seemed into it as an possibility, out of curiosity. “It’s one of the crucial widespread in Silicon Valley crowd corporations,” Mario stated.
However Stripe didn’t do every part FastSpring does.
“Then we’d have two or three further issues. And once you begin including third events, or Stripe’s personal add-ons, or no matter, then it’s not a 2% payment anymore — then it’s extra just like the FastSpring stage payment.
“After which we’d be switching for no motive, from an built-in answer with one firm to an answer cut up by three totally different service corporations, which simply makes issues extra fragile and extra dangerous for us on the identical value!”
It didn’t make sense to depart FastSpring simply because Stripe was the brand new scorching factor in the marketplace.
Are you searching for a service provider of report that can associate with you to develop your online business internationally? FastSpring gives an all-in-one fee platform for SaaS, software program, and digital items companies, together with VAT and gross sales tax administration, fee localization, and shopper help. Arrange a demo or strive it out for your self.
A Extra Fashionable Person Expertise Proper Right here
The opposite time TestDome thought of trying elsewhere for a service provider of report funds platform was after they have been their gross sales motions from a consumer expertise perspective.
Since TestDome has been with FastSpring since their early days, on the time of this UX evaluation, they have been utilizing the unique model of FastSpring, known as our Traditional platform. Whereas it affords lots of the identical nice options that adopters of our newer model know and love, it didn’t have as many trendy updates to compete with the slicker consumer interface Stripe was then promoting.
“This began making an issue for us, as a result of individuals would get confused,” Mario defined. “After they clicked the hyperlink to purchase, all of a sudden the URL modified — every part modified. We didn’t comply with the colour scheme… It was complicated.”
And since TestDome is a B2B SaaS firm, it was much more complicated to classy patrons who anticipated a smoother expertise.
So that they reached out to us — and discovered that FastSpring was operating an unpromoted beta of its new Contextual platform, a same-page pop-up checkout model of FastSpring that got here with many extra options, comparable to a customizable shopper expertise, a shopper account administration portal, and extra.
“We realized that’s what we wanted! We have been on board earlier than it was a public product, as a result of your improvement on the FastSpring aspect was just about aligned with the event of our wants and desires,” Mario stated.
“Principally, each time we’ve needed to alter one thing, FastSpring was already prepared for it.”
FastSpring’s dedication to repeatedly enhancing and upgrading its merchandise proved to TestDome that we’re a long-term associate to their enterprise.
Are you continue to utilizing the FastSpring legacy Traditional platform (Springboard)? To reap the benefits of our Contextual platform, its subscription and pricing capabilities, B2B choices, and superior reporting instruments, simply open a ticket with our help group right here: https://neighborhood.fastspring.com.
Learn how Partitions.io noticed their quarter-over-quarter income go up 11.87% when they switched to Contextual!
A Two-Means Partnership
Moreover TestDome utilizing FastSpring, we’ve additionally utilized TestDome’s app to help us with hiring for an internet improvement place. For a current open position, one in every of our inner hirers truly discovered TestDome by way of Google search as a high-quality possibility for hiring testing — earlier than realizing TestDome is likely one of the many software program companies that makes use of FastSpring for his or her on-line software program gross sales!
We utilized among the questions and solutions TestDome affords for WordPress improvement (which we validated — they have been nice), and we added our personal customized questions. We have been particularly impressed that the coding testing options permit candidates to submit code that’s scored mechanically, making the platform straightforward to make use of. The notifications and candidate administration options have been additionally very consumer pleasant.
If wanted, we hope to make use of TestDome once more sooner or later for related candidate proficiency testing.
Staying Forward of AI’s Affect on Enterprise: “Work Is About to Change”
As TestDome’s enterprise continues to develop, one other market change they’re rising with is the affect of AI on the distant testing trade.
TestDome’s main service has been pre-employment screening testing that helps hirers discover the most effective candidates for a job. Candidates full exams on-line — comparable to work-sample exams — and may be sorted based mostly on what expertise hirers are searching for.
TestDome even contains options like dishonest safety for testing, whereas permitting the choice for on-line sources to be utilized in the course of the take a look at if that’s one thing the place requires in on a regular basis work.
Nonetheless, with the rising recognition of AI providers comparable to ChatGPT, even complicated solutions about work-related situations may very well be composed by such providers, and lots of people aren’t but certain how they really feel about that.
Mario defined that at present, if a candidate is given a take a look at, pastes a query to ChatGPT, after which pastes the reply again, many could really feel like that is dishonest. Most candidates don’t wish to cheat, and they’re conscious that in the event that they get the job, they should use that data which they in any other case don’t know offhand. So candidates normally gained’t use a service like ChatGPT throughout a take a look at.
That stated, hirers should still wish to guarantee candidates produce the data or the answer themselves.
The Quick-Time period Plan
As a part of their short-term plan to remain forward of this new curve in how data is measured, TestDome is enhancing their present testing providers and rolling out a brand new product characteristic.
To enhance their present testing, they’re evaluating their present query base to know which questions are more practical and that are much less efficient, adjusting or eradicating these much less efficient choices, and highlighting to their customers which questions are “secure” to make use of in relation to ChatGPT and AI providers.
They’re additionally enhancing the present proctoring providing that’s already a part of the TestDome platform.
Moreover, TestDome is launching a service for reside interviewing as a part of a expertise take a look at, which permits hirers to work together with candidates reside by way of video or chat in the course of the evaluation.
It will permit hirers to proctor the take a look at themselves, with each a reside dialog and the testing occurring on the identical time.
Mario explains that eager to additional strengthen testing requirements now “is simply the primary response we count on from our customers, so we’re making an attempt to cowl that floor in order that they have an answer with us, whichever path they select as a primary step.
“However then there’s an extended step, about understanding how the work will change, and making a correct evaluation for that point.”
The Lengthy-Time period Plan
Although some could take into account using AI “dishonest” proper now, working in completely closed environments will not be at all times how work occurs, particularly as our entry to sources continues to develop.
“The second when these sorts of AI fashions grow to be a part of the event environments we use, comparable to in Microsoft Workplace as they just lately introduced, then it is not going to be dishonest anymore — it’ll simply be a brand new means of doing issues.”
For instance, squiggly pink strains beneath misspelled phrases in Microsoft Phrase are simply normal options of the software program product immediately, all as a result of Microsoft finally included a dictionary into the app. And that in all probability doesn’t really feel like dishonest to most individuals.
“Work is about to alter,” Mario stated. “What’s altering is the precise work from which we take a pattern, to make a take a look at, to pick out a candidate. We have to change how expertise are examined and determine new capabilities candidates have to must carry out nicely in future roles a number of years from now, when AI has been propagated to all our every day instruments.”
So apart from evaluating their present query base, TestDome can also be centered on studying learn how to create new exams based mostly on what will probably be vital on this new period of labor. “Then we are able to create exams to determine candidates which can be able to doing the work in a brand new means on a brand new stage.”
As with all future-looking know-how and data, this isn’t at all times straightforward. “Sadly, this isn’t one thing that’s crystal clear,” Mario stated. “Nobody can inform you proper now how software program developer work will look 5 years from now. It’s very a lot a guessing recreation.” He laughed. “We’re not simply making an attempt to guess — we’re making an attempt to first determine how we are going to guess. We’re one step earlier than guessing.”
However with a strategic plan in place, TestDome is in a very good place to proceed their sample of robust development, at the same time as work — and hiring — proceed to evolve.
Companion With FastSpring
FastSpring is proud to have been a key a part of TestDome’s success up to now, and we’re excited to see the place TestDome takes its enterprise into the long run as AI continues altering the character of labor.
If you happen to’re searching for a service provider of report that can assist you develop your online business internationally, we may help. FastSpring gives an all-in-one fee platform for SaaS, software program, and digital merchandise companies, together with VAT and gross sales tax administration, fee localization, and shopper help. Arrange a demo or strive it out for your self.
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Katie Stephan
Katie Stephan is the Senior Content material Strategist at FastSpring. Moreover her intensive advertising and marketing expertise, she has an MFA in inventive nonfiction writing and has served her native communities as a university writing teacher.
