Big Drop

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Located in Bakersfield, California, Synergy Lifestyle Center offers physician-supervised treatments for medical weight loss, body shaping, medical aesthetics, addiction care and age management.

What is your position?

I am the president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Big Drop?

We needed to redesign our website. The previous one had been built on a limited budget. After sitting through a presentation about the importance of websites at a medical conference, I realized that everything they recommended was lacking in my site. I would obviously need to invest more resources to bring it up to speed.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of Big Drop’s involvement in greater detail.

They did two things for me. They designed my website using WordPress and, because of problems with loading time, offered me their hosting services. The development process was hands-off from my point of view. I had a certain amount of input, but for the most part, they ran the show. My previous website took about two or three years to make because, whenever I put the project to the side, the developer stopped working on it and just waited around for my input. With Big Drop, if a week went by without my feedback, they would remind me that I needed to respond. I’m a physician and have limited time, so this kind of reminder was very important for me.

How did you come to work with Big Drop?

I researched a number of companies, with the idea that a high ranking on Google is an indication of competency. I looked at the portfolios of three different web design companies and contacted all three for quotes. Big Drop’s portfolio stood out from the others. Their work looked and felt very modern—it had a “wow” factor. This is what ultimately led me to choose them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I’ve spent somewhere between $10,000 and $15,000 working with Big Drop.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2014, and the website was completed in May of the next year. At the moment, they provide hosting services for us, but we’re not actively working on anything.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or other feedback from their work?

I’m very proud of the website and have received a lot of positive comments from potential customers. It’s also responsive on mobile environments. We haven’t been tracking the results closely, so I don’t have any specific metrics.

What distinguishes Big Drop from other providers?

The results speak for themselves. They delivered an amazing website. Big Drop was head and shoulders above the competition.

Is there anything Big Drop could have improved or done differently?

I would have liked the SEO part of their services to be more integrated. They worked on the basics, so every page has a search engine friendly title, but the backend portion of the Wordpress platform wasn’t really optimized. I myself don’t know how to make it more SEO-friendly, but I know that it’s a long process. I really didn’t expect that to be part of the web design process, but Big Drop could have done a bit more with SEO. They did, however, optimize the site better than my previous one.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We offer a networking hub dedicated to the hospitality and entertainment industries. We connect businesses to their customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Big Drop?

We wanted to ensure that the service we provide was well covered technologically. We needed a company that could provide this for us.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They designed and developed our website.

How did you come to work with Big Drop?

We searched Google for web development companies. Big Drop was one of the results.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total cost was more than $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2014. The website was launched in August 2015. We're not working with them at this point, but will consider them if there is a need.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We haven't gotten our business up to a point that could provide us measurable statistics. We are still in development. I am definitely happy with the experience. The finished website is in tune with our vision. Big Drop did a great job.

What distinguishes Big Drop from other providers?

Big Drop has a very strong development team. They've been communicative and made the actual development process very pleasant.

Is there anything Big Drop could have improved or done differently?

The design process took a bit longer than we'd hoped. I would have managed that process better. Everything else was very good.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a construction company in New Jersey. We offer construction management services for various clients throughout the state.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Big Drop?

We needed a developer for our website.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They developed our WordPress website.

How did you come to work with Big Drop?

We hired Big Drop following online research for WordPress developers. They came up as the first result by Googling "WordPress website developers." I figured that, if their site can come up first in Google, they can do a good job for me. They had very good reviews online, I checked their work, and we were satisfied.

They're located in New York, which is not too far from us. We called them and met face to face at their office. We hit it off and authorized them to proceed.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them a year ago [2015]. Our website should go live this week.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I'm very satisfied with the final product. Big Drop was able to incorporate everything we wanted into the website. Many of the companies that we interviewed at the same price point were either working with templates, or hybrids, featuring a custom home page and interior pages made from templates. Big Drop went above and beyond by giving us a full, custom website. This added a lot of value to the company, which is one of the reasons we chose them.

What distinguishes Big Drop from other providers?

I've worked on building a site many years ago with another company. The experience was unpleasant. The developers are not mind readers, so they won't know what you expect. We would communicate what we wanted, and they would put that on paper, so to speak.

The most unique and enjoyable thing I found working with Big Drop is a platform that they provide for working on revisions. They will create a mockup of each page, upon which you can circle elements and add bullet points, showing them exactly what you want changed. Even if you are halfway around the world, it would still work. This helped us with the design and sped things up considerably.

Is there anything Big Drop could have improved or done differently?

Not that I can think of. Big Drop was significantly better than the web developers I used in the past. It was a breath of fresh air and a joy to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

SEVVA Home is an online home luxuries store based in Princeton, New Jersey.

What is your position?

I'm the managing director of SEVVA.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Big Drop?

We were looking for a company that could capture the essence of what we provide in terms of website design, from aesthetics to functionality. It needed to be very elegant, sophisticated and represent the brand well.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They worked exclusively on our website's design.

How did you come to work with Big Drop?

We found Big Drop through online research. There were many choices which we eventually narrowed down to five, then three candidates. We looked through all the information that we could find, consulted with our more IT-versed team members and those with different expertise, that could look at the company differently. Big Drop received good comments, and their proximity was also a factor, being based in New Jersey. We gave them a call, they responded quickly, and the first impression was very good.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total cost for the website construction was around $18,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2014, around April. The website was launched at the end of that year. They host the site, and we still work with them occasionally on other matters. They're always helpful when we come to them with a problem.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Big Drop’s design skills are excellent. The website holds up even two years later. They perfectly understood what we were trying to achieve, and this has helped our business. The site looks very elegant and simple. Even if a visitor doesn't buy anything, or if the site looks a certain way, they will spend more time on it, and this is what we were hoping for.

What distinguishes Big Drop from other providers?

When partnering with someone, they look to create a long-term relationship. They are very responsive, which is unusual in present days. Getting a quick response can be a surprise, even if it's a single line. Sometimes we end up talking in the middle of the night. Communication, responsiveness and attitude make a big difference when addressing a problem.

We used to host the site with a larger company, but chose Big Drop because we saw them as a small business looking to build long-term relationships. In my experience, this is unique about them.

Is there anything Big Drop could have improved or done differently?

The shipping integration of the site could have been done more efficiently. They have to deal with a third-party vendor that implements those applications, which resulted in problems with the automatic linking with UPS for displaying shipping fees. They were great in working around the clock to help us with this. Looking back though, I do wish they'd have done a bit more research on this feature.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We do technology consulting, software implementations mostly.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m a director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Big Drop?

We had a basic website, and we interviewed several of New York Web design firms, Big Drop being one of those. We needed our partner to take our generic site and make it into something really spectacular and sophisticated.

We do business with a lot of high-profile clients, so we needed something that looked more sophisticated and intelligent. We also wanted to move to the responsive design framework. We wanted video elements, we’re going to have a lot of content on the site, and so we needed someone to take us to that next level.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Website design and development, training, consulting, support. They have done a little bit of everything for us. We ended up turning all of our support to them after we saw what they were capable of. We continue to collaborate on development work. I see changes and new things that I want all the time.

What was your process for selecting Big Drop with which to work?

Web research and personal references were the main factors. We do business with a lot of folks in New York, and some of them have done business with Big Drop. We had a couple interviews upfront, and conversations with them.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

Less than million dollars for sure, although who knows what we’ll be spending after all is said and done. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

The relationship is ongoing, but we are happy with the deliverables so far.

Are you satisfied with their performance?

I am 100 percent satisfied with their performance. Their people were absolutely amazing to work with and still are. They took exactly what we wanted and made it into something really nice. We’ve had lots of compliments from our customers on the new website. It’s been a great experience working with them.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

Initially, we needed a very quick turnaround. Within two months, I wanted a brand new site, with a new responsive design, and then a new design on top of that to contrast from the original design.

In that two-month period, they delivered on time and within budget. Throughout the project, even though I wanted to rush it and just throw money at the situation, they were very methodical and very serious about their work. In the end, I was glad they took the time they needed.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I think it’s really the people that are unique. They are really an exceptional group of folks to work with.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. Which is rare because usually I can pick out something.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization, and your role and responsibilities.

We're a real estate brokerage, and I'm the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Big Drop?

We needed to build a self-sustained infrastructure where people can submit financial information and then receive advice and information in return.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Big Drop provided services from A to Z. Design through development. They mainly focused on development and coding.

What was your process for selecting Big Drop with which to work?

Referrals from friends and family and Internet research.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

I don't know how many hours they put into it. I imagine a lot.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Are you satisfied with their work? Was the project successful?

The project is not fully completed yet, but it's mostly done. I'm very satisfied.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I don't have any results yet. I'm not up and running yet.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes Big Drop stand out, compared to other companies?

Big Drop is very accessible. They are very eager to please, and the result is very professional. Their work always exceeds my expectations. Always. I give them an unqualified recommendation.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Not really. It's my first experience with respect to development. I haven’t had any experience apart from them. I am pleased with all the service provided to me so far. I can't think of anything to change.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization and your role and responsibilities.

I work with the parent company to our largest career site. We also own other sites that cater to the technology industry, along with other industries that span between health care, hospitality, and financial services.

I am the senior manager of facilities administration. I've been working with the company for about 15 years, and I've played a lot of roles. I work directly with our CEO to support him and the functionality of the corporate office. I also oversee the administration of our global service with our different facilities and locations.

We've grown primarily through acquisition during the last few years. We have these fully functional businesses that we have needed to integrate into our group and offer the same services. I've started to coordinate global services so we can leverage the high volume of traffic our sites receive.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Big Drop?

As the holding company brand, we have struggled with keeping the focus on all of our individual brands, because that’s where the revenue streams originate. Although we're a public company, we're primarily held through institutions; we don’t have a lot of retail investors. In the past, we weren't trying to invest a lot of money into our corporate site when it was a basic investor relations site. Its purpose was to explain to our institutional investors who we are and keep all of our SEC [United States Securities and Exchange Commission] information current.

As we've grown, we try to compete with the big social networks and career sites, and we want to define who we are as a corporate entity. We decided it was time to upgrade our corporate identity and our website to help define who we are. We had an internal team that was comprised of myself, who's been around for a long time, and our VP of IR [investor relations] and PR [public relations], and that team as well as people from our marketing and editorial teams. We had a good group of creative people and people who are familiar with our content to help re-identify ourselves.

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Big Drop with which to work?

We build websites, but we didn’t want to redirect any of our internal resources to this big project of redefining ourselves and building a website. We decided to look elsewhere. We didn’t want to sink a lot of money into it because we thought we had some creativity here. We could do a lot of this ourselves, but we need somebody to help move the process along who has a keen eye and keen development resources.

We started scouting small firms. We didn’t want a big agency because we didn’t want it to be a long, overdrawn process. We were looking for a little agency that could give us their undivided attention and give us a good hands-on approach.

We found Big Drop online and I called them up. I liked my initial conversation with them. When they came in to present, they brought some good ideas to the original meeting. We liked that they were scrappy and that they had a lot of resolve. They brought a lot of good ideas, and we liked their aesthetic and the way that they communicated information with a lot of the examples they showed online with other design and development projects. They didn’t cost as much as the bigger agencies did. We decided to give them the project, and they were excited to work with us.

We started working together and had a tight timeline. For them, we were a fairly high-maintenance client because we had high expectations and objectives. We needed to find a way to redefine who we were and communicate who we were in a new, clean aesthetic. They helped us to do that. It was a great collaboration between their ideas and our ideas.

I wouldn’t say that they came up with some of the ideas, but they helped us get to the ideas. That was very valuable.

Please describe the scope of their work.

Their work was mostly the design aspect. Their project manager on the design side was great. She had a keen idea of what worked and what didn’t. We wanted a very sparse, minimal, specific way of delivering our content. She was great about articulating what worked and what didn’t work. We had our own ideas, too, and she was helpful in the process of sorting through those ideas.

When it came to the development, we were happy to let them develop it, too. However, the investor relations vendor that we chose gave us a good deal in terms of developing it because they were going to be hosting it too. We decided to go with them because we knew their infrastructure could support the site. Big Drop just did the design for us.

When did the site launch?

We launched in September of 2014.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The project lasted about five months. I put about 20 percent of my time into it. It's hard to know how many hours they put into it. It was a sizable project. It was a big investor relations and corporate site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Are you satisfied with the project?

Absolutely. We're very satisfied. We felt like we had a lot of success with Big Drop. The combination of the attention they gave us, the product that they achieved, and the price that they charged us was very reasonable compared to the other bids that we got. We're very happy with it. Throughout the organization, people are very impressed with the results.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

No.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

We had a unique situation, because it wasn’t just about designing a new website for us. Their team has great ideas and a good eye, but it wasn't just about designing a website. It was about finding our voice, setting ourselves apart from other corporate websites, and defining ourselves as a single brand rather than as multiple brands because we own a dozen different websites that cater to different industries.

That was a unique challenge, and we didn’t quite know how we wanted to relay that. Big Drop was willing to work with us on that. At first, we had some trouble with the right team. To design a website is a creative, collaborative, and iterative process. You need to have the right personalities and the right team working on it. They gave us the A team but, for whatever reason, we weren’t communicating. I don’t think we were hearing each other.

The owner stepped in and changed the team. The new team that he gave us, the project manager and the designer, were the right fit for us. Once we got the right team, we soared. I appreciated they he didn’t keep pushing it. He made the right adjustments and fine-tuned it. From there, we could really dive in. I appreciated his sensitivity in offering that.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

It would have been easier for us at the beginning if internally, we had a better idea of what we wanted to say. The things we were communicating to Big Drop were hard for them to interpret because they didn’t have the history that we had together. It was hard for them to filter that through because it was all fresh. We knew they would bring a new, fresh perspective, but it didn't have the back story to it. It didn’t quite define us in the way that we wanted to at first.

If we had to do it again, we would have probably had a better starting point. Looking back, we eventually got there, and they definitely helped us get there.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a consulting firm based in Silicon Valley, and we provide intellectual property advice to companies, we do valuation and strategy work around their intellectual property and innovation.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the founder. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Big Drop?

Our goal was to upgrade an older website that was built three years before we did the project with Big Drop. We wanted to get a more current look and feel to the website, easier navigation, and include more access to media and content that would be more user friendly, as opposed to what we had before.

More people are finding us online now, so we wanted to have a good landing spot for people to see the kind of content we generate and get an impression of our services. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We did all the copywriting ourselves. It’s very customized language because we deal with lawyers, patents, and legal issues. The copy is not something I would expect them to be able to generate. So, it was more design and coding. They did a little bit of the SEO [search engine optimization] work for us and some smaller digital marketing aspects.

What was your process for selecting Big Drop with which to work?

We just looked online and did research. We found a few companies and interviewed them. We really liked the look and feel of the website we saw and liked their work. The price was right, so we signed up with them.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was a two- to three-month process. We are a referral source for them in the Silicon Valley area, so that kind of factors in the price. The price is confidential.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Are you satisfied with their performance?

We’re very happy. We accomplished all the goals that we wanted to accomplish with that process, so we’re happy about that.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

We’re getting great feedback. People have asked to be referred to them after looking at our website. It’s much easier to navigate. I don’t really have any statistics that would be helpful. The goal for me was more to be able to have a place where we can share content with potential clients more easily.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

They’re very agile. Their turnaround time is great, and they are accessible all the time. We got a much higher number of iterations than you normally get with Web design firms. They get things done, and that’s the most important trait.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. I think everything worked fine. Even though we worked together during a growth period for them, we still got the attention we needed and everything was done, so it’s all good.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We’re a merchant services company. We provide the ability for business to accept credit cards as a form of payment.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the CEO. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Big Drop?

We needed to redesign our whole website. We had an outdated one that didn’t work correctly, so we contracted Garry [Kanfer, president at Big Drop] and his team to just redesign our site, make it more functional, make it mobile friendly, or cross-platform friendly. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

In addition to the website design work, they also provided us with a very cool interface where we can login and speak with the developer on the team. We can update and comment on the production of the site.

What was your process for selecting Big Drop with which to work?

We shopped around and examined a few firms, and obviously price is a factor but it’s not the only factor. Judging from the experience and our conversations with a few other companies, I think Big Drop was the best. They had the most knowledge. I think we made the right decision when we went with them.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

I have no idea. I don’t think it was too complex of a project, because we have only an information site. The functionality is very limited, but they did a good job. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

Everyone who saw it said we have a really nice site, so I guess that’s good. We don’t do too much online advertising because we’re a small business. We revamped the site just for credibility, so when someone does look at us, it looks modern and nice. So, we weren’t really expecting revenue or leads directly from the site.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I don’t work with too many Web developers, so I don’t know if they’re unique. They were great, they helped me, they were very responsive, so I guess it’s really good.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I really don’t know, because my project was so simple. We had some design hiccups, but they make the proper changes in a timely fashion. We were satisfied with them.

BACKGROUND

Could you provide a brief description of your company and your role?

We’re about to launch captainlights.com. Captain Lights is a Facebook marketing and training company. We started off on Facebook, giving tips and techniques on how to profit from a Facebook page and best practice tips. With our Facebook page, in no time, we got about 300,000 followers. That’s when I decided to register it as a company and try to create a website. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What is your goal for the work with Big Drop?

Big Drop is doing my website for Captain Lights. We’ve created four products. I actually asked them to do the designs only for my website initially. They did a very good job. I wasn’t too happy with my programmer, so I eventually gave that job to Big Drop also. So, right now, they’re in the process of doing the programming and the shopping carts that I need for my website. It is great that they can do the design and development so I have the full solution with one vendor.

SOLUTION

Can you describe their scope of work in more detail?

They designed my whole website with many pages. I have many products that need to be portrayed correctly. I need all the products to be showing on one page. The call to action button had problems and didn’t fit on the same Web page. With the Big Drop design, they actually made it in a way that all my call to action buttons are available on the first page, which is what I was looking for. They did a good job with that concept. That’s why I decided to give them more work.

I also have an application that they’re working on. I’m still waiting for a quote from them. But right now, they’re definitely going full force with the programming and development of captainlights.com.

How did you select Big Drop as your solution partner?

I started with a Google search. I just typed in “top Web developers/Web designers.” I had maybe 10 options. At that time, I was in New York. The second result was Big Drop and they were in New York. I called their managing partner and asked to meet in person in New York City. We spoke about the project and I liked what I heard. He decided to take on our work so the engagement began shortly after the meeting.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in monetary terms?

All in all, the cost is about $10,000, including the design and the programming. As they take on my next project, that number might increase and perhaps double.

Is the work still ongoing?

Their work is still not done and is ongoing. They need about 45 days to complete the project. Big Drop has finished the graphical part, which I’m very happy with.

Can you describe the app development project in more detail?

We’re creating an application that will serve a certain need in the market, so it’s going to be an Android and an iOS application that is tied to our website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Are you satisfied with the results of Big Drop’s work?

I am impressed with the results so far. They have a system called Bitrix. With Bitrix, I can log in at any point and see the progress of the project. The programmers can post an update and I’ll get a notification email. I’ll check the update up, and I can put notes and amendment. I was impressed, because I’ve never worked with developers that have software, which manages the whole process.          

When working with Big Drop, is there anything you’d consider unique or special about their approach or development methodology that distinguishes them from other vendors you’ve used?

They have plenty of designers and programmers to choose from. They’re all professionals. They met the deadlines that they posted, which is rare in the IT [information technology] industry. Their software project management system keeps the schedule on track.

I would say what stands out would be the management software that they have. Garry [Kander, the vice president of Big Drop] is also outspoken and is a good marketer for his company. I also want to commend the designer that I’m working with currently. She understand exactly what our vision is. All in all, Big Drop is a very good company. I will work with them again, and I would recommend them to other people as well.

In retrospect, are there areas that you think they could improve on or that you would do differently?

There’s nothing I can point out that needs improvement. The process was a pleasant experience. Anything that I wasn’t really happy with, they fixed for me quickly. I cannot mention anything negative or an area where they could improve. I still haven’t seen the programming aspect. So, I’m looking forward to seeing that and I hope it’s as good as the design phase.