BKLYN

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of Flik, a curation and recommendation mobile application for Movies and TV.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BKLYN?

I hired BKLYN to create out working MVP application for my company. My company is a mobile application so without BKLYN I would not have a comapny.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal for the project was to build a scalable, working mobile application. This was not a small project with a few functions. This was not an easy project. I needed this application to handle thousands upon thousands of users at once, multiple databases, search engines amongst other aspects. And I needed the application to work perfectly.

SOLUTION

How did you select BKLYN?

I was connected to Gary at BKLYN through a friend. Immediately I felt like Gary understood what I needed and was able to provide a development team to help me build my product. But in addition, I felt that Gary understood the tech industry and could provide the CTO insight that not every developer is able to provide. My entire company hinged on the creation of my app and I felt that I could trust Gary to create the product that I needed.

Describe the project in detail.

I had a few calls with Gary before officially hiring him. Once the contract was signed, I was introduced to his entire team of developers who would be working on my project full time. I had full time communication with the team as well as weekly status calls to discuss the progress of the app.

What was the team composition?

There is a team of about five people working on my project including a project manager, team manager, front end developer, back end developer and database systems engineer. In my weekly calls I spoke with most of them and the ones who weren't available were available for direct communication through slack. I felt there was complete transparency throghout the entire project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

I have had over 1000 downloads and the app is doing very well. If any issues with the app arose during our beta test, Gary and his team were available immediately to get to the route of the issue. Gary has been such an asset throughout the entire journey of building and launching this app.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Everyone has been amazing to work with. I don't have anything bad to say at all. The entire team is available for direct communication. The entire process has been transparent. Never did I wonder where we were at, what the issues were or what was happening.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The organization of this company and the communication have been the highlights. I am in constant conversation with the developers. I know everything that is going on. We have weekly meetings to discuss progress and issues that arise.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I had a really wonderful experience working with BKLYN overall.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a healthcare union.

What is your position?

I’m the director of online communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with BKLYN?

They were brought to help us create a new website for us.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They took all of our ideas and brought them into formation. We provided the wireframes and they built the website from the ground up including databases to tagging function.

We have a membership of about 400,000 and a lot of our institutions that we represent might be smaller organizations or healthcare facilities. When a member comes to our website they might not know what department they need to call. But all they need to know is where they work and based off of that it would provide them a phone number and BKLYN built that database. We’re using Concrete5 and the framework is informational so providing latest news updates or general information. There might be a little more evergreen and laid out in a very simple way as well as making sure the site was built for mobility purposes. So any mobile device is going to be able to react to that build. We provided all content for the site. They also helped us with SEO.

How did you come to work with BKLYN?

They were brought on through another vendor we had hired for the website.

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

We hired them through another vendor so I don’t know exactly how much of that was paid to BKLYN.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in May 2016 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We’ve seen a lower drop-off rate and a longer stay time. We had noticed that mobility usage had skyrocketed before we revamped the website so their efforts to make sure mobile use was available was key to the project.

How did BKLYN perform from a project management standpoint?

They were extremely organized. They have special tools to help the client side. 

What distinguishes BKLYN from other providers?

I appreciated their rapid response time. They responded quickly and were short and succinct to figure out the problem.

Is there anything BKLYN could have improved or done differently?

I don’t think there was anything BKLYN could’ve done better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Northern Manhattan Perinatal Partnership is a nonprofit, community-based organization located in Harlem. We are mostly grant funded or private funded, and we provide free services to community residents – mainly to low-income residents, although low-income status is not required. We provide maternal and child health support, and our overall specific goal is to reduce infant mortality and maternal mortality. I serve as the interim CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BKLYN?

We had a very outdated website, and we wanted to have a new website that spoke to a clientele that was perhaps more focused on digital platforms. Many of our clients live in many different places, ranging from homeless shelters to the homes of family members. As a result, many rely on their cellphones for communication and education. We wanted a website that could also be accessed by folks who may have limited English skills. Therefore, we wanted something that was interactive, colorful, and engaging. We felt that we got all of this in the website BKLYN created for us. We like it a lot.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had them develop a full website for us. Gary [Riger, founder of BKLYN], came out several times, and we talked together. One piece we have moved on is the home page. It's something that we love about our website, and it was entirely Gary's ideas. One of the three images comes up as a nursery space, and he had commissioned an artist to draw and create this space because we work with mommies and babies. This space just held our staff's attention – and many people's attention – for whole meetings and sessions.

Right now, Gary is creating a 30-second video in several different languages, such as French, Spanish, and English. The video will move the visitor from one image to another, but now it's getting more  educational. For example, there will be a piece about safe sleep. When they click on the baby, they'll go into a video that talks about safe sleep, using images that to deal with this topic in three different languages. We're getting three videos in that interactive nursery space: one for safe sleep and two others. That's going to be amazing. We liked the videos that Gary showed us when he first came out to see us, so we're thinking these are going to be great.

We now have to move forward and build into the full capacity of the chat-button space that Gary has also incorporated into our website. Gary has set up two components, one of which will allow a woman to reach out to us at any time. We're looking forward to the launch of that feature as well.

How did you come to work with BKLYN?

We wound up doing this work together because I called Gary one evening and talked with him about social media. He came out to visit. Our encounter made me think: We already had someone building a website, but we weren't fully satisfied. I just had a feeling that Gary would do something sharp, clean, and modern. We gave him the project. Looking back on it now, it was his willingness to invest his time in that first conversation without having any sense of a commitment on our part or any idea of what he going to be doing. That's what helped to get things moving.

How much have you invested with BKLYN?

We have invested between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We had such a good experience with Gary that, when we were coming to the end of our budget cycle, we turned to BKLYN for more projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have not been able to count our traffic so far, so I can't tell you much about that. I can tell you that reactions to the site have been very positive. About a dozen people have commented, "Wow, we really like a number of these features." I think, overall, it's that modern, clean look that captures people's attention. We don't have much feedback from clients. It takes a while for us to get all of the pieces in order, and our constituency is so broad. Getting feedback from our clients is challenging. But, feedback from other individuals, providers, and agencies has been positive.

How did BKLYN perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very flexible. They met their deadlines. They stayed within the budget. I felt they did a good job on all of that. We required that they move off the calendar a little bit. They were very flexible about it, but stayed in touch enough so that they didn't fall off our radar. Gary handled that challenge perfectly. From time to time, we had some emergencies get in the way, and he'd always get back and say, "Let's not get too far away without staying in touch with our meetings." He was always willing to come here to meet, which is also great. I offered to talk by phone on occasion, but he always offered to come out and meet us in person. He's just a very amenable person, able so easily to fit right into all of our staff issues and dialogue. That's been good for us.

What did you find most impressive about BKLYN?

I think what most differentiates BKLYN is their customer service. I haven't worked with a million other website developers, but I think Gary is bright and has some great ideas. I would stay with BKLYN now because he is unique in his ability to move from technology to a whole new world creatively, like our world of maternal child health. He seems to understand it, and he helps us to think through the issues and possibilities. He is so amazing. I really respect BKLYN's technological ability and their knack for giving our website a look of a certain quality. As I said, I haven't shopped a lot of website designers. But, I've worked with many people at a professional level and, just in terms of creativity and responsiveness, I never felt like BKLYN ever forced anything on us. The starting point was always our needs and wants. Gary would come up with more ideas. We never got any sense that he thought, "OK, it's time to shut this down." We appreciate that, and it has kept us thinking about ways to continue to improve. I think it's been a win-win.

Are there any areas BKLYN could improve?

Not really. I always felt that they were pretty responsive about everything. I know there's always something that you can do a little better. Sometimes, I would send requests by email at midnight or whenever I would get some time. In those cases, I might have to follow up on the request, but that was as much about communication on our end as anything. In the end, it always got done.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is a personal injury law firm, where I am the owner and senior partner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BKLYN?

I had rather modest needs: I was just looking to have a website built that was SEO-compatible, and that would have the capability of playing my videos and working on mobile phones.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BKLYN built my website from scratch. They completed the project quickly and, when I requested a number of changes, they were very responsive. What’s remarkable is that he didn’t even charge me for the changes; he only charged me for the website. There is a contact page but no login is required. Of course, I can login to do my administrative work.

How did you come to work with BKLYN?

Gary [Riger, Founder at BKLYN] and I are in the same networking group. I wanted to keep it within the networking group, and he seemed really smart. Someone else in the group had hired him; and someone else I know, outside the group, had also used Gary’s services and said he was really good.

How much have you invested with BKLYN?

My total investment was under $10,000, even with the changes we made months later.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work of building the website is fully complete, but there are some ongoing changes that I’ve been asking him to make. My SEO manager has identified a few things that he thought would make the site more search-engine compatible, and there are some aesthetical improvements that he and I have agreed upon. For that reason, my involvement with BKLYN is still ongoing. I would have to say, though, that the fees for the changes in this ongoing arrangement have been very reasonable.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I’m constantly getting positive feedback on my website: friends, people I meet, clients, prospective clients. Everybody always says they like the website. Most importantly, I guess, it works. Functionally, I’m happy to say that I’ve never had any problems with the site crashing or anything like that.

How did BKLYN perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. And they were on time. Gary and his whole team always kept to the schedule: They all got everything done when they said it was going to be done.

What did you find most impressive about BKLYN?

BKLYN  are just really knowledgeable, and I appreciate the fact that they always got things done on time. They were realistic; if there was going to be a delay, they would tell me why. What more could I ask for? They were on time, it was cost effective, and I thought they had a good product.

Is there anything BKLYN could have improved or done differently?

I can't really think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Raaly is an iPhone app that caters to the high-end rental market in New York City. People are allowed to go on our site and bid, like on eBay, for the rights to be the first person to see an apartment before it hits the market. Generally, when there's an apartment, before the broker puts it on all the major sites, they will put it on us for a 24-hour period, where people can see it and try to be the first ones to get in there.

What is your position?

I am the co-founder of the company. I am in charge of business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with BKLYN?

We had an idea for an app, and we wanted to partner with a developer to help us define the exact concept for our app and then develop it. Right now, BKLYN is helping me come up with a launch and go-to-market strategy. The app is with Apple and it has to be approved.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

BKLYN has been working with us since the beginning, since I got the idea for this app. They helped me break down my concept into different screenshots, develop the app, form a website database, and every aspect of the app and project. They've helped me since step one, with anything that needs to be done.

How did you come to work with BKLYN?

I knew Gary [principal at BKLYN] from years ago. We were in the mortgage industry together. We are Facebook friends, and he was doing a lot of advertising for his own services. We met with each other, started putting ideas together, and came up with what we have now.

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

It cost between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We're still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

In a short period of time, eight different firms signed up with us and want to be users when the app hits the market. We've had a lot of positive testers who say that when they're looking for an apartment, this is a service they'd want to use.

How did BKLYN perform from a project management standpoint?

It was just two guys sitting down for a cup of coffee and catching up. The whole process was very simple and transparent.

What distinguishes BKLYN from other providers?

I appreciate that the BKLYN team is very straightforward. Sometimes people just tell you what you want to hear to keep you on the phone. Any issue we've had were confronted right away.

Is there anything BKLYN could have improved or done differently?

Nothing. I've been pretty pleased with the project.